Mohali -> Jorhat Route?

wanderernomad · 13th March 2013, 22:03

Its relocation time again and the Government is paying for a 3 year stint to see the North East. Towards mid April I shall be driving down to Jorhat from Mohali and plan on the YEW -NH2 till Bodh Gaya. Thats pretty much worked out as follows:
Day 1. Mohali-Agra.
Day 2. Agra-Allahabad-Varanasi.
Day 3. Varanasi- Bodh Gaya.

This is to let the family enjoy the road trip and see as many places en-route as possible as thereafter, home comings would be by air till the next movement order. I shall be driving my 07 Indigo Marina Dicor with 2 kids aged 7 and 3. Guys please help with the route especially after Bodh Gaya to Jorhat and also the dos and donts for this route. I need help in planning the night halts and also cover as many interesting places as can be reasonably done. Options for night stay all through would be very helpful as well.

Thanks.

hvkumar · 14th March 2013, 13:16

You also have the option of doing Kanpur-Lucknow-Ayodhya-Gorakhpur-Kushalnagar-Gopalganj-Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga-Forbesganj-Purnea too, this is teh 4-laned EW Corridor which has some 10 kms of bad roads around Gopalganj, and some 30-40 kms of incomplete roads after Darbhanga, but otherwise a brilliant route.

From Siliguri to Jorhat, please avoid the EW Crridor route which is a colossal mess due to road widening. The alternative route which we all take is as follows:

Siliguri-Sevoke-Mal Bazaar-Chalasa-Birpara-Falakata-Cooch Behar-Tufanganj-Boxirhat-Ghauripur-North Salamara-Goalpara-Paikan-Boko-Guwahati-Nagaon-Kailabor-Kaziranga-Jorhat

There are some bad roads around Cooch Behar & till 2 months ago, the road from Boxirhat (AS border) to North Salamara was not in good shape, but for the rest, it is good. You can directly drive Siliguri-Guwahati the same day. En route, there are good hotels at Cooch behar. IN case you want to also visit Jaldapara, then instead of doing Birpara-Falakata, you can do Birpara-Jaldapara-Alipurduar-Cooch Behar.

There are no major safety concerns, but be wary of the occasional bandh/ rasta roko that affects vehicular movements in Assam, especially around Boko. Assam Police are rascals, who harass out-of-state vehicles from the border itself, trying to extort money towards "permits", "road tax", etc, but please stand your ground & refuse to pay anything but some chai-pani.

You can avoid Guwahati town - assume that you start the day from Cooch behar - by going through the "bypass" from Jhalukbari to Jorabat & then take the EW Corridor which is ore or less 4-laned till Nagaon. Kaziranga comes on the way, but I am sure you have lots of time for that later during your stay in Jorhat (just 1 hour away).

wanderernomad · 14th March 2013, 14:02

Thanks HV. I was waiting for you to show up on this thread. Ok points noted. As the family wants to see Bodh Gaya, I was thinking of the following route:
Bodh Gaya> Nawada> Bhagalpur> Purnia> Islampur>Silliguri.

If it would be too much of a stress please suggest an alternate place to stay before silliguri so that the next day I can drive to Cooch Behar and then on to Jorhat. Police should not be an issue and I think can be handled with the Government ID card. But thanks for the tip.

Guwahati- Kaziranga I ahve driven before and this time would spend the 4 odd years to cover the areas ahead of Jorhat as the lower Assam Valley has been covered more or less.

hvkumar · 14th March 2013, 15:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Thanks HV. I was waiting for you to show up on this thread.

Quote:

Ok points noted. As the family wants to see Bodh Gaya, I was thinking of the following route:
Bodh Gaya> Nawada> Bhagalpur> Purnia> Islampur>Silliguri.

You can also cover Nalanda & Rajgir & go via Bihar Sharif to Bhagalpur.
Take care - bypassing Bhagalpur can be quite a miserable task.

I don't know the condition of the Nawada route, but the Bhiar Sharif-Mokameh-Munger-Bhagalpur road is good.

Quote:

If it would be too much of a stress please suggest an alternate place to stay before silliguri so that the next day I can drive to Cooch Behar and then on to Jorhat. Police should not be an issue and I think can be handled with the Government ID card. But thanks for the tip.

