[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Bec ause he wanted to go to Allahabad too.
If his plan was to go direct to Jhansi then yes, the Ayodhya-Lucknow-Kanpur route is the best

I was wondering whether the Ayodhya - Allahabad - Kanpur route has any edge over the Faizabad - Lucknow - Kanpur one. That stands clarified.

But Mr. pramodsdixit also gives an option of staying for a day or two either at Allahabad or at Udaipur!

Vipin.

[avmaxfan]

Hey guys,

What would be the best route from Pune to Guwahati ?

Is this route good ?

Pune - Jalna - Amravati - Nagpur - Chhindwara - Seoni - Jabalpur

Jabalpur - Katni - Maihar - Mirzapur - Varanasi - Ghazipur - Ballia - Chhapra - Vaishali - Muzzafarpur

Muzzafarpur - Purnia - Siliguri - Cooch Behar - Goalpara - Guwahati.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by avmaxfan

Hey guys,

What would be the best route from Pune to Guwahati ?

Is this route good ?

Pune - Jalna - Amravati - Nagpur - Chhindwara - Seoni - Jabalpur

No need to go via Chindwara since NH7 is now good. So stick to Nagpur-Seoni.

Jabalpur - Katni - Maihar - Mirzapur - Varanasi - Ghazipur - Ballia - Chhapra - Vaishali - Muzzafarpur

NH7 is super bad all the way from Jabalpur till Maihar & is a gone-case via Mirzapur. Therefore, we avoid Jabalpur totally & take the following route:
Seoni-Mandla-Shahpura-Umariya-Barhi-Maihar-Rewa-Mangawan-Allahabad-Pratapgarh-Sultanpur-Faizabad-Ayodhya-Gorakhpur-Kushinagar-Gopalganj-Muzaffarpur

Going via Patna is not recommended because route is very congested.

Muzzafarpur - Purnia - Siliguri - Cooch Behar - Goalpara - Guwahati.

Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga-Forbesganj-Purnea-Dalkola-KIshanganj-Bagdogara-Siiguri

[pramodsdixit]

Hello people. Kindly excuse for the delay.

Completed the 3800km road trip from Tinsukia - Nasik traversing thorugh 8 states in my Hyundai Verna CRDi.

The report is here. All driving times are minus halts and at decent speeds 120kmph max(road permitting).

Day1 : Tinsukia to Nagaon .

Started late from Tinsukia, hence had to halt at Nagaon. Route:
Tinsukia-Dibrugarh-Jorhat-Kaziranga-Nagaon.
2 lane road in good condition except for stray cattle menace.

Driving time - 6hrs.

Day 2 - Nagaon - Siliguri

Road till guwahati 4 lane. thereafter followed road as suggested in the forum. Ghy-Boko-Goalpara- N Salmara-Gopalganj-Boxiarhat. Road was 2 lane NH and in a very good state but again with stray cattle menace.

40 km Stretch from Boxiarhat to someplace ahead of Cooch behar was in a bad shape, but managable. Falakata-Birpara section is a narrow road with narrow bridges but a breeze to drive. Birpara-Binnaguri-Sevoke-Siliguri again a excellent road astride scenic places and virtually no traffic.

Driving time - 10-11 hrs.

Day 3 : Siliguri - Kushinagar

Siliguri-Bagdogra-Kishanganj-Purnia- Forbesganj-Darbhanga-Muzaffarpur-Piprakothi-Upto Gandak river the road is an excellent 4 lane stretch except for construction work around forbesganj and 1-2 bottlenecks here and there.

From Gandak river bridge (bridge included) - gopalganj- UP Border, the road is virtually non existant. The 4 lane is under construction. This extremely bad stretch of 30-40km was the only spoilsport in my entire roadtrip. With huge and sharp craters capable of even toppling trucks (actually) , my Verna had to be guided from outside and additional stones and bricks put to get the vehicle safely in-out of the craters. This patch maybe okay for SUVs and compact cars but not for sedans. It took about 3 hrs to navigate this stretch at ni.

After UP border the road turns into an awesome 4 lane stretch once again upto Kushinagar. Halted for a day at Kushinagar. UPTDC hotel is fair enough and the place itself is worth a visit.

Drinving time - 12-13hrs

Suggestions - The other alternate route to avoid gopalganj area may be from Muzaffarpur-Patna-Arrah-Mohania-Allahabad (via GT Road). But traffic conditions maybe difficult on that route.

