[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Yes, you can go to Muzaffarpur from Patna/Hajipur. Crowded & construction for widening going on.

NH 34 is in a horrible shape right now. Doable yes, but if it can be avoided, its better.

Will avoid these routes than.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Roads in & around Chapra were being built & construction was going on between Muz - Chapra (but that was an year ago & sorry no up-dates)
Gaya to Mokamah isn't desolate but relatively.. You needn't worry much.

I'm just thinking if we can visit Gaya also. I guess there would be options to stay over there if needed? Any recommendation?

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Massive circuit ! Yes, the time ( month long ) is justified

...
Bhuj guesthouse : Hotel Gangaram and Guesthouse, 02832 222948 Mr. Rajesh Jethi. You'll love his hospitality. Behind Aaina Mahal.

Thanks a lot. But at this point of time Gujarat section seems to be on verge of cancellation as we won't be able to start according to our initial plan.

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Bhuj - Jaisalmer : a 12 hour drive on NH15. Bhuj - Samkhiali - Radhanpur - Tharad - Sanchor - Barmer - Jaisalmer.

Sand dunes : Sam and Koohdi ( Khuri ) is always crowded and commercial. Tanot and Longewala is a day long trip from Jaisalmer ( recommended )

Must visit in Jaisalmer : fort, various havelis

RTDC Moomal, Jaisalmer.

Do we need to book the places in advance? If we don't book in advance, then will it be too difficult to find a good place to stay?

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Jaisalmer - Pokhran - Jodhpur : a 5 hour drive
Full day in Jodhpur - Fort, Umaid Bhavan Palace, Nayee sadak ( for sweets and shopping )
Yes, two days for Udaipur.
RTDC Kajri
Chittorgarh is on the way to Jaipur ( GQ ). A visit to the fort takes 3 hours.
Jaipur - one whole day. RTDC Swagatham

RTDC Kajri is in Udaipur, right? What about Jodhpur? I can see that there is RTDC Ghumar is there in Jodhpur. Recommended?

No to Mathura ? no to temples ?? !!!

Not sure yet. But we might be able to include Mathura also. Yeah, not exactly the religious type

Varanasi - we stayed in UPTDC Rahi tourist bungalow. A bit tricky to get to the place during peak hours ( very close to Varanasi Junction ), but very spacious rooms and sufficient parking. economical too !

Thanks, will inquire about it. Tricky in the sense? Difficult to find or the road is narrow or something?

Originally Posted by roamingrao

We too are working on this sector for our drive starting October 15th to Darjeeling and Gangtok.

options :

1.Varanasi - Ghazipur - Chapra - Hajipur - Darbhanga - EW corridor to Siliguri is too long. Also, uncertainities ( read road conditions ) on the Varanasi - Chapra sector.

2.Varanasi - Gaya - rajgir - Bihar sharif - Mokameh - Begusarai - Naugachia - Purnea - Siliguri is a good option. tried and tested by many here in this forum. Gaya to Mokameh is desolate and Begusarai to Purnea is said to be too crowded and slow. Yes, expect a 16 hour drive from varanasi to Siliguri unless you stay in Gaya.

3. A much longer : Varanasi - Aurangabad - Barhi - Govindpur - Kulti - Dumka - Bhagalpur - Purnea - Siliguri is another option and avoids bad WB roads.
Despite being longer, we may take the 3rd option. Thanks to advice from fellow member n.devdath.

Any more details on the route 3? Why you guys are planning to take this longer route? Hope to get updates from you once you complete your trip. And hope that we can meet somewhere..

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Yes, self driven cars are not allowed to tour Gangtok and north Sikkim, unless you manage to convince the Army. Then also, would have to face a very strong taxi cartel / unions. We have managed to get an agent - not sure if we can get north sikkim permits - keeping all fingers crossed !!

North Sikkim route seems to be cut off as of now. We will change our plan accordingly

Originally Posted by Sutripta

If I'm not being too inquisitive, where in Assam?