Tough. Purnea has good hotels - try Hotel Shree Nayak - but after that there are hardly any good hotels till you reach Siliguri. Dalkola does have some hotel, but have no reviews about it. Never seen or heard anyone talk of staying in Kishanganj or Islampur before Siliguri. One way to do it would be to leave Bodh Gaya/Nalanda by lunch time (after sightseeing), go stay in Purnea that night. Next day, drive till Cooch Behar - HOtel Royal Palace - and then third day direct to Jorhat.

wanderernomad · 14th March 2013, 15:43

Anyway yes Nalanda and Rajgir can be added into the route and maybe drive till Purnea for the night. But even then next day seems to be a tough day to drive till Cooch Behar. Maybe I can push till Alipur duar and stay there.

What about the Mukameh>Barauni>Begusarai>Khagaria>Purnea route in case Bhagalpur is a pain.

hvkumar · 14th March 2013, 15:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Anyway yes Nalanda and Rajgir can be added into the route and maybe drive till Purnea for the night. But even then next day seems to be a tough day to drive till Cooch Behar. Maybe I can push till Alipur duar and stay there.

With an early morning start from Purnea - 5 hours max to Siliguri - reaching Cooch Behar before night fall will be no problem.

However, why Alipurduar? Unless you contemplate going that way instead of the Brpara-Falakata-Cooch behar route. Be mindful of wildlife crossings in the Alipurduar & the road to Cooch behar.

wanderernomad · 14th March 2013, 16:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

With an early morning start from Purnea - 5 hours max to Siliguri - reaching Cooch Behar before night fall will be no problem.

However, why Alipurduar? Unless you contemplate going that way instead of the Brpara-Falakata-Cooch behar route. Be mindful of wildlife crossings in the Alipurduar & the road to Cooch behar.

With kids early morning gets relative. Especially after sight seeing in Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda I doubt if we can start any early than 0900 hrs. And then we would be racing against the Sun. The reason I said Alipur Duar was that I saw a travelogue here and the place seemed beautiful, so I thought with a falling dusk might be a good option to stay. Next day would go as per your recommended route through Cooch Behar>Nagaon>Jorhat.

hvkumar · 14th March 2013, 16:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

With kids early morning gets relative. Especially after sight seeing in Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda I doubt if we can start any early than 0900 hrs. And then we would be racing against the Sun. The reason I said Alipur Duar was that I saw a travelogue here and the place seemed beautiful, so I thought with a falling dusk might be a good option to stay. Next day would go as per your recommended route through Cooch Behar>Nagaon>Jorhat.

Adjust your body clock, sunrise & sunset is at least 1 hour ahead of Delhi east of Siliguri.

You could perhaps stay in Jaldapara - where there is both WBTDC and private resorts - which is on the Birpara-Alipurduar route.

There are supposed to be wildlife crossings on the Sevoke-Birpara sector also, and I myself have seen elephants around 6 pm.

Sheel · 15th March 2013, 10:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

You can also cover Nalanda & Rajgir & go via Bihar Sharif to Bhagalpur.
Take care - bypassing Bhagalpur can be quite a miserable task.

I don't know the condition of the Nawada route, but the Bhiar Sharif-Mokameh-Munger-Bhagalpur road is good.

Bhagalpur is a royal pain to cross through.

Yesterday, I started from Bhagalpur at 10pm & because of the toll tax right before the bridge, its a huge mess, even at night. Thank God, I was in a Pajero.

Try crossing Bhagalpur before 4pm.

Quote:

Tough. Purnea has good hotels - try Hotel Shree Nayak - but after that there are hardly any good hotels till you reach Siliguri. Dalkola does have some hotel, but have no reviews about it. Never seen or heard anyone talk of staying in Kishanganj or Islampur before Siliguri. One way to do it would be to leave Bodh Gaya/Nalanda by lunch time (after sightseeing), go stay in Purnea that night. Next day, drive till Cooch Behar - HOtel Royal Palace - and then third day direct to Jorhat.

Purnea has few hotels. You need not worry about accommodation. There is a BP Ghar 10 kms North of Dalkola. And there are few Motels @ Dalkola, but all appear shady to me. At least as far as staying with a family goes.

Either plan your stay at Purnea or Siliguri. Siliguri has better hotels though.

Quote:

What about the Mukameh>Barauni>Begusarai>Khagaria>Purnea route in case Bhagalpur is a pain.

