[Renjith_Mani]

We are planning an All-India trip starting October 28 -2015. In addition to 23 states of India, we plan to drive across Bhutan also.
We are a group of 6 guys and we will be driving a Mahindra Thar and a Mahindra Bolero on this trip. Both vehicles are relatively new and customised to suit the trip. In later posts we will share the pictures of the vehicles.
The discussions, research and planning started few months back. Now we have only few weeks remaining. We request the whole Team-BHP's support in making this a reality. Some of our plans could be over-ambitious and unrealistic. If any part of our plans are impossible please let us know. We want to have the best possible plan for the trip. Without a lot of help from fellow BHPians it’s not going to be possible to plan such a massive trip.
Let me start the discussion by submitting our draft route plan and schedule. Please go through and advise us to plan better. We would welcome all suggestions and advices. The below schedule was drafted with lot of help from BHPians and referring to numerous posts in this forum.
We are happy to welcome all those who are interested to join us on this drive. It is not a must that those who join should cover all the distance. Please join us at any point and leave us at any point as well.
Below is not a final plan. This is to be revised after interaction with the forum members.

1st Leg

Day 01 28/09/15 Monday. Muvattupuzha to Chennai. Distance 700 Km
04:00 Start From Muvattupuzha
Preferred Route: Muvattupuzha- Chalakudy - Sholayar - Valparai - Pollachi
10:00 Reach Pollachi and proceed to Puducherry
12:00 Reach Perundurai
Take NH 47 till it joins Highway 68 at Ulundurpet
15:00 Reach Ulundurpet
Take NH 45 and NH 45A to Puducherry
17:30 Continue to Chennai from Puducherry
We plan to drive through the ECR Route
21:30 Reach Chennai

Day 02 29/09/15 Tuesday. Chennai to Brahmapur. Distance 1063 Km
05:00 Drive to Vijayawada
11:00 Reach Vijayawada
13:00 Cross the city and have lunch
14:00 Start afternoon drive to Vizag
19:00 Vizag
21:00 Continue from Vizag (outer) to reach Srikakulam and then Brahmapur
Bypass Srikakulam city
23:00 Reach Brahmapur

Day 03 30/09/15 Wednesday. Brahmapur to Kolkata. Distance 605 Km
05:00 Start from Brahmapur
08:00 Visit Konark Sun Temple
11:00 Continue to Bhubaneswar from Konark.
13:00 Reach Bhubaneshwar from Sun Temple
Drive around the city for an hour or two
15:00 Drive to Kolkata
22:00 Reach Kolkata

Day 04 01/10/15 Thursday. Kolkata Day Trip
15:00 Leave to Sundarbans
18:30 Reach Eco Village

Day 05 02/10/15 Friday. Sundarban Boating Distance 91 Km
15:00 Leave early and reach back Kolkata by 7PM


2nd Leg
Day 06 03/10/15 Saturday. Kolkata to Siliguri. Distance expected to cover on the day 581 Km
05:00 Start- Drive to Siliguri from Kolkata
Preferred Route :Kolkata - Dankuni - GT Road- Durgapur Expressway - Masagram - Burdwan - Asansol
09:00 Reach Asansol
11:30 Reach Dumka
14:30 Reach Bhagalpur
Preferred Route : Tetari - Kishanganj - Siliguri
20:30 Reach Siliguri

Day 07 04/10/15 Sunday. Siliguri to Paro. Distance 295 Km
06:00 Drive to Phuentsholing
The Offices of the immigration open at 9 am
Take Permit for us to Visit Thimphu and Paro
Take Permit for cars
10:00 Leave to Paro
14:00 Reach Paro
Hiking to Tiger's nest
18:00 Reach Paro back from hiking

Day 08 05/10/15 Monday. Paro to Mongar. Distance 477 Km
08:00 Drive to Thimphu
09:00 Thimphu is just an hour away
Immediately after reaching Thimphu take permits to Eastern Bhutan as this cannot be obtained from Phuentsholing.
11:00 Drive to Phobjikha Valley
Preferred Route: Thimbhu - Semtokha - Dochula- Sopsokha - Manikyangsa - Trongsa - Sengor -Mongar
20:00 Reach Mongar