Day 4 : Kushinagar- Allahabad

Wonderful 4 lane stretch till Ayodhya and Faizabad.
Faizabad-Sultanpur-Pratapgarh-Allahabad. a good 2 lane stretch with slightly heavy traffic but doable.
Driving time - 6hrs.

Day -5 : Allahabad - Jhansi
Started late due to personal commitments.

Allahabad-Bamrauli- Kanpur - Kanpur flyover- Barah (via GT Road). Turn left to enter NH-25. Completely 4 laned road upto Jhansi.

Driving time 5-6 hrs.

Day-6 : Jhansi - Ahmedabad

Jhansi-Shivpuri-Kota-Udaipur-Ahmedabad. Awesome 4 lane stretch with no problems except for a small bottleneck around Udaipur. Initial plan was to halt at Udaipur. But managed to pull it on till Ahmedabad by 8 PM.

Driving time - 10-11hrs.

Day 7 : Ahmedabad- Nasik

Ahmedabad-Baroda (via expressway. but E-way is under repair in small sections) - Surat. Exited 4 lane road at Kadodra to follow the 2 laned NH-6 to Dhule. At Vyara (during a refreshment halt) a bus driver and few others suggested to go to Nasik via Saputara. Took risk as route via Dhule was almost 100km longer . Followed the route as under :
Vyara-Vansada-Saputara-Nasik. Wonderful 2 lane road till Saputara. Extremely scenic but slightly steep climb. Watch out for some rough driving by people returning from Saputara after outings. Halted at Saputara for a while. A good place for a weekend outing for people from Mumbai/Amdbad/Baroda and around.
Road Saputara-Nasik was also good enough but with heavy traffic in the outskirts of Nasik.
Driving time - 8hrs.

Suggestion : Exit NH-8 after Surat at Chikhli to proceed to Saputara.


All in all, a wonderful drive. Thanks to all fellow bhpians for valuable inputs.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by pramodsdixit

Completed the 3800km road trip from Tinsukia - Nasik traversing thorugh 8 states in my Hyundai Verna CRDi.

Hey Pramod,

Congrats on the great long drive. I am sure that people would like read more about your experience on the road and about the places where you had been. In fact, you should write a travelogue!
Regards,
Saket

[SumitB]

Originally Posted by pramodsdixit

Day 3 : Siliguri - Kushinagar

Siliguri-Bagdogra-Kishanganj-Purnia- Forbesganj-Darbhanga-Muzaffarpur-Piprakothi-Upto Gandak river the road is an excellent 4 lane stretch except for construction work around forbesganj and 1-2 bottlenecks here and there.

From Gandak river bridge (bridge included) - gopalganj- UP Border, the road is virtually non existant. The 4 lane is under construction. This extremely bad stretch of 30-40km was the only spoilsport in my entire roadtrip. With huge and sharp craters capable of even toppling trucks (actually) , my Verna had to be guided from outside and additional stones and bricks put to get the vehicle safely in-out of the craters. This patch maybe okay for SUVs and compact cars but not for sedans. It took about 3 hrs to navigate this stretch at ni.

After UP border the road turns into an awesome 4 lane stretch once again upto Kushinagar. Halted for a day at Kushinagar. UPTDC hotel is fair enough and the place itself is worth a visit.

Drinving time - 12-13hrs

Suggestions - The other alternate route to avoid gopalganj area may be from Muzaffarpur-Patna-Arrah-Mohania-Allahabad (via GT Road). But traffic conditions maybe difficult on that route.

10-11 hours between Nagaon and Siliguri is damn good time! Did you get stuck in truck traffic at Boxiarhat/Tufanganj?

About the road between Gopalganj and UP Border, I think I had mentioned it somewhere. It was exactly 30 kms. and it was bad. Plus you must have come across a railway crossing just before the border which is always congested and delays one by quite a bit. However, this route is the best and the Muzaffarpur-Patna-Arrah-Mohania-Allahabad route is best avoided for one will encounter bumper-to-bumper traffic while crossing Patna and the Patna-Arrah route is 2 lane and is also mostly congested, if one needs to get to Kanpur/Delhi from these parts.

[nikesh]

Originally Posted by pramodsdixit

Hello people. Kindly excuse for the delay.