Barauni - Khagaria is completely broken up. Best avoided, that too in a Car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

With an early morning start from Purnea - 5 hours max to Siliguri -

With speedo stuck at 90 with no stops, it doesn't take more than 2.5 hrs from Purnea to Siliguri. Both toll & Islampur traffic time included.

wanderernomad · 15th March 2013, 11:42

Starting from Nalanda, how much time would ti take to reach Bhagalpur and then Purnea? Starting in the morning I think bhagalpur can be crossed before 4pm (1600) as Sheel has suggested. Is @90 Purnea- Siliguri is 2.5 hrs? The last time I drove on that stretch I think it took me about 2 hrs from Dhalkola to Silliguri itself.

Sheel · 15th March 2013, 16:08

Bhagalpur to Purnea is roughly 90 kms of wide, single lane road. Till you enter NH-31, the road after the Vikramshila Setu is not in a very good shape.

Post that till Purnea, you will come across around 7-8 diversions.

Purnea (0mile) to Dalkola is some 40 kms.

I am unsure of the stretch between Nalanda till Munger. Munger onwards, roads are decent.

Saurabh M · 15th March 2013, 20:36

Coming over to the NE? Officiating the Bhutan Rally will be easier now?

As HVK has suggested, Jaldapara will be good staying option. Alternately, you can spend a night at Lataguri also. You will be able to cover Gorumara and Chapramari NP from there. Lots of resorts, prior booking not required.

You can plan your break depending on the schedule that you would be doing.

wanderernomad · 16th March 2013, 00:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saurabh M

Coming over to the NE? Officiating the Bhutan Rally will be easier now?

As HVK has suggested, Jaldapara will be good staying option. Alternately, you can spend a night at Lataguri also. You will be able to cover Gorumara and Chapramari NP from there. Lots of resorts, prior booking not required.

You can plan your break depending on the schedule that you would be doing.

Dada I am still so embarrassed in not having sent you the video and pictures. Am still carrying your 2 DVDs around with me. Maybe Ill end up giving them to you in person. Meanwhile you remember Chattu Da who accompanied me last time? Well he is also posted to Kolkatta and would be joining next week.

Saurabh M · 16th March 2013, 19:16

No problems Sir. It does feel great that you still have the DVDs in your safe custody. Will collect them from you at a suitable time.

Looks like you will have good company around Kolkata and NE, with Chattu da around. The irony is that I have moved to Bangalore

. Will be in Kolkata for a couple of weeks in Apr-May.

Sorry for going OT. Hope you are well covered on your route and staying options.

13th March 2013, 22:03	#1
wanderernomad Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 2,536 Thanked: 1,279 Times View My Garage	Mohali -> Jorhat Route? Its relocation time again and the Government is paying for a 3 year stint to see the North East. Towards mid April I shall be driving down to Jorhat from Mohali and plan on the YEW -NH2 till Bodh Gaya. Thats pretty much worked out as follows: Day 1. Mohali-Agra. Day 2. Agra-Allahabad-Varanasi. Day 3. Varanasi- Bodh Gaya. This is to let the family enjoy the road trip and see as many places en-route as possible as thereafter, home comings would be by air till the next movement order. I shall be driving my 07 Indigo Marina Dicor with 2 kids aged 7 and 3. Guys please help with the route especially after Bodh Gaya to Jorhat and also the dos and donts for this route. I need help in planning the night halts and also cover as many interesting places as can be reasonably done. Options for night stay all through would be very helpful as well. Thanks.
	() Thanks

14th March 2013, 13:16	#2
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,463 Times	re: Mohali -> Jorhat Route? You also have the option of doing Kanpur-Lucknow-Ayodhya-Gorakhpur-Kushalnagar-Gopalganj-Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga-Forbesganj-Purnea too, this is teh 4-laned EW Corridor which has some 10 kms of bad roads around Gopalganj, and some 30-40 kms of incomplete roads after Darbhanga, but otherwise a brilliant route. From Siliguri to Jorhat, please avoid the EW Crridor route which is a colossal mess due to road widening. The alternative route which we all take is as follows: Siliguri-Sevoke-Mal Bazaar-Chalasa-Birpara-Falakata-Cooch Behar-Tufanganj-Boxirhat-Ghauripur-North Salamara-Goalpara-Paikan-Boko-Guwahati-Nagaon-Kailabor-Kaziranga-Jorhat There are some bad roads around Cooch Behar & till 2 months ago, the road from Boxirhat (AS border) to North Salamara was not in good shape, but for the rest, it is good. You can directly drive Siliguri-Guwahati the same day. En route, there are good hotels at Cooch behar. IN case you want to also visit Jaldapara, then instead of doing Birpara-Falakata, you can do Birpara-Jaldapara-Alipurduar-Cooch Behar. There are no major safety concerns, but be wary of the occasional bandh/ rasta roko that affects vehicular movements in Assam, especially around Boko. Assam Police are rascals, who harass out-of-state vehicles from the border itself, trying to extort money towards "permits", "road tax", etc, but please stand your ground & refuse to pay anything but some chai-pani. You can avoid Guwahati town - assume that you start the day from Cooch behar - by going through the "bypass" from Jhalukbari to Jorabat & then take the EW Corridor which is ore or less 4-laned till Nagaon. Kaziranga comes on the way, but I am sure you have lots of time for that later during your stay in Jorhat (just 1 hour away).
	(6) Thanks