Day 09 06/10/15 Tuesday. Mongar to Tezpur. Distance 460 Km
06:00 Start from Mongar to Sandrup Jongkar exit point to India
11:00 Preferred Route :Mongar to Sherichu to Trashigang
16:00 Reach India border by Samdrup Jongkar exit and drive to Tezpur
Preferred Route : Samdrup Jongkar - Rangia - Tezpur
22:00 Reach Tezpur

Day 10 07/10/15 Wednesday. Tezpur to Tawang. Distance 393 Km
05:00 Drive to Tawang
10:00 Reach Bomdila
Drive through famous Sela Pass
Visit Indo-China war memorials
17:00 Reach Tawang

Day 11 08/10/15 Thursday. Stay at Tawang

Day 12 09/10/15 Friday Tawang to Guwahati. Distance 563 Km
06:00 Start from Tawang
18:00 Reach Guwahati


3rd Leg

Day 13 10/10/15 Saturday. Guwahati to Dzuluk. Distance 530 Km
06:00 Start from Guwahati
Preferred Route :Guwahati – Dudhnoi – Goalpara - Gauripur- -Sevoke - Rongli
18:00 Reach Rongli
Take Permits for Silk Route
21:00 Reach Dzuluk

Day 14 11/10/15 Sunday. Dzuluk to Darjeeling. Distance 226 Km
04:00 Sunrise at Lungthung
06:30 Go to Thambi View Point
07:30 Start from Dzuluk
Drive to Gangtok through loop roads
10:30 Reach Gangtok
Gangtok ropeway, Rumtek Monastery, MG Market, Ganesh Tok
19:00 Drive to Darjeeling (less than 100 Km drive)
22:00 Reach Darjeeling

Day 15 12/10/15 Monday. Drive around Darjeeling then towards Agra. Distance 442 Km
10:30 Darjeeling Toy Train Ride. Cover only first two stations one way and return by taxi
01:00 Darjeeling rope-way
14:00 Start drive from Darjeeling to Muzaffarpur
Join East -West Corridor
21:00 Reach Muzaffarpur or any town nearby

Day 16 13/10/15 Tuesday. Muzaffarpur to Kanpur. Distance 599 Km
06:00 Start from Muzaffarpur
08:00 Pass Gopalganj through a bad patch of road and reach the border
12:00 Reach Gorakhpur
16:00 Pass Lucknow
Take deviation at Unnao to by-pass Kanpur City
18:00 Reach Kanpur (Vijaya Nagar side by Bridge)

Day 17 14/10/15 Wednesday. Kanpur to Delhi Distance 469 Km
08:00 Strat from Kanpur
Kanpur-Agra road is a 6 lane highway and smooth drive expected
11:00 Reach Agra - Spent some time at Taj Mahal
15:00 Leave Agra take Yamuna Expressway
17:00 Reach Delhi

Day 18 15/10/15 Thursday. Delhi to Shimla. Distance 361 Km
07:00 Start from Delhi to Chandigarh
13:00 Reach Chandigarh
Mountain road to Shimla
17:00 Reach Shimla


4th Leg

Day 19 16/10/15 Friday. Shimla to Kaza. Distance 296 Km
06:30 Start from Shimla
Drive to Kaza
19:30 Reach Kaza

Day 20 17/10/15 Saturday. Kaza to Keylong. Distance 187 Km
08:00 Start from Kaza
18:00 Reach Keylong

Day 21 18/10/15 Sunday. Keylong to Leh. Distance 358 Km
07:00 Start from Keylong
15:00 Reach Leh

Day 22 19/10/15 Monday. Nubra Valley
09:00 Apply for Permits if required, if not start early
10:00 Start from Leh to Nubra valley
14:00 Nubra Valley
16:00 Return from Nubra Valley
20:00 Reach Leh

Day 23 20/10/15 Tuesday. Drive to Pangong Tso
Spend Morning hours by lake side
See India - China border etc

Day 24 21/10/15 Wednesday. Pangong to Kargil. Distance 211 Km
08:00 Drive to Leh from Pangong
13:00 Start Return Leg. Leh to Kargil
Stay at Kargil