Night halt: For Siliguri, I'd suggest Mainak. Online booking possible.
Be warned, some N. Bengal roads have ceased to exist.
Regards
Sutripta

Thanks. Which route would be suggested one for Siliguri to Guwahati? There is a nice scenic route which ADC has mentioned I guess in one of his travelogue. I guess via Jaldapara? Or I'm totally off the mark here?

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Awesome plan Kaushik. Last year I drove down from Guwahati to Bangalore along your proposed route. It was a brilliant experience and would love to do it again soon.
The worst part was the Siliguri-Durgapur sector but in a Scorpio I am sure it will be a breeze.

When are you starting?

Regards,
RoBi

hi Robi, thanks, I was following your Guwahati-BLR drive via the same route. Would be great to get some inputs from your experience too. We are planning to avoid the Durgapur-Siliguri sector and instead planning to drive via Bihar (Purnea etc).
Initial plan was to start by 10th but now it has been delayed by another 4-5 days as I need to complete few pending tasks before I leave.
Regards,

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Thanks. Which route would be suggested one for Siliguri to Guwahati? There is a nice scenic route which ADC has mentioned I guess in one of his travelogue. I guess via Jaldapara? Or I'm totally off the mark here?

Normally for daylight travel, and in a SUV, I suggest the Srirampur crossing. However, did it two weeks back again. Right now, the WB portion of NH31C beyond Binnaguri (actually Telepara Mor) essentially does not exist. (The Assam section comparitively is in far better shape). Same with the Siliguri - Jalpaiguri road (Previously SH12A, now NH31D). There are some local roads which circumvent the very worst of NH31C/D, but I'd suggest you stick to the original NH31. Siliguri - Sevok - Chalsa - Binnaguri - Coochbehar - Gauripur - North Salmara. From N. Salmara turn right for Jogigopa - and NH37 to Guwahati.

Regards
Sutripta

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Will avoid these routes than.

You can take the Patna - Muzaffarpur route.

I'm just thinking if we can visit Gaya also. I guess there would be options to stay over there if needed? Any recommendation?

Plenty at the famous Bodh Gaya. 20 kms before Gaya.

Once you enter Bodh Gaya, a host of hotels shall start appearing. We stayed at Hotel Lumbini IIRC. All are good though as all cater to foreign nationals.

[roamingrao]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Do we need to book the places in advance? If we don't book in advance, then will it be too difficult to find a good place to stay?

I know you would not book rooms in advance for your kind of itinerary. We have been in Rajasthan in October 2010 and 2011 ( again in October ) and have walked directly into RTDC at all places. I guess October is not peak season. But still, have an option around.

And yes, calling a day or two in advance too may help..

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

RTDC Kajri is in Udaipur, right? What about Jodhpur? I can see that there is RTDC Ghumar is there in Jodhpur. Recommended?

Yes, Kajri is in Udaipur. RTDC Ghoomar is in Jodhpur.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Thanks, will inquire about it. Tricky in the sense? Difficult to find or the road is narrow or something?

Both. Narrow roads and crawling in peak hour traffic ! The best would be to park the car at any hotel outside the city ( say byepass) and take a taxi / rickshaw.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Any more details on the route 3? Why you guys are planning to take this longer route? Hope to get updates from you once you complete your trip. And hope that we can meet somewhere..

We have had no updates on condition of roads north of Varanasi in recent times here in this forum. Yes, EW corridor is the best to zip through Bihar, but how do we access the corridor from Varanasi without knowing the status of byepasses around major towns in Bihar ?
Option 2 - the Gaya - Begusarai route is said to be under construction and activity is also said to peak at this time ( Oct - Nov )
On the 3rd option, we have the comfort of driving on NH2 till kulti and least of small roads ( in comparison ) to Bhagalpur and onwards to Purnea.

Yes, we would update you on the status of our drive through this region.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

North Sikkim route seems to be cut off as of now. We will change our plan accordingly

Yes, Gurudongmar lake road is blocked. We would explore west Sikkim ( around Pelling) to compensate our days in North Sikkim. Bad luck.

