[Gerardfdz]

Hi,
Well a family member has to attend a seminar in Dehradun from the 21May to 1st June.
So I am planning a drive down (up!) to Dehradun This is my plan.
Day 1 : 16 MAY : Mumbai to Udaipur (778Kms) (May stay at Udaipur- will need hotel)
Day 2 : 17 MAY : Udaipur (may do local sight seeing)
Day 3 : 18 MAY : Udaipur to Delhi // Overnight stay (679Kms - need hotel)
Day 4 : 19 MAY : Delhi to Dehradun -MUSSOORIE.
Day 5 : 20 MAY : Mussoori (Drop-off at Dehradun)
Day 6 : 21 MAY : Mussoori
Day 7 : 22 MAY : Mussoorie – Haridwar or Rishikesh (85-110 kms / 2-3 hrs
Day 8 : 23 MAY : Haridwar or Rishikesh - Corbett Wildlife Sanctuary ( 220 kms / 6.5 hours -feel this is a bit too long)
Day 9 : 24 MAY : Corbett National Park.
Day 10-25 MAY : Corbett - Ranikhet or Kausani (95 - 135 kms / 2.5 - 4 hrs)
Day 11-26 MAY : Ranikhet or Kausani
Day 12-27 MAY : Ranikhet or Kausani - Nainital ( 55 - 115 kms / 1.5 - 3.5 hrs).
Day 12 to Day 15 27 to 30 MAY : Ranikhet / Kausani to Nanital
Day 15-31 MAY : Back to MUSSORIES (-This trip would be really very long-winding and tiring)
Day 16-01 JUN : relax before the long way back.
Day 17-02 JUN : Depart MUSSOORIE to Jaipur
Day 18-03 JUN : Jaipur
Day 19-04 JUN : Jaipur to Ahmedabad
Day 20-05 JUN : Ahmedabad to Home!
END THE JOURNEY!!!

As you can see it appears to be very hectic. So I need advise
1. How is the road to/ from MUSSOORIE.
2. I have 10 days to spend around MUSSOORIE - Dont want to drive too far off - Even the above looks a bit too much. So please suggest alternatives.
3. Please Suggest hotels along the way - (Not Five star!!!- but clean sheets/towels and bathroom - may be 3 star?).
4. Any thing else!
Would Love to hear you guys opinions/views/ suggestions.
Regards.

[Gerardfdz]

Well it looks like the trip details are a bit too much, and fairly well covered in other posts.
But I need to know only around Mussoori area places I could drive too.
I need to spend about 10 days around theses parts, and so someone mentioned I should try and visit places like
1. Haridwar or Rishikesh (85-110 kms / 2-3 hrs away)
2. Corbett Wildlife Sanctuary ( 220 kms / 6.5 hours -feel this is a bit too long
3. Ranikhet or Kausani -and Nanital.

The problem is I need to return back to Dehradun before the long run back to Mumbai and Nanital back to Dehradun would be very long.
So please suggest some easier options.

[RArun]

Hi,
Newbie here, planning a really long road trip. Not my first, but definitely my second... My first was a trip down the super nice NH4 to Bengaluru from Navi Mumbai, a road I had travelled by bus earlier. This trip that I am planning, is going to be a first on an unknown road. A road on which, I am sure, plenty of people have travelled before.

I will be traveling by my Honda City (CNG version) with my family (wife and 2 kids) sometime mid March. The destination is Mussorie, where, I have an option on a few days of stay (courtesy my employer). The tentative plan is
Day 1 - Leave Navi Mumbai really early and get on to the WEH (NH8) at Ghodbunder. Drive like mad with CNG filling stops in between at Vapi, Bharuch, Vadodara, Ahmedabad and night halt outside Udaipur. I reckon the driving time would be about 13 hrs.
Day 2 - Leave Udaipur after breakfast and travel to Jaipur (is CNG available on this route?)
Day 3 - Jaipur sight seeing
Day 4 - Leave Jaipur early. Route planned is via (NH8) Rewari - (NH71)Jhajjar - (NH71) Rohtak - (NH71A) Panipat - (SH57) Saharanpur - Dehradun - Mussorie. I want to avoid Delhi because of all the horror stories of traffic there. A rough calculation says that this distance can be covered in 12 to 13 hrs. I am not sure of the road condition, traffic and general safety and security on this route. Also Dehradun to Mussorie would be a hilly section (Wife is jittery about travelling on an unknown hilly road after dark).