Day 25 22/10/15 Thursday. Kargil to Srinagar. Distance 211 Km
09:00 Visit Kargil war memorial etc.
10:00 Drive to Dras
11:00 Reach Dras
Lunch and war memorial visits
15:00 Reach Srinagar


5th Leg - Palaces and Deserts of the North-west

Day 26 23/10/15 Friday. Srinagar to Amritsar
05:00 Drive from Srinagar to Wagah border
Preferred Route :Srinagar - Anantnag - Patnitop - Pathankot – Amritsar - Wagah
14:00 Reach Wagah Border
15:00 See Gate opening and closing at the border
18:00 Return to Amritsar

Day 27 24/10/15 Saturday. Amritsar to Jaipur. Distance 750 Km
09:00 Start from Amritsar
Preferred route: Amritsar - Faridkot - Rawatsar - Ratangarh - Sikar- Jaipur
22:00 Reach Jaipur

Day 28 25/10/15 Sunday. Jaipur to Udaipur Distance expected to cover 426 Km
09:00 Start From Jaipur to Udaipur
Preferred Route : Ajmer – Chittorgarh - Udaipur
13:00 Reach Chittorgarh
15:00 Proceed to Udaipur
17:00 Reach Udaipur
Stay at Udaipur

Day 29 26/10/15 Monday. Ahmedabad – Surat – Mumbai Distance 790 Km
Take the Mount Abu Route Udaipur – Palanpur – Mehsana - Ahmedabad
09:00 Pass Ahmedabad and proceed to Mumbai via Surat
10:30 Pass Vadodara
11:30 Reach Bharuch
13:30 Reach Ankleshwar
14:30 Bye-pass Surat keeping NH8
16:30 Reach Daman and Diu - break (Union Territory)
18:30 Reach Dadra Nagar Haveli - break (Union Territory)
20:30 Reach Thane / Mumbai
Check in to a hotel near out-skirts and take train to City


6th Leg

Day 30 27/10/15 Tuesday. Drive to Goa Distance 577 Km
Thane – Pune – Kolhapur - Panjim
06:30 Mumbai - Pune
09:00 Reach Pune
Preferred Route :Pune - Satara - Kolhapur
13:00 Reach Kolhapur
Preferred Route : Kolhapur - Belgaum – Piranwadi – Chorla - Panjim
20:00 Reach Goa

Day 31 28/10/15 Wednesday. Day off at Goa

Day 32 29/10/15 Thursday. Panjim to Ernakulam Distance 976 km
03:00 Start from Panjim
10:00 Reach Mangalore
15:00 Reach Ernakulam

The plan is for 32 Days and covering close to 15,000 Kilo-meter. Without a lot of time spent on planning it’s not going to happen.

advice us.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Route Section.

[Renjith_Mani]

The cars we propose to use for the trip

One Thar CRDE 4x4 and a Bolero 4x4 (Modified to Stinger)

Both cars are fitted with better suspensions and shocks. Most of the other modifications can be seen from the photo below.

[Sheel]

Hi Renjith!

Your day 6 is ok as well as day 15 & 16. My parents did Purnia - Muzaffarpur in 4 hours with a fuel economy of 15+ in a 4WD Scorpio.

For Day 6, please do keep a tab on this thread.

Would love to meet you guys and see the beautiful Thar & Bolero. Please ping if time permits.

[Hunter3077]

This is some trip that you guys are planning. I can only appreciate the kind of passion you have to undertake something of this magnitude.

I wanted to share my opinion on a couple of aspects of your travel plans.

1. First leg (Day 2) - Covering the distance from Chennai to Brahmapur in the time frame that you have mentioned may be a tall order. IMHO Vijayawada to Vizag will take you a minimum of 6 hours and Vizag to Srikakulam, around 2 hours. So you may like to halt at Srikakulam for the night rather than pushing for Brahmapur.

2. Fourth Leg (Day 24) - Leh to Kargil will take a minimum of 6 hours. You have indicated that you intend to start from Pangong Tso at 1300 hours and reach Kargil by night. Pangong Tso to Leh is 4 hours. That means a total of 10 hours from Pangong to Kargil. If you start from Pangong post lunch, it is debatable whether you would reach Kargil at a decent time. It isn't advisable to drive too late into the night as even Army assistance in times of crisis would be limited.

