[althaaf]

I know all of you must be thinking if am mad to take a petrol vehicle for such a long drive !! Am not, in fact any Honda city AT owner will love to take her for long drive whatever it may cause to his bank balance.

Now coming to the point, me and my few friends(total 3, We got 3 drivers ! ) are planning a road trip to Goa from Thrissur on or around 16th of this month, but there are lot of things which are not clear to us, first and most important is the route !
I would like to know which is the best route to follow considering the fact that monsoon just got over in this region. I checked Google maps and found Thrissur->Calicut->Mangalore->Udupi->Karwar->Margaon to be the shortest route.
Can anybody suggest me a better route or tell if the condition of the roads are fine in this route? There are lot of threads which comment about condition of these routes but most of the info's provided are outdated. If there is any expert, i would like to get a detailed itenary with journey break ups. Like what to do where, best time to reach somewhere, any sight seeing points, good towns to stay overnight, hotels etc..

What i have roughly planned is
Start from Thrissur in the morning, reach Mangalore by night, on the way halt in Calicut, Thalassery etc.. over night stay at Mangalore and continue journey next day early and reach Goa the same day by after noon or evening.
Is this an impossible to reach goal? Am not aware of the condition of the roads, so friends, please help.

PS: Mods, please don't merge it with any other thread as most of them have outdated info's and many are not active too..

[govigov]

Roads from calicut to kannur is in a bad state. Foot know beyond that. Saw a post from hvk to avoid nh17. Look for alternate roads. There is one through karkala which is ok i think.

[vb-saan]

Althaaf, from what I know, the road from Calicut to Kannur -> Kasaragod -> Mangalore is good for an off-roading expedition, and could very well ruin your Honda City.

I am not sure, but I guess there is an alternate route of Thrissur -> Mysore -> Mangalore -> Goa.

IMO, the better option (but longer) will be to do Thrissur -> Coimbatore -> Bangalore -> Goa.

Drop a note to HVK to know more on the available options

[nutmello]

hi
drive from thrissur to mysore via coimbatore. mysore to shimoga ( 200 km- 5hrs thro, srirangapatnam,k r pet, channarayapatna, arsikere, shimoga) shimoga to sagara, honnavara, karwar and then goa. from thrissur to mysore to shimoga to goa roads are in excellent condition. roads inside kerala have gone very bad. alternatively you can take ac train to goa via mangalore and hire local cabs in goa instead.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by althaaf

I know all of you must be thinking if am mad to take a petrol vehicle for such a long drive !! Am not, in fact any Honda city AT owner will love to take her for long drive whatever it may cause to his bank balance.

Now coming to the point, me and my few friends(total 3, We got 3 drivers ! ) are planning a road trip to Goa from Thrissur on or around 16th of this month, but there are lot of things which are not clear to us, first and most important is the route !
I would like to know which is the best route to follow considering the fact that monsoon just got over in this region. I checked Google maps and found Thrissur->Calicut->Mangalore->Udupi->Karwar->Margaon to be the shortest route.
Can anybody suggest me a better route or tell if the condition of the roads are fine in this route? There are lot of threads which comment about condition of these routes but most of the info's provided are outdated. If there is any expert, i would like to get a detailed itenary with journey break ups. Like what to do where, best time to reach somewhere, any sight seeing points, good towns to stay overnight, hotels etc..

What i have roughly planned is
Start from Thrissur in the morning, reach Mangalore by night, on the way halt in Calicut, Thalassery etc.. over night stay at Mangalore and continue journey next day early and reach Goa the same day by after noon or evening.
Is this an impossible to reach goal? Am not aware of the condition of the roads, so friends, please help.

PS: Mods, please don't merge it with any other thread as most of them have outdated info's and many are not active too..

Nh17 is really bad at the moment.if ypu decide to take it then be prepared for a long boring drive.tcr kozhikode 4hrs.kozhikode mangalore approx 8hrs.more than the timings the conditions of the road is pathetic.mamgalore kundapur 4laning in progress will take you around 4hrs.kundapur bhatkal honnavar again has bad sections.hpnnavar karwar is good.kundapur karwar would tale another 4hrs and from there to panjim is another 3hrs.

I would reccomend that you do tcr salem hosur nice road tumkur hubli.stay the night in hubli.next day do hubli nh63 yellapur ankola join nh17 kaewar goa.excellent roads throughout.feel free to pm in case you need more details

[hvkumar]

LIke nutmello says, it is a good idea to go through "Malnad" region of Karnataka to avoid the worst sections of NH17 north of Calicut.