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by Sheel

You can take the Patna - Muzaffarpur route.



Plenty at the famous Bodh Gaya. 20 kms before Gaya.

Once you enter Bodh Gaya, a host of hotels shall start appearing. We stayed at Hotel Lumbini IIRC. All are good though as all cater to foreign nationals.

Then we might take the Gaya route and visit Bodhgaya, that would also cut the long distance in two parts and would be better.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Normally for daylight travel, and in a SUV, I suggest the Srirampur crossing. However, did it two weeks back again. Right now, the WB portion of NH31C beyond Binnaguri (actually Telepara Mor) essentially does not exist. (The Assam section comparitively is in far better shape). Same with the Siliguri - Jalpaiguri road (Previously SH12A, now NH31D). There are some local roads which circumvent the very worst of NH31C/D, but I'd suggest you stick to the original NH31. Siliguri - Sevok - Chalsa - Binnaguri - Coochbehar - Gauripur - North Salmara. From N. Salmara turn right for Jogigopa - and NH37 to Guwahati.

Regards
Sutripta

Thanks Sutripta, we'll take the route mentioned by you. Scorpio should be able to take the abuse I guess. If we could've have take the Jalpaiguri road then it would've cut the distance a bit. So, according to your advice we need to take the following route - Siliguri - Coochbehar route. But just wanted to know if we can take the route via the Jaldapara WLS?

Originally Posted by roamingrao

I know you would not book rooms in advance for your kind of itinerary. We have been in Rajasthan in October 2010 and 2011 ( again in October ) and have walked directly into RTDC at all places. I guess October is not peak season. But still, have an option around.

That's re-assuring. Hope we get the bookings.


Now, we need some more info on Gujarat part of the trip. Yes, Gujarat is still on and we'll probably will spend few more days than initially planned.

1. Flamingo sanctuary/colony - how to reach there? What would be nearest place to stay? I'm bit confused about this place.
2. Koteswar - just because it's the western most point and we can get some Sunset photographs . Permits not needed I hope?
3. Kala Dungar and Dhordo - do we need permit to visit these two places? Where to take the permits? I read in some logs that the permits are available on a place enroute from Bhuj?
4. Lakhpat - again, is permit needed? I think this will fall enroute to Koteswar?
5. We can go till India bridge and come back (no camera allowed beyond this point it seems and so we also won't mind not visiting)
6. Any other places?? Dholavira? Narayan Sarovar?

Also, need more information about LRK, what all places can we visit there? Definitely want to visit those Wild Asses .

Also, is it possible to bypass Ahmedabad totally while going to Bhuj? We are thinking about staying at Daman (and probably visit the beach) and so we can probably make it to Bhuj next day itself instead of staying at Ahmedabad.

Regards,

[roamingrao]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

1. Flamingo sanctuary/colony - how to reach there? What would be nearest place to stay? I'm bit confused about this place.
2. Koteswar - just because it's the western most point and we can get some Sunset photographs . Permits not needed I hope?
3. Kala Dungar and Dhordo - do we need permit to visit these two places? Where to take the permits? I read in some logs that the permits are available on a place enroute from Bhuj?
4. Lakhpat - again, is permit needed? I think this will fall enroute to Koteswar?
5. We can go till India bridge and come back (no camera allowed beyond this point it seems and so we also won't mind not visiting)
6. Any other places?? Dholavira? Narayan Sarovar?

Also, need more information about LRK, what all places can we visit there? Definitely want to visit those Wild Asses .

Also, is it possible to bypass Ahmedabad totally while going to Bhuj?

to group places around Bhuj :

1. Fort Lakhpat, Narayan Sarovar, Koteshwar
route : Bhuj - Nakhatrana - Dayapar. round trip approx 7 hours. No permits needed to visit these places. Yes, sunset view from koteshwar temple would be great.

2. Dhordo, Kala dungar, Flamingo sanctuary ( near khavda )
route : Bhuj - Khavda. Permits available from BSF post enroute / near Khavda. Again, a day long trip.

