[sudev]

Planning a small drive starting Friday from Delhi to Ahmadabad to Vizag and back. The first leg is something I have done many times. After that need suggestions, time line and routing inputs.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by sudev

Planning a small drive starting Friday from Delhi to Ahmadabad to Vizag and back. The first leg is something I have done many times. After that need suggestions, time line and routing inputs.

Ahmedabad-Surat-NH6 all the way via Dhule-Jalgaon-Akola-Nagpur-Jagdalpur-Vizag.Unfortunately I have no inputs to offer on the current state of roads in Orissa & Chhatisgarh.IMO,not a great idea to do a night drive thanks to poor facilities beyond Nagpur.

With an aggressive drive,the below should be possible.
Day 1:AMD
DAY2:Nagpur
Day3:Vizag

[sudev]

Thanks. Night driving is not a problem as long as the area is not actively declared unsafe.

A wee bit additional problem is that I'd be doing this alone.

Any takers for passenger seat?

[sureshurs]

Originally Posted by sudev

Planning a small drive starting Friday from Delhi to Ahmadabad to Vizag and back. The first leg is something I have done many times. After that need suggestions, time line and routing inputs.

It might bebbetter to travel through Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad-Vizag. This route will be longer by 100 kms but better roads an henc can be done much faster.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by sureshurs

It might bebbetter to travel through Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad-Vizag. This route will be longer by 100 kms but better roads an henc can be done much faster.

If I am not wrong, it adds abt 1000kms extra via Hyd?Any which way I guess he is already on his way.

[rkg]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

If I am not wrong, it adds abt 1000kms extra via Hyd?Any which way I guess he is already on his way.

No it almost same distance @ around 1900 km compared to surat-dhule-nagpur-jagadalpur route.

[sudev]

Via Hyderabad is emerging as strong possibility as another person is willing to occupy left seat from there to Vizag. What's few kilometers extra between friends? ;-)

Have been in Ahmedabad since Friday evening. Will move off tomorrow.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by sudev

Via Hyderabad is emerging as strong possibility as another person is willing to occupy left seat from there to Vizag. What's few kilometers extra between friends? ;-)

Have been in Ahmedabad since Friday evening. Will move off tomorrow.

If its the Hyd route then I would suggest the following for a fast drive,I took this route last week after being fedup with the NH9 route.

D1: AMD Satara stay at Mahendra Executive.amd-ghosbunder 7hrs,1hr to bypass BOM,2hrs for the expressway,120mins to Satara from expressway.
D2:Satara Hyderabad via Pusegaon-Gondawale-Pandharpur-Mohol-Solapur-Hyd.Shouldnt take more than 8hrs at your slowest
D3:Hyd-Vizag via Suryapet-Vijayawada-Vizag.Dont miss out on stopping at 7 refresh a world class food court at suryapet

Shall be glad to assist in case you would want accomodation at Hyd.

[sureshurs]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

If I am not wrong, it adds abt 1000kms extra via Hyd?Any which way I guess he is already on his way.

It's abt 100 kms more if you take Hyderabad-Suryapet-Khammam-Kovvuru-Vizag. It might be 200 kms if you are going via Vijayawada.

[sudev]

Lovely tips @ranjitp - I only can start off from Ahmedabad at noon. So planning to go up to Saputara today evening. From there will cross over to Nashik and plan to get to Hyderabad. I am in no hurry as I have till Thursday to get to Vizag. A little lazy meandering journey for now.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by sudev

Lovely tips @ranjitp - I only can start off from Ahmedabad at noon. So planning to go up to Saputara today evening. From there will cross over to Nashik and plan to get to Hyderabad. I am in no hurry as I have till Thursday to get to Vizag. A little lazy meandering journey for now.

Sounds good.From Nasik I would reccomend the following route Nasik-Sinnar-Sangamner-Loni-Ahmednagar-Karmala-Join NH9 at Temburni-Mohol-Solapur-Hyderabad.Long tiring drive.Budget for a 12 to 14hr drive.Temburni to Solapur is a killer with the norm now a days being a drive time of 2.5hrs just for this small stretch thanks to road works in progress.You could even take a small detour into Shirdi from Sinnar and come via Shirdi-Ahmednagar and onwards.

PS:Its begun pouring in HYD as of yesterday.

Godspeed.Feel free to let me know in case you need any form of assist

[sudev]

After reading http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2812859 decided to do Ahmedabad Saputara Tadoba Nagpur Vizag. Luxury of having a few days at hand with nothing to do ;-)

Awaiting confirmation of booking now. Will start early morning and try to check in Tadoba resort as early as possible. Do a morning safari on wednesday and then stay the night at Nagpur.

[sudev]

Ah....circumstances conspired to make me land up at Pench wls instead of Tadoba! Does not make difference as all I wanted to do was spend a night relaxing and take a morning safari to try my luck at big cat - our anything else really - spotting.

So query for the day. How to get to Raipur from Pench 8-)

Any other place between Nagpur Vizag for a night halt? Will do it in a go if no good place is there.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by sudev

So query for the day. How to get to Raipur from Pench 8-)

Any other place between Nagpur Vizag for a night halt? Will do it in a go if no good place is there.

Pench-Nagpur-Raipur.4laned for a large majority of the section

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...mra=ls&t=m&z=8

An alternate route avoiding Nagpur is as below-scenic but single laned.Distance is same,so would reccomend the 4laned route via Nagpur

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...mra=ls&t=m&z=9

Route is courtesy a friend who is well versed with the route.Cant think of any decent place between Nagpur and Vizag other than Raipur.

What happened to your Hyderabad plans?I thought you were driving via Hyd?

[sudev]

Post travel inputs:

From Pench drove for a night stay at Nugpur.
Next day, with an early morning start, did Nagpur-Durg-Mundera-Dhatmtari-Jagdalpur-Koraput-Vizianagaram-Vizag. Good roads through out but for ghat sections around Korput that were terrible. The roads there are being widened and so expect improvement in future.
Returning from Vizag reversed the route up to Dhamtari and then continued on NH46 to Raipur. Unmarked speed breakers abound and suffered penalty of trashing tyre due to combination of speed+curve+speedbreaker.
After over night stay at Raipur did Raipur-Kohmara on NH6. Here took a turn towards Gondia-Balghat on SH11 and then from there to Seoni on SH26. Seoni-Lakhnadon on NH23. Then NH26 to Kareli-Sagar-Lalitpur-Jhansi. This highway is almost complete with few diversion stretches. Sagar bypass is not officially open but with exception of two bridges is complete. Took the bypass and diversions around the incomplete bridges. Dream NH26 lasts till Babbina and from here to Jhansi is single road chocked with local traffic.
NH75 from Jhansi-Gwalior is a mess. Gwalior bypass is again complete but for two bridges but for these you can take dirt diversions. Caution - the north end of bypass (towards Agra) is blocked with boulders and stones so only way out is to take a small dirt road through a village and a railway crossing and come out on NH3. Again a jam packed highway at least up to Dhaulpur. Gwalior-Morena-Dhaulpur are almost one big city.
Better to go through Agra than take the bypass that the truckers are forced to use. NH2 thereafter to Delhi. Though the expressway is not yet open the google maps thinks that is the way to be taken!