Is this a doable plan? Would really appreciate if people who have traveled this route or people living in this region can give me some advice.

The return plan is via Agra (stay) - Jaipur - Udaipur (stay) and back home Navi Mumbai. I still have about a month to work out the finer details so any advice regarding CNG filling station on this route, good places to break for lunch, good place to stay in Udaipur (preferably on the highway) would be appreciated.

[abhjain]

I am a native of Dehradun, living in Delhi and frequently do Delhi to Dehradun by road. I would not recommend the Haryana Route. Try and hit Delhi in non peak hours and you will be okay. The recommended route is Delhi - Ghaziabad - Meerut - Muzaffarnagar - Roorkee - Dehradun. The only bad section is from Muzaffarnagar to Roorkee since the highway is still under construction. Road to Mussorie is pretty hilly but in very good condition. You can easily do this even in night but won't find too many vehicles. The route however is fairly safe and no incidents have been reported. Please let me know if you need any other information.

[Ironhide]

Originally Posted by RArun

Hi,
Newbie here, planning a really long road trip.................. would be appreciated.

Hi Arun,

There's an informative thread about Mussoorie already existing (although it mostly covers the route from Delhi to Mussoorie). It covers the route as well as what to do in Mussoorie. I recommend you go through the post.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ns-please.html

The route as suggested by abhijain is doable (I did it yesterday)and the section from Muzaffarnagar to Roorkee is under construction and hence single carriageway with its fair share of potholes. There are chokepoints on this too, especially Mohannagar and Modinagar stretches. It is better to cross them in non-peak hours. The Gurgaon - Musoorie route should take about 9 hours and here's what it should look like..

http://goo.gl/maps/NiKkX

It has its fair share of eateries and rest stops in between.

It is a great hill station and offers something for everyone. I'm sure you'll enjoy exploring it ! Have fun.

Cheers !

[Shreyans_Jain]

Muzarrafrangar to Roorkee is a mess. A better alternative is Muzaffarnagar-Deoband-Roorkee. This is about 10km longer, but the road is much better and does not see much traffic. In fact the road from Roorkee to Mussourie actually merges into the Deoband-Dehradun-Mussourie road.

Avoid NH8.
The route you should take is Jaipur-Agra-G Noida-Noida-Ghaziabad-Meerut-Muzaffarnagar-Deoband-Dehradun-Mussourie. You will avoid all the chaos of Delhi-Japiur NH8 as well as Delhi itself. Yamuna Expressway is a much better proposition than NH8, and it is much closer to the road that goes towards Meerut/Muzaffarnagar. You will not have to cross all of Delhi.

All of this is a running road that sees a decent amount of truck traffic at all times. In other words, it is safe, even at night.

After Ahemdabad(actually Himmatnagar, but that one has serpentine queues 24x7), CNG will next be available only in Gurgaon. And the last CNG station is at the Delhi - UP border in Ghazipur. No CNG in UP and UK.

[abhjain]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Muzarrafrangar to Roorkee is a mess. A better alternative is Muzaffarnagar-Deoband-Roorkee. This is about 10km longer, but the road is much better and does not see much traffic.

My father used this route last week and it's in a royal mess. In fact he was in two minds whether to keep moving or return back. So would recommend to avoid.

