[Sandy28]

One route that has always captivated me as well as missed me is driving down 2000 km to my native kerala. After many attempts, things seems like it might just work out this time. Trip tentatively planned around 2nd-3rd week of July. But since its monsoon at its best around this time, not sure of what to expect on the route. saw a thread on roads in kerala and got some inputs from HVK, but now am working on the entire trip planning.

I have many queries but the most important is the route to take.

I have 2 options: first - from Panvel take the konkan route via Chiplun, goa, karwar, udupi, kerala. second option - from panvel take the pune, kolhapur, belgaum route and join at karwar and then proceed to kerala via udupi. which of the above 2 options is advisable considering the ongoing monsoon season? my personal preferance is option 1 (konkan route) but depends on the road conditions.

I have more queries but it all depends on the route that i take. so Pl share as much info as you all can, so that i can make this dream trip a reality. i will be travelling in my Verna with wife and 2 yr old son.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

One route that has always captivated me as well as missed me is driving down 2000 km to my native kerala. After many attempts, things seems like it might just work out this time. Trip tentatively planned around 2nd-3rd week of July. But since its monsoon at its best around this time, not sure of what to expect on the route. saw a thread on roads in kerala and got some inputs from HVK, but now am working on the entire trip planning.

I have many queries but the most important is the route to take.

I have 2 options: first - from Panvel take the konkan route via Chiplun, goa, karwar, udupi, kerala. second option - from panvel take the pune, kolhapur, belgaum route and join at karwar and then proceed to kerala via udupi. which of the above 2 options is advisable considering the ongoing monsoon season? my personal preferance is option 1 (konkan route) but depends on the road conditions.

I have more queries but it all depends on the route that i take. so Pl share as much info as you all can, so that i can make this dream trip a reality. i will be travelling in my Verna with wife and 2 yr old son.

AMD-Panvel would easily take around 10-11 hours of drive thanks to all the flyover constructions on NH8 between Manor & Surat.Again roads between Ghodbunder & Manor would also be broken.

From Panvel,IMHO,go via Pune-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Hubli-NH63-Ankola-Karwar.Traffic is maddening between Pune & Kolhapur and the toll gates add to the confusion.

Day 1 you could stay somewhere in Panvel.
Day 2 you could stay in Karwar.There is a Kamat's Lotus River Resort at Karwar on NH17 itself just before the Kali bridge.Lovely place with rooms priced around 1500-1700 which is a steal for the kind of place that it is.

You havent mentioned where in Kerala you need to go?Depending on that people here would be able to give you more inputs.

I have driven Ottapalam-Karwar on Day 1 and Karwar-Borivali on day 2.Day 1 took me 15hours and Day 2 took me 11hours.

[ramkya1]

Done both routes many times and experimented with some more. Many of us from A'bad have done this time and again.

This season, I'd take the Pune, Satara route, fastest way through; rains on NH17 would slow you down plenty. I'd usually start early from A'bad, hit Hotel Mahendra @ Satara, next day Bangalore and next day by lunch time Palakkad, no night driving.

Uploading 2 logs you'd find useful. PM me, I'd give you the lowdown on the plan.

--Ramky

Originally Posted by Sandy28

One route that has always captivated me as well as missed me is driving down 2000 km to my native kerala. After many attempts, things seems like it might just work out this time. Trip tentatively planned around 2nd-3rd week of July. But since its monsoon at its best around this time, not sure of what to expect on the route. saw a thread on roads in kerala and got some inputs from HVK, but now am working on the entire trip planning.

I have many queries but the most important is the route to take.

I have 2 options: first - from Panvel take the konkan route via Chiplun, goa, karwar, udupi, kerala. second option - from panvel take the pune, kolhapur, belgaum route and join at karwar and then proceed to kerala via udupi. which of the above 2 options is advisable considering the ongoing monsoon season? my personal preferance is option 1 (konkan route) but depends on the road conditions.

I have more queries but it all depends on the route that i take. so Pl share as much info as you all can, so that i can make this dream trip a reality. i will be travelling in my Verna with wife and 2 yr old son.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Yes true,neither can we pm you!Guess you would have to post your queries here itself

hmm... by the time i am done with my queries on this route, i am sure i will no more remain a Newbie

btw, hows the rain / road scene on the Karwar-Kundapura-Udupi-Mangalore stretch? We intend to visit the Mukambika temple in Kollur on the way.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

hmm... by the time i am done with my queries on this route, i am sure i will no more remain a Newbie

btw, hows the rain / road scene on the Karwar-Kundapura-Udupi-Mangalore stretch? We intend to visit the Mukambika temple in Kollur on the way.