Great drive pramod! Its really encouraging and i will surely be trying this route upto muzaffarpur again this year. Last time i took the patna, ara, mohania road on my return and was lucky not to get any jams at ganga setu. Return journey was much smooth and fast as per what i did while going through gopalganj and ayodhya. Its hard to maintain speeds above 100 on these roads because there is always a risk of cars coming wrong side or, people crossing roads adhoc. Two wheelers can cross from whereever they can so you need to be fully focussed on the entire stretch in western UP and Bihar. I also stopped buy very ordinary roadside houses to have local food. I must admit that it tasted much better than restaurant food and cooked with fresh grown vegetables. Looking forward to any photographs you may have clicked on route..

[pramodsdixit]

Hello people,

Any change in the road conditions around Gopalganj? Its been 6-7 months now since my last trip. Am sure that not much would have improved.

Will be doing a Tinsukia-Pathankot trip in early Feb/Late Jan.

The roads around Gopalganj were in shambles in Feb'13 and my Verna Fluidic had a bad time. If the sate remains same, would like to stay away from it. Will follow Muzaffarpur-Patna-Arrah-Mohania-Varanasi route then..

Updates Please..

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by pramodsdixit

Hello people,

Any change in the road conditions around Gopalganj? Its been 6-7 months now since my last trip. Am sure that not much would have improved.

Will be doing a Tinsukia-Pathankot trip in early Feb/Late Jan.

The roads around Gopalganj were in shambles in Feb'13 and my Verna Fluidic had a bad time. If the sate remains same, would like to stay away from it. Will follow Muzaffarpur-Patna-Arrah-Mohania-Varanasi route then..

Updates Please..

No change as yet. Contractor had run away so it seems a fresh contract has been awarded. All this is as per news reports and a journey by a friend of mine in September/October. Take the alternative route as planned by you. Muzaffarpur Patna 4lane is motorable except at few places. It takes about 2 hours of normal driving if you get no traffic jams on Gandhi setu. As it is, heavy vehicle traffic is regulated now on Gandhi setu so shouldn't be much of problem.

[ravi_ranjan]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

No change as yet. Contractor had run away so it seems a fresh contract has been awarded. All this is as per news reports and a journey by a friend of mine in September/October. Take the alternative route as planned by you. Muzaffarpur Patna 4lane is motorable except at few places. It takes about 2 hours of normal driving if you get no traffic jams on Gandhi setu. As it is, heavy vehicle traffic is regulated now on Gandhi setu so shouldn't be much of problem.

I am plaaning a trip from Patna to Lucknow on 26th January along with my wife and 17 month old daughter in my humble Wagon R. The route options available to me are
1.a) Patna- Hajipur-Gopalganj-Gorakhpur-Faizabad-Lucknow
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ka...5108!3e0?hl=en

b) Patna- Hajipur-Siwan-Gorakhpur-Faizabad-Lucknow
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ka...5108!3e0?hl=en

Enquired about the route from tour operators in Lucknow and they said that Lucknow to Gorakhpur is an easy drive without the need of lowering the car from fifth gear. But no info of road beyond that.

2. Patna-Arrah-Buxar- Azamgarh-Faizabad-Lucknow
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Pa...5108!3e0?hl=en

This route i travelled in opposite direction on my bike last year just before Holi. But the road condition turned from bad to worse after Azamgarh. Also had difficulty negotiating the border near buxar even on 2-wheeler due to long lines of trucks. And it took me a long tiring 16 hours for the journey. Some people even informed me after the journey that the azamgarh area is pretty unsafe for travelling. If anyone has updated road condition info please update.

3. Patna-Arrah-Buxar-Jaunpur-Raebarely-Lucknow
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Pa...5108!3e0?hl=en

Can consider this only if the road near buxar have improved. In my last trip i could say for sure that no hatchback or sedan can cross the buxar are with unscratched bottom.

4.Patna -Arrah- Mohania- Varanasi- Allahabad- Lucknow
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Pa...5108!3e0?hl=en

Please do update on this route as i am planning my return journey via this making a stop at varanasi. However 2 year back when i travelled this segment in my trip from delhi to patna, Mohania to patna took almost 1/3rd of the total trip time given the heavy evening traffic and people always driving with high beam on a two lane road filled with sudden deep potholes (may even call them craters)

Any other info about the route like good places to eat and fuel is most welcomed.

[Renjith_Mani]

Hi Ravi
Just saw your post as I was checking on the condition of the Darjeeling - Agra Route.

Have you gone on this trip? Could you please let me know which route you have taken and how was it?

I am considering Darjeeling - Muzaffarpur - Gopalganj- Kanpur - Agra route

Cheers

[Nabodit]

I am planning to do a road trip from my workplace Pune to birthplace Dibrugarh (3263 km) in August this year with my "Sunsuni" (Ford Figo Sports Diesel). I am attaching the route plan, please let me know whether this is the optimum one.