[RArun]

Thanks abhjain, Ironhide & Shreyans. It seems to be a common view that my original planned route on NH8 through Haryana is best avoided and it is better to travel via the Delhi- Dehradun road. A quick check for direction on Google Maps suggests the Muzaffarnagar - Deoband - Dehradun route. What this means is that I will have to factor in another night halt on the route between Jaipur to Mussorie.

Just for my academic interest, any reason for avoiding the Haryana route? Bad Road condition / bad drivers / heavy traffic or other safety / security reasons?

Thanks,
Arun

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by RArun

Just for my academic interest, any reason for avoiding the Haryana route? Bad Road condition / bad drivers / heavy traffic or other safety / security reasons?

Thanks,
Arun

Yes, roads via Rohtak-Panipat-Saharanpur are B-category roads, which are not well-maintained. The other problem is that these are not frequently used, so you wont find much by way of help should you need it, and also not much by way of rest stops.
That's why you are better off sticking to the main roads.

[aplang1]

Originally Posted by RArun

Thanks abhjain, Ironhide & Shreyans. It seems to be a common view that my original planned route on NH8 through Haryana is best avoided and it is better to travel via the Delhi- Dehradun road. A quick check for direction on Google Maps suggests the Muzaffarnagar - Deoband - Dehradun route. What this means is that I will have to factor in another night halt on the route between Jaipur to Mussorie.

Just for my academic interest, any reason for avoiding the Haryana route? Bad Road condition / bad drivers / heavy traffic or other safety / security reasons?

Thanks,
Arun

I would disagree with members asking you to avoid the Haryana route. I drove from Powai to Chandigarh recently and used the same route. It is absolutely brilliant. Less traffic and saves you minimum 2 hours of fighting your way through Delhi traffic. Another reason is that unnecessarily driving through Delhi traffic will only cause more fatigue! As for the route via Agra, does not make sense as its an additional 150kms.

Honestly just take the Jaipur - Rewari - Rohtak - Panipat route, The Rewari - Rohtak stretch might slow you down a bit, but you will recover because Rohtak - Panipat 4 lane highway is now operational its as good as the NH3 to Nashik. Once you are in Panipat then just cross NH1 onto Saharanpur Road.

My dad used the same route last month while travelling from Chandigarh to Jaipur and back and he thanked me for saving him 3 hours of driving through Delhi traffic.

I will give you a brief Idea of what our timings were -

Car - i10 Petrol
Drivers - Me and my brother (24 year olds)
Adrenaline Level: Overflowing

DAY 1

Left Powai at sharp 4AM
Vadodara 9.30AM (1. Please take old/golden bridge at Ankleshwar, avoid NH8, keep checking on maps for a slip road on your left going into Ankleshwar. 2. While approaching Baroda look out for Ahmadabad signs - you need to bypass Baroda)
Ahmadabad 12.00 NOON (Stick to Sardar Patel Ring Road, it will take you around Ahmadabad in no time)
Himmatnagar 2.00PM
Udaipur 4.00 PM
Chittorgarh 6.30PM

DAY 2

Left Chittorgarh 4.30AM
Ajmer 7.30AM (Visited Dargah)
Jaipur 12.00PM
Panipat 3.30PM (Turn left towards Rewari. Take the turn suggested by Google Maps that will save you from entering Rewari, watchout for speed breakers on this route)
Chandigarh 6.30PM

I hope this will help!

REMEMBER, WHATEVER HAPPENS YOU MUST HIT THE ROAD NO LATER THAN 4AM. It is extremely critical! I know it will be difficult with kids but do try. The reason I am saying this is that its winters, the days are shorter, you do not want to be driving on the Dehradun - Mussourie stretch too late in the night. Therefore I would suggest that if you can push, try halting at Chittorgarh on Day1. It would help you on the second day.

I averaged around 65kmph over the two days if i remember correctly (that when we were doing 120 all the time), you should do your calculations using an average speed of 55-60 kmph since you got family along!!

Bon Voyage!!

