[kaushik_s]

Hi Friends,
We (me and my friend(s)) are planning for a month long India Travel during Oct-Nov. We are planning to start from Bangalore and end the trip at North-East. Basic route is somewhat like follows,
Bangalore-Pune-Ahmedabad(or another place in Gujrat)-Rann Of Kutch - Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Udaipur/Chittorgarh-Puskar-Jaipur-Delhi-Agra-Varanasi-Siliguri/Coochbehar-Guwahati.

We've contacted HVK for his inputs and he is helping us with as much detail possible. But we would like to get more information about route/road condition/places to see/places to avoid/Staying options(in the aforementioned places) from our fellow TBHPians who have traveled to these places or have knowledge about these places. We are all photography enthusiasts (kind of advanced amateurs) and would be spending most of the time photographing either enroute or at the destinations. So basically we would be taking it slow and do it in a relaxed manner (except for few places).
We are not planning to spend tIndia Trip (South-West-NE)oo much on staying, we have a budget of around 1500Rs/room/night only and also would like to stay in hotels which have proper parking.
Bangalore-Pune - straightforward and have done this route before, so not much issues here.
Pune-Ahmedabad - Waiting for HVK's input on how to bypass Mumbai. Also suggested by HVK to drive till Zainabad or Rajkot and stay there. Any inputs about staying options in these places would be really helpful.
Ahmedabad-Bhuj (GRK) - Need information about staying here. Also what all places to visit and how.
Bhuj- Jaisalmer - Planning to stay for 2 days here and also visit the Thar desert (Sam/Khuri/Longewala etc). Need help in staying options and also about places to visit.
Jaisalmer-Jodhpur - same as above. Plan to stay for a day. Any detours?
Jodhpur-Udaipur-Chittorgarh - Plan is to stay at Udaipur and probably for 1 or 2 days. Need help for staying options.
Udaipur-Pushkar-Jaipur- Same as above. We thought about Ranthambore also but considering the current restrictions placed by SC, we are not sure.
Jaipur-Delhi/Agra - We are still not sure whether we'll visit Delhi (there are so many things to see and photograph there though) or directly go to Agra. We would spend a day or two there and also will probably visit Fatehpur Sikri too. Not yet sure about Mathura.
Agra - Varanasi - Plan is to stay for 2 days here. Need help about staying options.

Varanasi -Siliguri - now, this one is a tricky problem for us and we are still not sure how we tackle this stretch. Initial plan was to drive on the GQ and take the diversion at Raniganj towards Malda (probably stay at Malda) and then proceed to Siliguri. But HVK sir has informed us that the roads in West Bengal are in very bad shape and so we better take the East-West corridor via Varanasi-Gorakhpur-Gopalganj-Musahari-Darbhanga-Purnea-Siliguri as it has good roads. As we've never travelled thru Bihar and we don't see many travel reports from there, we are bit worried. Can someone from Bihar/or traveled thru the route give us some more information?

Siliguri-Guwahati : Again, HVK sir has told us to take the CoochBehar route(south bank of Brahmaputra) instead of Kokranjhar route (north bank) as the former is in better shape.

Few detours that we might take depending on time and energy.
Siliguri - Sikkim (Gangtok/Pelling/Nathu La etc) : Not exactly confirmed but would try this if things are in place. Is it that they don't allow self drive cars to few places?

Guwahati - Tawang : Very much on cards. AFAIK, Sela Pass should remain open during end of October or start of December. Am I right?

Note : All the drives will be done only during day time (or evening till 8/9PM max) unless absolutely necessary. Also would like to have opinion on ahat are the things that I should carry in the car? Following are the things I'm planning as of now,
- Tow rope and D-shackle
- Extra fuses
- Extra bulbs
- Electric Compressor
- Puncture Kit
- Jumpstart cable
- Planning to get Fog lamps as after November it becomes quite foggy in Assam. Any advice on that?
-Will give the car (Scorpio) for service before the trip, it has run 25k+ till now.