Please also let me know current road conditions in below major sections.

1. Pune - Gorakhpur
2. Gorakhpur - Alipurduar
3. Alipurduar - Dibrugarh

I am planning to take night halts at Vidisha (838 km), Gorakhpur (1713 km) and Guwahati (2794 km).

I do not have prior experience of long road trips, Pune to Goa trip is the only one which i have undertaken so far. In most probability, i will undertake this trip alone. Hence please also let me know the precautions that needs to be taken for such a long trip.

In Alipurduar - Guwahati stretch, which route is better currently? The Hasimara one or the Cooch behar one?

[Machalu]

Originally Posted by Nabodit

I am planning to do a road trip from my workplace Pune to birthplace Dibrugarh (3263 km) in August this year with my "Sunsuni" (Ford Figo Sports Diesel). I am attaching the route plan, please let me know whether this is the optimum one.

Please also let me know current road conditions in below major sections.

1. Pune - Gorakhpur
2. Gorakhpur - Alipurduar
3. Alipurduar - Dibrugarh

I am planning to take night halts at Vidisha (838 km), Gorakhpur (1713 km) and Guwahati (2794 km).

I do not have prior experience of long road trips, Pune to Goa trip is the only one which i have undertaken so far. In most probability, i will undertake this trip alone. Hence please also let me know the precautions that needs to be taken for such a long trip.

In Alipurduar - Guwahati stretch, which route is better currently? The Hasimara one or the Cooch behar one?

Hi Nabodit, i see this was almost 5 years ago, still thought of asking anyway. Did you do that trip? If yes which route did you end up taking and did you face any major challenges?

I'm contemplating a trip myself from Mumbai to jorhat this may and I'm confused with the route options.

Appreciate if you can reply

[Nabodit]

Originally Posted by Machalu

Hi Nabodit, i see this was almost 5 years ago, still thought of asking anyway. Did you do that trip? If yes which route did you end up taking and did you face any major challenges?

I'm contemplating a trip myself from Mumbai to jorhat this may and I'm confused with the route options.

Appreciate if you can reply

Hi Machalu,

Yes, ultimately i did the trip . When unlock from the covid lockdowns were underway, i had the opportunity to finally start on this dream trip on March, 2021. The route i eventually followed was Pune -> Indore -> Lucknow -> Siliguri -> Guwahati -> Dibrugarh and it comprised of day time driving till max 9pm only. Although this route is a little longer than the route via Varanasi, the road conditions were better and i feared the infamous traffic jams in the Varanasi route. Road conditions were excellent except in the outskirts of Siliguri and between Nagaon-Dibrugarh (due to highway construction work).

The longest stretch of the route which is between Lucknow and Siliguri (950 km, 17 hours drive). i had to do this due to lack of good halt in between these 2 places. If you plan to take this same route and love driving which i assume you do (simply because you are thinking to do Mumbai- Jorhat ), you will find this stretch the most enjoyable one.

After the first trip, in the last 2 years, i ended up doing the same route 2 more time and did not face any major challenge by the grace of God almighty.

Please feel free to let me know if you have more queries on this, i will be happy to help.

[Machalu]

Originally Posted by Nabodit

Hi Machalu,

Yes, ultimately i did the trip . When unlock from the covid lockdowns were underway, i had the opportunity to finally start on this dream trip on March, 2021. The route i eventually followed was Pune -> Indore -> Lucknow -> Siliguri -> Guwahati -> Dibrugarh and it comprised of day time driving till max 9pm only. Although this route is a little longer than the route via Varanasi, the road conditions were better and i feared the infamous traffic jams in the Varanasi route. Road conditions were excellent except in the outskirts of Siliguri and between Nagaon-Dibrugarh (due to highway construction work).

The longest stretch of the route which is between Lucknow and Siliguri (950 km, 17 hours drive). i had to do this due to lack of good halt in between these 2 places. If you plan to take this same route and love driving which i assume you do (simply because you are thinking to do Mumbai- Jorhat ), you will find this stretch the most enjoyable one.

After the first trip, in the last 2 years, i ended up doing the same route 2 more time and did not face any major challenge by the grace of God almighty.

Please feel free to let me know if you have more queries on this, i will be happy to help.

That's a big inspiration Thank you for sharing the details. I sure will have questions.

Would you mind sharing the overnight halts?