[princenoble]

I am looking for information about Bangalore to Mananthavadi via Mysore, HD Kotta, Bavali & Kattikulam. I used to travel thir route till 2011-hence familiar with the route. If somebody can help me with the condition of the road? Is it a good option for Innova with 6 Adults +2 kids on board or should I take the longer alternative via Gundalpet, Batheri?

Drive date is August 15th. Please help.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by sach.sri

One associated questions - what are good eating places on the highway to stop for lunch, dinner, etc?

Interestingly, I am thorough with the routes between Kanpur and Lucknow, and Lucknow and Allahabad only! Since you are not travelling this way, it won't help you.

But there is no eating point anywhere in the entire Allahabad bypass (70 kms), excepting for some truck resting places. The entire route is empty, but you will enjoy the section since it has started raining too. You will get some good eating resort between Allahabad (NH 2) and Varanasi, if you take that route. After the Allahabad bypass, there are small towns and there are some eateries outside the town limits as well.

If you are going inside Allahabad city, do not miss the historical Indian Coffee House in the civil lines.

Vipin.

[nileshch]

Planning to do a roadtrip from Bangalore to Bhusawal (Maharashtra) sometime later this year. I was thinking of trying out a different route other that the usual Bangalore-Pune-Aurangabad-Bhusawal route. Google maps shows me a Hyderabad-Nanded-Akola route which is almost the same distance (80kms less).

How are the highways between Hyderabad, Nanded and Akola? Is this even recommended?

[sach.sri]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

Interestingly, I am thorough with the routes between Kanpur and Lucknow, and Lucknow and Allahabad only! Since you are not travelling this way, it won't help you.

But there is no eating point anywhere in the entire Allahabad bypass (70 kms), excepting for some truck resting places. The entire route is empty, but you will enjoy the section since it has started raining too. You will get some good eating resort between Allahabad (NH 2) and Varanasi, if you take that route. After the Allahabad bypass, there are small towns and there are some eateries outside the town limits as well.

If you are going inside Allahabad city, do not miss the historical Indian Coffee House in the civil lines.

Vipin.

I was doing some research for the trip and read somewhere that there is a Naxal problem in the area? Does anyone have information about the nature and intensity of the problem? or even whether there is a problem?

if so - how safe is it to try to visit there via road?

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by sach.sri

I was doing some research for the trip and read somewhere that there is a Naxal problem in the area? Does anyone have information about the nature and intensity of the problem? or even whether there is a problem?

if so - how safe is it to try to visit there via road?

Which place is affected by the Naxalites? Mirzapur side? What I heard and know is that any place in UP is perfectly fine, if you visit/drive during day-time. There are Naxal problems way ahead in Jharkhand, etc. But Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi is absolutely fine (NH2), and there are reports of car drives in this section undertaken even at night, with families. You can check the threads under travelogues.

Vipin.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by 9tMax

What is the current shape of NH-9 between Hyd and vijaywada?
And the Nh-5 from thereon to Calcutta? Of particular interest is the NH-5 in orissa, after all the recent heavy rains and flood.
I am starting for Calcutta on 30th.

Today's TOI says the NH-9 between Hyd and Vijaywada will be ready by October end, and they are planning to collect around Rs 150 or 180 as toll (don't remember the exact figure).

Let us hope it turns out to be true. I don't mind paying toll as long as the drive is smooth and stress-free.

[9tMax]

Yes, I was also very happy to see the news. The total toll of 140 from Hyd to Vijaywada seems quite ok when you consider the current chaos on the 2 laned road.
Once it is ready, then we will have a smooth 4 laned corridor all the way from Hyd to Calcutta.
Time to plan for the next Calcutta trip I guess.

[zoombiee]

Originally Posted by princenoble

I am looking for information about Bangalore to Mananthavadi via Mysore, HD Kotta, Bavali & Kattikulam. I used to travel thir route till 2011-hence familiar with the route. If somebody can help me with the condition of the road? Is it a good option for Innova with 6 Adults +2 kids on board or should I take the longer alternative via Gundalpet, Batheri?

Drive date is August 15th. Please help.

I have done this road about 18 months back. It was one of the worst roads I have driven on. The road had absolutely no tar. It had loose rocks. More over the road surface was concave due to buses plying on the road. It took me about 2 hrs to cover the road from near Kabini to Kerala border (about 20-25 kms I think). The only plus point is you come close to wild animals on this road. The Gundlupet road would be a way bit longer, but will take much lesser time. The road condition was very good. I took the route while returning.

[himanshugoswami]

Folks,

I am planning a drive to Udaipur in early November from Delhi. Is it advisible to take NH8 all the way upto Udaipur? has the road works ended?

I did this drive in the opposite direction a year ago (Mumbai to Del), and on the advise from HV Kumar, avoided NH8 after udaipur and took NH76 from Udaipur to Kota and NH 79 from Kota to Ajmer and I thank HV Kumar till date- it was simply the best drive of my life.

however, if NH8 is not a smooth drive, i would prefer that since i dont have to worry about navigation anymore.

any updates?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Folks,

I am planning a drive to Udaipur in early November from Delhi. Is it advisible to take NH8 all the way upto Udaipur? has the road works ended?