Sorry for the very long post. We really need as much as help that you guys can provide. It all depends on how much information we can get and how much we can use them. Would be really grateful any kind of help.
Regards,
Kaushik

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Pune-Ahmedabad - Waiting for HVK's input on how to bypass Mumbai. Also suggested by HVK to drive till Zainabad or Rajkot and stay there. Any inputs about staying options in these places would be really helpful

Rajkot: Hotel Krishna Park,Rajkot http://www.hotelkrishnapark.in/
Zainabad : http://www.desertcoursers.net/

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Ahmedabad-Bhuj (GRK) - Need information about staying here. Also what all places to visit and how.

Bhuj: http://www.hotelkbn.com/

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Bhuj- Jaisalmer - Planning to stay for 2 days here and also visit the Thar desert (Sam/Khuri/Longewala etc). Need help in staying options and also about places to visit.

Long drive on isolated NH15 for most parts.In Jaisalmer,stay at RTDC Moomal at Jaisalmer.Go to Tanot-Longevala if BSF let you and to Sam.Apart from these the mandatory visit to the fort.Nov is start of season in Rajasthan so expect higher rates in hotels.

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...1&sz=8&t=m&z=8

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Jaisalmer-Jodhpur - same as above. Plan to stay for a day. Any detours?

4.5hr drive.Road is good to average.Jodhpur Mehrangarh Fort would take you one full day.Opt for the audio guide which is an experience.Umaid Bhawan would take a couple of hours as most parts of the palace is off limits.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Jodhpur-Udaipur-Chittorgarh - Plan is to stay at Udaipur and probably for 1 or 2 days. Need help for staying options.

Hotel Padmini Palace or RTDC Kajiri,there are tons of options within Udaipur.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Udaipur-Pushkar-Jaipur-

Doing Pushkar & Ajmer enroute and reaching Jaipur can be a gamble depending on the rush at the two places.Whatever,do not try taking your car to the dargah,park your car at the railway station and take a rickshaw to the top.Or else Stay the night at Ajmer and do Ajmer and Pushkar and then leave for Jaipur the next day.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Siliguri - Sikkim (Gangtok/Pelling/Nathu La etc) : Not exactly confirmed but would try this if things are in place. Is it that they don't allow self drive cars to few places?

Yes especially to Northern Sikkim self drive cars are not allowed/permits are not issued.

My two cents,you are criss crossing the country can get quite tiring and you are hardly leaving yourself any breathing space with just a night or two in each place-Hardly any time to stop and smell the flowers.Wouldnt it be a better idea to do east and west separately at different points of time as fatigue factor is going to be very high during long drives.Anyways your call at the end of the day .Be sure to carry original RC,Original License,Original PUC,original Insurance and the yellow sticker for the headlamps for GJ(Ofcourse this is at times enforced by GJ police and at other times not).

All the best and drive safe

[kaushik_s]

Hi Ranjit,
Thanks a lot for your valuable inputs.
The plan is still flexible and we won't rush it through even though I've mentioned as 2 days stay or such. Also when I said 2 days stay I didn't counted the travel day to that destination. So 2 days stay would actually 3 night stay in that place. And if we like a place more and feel that we need to spend more time (4-5 days or even a week) there to give us chance for photography then we would change the plan accordingly. Infact already thinking about skipping Gujrat for time being and instead spend more time in Rajasthan and then in Agra and Varanasi.
Sikkim is not exactly in the main plan as of now and as it would be at the fag end of the trip, we probably might not exactly do it. Also depends on the road condition to Gangtok.
Regards,

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Hi Friends,
We (me and my friend(s)) are planning for a month long India Travel during Oct-Nov. We are planning to start from Bangalore and end the trip at North-East. Basic route is somewhat like follows,
Bangalore-Pune-Ahmedabad(or another place in Gujrat)-Rann Of Kutch - Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Udaipur/Chittorgarh-Puskar-Jaipur-Delhi-Agra-Varanasi-Siliguri/Coochbehar-Guwahati.

Wow, that's an ambitious plan! Sorry, I can't help you with any information, but I can wish you Good Luck and point you to this very useful thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ong-drive.html

Cheers,
Vikram

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Varanasi -Siliguri - now, this one is a tricky problem for us and we are still not sure how we tackle this stretch. Initial plan was to drive on the GQ and take the diversion at Raniganj towards Malda (probably stay at Malda) and then proceed to Siliguri. But HVK sir has informed us that the roads in West Bengal are in very bad shape and so we better take the East-West corridor via Varanasi-Gorakhpur-Gopalganj-Musahari-Darbhanga-Purnea-Siliguri as it has good roads. As we've never travelled thru Bihar and we don't see many travel reports from there, we are bit worried. Can someone from Bihar/or traveled thru the route give us some more information?