14th March 2013, 14:02	#3
wanderernomad Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 2,536 Thanked: 1,279 Times View My Garage	Re: Mohali -> Jorhat Route? Thanks HV. I was waiting for you to show up on this thread. Ok points noted. As the family wants to see Bodh Gaya, I was thinking of the following route: Bodh Gaya> Nawada> Bhagalpur> Purnia> Islampur>Silliguri. If it would be too much of a stress please suggest an alternate place to stay before silliguri so that the next day I can drive to Cooch Behar and then on to Jorhat. Police should not be an issue and I think can be handled with the Government ID card. But thanks for the tip. Guwahati- Kaziranga I ahve driven before and this time would spend the 4 odd years to cover the areas ahead of Jorhat as the lower Assam Valley has been covered more or less. Last edited by wanderernomad : 14th March 2013 at 14:05.
	(1) Thanks

14th March 2013, 15:43	#5
wanderernomad Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 2,536 Thanked: 1,279 Times View My Garage	Re: Mohali -> Jorhat Route? Anyway yes Nalanda and Rajgir can be added into the route and maybe drive till Purnea for the night. But even then next day seems to be a tough day to drive till Cooch Behar. Maybe I can push till Alipur duar and stay there. What about the Mukameh>Barauni>Begusarai>Khagaria>Purnea route in case Bhagalpur is a pain. Last edited by GTO : 15th March 2013 at 13:36. Reason: Fixing quote. And do NOT discuss Mod actions on the public forum
	() Thanks

15th March 2013, 11:42	#10
wanderernomad Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 2,536 Thanked: 1,279 Times View My Garage	Re: Mohali -> Jorhat Route? Starting from Nalanda, how much time would ti take to reach Bhagalpur and then Purnea? Starting in the morning I think bhagalpur can be crossed before 4pm (1600) as Sheel has suggested. Is @90 Purnea- Siliguri is 2.5 hrs? The last time I drove on that stretch I think it took me about 2 hrs from Dhalkola to Silliguri itself.
	() Thanks

15th March 2013, 16:08	#11
Sheel Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Purnea (Bihar) Posts: 9,815 Thanked: 14,829 Times View My Garage	Re: Mohali -> Jorhat Route? Bhagalpur to Purnea is roughly 90 kms of wide, single lane road. Till you enter NH-31, the road after the Vikramshila Setu is not in a very good shape. Post that till Purnea, you will come across around 7-8 diversions. Purnea (0mile) to Dalkola is some 40 kms. I am unsure of the stretch between Nalanda till Munger. Munger onwards, roads are decent.
	() Thanks

15th March 2013, 20:36	#12
Saurabh M BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: CCU & Ontario Posts: 610 Thanked: 157 Times View My Garage	Re: Mohali -> Jorhat Route? Coming over to the NE? Officiating the Bhutan Rally will be easier now? As HVK has suggested, Jaldapara will be good staying option. Alternately, you can spend a night at Lataguri also. You will be able to cover Gorumara and Chapramari NP from there. Lots of resorts, prior booking not required. You can plan your break depending on the schedule that you would be doing.
	(1) Thanks

16th March 2013, 19:16	#14
Saurabh M BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: CCU & Ontario Posts: 610 Thanked: 157 Times View My Garage	Re: Mohali -> Jorhat Route? No problems Sir. It does feel great that you still have the DVDs in your safe custody. Will collect them from you at a suitable time. Looks like you will have good company around Kolkata and NE, with Chattu da around. The irony is that I have moved to Bangalore . Will be in Kolkata for a couple of weeks in Apr-May. Sorry for going OT. Hope you are well covered on your route and staying options.
	() Thanks