Karwar to Kundapur is excellent.Plenty of Kamats enroute to stop and eat as well.

Kundapur to Mangalore is messy,with 4 laning in progress and add to that the humongous number of "express" buses that ply from Kollur to Mangalor

Kundapur to Mangalore would take you around 2.5-3hours.With the rains also in full flow,this stretch is not going to be the easiest to drive.Same is the case once you cross into Kerala,heavy traffic plus bad roads in between.Kasargod-Kannur has some bad stretches as well and plus the dense traffic

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Originally Posted by ranjitp1
AMD-Panvel would easily take around 10-11 hours of drive thanks to all the flyover constructions on NH8 between Manor & Surat.Again roads between Ghodbunder & Manor would also be broken.
Ghodbunder-Manor - will it be really bad? I had taken a bus to Andheri last month and got down near Ghodbunder. Then took a local bus to Thane. That road (leading to Pune Exp HW) was pretty good. Is it the same route that you are refering to?

From Panvel,IMHO,go via Pune-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Hubli-NH63-Ankola-Karwar.Traffic is maddening between Pune & Kolhapur and the toll gates add to the confusion.

Is it not possible to hit Karwar directly from Belgaum instead of going to Hubli and then turning towards Karwar? How is the traffic after Kolhapur?

Day 1 you could stay somewhere in Panvel.
If I start by 4 am, can I target Pune by around 6.00 pm or will this be too much?

You havent mentioned where in Kerala you need to go?Depending on that people here would be able to give you more inputs.
Oops sorry for this. My destination is Vavanoor near Pattambi in Palakkad district. The route I had in mind was to take the Kasargod-Kannur-Calicut route upto Tirur, then turn left to Kuttipuram -Kumbidi - Tirthala - Vavanoor. Any suggestions?

some questions I had are in bold. can you help with your inputs pl?

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

[/i]

some questions I had are in bold. can you help with your inputs pl?

@ Sandy: My number is 09377203000, talk to me.

@ Ranjit: Hijacking your queseitons, hope you don't mind

@ Sandy: I'd still say, start early, hit Satara, Pune hotels are a rip off, specially on the highway, no good family options under 3000/- just for the night. Manor - Godebander is drivable if you start early enough. Drive till you reach Satara, even if you start late next day you would still hit Bangalore OK, or hit NH 17, do Kollur with plenty of time to spare.

Skip NH if possible, the rains, section from Kundapur to Mangalore and traffic inside Kerala would make driving miserable (know it for a fact from a colleague who went from Mumbai to Mangalore last week by Bus, was delayed by rains and blocks for 4 hours), unless you are bent on Kollur. Bangalore - Salem- Palakkad is much more faster now and many times more smoother and drab then NH17 with so many bottle necks and two lane traffic.

On the way back, if you still want to do Kollur, plan for it, take NH63 through Yellapur and come back through Pune.

Your thoughts?

Ramky
=======

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

@ Sandy: My number is 09377203000, talk to me.

@ Ranjit: Hijacking your queseitons, hope you don't mind

@ Sandy: I'd still say, start early, hit Satara, Pune hotels are a rip off, specially on the highway, no good family options under 3000/- just for the night. Manor - Godebander is drivable if you start early enough. Drive till you reach Satara, even if you start late next day you would still hit Bangalore OK, or hit NH 17, do Kollur with plenty of time to spare.

Skip NH if possible, the rains, section from Kundapur to Mangalore and traffic inside Kerala would make driving miserable (know it for a fact from a colleague who went from Mumbai to Mangalore last week by Bus, was delayed by rains and blocks for 4 hours), unless you are bent on Kollur. Bangalore - Salem- Palakkad is much more faster now and many times more smoother and drab then NH17 with so many bottle necks and two lane traffic.

On the way back, if you still want to do Kollur, plan for it, take NH63 through Yellapur and come back through Pune.

Your thoughts?

Ramky
=======

Be my guest Ramky

Sandy when you have Ramky in the same city as yours,you just need to talk to him!He drives Ahmedabad-Palakkad like a normal day's drive!

Originally Posted by Sandy28

[/i]

some questions I had are in bold. can you help with your inputs pl?

As regards your question of belgaum to karwar direct,there is no direct route per se,the hubli route is the fastest way to get to Karwar,again if you dont want to go to karwar,then you take a left at where nh63 ends and go on towards kumta etc on nh17.Karwar from the turning is around 20kms towards your right.


If you dont need to go via NH17,then like Ramky said,take this route.This is the fastest.