I have a different route plan though:

Leisurely:
Trissur-Shoranur (take the Cherplaserry route, not via Pattambi which is very bad)-Nilambur-Cherambadi-Kalpetta-Manathavady-Kutta-Virajpet-Madikeri-Somwarpet-Sakleshpura-Belur-Chickmagalur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls-Honavar-Kumta-Ankola-Karwar-Goa

However, this will mean D1 you reach Madikeri and D2 Goa, but both will be hard driving days with lot of regret that you could stop over at some very pretty places.

Faster:
the route that nutmello has suggested (with a modification)
Trissur-Shoranur (take the Cherplaserry route, not via Pattambi which is very bad)-Nilambur-Gudalur-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Gundulpet-Nanjangud-Mysore-Hole Narsipur-Hassan-Belur-Chickmagalur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls-Honavar-Kumta-Ankola-Karwar-Goa

[althaaf]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

LIke nutmello says, it is a good idea to go through "Malnad" region of Karnataka to avoid the worst sections of NH17 north of Calicut.

I have a different route plan though:

Leisurely:
Trissur-Shoranur (take the Cherplaserry route, not via Pattambi which is very bad)-Nilambur-Cherambadi-Kalpetta-Manathavady-Kutta-Virajpet-Madikeri-Somwarpet-Sakleshpura-Belur-Chickmagalur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls-Honavar-Kumta-Ankola-Karwar-Goa

However, this will mean D1 you reach Madikeri and D2 Goa, but both will be hard driving days with lot of regret that you could stop over at some very pretty places.

Faster:
the route that nutmello has suggested (with a modification)
Trissur-Shoranur (take the Cherplaserry route, not via Pattambi which is very bad)-Nilambur-Gudalur-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Gundulpet-Nanjangud-Mysore-Hole Narsipur-Hassan-Belur-Chickmagalur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls-Honavar-Kumta-Ankola-Karwar-Goa

Thanks a lot. So if i follow the fastest route you provided, aprox how much time will it take, just to know where i ll be halting for the night. Are the roads all good? Any route i select, will consume my 2 days for one side. right? any further suggestions?
Do you guys think its a wrong idea to visit goa by road considering the present road conditions?

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by althaaf

Thanks a lot. So if i follow the fastest route you provided, aprox how much time will it take, just to know where i ll be halting for the night. Are the roads all good? Any route i select, will consume my 2 days for one side. right? any further suggestions?
Do you guys think its a wrong idea to visit goa by road considering the present road conditions?

Whichever route you take, expect bad roads till at least end-Novemeber.

In the route I listed:
Nilambur-Gudalur-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Gundulpet-Nanjangud-Mysore-Hole Narsipur-Hassan-Belur-Chickmagalur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls--Honavar-Kumta-Ankola-Karwar-Goa,
expect bad roads after Jog Falls towards Honavar.

If you leave early morning from Trissur, you could ideally stop over at Chickmagalur. Or further down to HOnavar or Kumta.

[althaaf]

Originally Posted by govigov

Roads from calicut to kannur is in a bad state. Foot know beyond that. Saw a post from hvk to avoid nh17. Look for alternate roads. There is one through karkala which is ok i think.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Althaaf, from what I know, the road from Calicut to Kannur -> Kasaragod -> Mangalore is good for an off-roading expedition, and could very well ruin your Honda City.

I am not sure, but I guess there is an alternate route of Thrissur -> Mysore -> Mangalore -> Goa.

IMO, the better option (but longer) will be to do Thrissur -> Coimbatore -> Bangalore -> Goa.

Drop a note to HVK to know more on the available options

Originally Posted by nutmello

hi
drive from thrissur to mysore via coimbatore. mysore to shimoga ( 200 km- 5hrs thro, srirangapatnam,k r pet, channarayapatna, arsikere, shimoga) shimoga to sagara, honnavara, karwar and then goa. from thrissur to mysore to shimoga to goa roads are in excellent condition. roads inside kerala have gone very bad. alternatively you can take ac train to goa via mangalore and hire local cabs in goa instead.

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Nh17 is really bad at the moment.if ypu decide to take it then be prepared for a long boring drive.tcr kozhikode 4hrs.kozhikode mangalore approx 8hrs.more than the timings the conditions of the road is pathetic.mamgalore kundapur 4laning in progress will take you around 4hrs.kundapur bhatkal honnavar again has bad sections.hpnnavar karwar is good.kundapur karwar would tale another 4hrs and from there to panjim is another 3hrs.

I would reccomend that you do tcr salem hosur nice road tumkur hubli.stay the night in hubli.next day do hubli nh63 yellapur ankola join nh17 kaewar goa.excellent roads throughout.feel free to pm in case you need more details

Originally Posted by hvkumar

LIke nutmello says, it is a good idea to go through "Malnad" region of Karnataka to avoid the worst sections of NH17 north of Calicut.