I did this drive in the opposite direction a year ago (Mumbai to Del), and on the advise from HV Kumar, avoided NH8 after udaipur and took NH76 from Udaipur to Kota and NH 79 from Kota to Ajmer and I thank HV Kumar till date- it was simply the best drive of my life.

however, if NH8 is not a smooth drive, i would prefer that since i dont have to worry about navigation anymore.

any updates?

NH8 beyond Kishengarh is still work in progress.Stick to the NH76-NH79 combo till Udaipur and then continue on the NH8 from Udaipur till Mumbai.Approximate drive times should be:

Delhi-Jaipur:4-5hrs

Jaipur-Udaipur:6-7hrs

UDP-Ahmedabad:5Hrs

AMD entry-Baroda EW exit:2hrs

Baroda-Ghodbunder:6hrs

You could stopover for the night either at Hotel Landmark,Himmatnagar(to your right at Himmatnagar) or at Hotel Plazzo to your right hand side immediately after the Baroda Expressway.

[moralfibre]

Drove from Pune to Harihareshwar on Saturday.

Left at 4:30 am from Pune and could reach Harihareshwar only by 9:00 am. Terrible roads enroute. Here's a summary of the route condition:

- Pune to Paud village: Good roads.
- Paud village to Tamhini: Terribly broken roads with huge potholes and gravel that sends you in a skid at the hint of stepping on the brakes. Quite treacherous for the inexperienced drivers.
- Tamhini ghat: Decent in some sections but broken on majority of the way.
- Tamhini base to Mangaon: Average. No potholes but roads are narrow.
- Mangaon to Harihareshwar: Partly broken. Pathetic drive and I would avoid going back on this road unless I have to.

[motomaverick]

Drove from Bangalore to Goa

Bangalore - Goa
Route: Bangalore - Shimoga - Karwar - Candolim
Total Driving Time: 12hrs

• Road Condition from Bangalore to Sagar is pretty good, the highway has new tar at most of the broken portions and the Tumkur & Shimoga bypass is also not bad.
• Road condition in the ghats are bad from Jog falls upto Honnavar, you will observe quite a few craters filled with water.
• Honnavar to Ankola NH17 is broken at quite a few places and also sudden potholes.
• Ankola to Goa is again great

Goa - Bangalore
Route: Candolim - Banda - Amboli - Belgaum - Tumkur - Bangalore
Total Driving Time: 12hrs

• Candolim to Banda roads are really great especially on the Goa side. We actually were planning to get to Sawantwadi and then take the SH121 but there was some accident 9kms before Sawantwadi so had to turn back and take a interrior village road that joined the SH121. This road was in shambles and empty, thankfully one Wagon R was there to keep company or maybe it was the other way round as they let us overtake them
• SH121 is great till Amboli and then beyond almost upto Belgaum. Amboli was really mesmerizing with a line of waterfalls, mist and the valley.
• Road is bad about 20kms before Belgaum but its managable.
• Belgaum onwards its the NH4 express, but beware after Harihar there are constant diversions as they seem to be making some flyovers. I think about 5 diversions right upto Tumkur.

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Drove from Pune to Harihareshwar on Saturday.

Left at 4:30 am from Pune and could reach Harihareshwar only by 9:00 am. Terrible roads enroute.

I am going to be in an Endy with 6-7 occupants - and we plan to take it nice and slow with lots of breaks and photo ops. Got new tires too... so hopefully we should be good.

But, do you recommend we ditch this, and instead do Pune-Panvel-Alibag?

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

I am going to be in an Endy with 6-7 occupants - and we plan to take it nice and slow with lots of breaks and photo ops. Got new tires too... so hopefully we should be good.
But, do you recommend we ditch this, and instead do Pune-Panvel-Alibag?

I would have suggested you take the Panvel Alibaug road had I known the road condition. The problem is that the roads around Raigad part of Konkan are in terrible state from monsoon upto January. Either you take Tamhini-Mangaon or Alibaug-Srivardhan, I don't see any relief for you. If you plan to drive slow, I suggest you stick to the Tamhini route. An SUV wouldn't be that badly affected I guess.

BHPian Amey did Bombay-Panvel-Tamhini-Pune last week and says the road upto Vadkhal naka in Pen are in terrible state.

[gjiyap1]

Two days back - travelled to Thiruthani. Heard from people the route is simple and the distance (approx 90 kms) can be covered in less than 2 hours.

To my surprise, it took me 3+ hours - thanks to BIG road work happening on the thiruvallur - thiruthani stretch. Also, within thiruvallur city, one side of the road is completely mess - with big holes & bumps..

Onward - Mount Poonammalle Road (SH55) - NH4 - Thiruvallur High Road (SH50) - Chennai Thiruthani Highway (SH716)

Please avoid this route - for few more months.

Started late in the return (9.00 pm) and chose a different route - thanks to google maps . Pleasantly surprised. The Arakponam - NH4 stretch is a road run parallel to railway track - & it is awesome (not sure - the track is operational one or under construction - because many a place we didn't see the electric lines - over the track !).

Return: Thiruthani - Arakonam (SH 58) - NH4 - SH 110 - Mangadu - Kunrathur road - Pammal - GST

So, any one planning a drive for Chennai - Thiruthani, please do take a note.

Cheers,
Jay.