3. Dolavira
route : Bhuj - rapar. permits from Bhuj


Access LRK from Zainabad, near Viramgam.


Daman - Bhuj : Byepass Ahmedabad by turning left onto Sardar Patel ring road from the NE1 ( approx 20 kms from the reliance fuel station on the NE1 ) and later divert towards Rajkot. Further down on NH8A, turn right towards Morbi after the hillock temple town of Chotila. At Bachhau, enquire on condition of road to Bhuj, if bad, continue to Anjar and turn right to Bhuj.

Hope this helps..

[pganapathy]

Carry two 20/25 litre good quality plastic cans that don't leak. One for drinking water and one for fuel. Make sure that both are upright and cannot fall over and potentially leak when on the road. Water just requires drying out, unless it damages electronic equipment but fuel will leave a smell in your car for a long time.

If possible one of you go for a crash course in vehicle maintenance so that you can carry out some minor repairs and jugaad to get to the next A.S.S where it can be repaired properly.

Good road maps and install a GPS in the vehicle if possible. Smart phones will do the job as well.

Ensure cigarette lighter point is working properly and all electronic items have an USB or cigarette lighter point. Makes charging on the road a lot easier.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Thanks Sutripta, we'll take the route mentioned by you. Scorpio should be able to take the abuse I guess. If we could've have take the Jalpaiguri road then it would've cut the distance a bit. So, according to your advice we need to take the following route - Siliguri - Coochbehar route. But just wanted to know if we can take the route via the Jaldapara WLS?

Sorry for the delay. Hadn't logged in for a few days.

Jaldapara (proper) entry is at Madarihat. On NH31C. No way you can avoid bad roads going there. (Though there were promises to patch up the very worst before the Pujas. I don't know the current status.) It is not on my suggested route.

If Jaldapara is a must, maybe there is salvation by another route. Reach Jaldapara by usual route. Then take one of three 'escape' routes to go down to the Dhupguri - Falakata - AlipurDuar road, and then onto Coochbehar.

The three routes:
a) There is a direct road from Madarihat to Falakata.
b) Almost parallel to the above, there is a road through Khairbari forest. Meets the above road somewhat before Falakata.
c) From Hasimara, follow old NH31 alignment through Chilapata forest. You will meet the Falakata - AlipurDuar Road midway at a place called Sonapur.

GMap:
Option C) is shown. Though Chilapata is wrongly shown as Jaldapara.
Option B) is also shown as SH12.
Option A) is not shown. Entry point is a couple of KM West of the Madarihat - Falakata crossing.

Regards
Sutripta

[Sutripta]

^^^
Oops! For GMap, pls. interchange option A) and B).

Regards
Sutripta

[kaushik_s]

Hi Sutripta,
Thanks for the update. I'm going to start the trip tomorrow from Bangalore. Got delayed by a week now.
Normally how much time should I expect to drive to reach Guwahati from Siliguri? 8-10hours or more?
BTW, normally fogs will descend over the northern region only by December end, right? Do I need to worry about that at this point of time?
Regards,

[Sutripta]

^^^
I would budget 12 hrs for Siliguri - Guwahati. Unless you are in blitzkrieg mode.

Fog: No problems now, but weather patterns have changed so drastically that I dont think anyone can really comment.

Have a great trip.

Regards
Sutripta

[wins2807]

Hey kaushik_s,

When do you plan to do this,Am planning too and hence chking.R u still planning to do Bhuj and Rann of Kutch.I have collected few inputs on the same.Pls share me ur email id and we can exchange some info.