3. Fourth leg (Day 25) - Kargil to Srinagar
There isn't much in Kargil to roam about. It may be preferable to start early and reach Drass. Kargil to Drass would take you about an hour and half. You can visit the war memorial at Drass and March on to Sonamarg. Drass to Sonamarg would ideally take you about 4 hours, provided you don't clash with the Army convoy. The up convoy from Sonamarg towards Drass commences at about 1400. Make sure that you cross the Zozila before that or alternatively stop at Ghumri (just before the Zozila commences) and allow the Army convoy to pass through and then go across. Remember that the timing of your crossing Zozila will matter a lot. All the commercial trucks towards Drass are halted at Sonamarg and let loose behind the Army convoy.
Sonamarg to Srinagar should not take you more than 4 or at best 5 hours.

I have served in that part for a longish tenure and am advising you by past experience.
In case you have any further queries with regard to the Leh - Srinagar stretch, do let me know.

Wish you all the best with your planning and subsequent adventure. Plan well and relax.

Cheers!

[Renjith_Mani]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Hi Renjith!

Your day 6 is ok as well as day 15 & 16. My parents did Purnia - Muzaffarpur in 4 hours with a fuel economy of 15+ in a 4WD Scorpio.

For Day 6, please do keep a tab on this thread.

Would love to meet you guys and see the beautiful Thar & Bolero. Please ping if time permits.

Originally Posted by Hunter3077

This is some trip that you guys are planning. I can only appreciate the kind of passion you have to undertake something of this magnitude.

I wanted to share my opinion on a couple of aspects of your travel plans.

1. First leg (Day 2) - Covering the distance from Chennai to Brahmapur in the time frame that you have mentioned may be a tall order. IMHO Vijayawada to Vizag will take you a minimum of 6 hours and Vizag to Srikakulam, around 2 hours. So you may like to halt at Srikakulam for the night rather than pushing for Brahmapur.

2. Fourth Leg (Day 24) - Leh to Kargil will take a minimum of 6 hours. You have indicated that you intend to start from Pangong Tso at 1300 hours and reach Kargil by night. Pangong Tso to Leh is 4 hours. That means a total of 10 hours from Pangong to Kargil. If you start from Pangong post lunch, it is debatable whether you would reach Kargil at a decent time. It isn't advisable to drive too late into the night as even Army assistance in times of crisis would be limited.

3. Fourth leg (Day 25) - Kargil to Srinagar
There isn't much in Kargil to roam about. It may be preferable to start early and reach Drass. Kargil to Drass would take you about an hour and half. You can visit the war memorial at Drass and March on to Sonamarg. Drass to Sonamarg would ideally take you about 4 hours, provided you don't clash with the Army convoy. The up convoy from Sonamarg towards Drass commences at about 1400. Make sure that you cross the Zozila before that or alternatively stop at Ghumri (just before the Zozila commences) and allow the Army convoy to pass through and then go across. Remember that the timing of your crossing Zozila will matter a lot. All the commercial trucks towards Drass are halted at Sonamarg and let loose behind the Army convoy.
Sonamarg to Srinagar should not take you more than 4 or at best 5 hours.

I have served in that part for a longish tenure and am advising you by past experience.
In case you have any further queries with regard to the Leh - Srinagar stretch, do let me know.

Wish you all the best with your planning and subsequent adventure. Plan well and relax.

Cheers!

Hi Sheel

The link you shared on Kolkata - Siliguri route is very helpful. We will definitely keep a close watch on the new posts on this thread. It shall be our pleasure to be in touch with you. We will ping you during the trip.


Hi Hunter

True that day 2 & 3 are a bit of challenging. We are also not very confident on this. Plan is to halt at the place we feel too tired to drive any further. We are not planning to make hotel bookings except on few places like Tawang, Dzuluk etc.
Thanks for the suggestion on Pangong - Karil drive and Kargil - Srinagar drive. We will revise the trip plan to start earlier from both Pangong and Kargil.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

The plan is for 32 Days and covering close to 15,000 Kilo-meter. Without a lot of time spent on planning it’s not going to happen.

advice us.