Belgaum-Bangalore-Salem-Perundurai-Kangeyam-Palladam-Pollachi-Palakkad-Ottapalam-Kulappully-Pattambi-Vavanoor.

http://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr=bangalore&daddr=salem+to:11.33108,77.63 257+toerundurai+to:Kangeyam,+Tamil+Nadu+to:Palla dam,+Tamil+Nadu+to:11.02806,77.13338+to:Palakkad,+ Kerala+to:Ottapalam,+Kerala+to:Pattambi,+Kerala+to :vavanoor&hl=en&ll=10.81712,76.627579&spn=0.351385 ,0.615921&sll=10.819818,77.207794&sspn=0.702759,1. 231842&geocode=FU_uxQAdw_-fBCltTrTJcBauOzHgT35R6MPf-A%3BFcX7sQAd3mmoBCkLuiz1zPGrOzFHymhwAImZ7g%3BFQjmr AAdOpSgBCntfQ21FWypOzGUYMAn9_mycQ%3BFSwHrAAdIOefBC ndS7gdZm2pOzGIEb-TKrLMzg%3BFZHepwAdzJefBCnzKvNdWJ-pOzHo-T4kTJ0KiQ%3BFaizpwAd4UubBCn7jd1zVqmpOzEW0EWHGsP_bg %3BFVxGqAAdRPaYBCn3fPjjsVWoOzGTu-16yW1jcg%3BFR96pAAdgqiRBCmtMX0I-m2oOzFWCod669ZC9Q%3BFcxXpAAd7GuNBCmhWHejTdmnOzGHwE DzPh97ww%3BFeLgpAAd04KKBCkbbqIv08WnOzFRZyNef9HNQg% 3BFQ42pAAdm8KJBCF4AbETSzPvQQ&mra=ls&via=2,6&z=11

Over to Ramky

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Where in KL are you going?

I had been to Kollur / Udupi in Jan/Feb, and NH 17 work is progressing fast there. Things can be very dicey; in KA and 2/3rd week of July means roads within KL would be on verge of breaking apart.

Ah. no. I stand corrected. By Aug/ Sept, Maveli would be visiting KL and roads will begin to "open up roads" from hell for Maveli to come up and visit his beloved "subjects".

If you are in Southern districts, you may be better off sticking to B'lore > TN > some ghat nearest your home district.

Edit -- missed the post about you being near Pattambi. You may then take NH 47 as suggested, reach Palakkad and take the Palakkad - Ottappalam SH (Excellent road, but 2 lane). You already have some suggestions on that.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Where in KL are you going?

I had been to Kollur / Udupi in Jan/Feb, and NH 17 work is progressing fast there. Things can be very dicey; in KA and 2/3rd week of July means roads within KL would be on verge of breaking apart.

Ah. no. I stand corrected. By Aug/ Sept, Maveli would be visiting KL and roads will begin to "open up roads" from hell for Maveli to come up and visit his beloved "subjects".

If you are in Southern districts, you may be better off sticking to B'lore > TN > some ghat nearest your home district.

Edit -- missed the post about you being near Pattambi. You may then take NH 47 as suggested, reach Palakkad and take the Palakkad - Ottappalam SH (Excellent road, but 2 lane). You already have some suggestions on that.

my sister had been to kollur (by train) in May this year and then took a cab till mangalapuram. she said that the route was good. but then with the rains on, things could be much different.

Going by all the inputs and my talk with Ramky, I will mostly stick to the Pune-Belgaum-Bglore route (though my heart is still on the konkan route :-(

[SajiNSalin]

Dear Sandy,

It is a great driving experience that you are venturing on.

I had traveled from Ahmedabad to Chengannur three times in the 90s. Admittedly that was a long time ago when roads where not what they are now. The first two times it was one way and the third time in 1999, I drove a Maruti 800 to Trivandrum and returned. All the journeys were during June-July and in the midst of the monsoon and raining heavily.

In all the trips, I took NH17 from Panvel to North Paravur all the way. Me and my wife traveled from Ahmedabad to Surat on day 1, stayed in Chiplun at the end of day 2, Goa end day 3, spent day 4 in Goa, Kanhangad end of day 5 and Chengannur on day 6 and retraced the journey on the return.

Roads were very bad those days. Now you can easily do Ahmedabad to Panvel on day 1, Panvel to Goa on day 2, Goa to Kerala on day 3. The Konkan route on NH17 is a pleasure to drive, but as pointed out by others will take longer and road conditions may not be as good as the Pune route. However, I love the scenery and the relatively empty roads from Panvel to Goa via Ratnagiri.