.
Fellow member roamingrao & me exchanged a few PM's. He too is supposed to do this route.

This is what we spoke about (copy/paste)

The first is via Varanasi - Ghazipur - Ballia - Chhapra - Hajipur (Patna, but jams to some extent are avoided) - Samastipur - Darbhanga (E-W corridor starts) - Purnea - Siliguri.

As per the local taxi wallahas I spoke with, Varnasi to Hajipur is in reasonably good shape. Reason being monsoons didn't even start. Honestly, I haven't been on this route and so can't say from my personal experience.

At Darbhanga, you may encounter jams inside the town area, hence I always avoid this, but then you have to take a detour via Muzaffarpur*. Not really advised, but take your pick.

While coming from Hajipur to Samastipur, you might have to continuously ask for directions. At a point you will come across the NH-31, right goes to Barauni/Begusarai & right to Muzaffarpur.

Fill up @ Darbhanga/Hajipur. You won't find many pumps between Hajipur - Darbhnga and then between Darbhanga - Purnea.

Second is taking the right from Samastipur onwards to Barauni and then to Purnea.

Search for route between Hajipur and Muzaffarpur. I would take that. Avoids the Darbhnga town & E-W corridor starts from Muzaffarpur. Have been hearing that the whole place is manned now & it is a one-way easing congestion. I shall confirm you prior to taking this route (if you take this up)

Let me know if you need to know more. Purnea - Siliguri can be done at any point of day/night and has very good roads.

*Muzaffarpur = Musahari. No one knows what place Musahari is. Stick with Muzaffarpur.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Note : All the drives will be done only during day time (or evening till 8/9PM max) unless absolutely necessary. Also would like to have opinion on ahat are the things that I should carry in the car? Following are the things I'm planning as of now,
- Tow rope and D-shackle
- Extra fuses
- Extra bulbs
- Electric Compressor
- Puncture Kit
- Jumpstart cable
- Planning to get Fog lamps as after November it becomes quite foggy in Assam. Any advice on that?
-Will give the car (Scorpio) for service before the trip, it has run 25k+ till now.

Hi Kaushik,

Though I cannot add much on the route and the stay options, but would suggest that you carry a spanner set and a screw driver set along with basic pliers. These come in handy at times.

Since the drive is going to be quite long, it would also be good if you can carry a few liters of engine oil and coolant.

Cheers!

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by Sheel

.
Fellow member roamingrao & me exchanged a few PM's. He too is supposed to do this route.

This is what we spoke about (copy/paste)

The first is via Varanasi - Ghazipur - Ballia - Chhapra - Hajipur (Patna, but jams to some extent are avoided) - Samastipur - Darbhanga (E-W corridor starts) - Purnea - Siliguri.

As per the local taxi wallahas I spoke with, Varnasi to Hajipur is in reasonably good shape. Reason being monsoons didn't even start. Honestly, I haven't been on this route and so can't say from my personal experience.

At Darbhanga, you may encounter jams inside the town area, hence I always avoid this, but then you have to take a detour via Muzaffarpur*. Not really advised, but take your pick.

While coming from Hajipur to Samastipur, you might have to continuously ask for directions. At a point you will come across the NH-31, right goes to Barauni/Begusarai & right to Muzaffarpur.

Fill up @ Darbhanga/Hajipur. You won't find many pumps between Hajipur - Darbhnga and then between Darbhanga - Purnea.

Second is taking the right from Samastipur onwards to Barauni and then to Purnea.

Search for route between Hajipur and Muzaffarpur. I would take that. Avoids the Darbhnga town & E-W corridor starts from Muzaffarpur. Have been hearing that the whole place is manned now & it is a one-way easing congestion. I shall confirm you prior to taking this route (if you take this up)

Let me know if you need to know more. Purnea - Siliguri can be done at any point of day/night and has very good roads.