Thanks/Vinay

[faustus77]

Kaushik S
Hi
Presume you have started your journey.Wishing you bon voyage.
Regarding your query on advance booking of hotels it is definitely preferable.
A good way is to call the hotel in the morning when you are leaving and book for later in the night.To a day's extent you can be reasonably be sure of reaching by nightfall.As it is you do not plan to drive after 8 pm.
Have a safe journey and do put up the route and road conditions as you go along.
Also do updates on the places that you stayed in with tariff and phone no.It would be a boon for people following.
Regards

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by wins2807

Hey kaushik_s,

When do you plan to do this,Am planning too and hence chking.R u still planning to do Bhuj and Rann of Kutch.I have collected few inputs on the same.Pls share me ur email id and we can exchange some info.

Thanks/Vinay

Hi, I've already done the Gujarat Section of my trip and now at Rajasthan. Sorry, wasn't actively checking the forum and hence missed your comment. I'll PM you my mail id in case you need any information.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

^^^
I would budget 12 hrs for Siliguri - Guwahati. Unless you are in blitzkrieg mode.

Fog: No problems now, but weather patterns have changed so drastically that I dont think anyone can really comment.

Have a great trip.

Regards
Sutripta

Thanks a lot Sutripta, we might be crossing Siliguri in another 10-12 days. Yup, it would be in blitzkrieg mode I think.

Originally Posted by faustus77

Kaushik S
Hi
Presume you have started your journey.Wishing you bon voyage.
Regarding your query on advance booking of hotels it is definitely preferable.
A good way is to call the hotel in the morning when you are leaving and book for later in the night.To a day's extent you can be reasonably be sure of reaching by nightfall.As it is you do not plan to drive after 8 pm.
Have a safe journey and do put up the route and road conditions as you go along.
Also do updates on the places that you stayed in with tariff and phone no.It would be a boon for people following.
Regards

Thanks faustus77, I think we've interacted in another forum regarding Gujarat information, right?


Anyway, here is the update from my side,
We are now in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and planning to head towards Jodhpur tomorrow. We've done the following till now,
1. Bangalore-Pune
2. Pune-Daman
@Daman, stayed at Hotel Dariya Darshan. Old hotel with okayish rooms. But it was the only cheap option that we could find there.
3. Daman-Zainabad : Daman - Ahmedabad - Sanand - Virangam (good roads) - Mandal (decent single lane road) - Dasada - Zainabad (decent roads).
Stayed at Desert Coursers, awesome place with great hospitality.
4. Zainabad - Dhrangadhra - Halvad (great roads) - Bhachau - Anjar (not so good due to 4 lanning work) - Bhuj (normal state highway, decent).
Stayed at hotel KBN, good clean rooms with decent price.
5. Bhuj - Kala Dungar/Dhordo - good roads
6. Bhuj - Lakhpat - koteswar - decent roads but small.
7. Koteswar - Bhuj : we took a longer route via Naliya, roads were good but heavy traffic and longer. The diversion towards Nakhatrana looked to be in bad shape and so we took this road. But I think the Nakhatrana route have good roads beyond.
8. Bhuj - Dholavira - the Bhuj Bhachau direct road is being widened and so there are lots of diversions and so it's slow. After the diversion towards Rapar and then to Dholavira, roads are in good shape.
9. Dholavira - Rapar (good roads) - Chitrod (good to ok) - Radhanpur (the 4 laned highway needs repair, loads of broken roads which appears suddenly). This is one road which I didn't like driving on Gujarat.
10. Radhanpur- Bhavar - Tharad - Good roads but there are repair works going on some places.
Tharad - Sanchar - Barmer District entry point - Very very bad roads, the worst I've seen till now on this trip. Almost non-existent roads. Barmer- Jaisalmer - great roads again.

Regards,
Kaushik

[faustus77]

Kaushik S
Hi
Here is a bit more to your query.
Last year I drove via Abohar Fazilka Ferozpur Tarn Taran Amritsar Gurdaspur Pathankot.Empty and good road from Abohar to Amritsar.(It was so devoid of traffic that I didnt see another vehicle for 3/4 kms at a stretch)(My route was from Hanumangarh rather than Bikaner)
From Pathankot to Leh and back.
Then from Pathankot to Dalhousie.That was a wrong way as I could have gone without touching Pathankot.
Regards
PS.You can recheck on Google Map