Speak to HVK, his network and practical tips can make a lot of difference in such an ambitious plan. its worth speaking to him.

Regards,
Shubhendra Singh

[Renjith_Mani]

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

Speak to HVK, his network and practical tips can make a lot of difference in such an ambitious plan. its worth speaking to him.

Regards,
Shubhendra Singh

Thanks but how do I get in touch with HVK? Is it enough to drop a message or could you please help me with his contact details?

I am relatively new to this forum and therefore not sure about how such communications are done between members.

As a mater of fact I have read through many of his (HVK's) posts during the initial planning stages of the trip. It will be awesome getting his personal involvement in further planning.

Cheers

[Landkruzer]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

Thanks but how do I get in touch with HVK? Is it enough to drop a message or could you please help me with his contact details?

This should help you
http://hivayking.in/store/index.php?...roller=product

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

We are planning an All-India trip starting October 28 -2015. In addition to 23 states of India, we plan to drive across Bhutan also.
We are a group of 6 guys and we will be driving a Mahindra Thar and a Mahindra Bolero on this trip. Both vehicles are relatively new and customised to suit the trip.

I would suggest you run the cars in thoroughly. I also own a Mahindra, never free form glitches. Happily, Mahindra vehicles have service centres across India. Plan your mandatory warranty period services properly to avoid voiding warranties.

1st Leg

Day 01 28/09/15 Monday. Muvattupuzha to Chennai. Distance 700 Km
04:00 Start From Muvattupuzha
Preferred Route: Muvattupuzha- Chalakudy - Sholayar - Valparai - Pollachi
10:00 Reach Pollachi and proceed to Puducherry
12:00 Reach Perundurai
Take NH 47 till it joins Highway 68 at Ulundurpet
15:00 Reach Ulundurpet
Take NH 45 and NH 45A to Puducherry
17:30 Continue to Chennai from Puducherry
We plan to drive through the ECR Route
21:30 Reach Chennai

The CP at Vazhachal opens at 6 am, after Athirapalli.

Day 02 29/09/15 Tuesday. Chennai to Brahmapur. Distance 1063 Km
05:00 Drive to Vijayawada
11:00 Reach Vijayawada
13:00 Cross the city and have lunch
14:00 Start afternoon drive to Vizag
19:00 Vizag
21:00 Continue from Vizag (outer) to reach Srikakulam and then Brahmapur
Bypass Srikakulam city
23:00 Reach Brahmapur

Vijayawada will be a headache to cross but you have enough buffer for delays.

Day 03 30/09/15 Wednesday. Brahmapur to Kolkata. Distance 605 Km
05:00 Start from Brahmapur
08:00 Visit Konark Sun Temple
11:00 Continue to Bhubaneswar from Konark.
13:00 Reach Bhubaneshwar from Sun Temple
Drive around the city for an hour or two
15:00 Drive to Kolkata
22:00 Reach Kolkata

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack is a highly congested traffic zone, and the Bhubaneswar-KOnarak-Puri-Bhubaneswar circuit is going to take longer time than that.

Day 04 01/10/15 Thursday. Kolkata Day Trip
15:00 Leave to Sundarbans
18:30 Reach Eco Village

Day 05 02/10/15 Friday. Sundarban Boating Distance 91 Km
15:00 Leave early and reach back Kolkata by 7PM

2nd Leg
Day 06 03/10/15 Saturday. Kolkata to Siliguri. Distance expected to cover on the day 581 Km
05:00 Start- Drive to Siliguri from Kolkata
Preferred Route :Kolkata - Dankuni - GT Road- Durgapur Expressway - Masagram - Burdwan - Asansol
09:00 Reach Asansol
11:30 Reach Dumka
14:30 Reach Bhagalpur
Preferred Route : Tetari - Kishanganj - Siliguri
20:30 Reach Siliguri

Expect some bad roads, especially after the rains.