In case you take this route, be very careful about the innumerable road bumps before and after every village. Take it easy when you drive on this route. The Kerala police have started speed checks with their newly bought radar, so be careful about the speed restrictions. I was caught speeding at 80kmph on the Kottayam-Ernakulam road where the speed limit is 40kmph. As mentioned by the other members, driving in Kerala is a nightmare and you have to be especially alert, but I find it not such a big problem.

I would always prefer the Konkan route on this trip. Maybe you can try both the routes, one while traveling to Kerala and the other while returning. I would recommend the Konkan route while going to Kerala as you are relatively fresh and not is so much of a hurry while the return you would want to complete the journey as early as possible.

All the best for the journey and drive safe. you will cherish the journey as I do after more than a decade and hope to travel down to Kerala in a few year's time. You may contact me at saji_ak@rediffmail.com if you need more information.

Regards

Saji

[Chevy_lover]

Hey Sandy, listen to what Ramky sir says. I have experienced the wrath of NH 17 like no one here. I drive a Chevy Tavera. Inspite of my vehicle's high ground clearance, the crash guard broke twice after falling in gutters in Yellapore and Mangalore stretches.

If you have time, go through my Pune - Tvm travelogue. You will get a fair idea about what to expect from NH17 and NH63. They are terrible during the monsoon.

If you still decide to go on this route, drive VERY slow as soon as you see a 'village ahead' sign. The bumps on NH63 are suspension killers!!!

Edit : I am driving to Kerala next week. I will be going via Bangalore and Salem. No other route interests me anymore! I have done this stretch many times and I never ever get tired of driving on the brilliant NH4.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by SajiNSalin

Dear Sandy,

It is a great driving experience that you are venturing on.

The Konkan route on NH17 is a pleasure to drive, but as pointed out by others will take longer and road conditions may not be as good as the Pune route. However, I love the scenery and the relatively empty roads from Panvel to Goa via Ratnagiri.

I would always prefer the Konkan route on this trip. Maybe you can try both the routes, one while traveling to Kerala and the other while returning.

All the best for the journey and drive safe.

thanks Saji for those encouraging words. I too had done Abad-Cochin on the konkan route via chiplun-goa-karwar-udupi-kerala way back in 1995 in premier padmini. But things have changed a lot since.

Like you suggested, I thought of turning on to NH63 from Hubli and going to Ankola and thereon move to Kerala on NH 17 and for the return journey take the bglore-hubli-pune route. But then after my talk with Ramky and going through the words of caution from fellow TBHPians, I am planning to stick to the pune-hubil-bglore-pallakad route. Especially considering the monsoon, I dont want to be in for a shock with wife and 2-yr old with me.

The only thing that nags me is that I will be taking the same route both ways. If only there was a solution to this!!!

Originally Posted by Chevy_lover

Hey Sandy, listen to what Ramky sir says. I have experienced the wrath of NH 17 like no one here. I drive a Chevy Tavera. Inspite of my vehicle's high ground clearance, the crash guard broke twice after falling in gutters in Yellapore and Mangalore stretches.

If you have time, go through my Pune - Tvm travelogue. You will get a fair idea about what to expect from NH17 and NH63. They are terrible during the monsoon.

Edit : I am driving to Kerala next week. I will be going via Bangalore and Salem. No other route interests me anymore! I have done this stretch many times and I never ever get tired of driving on the brilliant NH4.

Thanks Chevy_Lover. I have gone thru your Pune-Tvm log and have got a very 'fair' idea about what to expect. If at all I had any plans to take the risk, your post made me drop it right there

How is NH4 in general? I know it is no compare to the konkan route, but will I still get some ghat sections to drive through and enjoy beautiful landscapes or is it a flat plain stretch of road?

[Chevy_lover]

Hi Sandy, great to know that you will stick to NH4. The landscape is very beautiful once you enter Karnataka. There is Khambatki ghat after Pune and Thoppur ghat after Hosur. I am sure you'll enjoy the drive.

PM HVK sir to find out about more route options, if you are keen on driving back through a different route.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

The only thing that nags me is that I will be taking the same route both ways. If only there was a solution to this!!!

As somebody suggested, you can consider taking this risk - especially considering your sister's feedback. If you start early morning (4-5ish), you ought to be able to cover Kasargod - Mangalore by afternoon (off peak time) and at least Kundapura by early evening. That ought to be the worst stretch.

Also, there is no first hand information right now here about what lies between Kundapura and Bhatkal (North of Kollur) - that is / was the worst stretch, when I had done a research. At any rate, it would not be worser than KL roads.