I have a different route plan though:

Leisurely:
Trissur-Shoranur (take the Cherplaserry route, not via Pattambi which is very bad)-Nilambur-Cherambadi-Kalpetta-Manathavady-Kutta-Virajpet-Madikeri-Somwarpet-Sakleshpura-Belur-Chickmagalur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls-Honavar-Kumta-Ankola-Karwar-Goa

However, this will mean D1 you reach Madikeri and D2 Goa, but both will be hard driving days with lot of regret that you could stop over at some very pretty places.

Faster:
the route that nutmello has suggested (with a modification)
Trissur-Shoranur (take the Cherplaserry route, not via Pattambi which is very bad)-Nilambur-Gudalur-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Gundulpet-Nanjangud-Mysore-Hole Narsipur-Hassan-Belur-Chickmagalur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls-Honavar-Kumta-Ankola-Karwar-Goa

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Whichever route you take, expect bad roads till at least end-Novemeber.

In the route I listed:
Nilambur-Gudalur-Mudumalai-Bandipur-Gundulpet-Nanjangud-Mysore-Hole Narsipur-Hassan-Belur-Chickmagalur-Tarikere-Shimoga-Sagar-Jog Falls--Honavar-Kumta-Ankola-Karwar-Goa,
expect bad roads after Jog Falls towards Honavar.

If you leave early morning from Trissur, you could ideally stop over at Chickmagalur. Or further down to HOnavar or Kumta.

The main aim of this road trip is to enjoy the drive by 3 amateur enthusiastic drivers. Do you guys really think, this Goa trip will be a nice option for this? Will it end up as a totally irritated tiring journey ? Am totally confused after hearing about the condition of the roads. Any other destinations to suggest? (Except bangalore, mysore, chennai etc..)

Am not looking for an hard to cover target which is ideal for an suv or similar, i like to enjoy long smooth roads which lets you drive in a mixed way, Fast , slow, scenery, good food, on the way stoppages for pics and some fun and reach the destination without much tiring/boring journey.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by althaaf

The main aim of this road trip is to enjoy the drive by 3 amateur enthusiastic drivers. Do you guys really think, this Goa trip will be a nice option for this? Will it end up as a totally irritated tiring journey ? Am totally confused after hearing about the condition of the roads. Any other destinations to suggest? (Except bangalore, mysore, chennai etc..)

Am not looking for an hard to cover target which is ideal for an suv or similar, i like to enjoy long smooth roads which lets you drive in a mixed way, Fast , slow, scenery, good food, on the way stoppages for pics and some fun and reach the destination without much tiring/boring journey.

If its a slow enjoyable drive you wabt then take the bangalore hubli karwar route.excellent roads throughout.4laned till hubli amd very good after that as well

[govigov]

@althaaf, have you thought of pondi? you have to cross the western ghats to reach over there, so you have yourghat section and good smooth roads in Tamil Nadu.

[althaaf]

Originally Posted by govigov

@althaaf, have you thought of pondi? you have to cross the western ghats to reach over there, so you have yourghat section and good smooth roads in Tamil Nadu.

Yes we did think about pondi too.. Roads are goo too i guess. Which route do you suggest. Anyway Pondichery is still a second option!

[althaaf]

Goa finalized, we ll be leaving on 14th early morning. Route not yet set ! Expect a Thrissur - Goa detailed travelogue soon after i return. I am expecting more suggestions about the route from my fellow Bhpians.

Mods: merge with my earlier post if necessary. Am unable to do it.

[althaaf]

Route finalized. From Thrissur to Goa via Coimbatore - Erode - Salem - Bangalore - Davengere - Hubli - Goa.
There is one more route suggested from Bangalore, ie Bangalore - Shimoga - Sagara - Goa.
We are not sure about the road condition of the second option. can somebody help me out ? It seems there is a savings of 125 km if we take second route. is it worth saving? I guess in the first part all roads are good except in Kerala !

[himavanth_m]

Originally Posted by althaaf

Route finalized. From Thrissur to Goa via Coimbatore - Erode - Salem - Bangalore - Davengere - Hubli - Goa.
There is one more route suggested from Bangalore, ie Bangalore - Shimoga - Sagara - Goa.
We are not sure about the road condition of the second option. can somebody help me out ? It seems there is a savings of 125 km if we take second route. is it worth saving? I guess in the first part all roads are good except in Kerala !

First route is excellent NH4.
The second route is more scenic and if you are in no hurry try to do the 2nd road. It is not great, but quite decent upto Sagara (Basically Bangy - Shimoga - Sagaraa - Honawar - Kumta - Karwar road - NH 206 and NH17 - After Karwar, I do not know the condition).
From your post, I could not figure out which road you are planning to take Between Sagara and Goa