Day 07 04/10/15 Sunday. Siliguri to Paro. Distance 295 Km
06:00 Drive to Phuentsholing
The Offices of the immigration open at 9 am
Take Permit for us to Visit Thimphu and Paro
Take Permit for cars
10:00 Leave to Paro
14:00 Reach Paro
Hiking to Tiger's nest
18:00 Reach Paro back from hiking

May take at least an extra hour to leave Phutsoling after the permits.
I would budget 1 extra hour to reach Paro.
I doubt if you could do the trek in such short time.

Day 08 05/10/15 Monday. Paro to Mongar. Distance 477 Km
08:00 Drive to Thimphu
09:00 Thimphu is just an hour away
Immediately after reaching Thimphu take permits to Eastern Bhutan as this cannot be obtained from Phuentsholing.
11:00 Drive to Phobjikha Valley
Preferred Route: Thimbhu - Semtokha - Dochula- Sopsokha - Manikyangsa - Trongsa - Sengor -Mongar
20:00 Reach Mongar

Getting permits in Thimphu will take longer than that.
Almost impossible to fly across Bhutan so fast, especially since you are also going to Phobjika. I would consider Jakar as the appropriate place for a halt (Jakar is the largest town en route, and it is between Trongsa & Mongar). This route is slow roads.

Day 09 06/10/15 Tuesday. Mongar to Tezpur. Distance 460 Km
06:00 Start from Mongar to Sandrup Jongkar exit point to India
11:00 Preferred Route :Mongar to Sherichu to Trashigang
16:00 Reach India border by Samdrup Jongkar exit and drive to Tezpur
Preferred Route : Samdrup Jongkar - Rangia - Tezpur
22:00 Reach Tezpur

This sector requires total revision, assuming you start from Jakar this day.
I think you should be able to reach Samdrup Jhonkar this day, not much beyond.

Day 10 07/10/15 Wednesday. Tezpur to Tawang. Distance 393 Km
05:00 Drive to Tawang
10:00 Reach Bomdila
Drive through famous Sela Pass
Visit Indo-China war memorials
17:00 Reach Tawang

Make sure you obtain the permits for AR beforehand since the Govt offices in Tezpur can sometimes work very slowly, and you may lose a lot of time.
In Oct, road is going to be pretty bad in some places, so reaching Tawang the same day is going to be a difficult affair. Consider Dirang as an alternative halt.

Day 11 08/10/15 Thursday. Stay at Tawang

Day 12 09/10/15 Friday Tawang to Guwahati. Distance 563 Km
06:00 Start from Tawang
18:00 Reach Guwahati

Simply not possible, consider at most Tezpur

3rd Leg

Day 13 10/10/15 Saturday. Guwahati to Dzuluk. Distance 530 Km
06:00 Start from Guwahati
Preferred Route :Guwahati – Dudhnoi – Goalpara - Gauripur- -Sevoke - Rongli
18:00 Reach Rongli
Take Permits for Silk Route
21:00 Reach Dzuluk

AFAIK, permits for Zuluk are being issued out of Gangtok, but please recheck this. It is a Saturday, check if the office is working and you must reach before their timings. Not feasible. Driving beyond Rongli after dark does not sound a good idea.

Day 14 11/10/15 Sunday. Dzuluk to Darjeeling. Distance 226 Km
04:00 Sunrise at Lungthung
06:30 Go to Thambi View Point
07:30 Start from Dzuluk
Drive to Gangtok through loop roads
10:30 Reach Gangtok
Gangtok ropeway, Rumtek Monastery, MG Market, Ganesh Tok
19:00 Drive to Darjeeling (less than 100 Km drive)
22:00 Reach Darjeeling

Which route to Gangtok - Nathu la?
These timings are simply not possible.

Day 15 12/10/15 Monday. Drive around Darjeeling then towards Agra. Distance 442 Km
10:30 Darjeeling Toy Train Ride. Cover only first two stations one way and return by taxi
01:00 Darjeeling rope-way
14:00 Start drive from Darjeeling to Muzaffarpur
Join East -West Corridor
21:00 Reach Muzaffarpur or any town nearby

I think this is too fast, I would consider Purnea to be feasible.