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by RArun

Just for my academic interest, any reason for avoiding the Haryana route? Bad Road condition / bad drivers / heavy traffic or other safety / security reasons?

As a regular on the Delhi-Baroda as well as Delhi-Haridwar routes, I can say that you have two stretches which should be avoided, and can easily be avoided
1. Jaipur-Delhi, via NH8 - Alternate route via Agra(Yamuna Expressway). Suits you, as you anyway have to head to Ghaziabad/Meerut
2.Muzaffarnagar-Roorkee - Alternate route via Deband, as you are now clear about.

The Haryana route via Saharanpur is rather unruly, and from what my drivers say, is not very safe either.
Via Deoband or Roorkee are tried and tested routes that are used by truckers to Haridwar(SIDCUL) on a daily basis. Safe, proven and non controversial.

[Shreyans_Jain]

And by the way, CNG is available in Agra too.

[abhjain]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

And by the way, CNG is available in Agra too.

There's one on Meerut bye pass too. Probably the last one.

[RArun]

Originally Posted by aplang1

I would disagree with members asking you to avoid the Haryana route. I drove from Powai to Chandigarh recently and used the same route. It is absolutely brilliant. Less traffic and saves you minimum 2 hours of fighting your way through Delhi traffic. Another reason is that unnecessarily driving through Delhi traffic will only cause more fatigue! As for the route via Agra, does not make sense as its an additional 150kms.

Honestly just take the Jaipur - Rewari - Rohtak - Panipat route, The Rewari - Rohtak stretch might slow you down a bit, but you will recover because Rohtak - Panipat 4 lane highway is now operational its as good as the NH3 to Nashik. Once you are in Panipat then just cross NH1 onto Saharanpur Road.

My dad used the same route last month while travelling from Chandigarh to Jaipur and back and he thanked me for saving him 3 hours of driving through Delhi traffic.

I will give you a brief Idea of what our timings were -

Car - i10 Petrol
Drivers - Me and my brother (24 year olds)
Adrenaline Level: Overflowing

DAY 1

Left Powai at sharp 4AM
Vadodara 9.30AM (1. Please take old/golden bridge at Ankleshwar, avoid NH8, keep checking on maps for a slip road on your left going into Ankleshwar. 2. While approaching Baroda look out for Ahmadabad signs - you need to bypass Baroda)
Ahmadabad 12.00 NOON (Stick to Sardar Patel Ring Road, it will take you around Ahmadabad in no time)
Himmatnagar 2.00PM
Udaipur 4.00 PM
Chittorgarh 6.30PM

DAY 2

Left Chittorgarh 4.30AM
Ajmer 7.30AM (Visited Dargah)
Jaipur 12.00PM
Panipat 3.30PM (Turn left towards Rewari. Take the turn suggested by Google Maps that will save you from entering Rewari, watchout for speed breakers on this route)
Chandigarh 6.30PM

I hope this will help!

REMEMBER, WHATEVER HAPPENS YOU MUST HIT THE ROAD NO LATER THAN 4AM. It is extremely critical! I know it will be difficult with kids but do try. The reason I am saying this is that its winters, the days are shorter, you do not want to be driving on the Dehradun - Mussourie stretch too late in the night. Therefore I would suggest that if you can push, try halting at Chittorgarh on Day1. It would help you on the second day.

I averaged around 65kmph over the two days if i remember correctly (that when we were doing 120 all the time), you should do your calculations using an average speed of 55-60 kmph since you got family along!!

Bon Voyage!!

Thanks aplang1 for the detailed advice. I intend to start early in the morning. However the plan is to make a night halt at Udaipur and then Jaipur which will be a two nights three days stopover for local sight seeing and lessons in history.

[RArun]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

And by the way, CNG is available in Agra too.

This is useful information. I am planning to visit Agra on my way back from Mussorie. Mussorie to Agra will take me about 12 hours and will involve a one night stopover to visit the Taj.
Arun