*Muzaffarpur = Musahari. No one knows what place Musahari is. Stick with Muzaffarpur.

Hi Sheel,
Thanks a lot for the reply. That would clear a lot of confusion that I have.
So, is this the route that you are suggesting? http://goo.gl/maps/FsSca

On the google map I can see that there is another road (NH-77) that goes to Muzzafarpur (Musahari) from Hajipur, is this road not advisable?

Also how is the road from Gorakhpur to Darbhanga as originally suggested by HVK? But yeah, that road is bit too longer compared to this route.

How bad are the roads in West Bengal at this point of time. There is a possibility that we might even go straight on GQ and then take turn at Raniganj towards Malda. But that road will be very long and we will have to split in two days.

When is Roamingrao doing this route?

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Hi Kaushik,

Though I cannot add much on the route and the stay options, but would suggest that you carry a spanner set and a screw driver set along with basic pliers. These come in handy at times.

Since the drive is going to be quite long, it would also be good if you can carry a few liters of engine oil and coolant.

Cheers!

Thanks for the tips. I'm planning to carry a tool kit with me. Engine oil, coolant, fuses, extra bulbs, tow rope/D-shakle, Jump start cable are the things I'm planning to carry. Probably will leave the rear seat at home.

[roamingrao]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Bangalore-Pune-Ahmedabad(or another place in Gujrat)-Rann Of Kutch - Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Udaipur/Chittorgarh-Puskar-Jaipur-Delhi-Agra-Varanasi-Siliguri/Coochbehar-Guwahati.

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

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Pune-Ahmedabad - Waiting for HVK's input on how to bypass Mumbai. Also suggested by HVK to drive till Zainabad or Rajkot and stay there. Any inputs about staying options in these places would be really helpful.

We took a similar drive across Gujarat and Rajasthan last October. A 4am start from Pune and you can be in Rajkot latest by 9pm.

Shortcut : Nadiad - Kheda - Dholka may be bad. Continue on NE1 and take the Sardar patel ring road ( Ahmedabad ) to access NH8A to Rajkot.

Hotel Evershine, Limbda Chowk, Rajkot 360001. 0281 2481681/2/3/4 Rs. 1300, safe basement parking, centre of city. hotelevershine.com

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Ahmedabad-Bhuj (GRK) - Need information about staying here. Also what all places to visit and how.

Rajkot - Morbi - samkhiali - Bhachau - Anjar - Bhuj

enquire if direct Bhauchau - bhuj is good. If not, longer through Anjar.


From Bhuj, need two days to explore :

1. Fort Lakhpat, Narayan Sarovar, Koteshwar temple ( western most point of India )

2. Dhordo ( white desert ), Dholavira and Kala dongar


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

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Bhuj- Jaisalmer - Planning to stay for 2 days here and also visit the Thar desert (Sam/Khuri/Longewala etc). Need help in staying options and also about places to visit.

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.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Jaisalmer-Jodhpur - same as above. Plan to stay for a day. Any detours?

Jaisalmer - Pokhran - Jodhpur : a 5 hour drive

Full day in Jodhpur - Fort, Umaid Bhavan Palace, Nayee sadak ( for sweets and shopping )

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Jodhpur-Udaipur-Chittorgarh - Plan is to stay at Udaipur and probably for 1 or 2 days. Need help for staying options.

Yes, two days for Udaipur.

RTDC Kajri

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Udaipur-Pushkar-Jaipur- Same as above. We thought about Ranthambore also but considering the current restrictions placed by SC, we are not sure.

Chittorgarh is on the way to Jaipur ( GQ ). A visit to the fort takes 3 hours.

Jaipur - one whole day. RTDC Swagatham

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Jaipur-Delhi/Agra - We are still not sure whether we'll visit Delhi (there are so many things to see and photograph there though) or directly go to Agra. We would spend a day or two there and also will probably visit Fatehpur Sikri too. Not yet sure about Mathura.

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

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Agra - Varanasi - Plan is to stay for 2 days here. Need help about staying options.

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 !

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Varanasi -Siliguri - now, this one is a tricky problem for us and we are still not sure how we tackle this stretch. Initial plan was to drive on the GQ and take the diversion at Raniganj towards Malda (probably stay at Malda) and then proceed to Siliguri.

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.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Siliguri-Guwahati : Again, HVK sir has told us to take the CoochBehar route(south bank of Brahmaputra) instead of Kokranjhar route (north bank) as the former is in better shape.

Are you sure you would want to enter Assam ?

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Siliguri - Sikkim (Gangtok/Pelling/Nathu La etc) : Not exactly confirmed but would try this if things are in place. Is it that they don't allow self drive cars to few places?

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 !!

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Guwahati - Tawang : Very much on cards. AFAIK, Sela Pass should remain open during end of October or start of December. Am I right?

Kaushik, I have no faith in the volatile state of affairs east of Siliguri. My advice - best to avoid as of now.

Hope this helps..

[Sutripta]

Hi,
What vehicle? In your own name? When do you expect to hit Siliguri?
Last week, North Sikkim was cut off. Blocked at 34 (IIRC) different places. (Was in Gangtok last week!) Being a strategically important road (as is say the Tawang route), should have been opened up by now. Just wanted to point out that the NE is best not done on a fixed tight schedule.

Regards
Sutripta

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

On the google map I can see that there is another road (NH-77) that goes to Muzzafarpur (Musahari) from Hajipur, is this road not advisable?

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

How bad are the roads in West Bengal at this point of time. There is a possibility that we might even go straight on GQ and then take turn at Raniganj towards Malda. But that road will be very long and we will have to split in two days.

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

Originally Posted by roamingrao

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

Roads in & around Chapra were being built & construction was going on between Muz - Chapra (but that was an year ago & sorry no up-dates)

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.

Gaya to Mokamah isn't desolate but relatively traffic free.

Mokamah onwards to NH 31 (Barauni/Begusarai/Purnea) is crowded but we take this route if traveling at night. Its a proven road & there is traffic. You needn't worry much.

NH 31 is currently being widened & you have to take diversions for culverts. After crossing Begusarai you will encounter torrid roads for ~20kms. Rest is okay (save for diversions). You got to watch for it.

3. A much longer : Varanasi - Aurangabad - Barhi - Govindpur - Kulti - Dumka - Bhagalpur - Purnea - Siliguri is another option and avoids bad WB roads.

Dumka to Purnea is in good shape as things stand today.


You never really know as to how things shall work out after Siliguri, so plan flexibly.

Thanks

EDIT : Watch out for Durga Puja in West Bengal. Shall carry on till 25th I believe.

[kaushik_s]

Great to see the thread moving and wow, so much of information. Thanks a ton guys.

1. Do we need to make advanced booking on the RTDC hotels or we can try our luck? We didn't want to book anything in advance as we have very flexible dates and travel plan i.e. basically it's like if we like a place we might stay 2-3 days extra and on the other hand leaving a place early if we don't like it. And knowing us we might even spend much more than originally planned.
2. Assam is very much on the cards as I'm going to spend around a month there. Plan is to spend some time at home and roam around different places. Actually the situation very much stable now and I hope it'll remain same. Although there was another worry as of now i.e. the flood and that also is receding now.
3. I'll be driving my own car, it's a Scorpio. On my name only and KA registered. If we can start according to our original plan then we can reach Siliguri around 26th-28th..
4. Sikkim : We might or might not do Sikkim, depends on the time we spend in the other places.
5. Will Sela be open during Nov? I guess it will remain open unless there is very bad weather?
6. EW corridor, so does it mean that the EW corridor is complete only from Muzzafarpur onwards till Dalkhola?/Siliguri?

@Roamingrao, we are traveling almost the same time I guess. May be we can hook up at Varanasi and travel together from then onwards till Siliguri.
Regards,

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

2. Assam is very much on the cards as I'm going to spend around a month there. Plan is to spend some time at home and roam around different places.

And where is 'home'?

Regards
Sutripta

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

And where is 'home'?

Regards
Sutripta

Hey, really sorry as I was not clearer. Basically I'm from Assam and I was talking about my natives there.
Regards,

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Hey, really sorry as I was not clearer. Basically I'm from Assam and I was talking about my natives there.
Regards,

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

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Hey, really sorry as I was not clearer. Basically I'm from Assam and I was talking about my natives there.
Regards,

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