]Day 16 13/10/15 Tuesday. Muzaffarpur to Kanpur. Distance 599 Km
06:00 Start from Muzaffarpur
08:00 Pass Gopalganj through a bad patch of road and reach the border
12:00 Reach Gorakhpur
16:00 Pass Lucknow
Take deviation at Unnao to by-pass Kanpur City
18:00 Reach Kanpur (Vijaya Nagar side by Bridge)

Not by 6 pm, but possible late that night.

Day 17 14/10/15 Wednesday. Kanpur to Delhi Distance 469 Km
08:00 Strat from Kanpur
Kanpur-Agra road is a 6 lane highway and smooth drive expected
11:00 Reach Agra - Spent some time at Taj Mahal
15:00 Leave Agra take Yamuna Expressway
17:00 Reach Delhi

Navigating 5 kms within Agra City can take 1 hour most of the time....

Day 18 15/10/15 Thursday. Delhi to Shimla. Distance 361 Km
07:00 Start from Delhi to Chandigarh
13:00 Reach Chandigarh
Mountain road to Shimla
17:00 Reach Shimla

Defer arrival in Shimla at least by 2 hours.

4th Leg

Day 19 16/10/15 Friday. Shimla to Kaza. Distance 296 Km
06:30 Start from Shimla
Drive to Kaza
19:30 Reach Kaza

You have thoroughly miscalculated. Shimla-Kaza at its fastest is 2 days.
Beyond Rampur, roads are 25 kmph variety. Very bad, very slow, very hilly.

Day 20 17/10/15 Saturday. Kaza to Keylong. Distance 187 Km
08:00 Start from Kaza
18:00 Reach Keylong

I don't think Kunzum la will be open freely, snowfall may close it down or delay you. Be prepared for delays of 1-2 days even, if not more, if snow closes down the road.

Day 21 18/10/15 Sunday. Keylong to Leh. Distance 358 Km
07:00 Start from Keylong
15:00 Reach Leh

Please note you have to refell, and the petrol pump at Tandi before Keylong, closes by 730 pm and may not reopen till 630 - 700 am.
Driving to Leh in mid-Oct is a dream, and may also remain a dream. Even if by any stroke of luck the road is open, your timings are "chopper" timings - but not doable for a car. Assuming the road is open, expect to leave Keylong at 4 am to reach Leh by 7 or 8 pm

Day 22 19/10/15 Monday. Nubra Valley
09:00 Apply for Permits if required, if not start early
10:00 Start from Leh to Nubra valley
14:00 Nubra Valley
16:00 Return from Nubra Valley
20:00 Reach Leh

No permits required for Nubra Valley.
But snowfall in Khardung la can interrupt.
Please be mindful that if weather is bad, both the South PUllu & North Pullu CPs will not permit you beyond, especially in the evening back to Leh at North Pullu CP.

Day 23 20/10/15 Tuesday. Drive to Pangong Tso
Spend Morning hours by lake side
See India - China border etc

Depends on Chang la remaining open.
Takes 5 hours one way from Leh to Pangong, and equal time back.
There is no India-China border at Lukung on the banks of the Pangong.
Avoid stay at Pangong if you want to remain helathy - and the car to start next morning. Return to Leh the same day, in any case there will be no facilities left by the time you arrive there, barring a few homestays in Spangimik Village.

Day 24 21/10/15 Wednesday. Pangong to Kargil. Distance 211 Km
08:00 Drive to Leh from Pangong
13:00 Start Return Leg. Leh to Kargil
Stay at Kargil

Drive from Leh to Kargil is smooth.

Day 25 22/10/15 Thursday. Kargil to Srinagar. Distance 211 Km
09:00 Visit Kargil war memorial etc.
10:00 Drive to Dras
11:00 Reach Dras
Lunch and war memorial visits
15:00 Reach Srinagar

Theoretical. Depends on Zoji la remaining snow-free and remaining open. Be prepared for disruption of a few days if it snows hard forcing Zoji la closure.

5th Leg - Palaces and Deserts of the North-west

Day 26 23/10/15 Friday. Srinagar to Amritsar
05:00 Drive from Srinagar to Wagah border
Preferred Route :Srinagar - Anantnag - Patnitop - Pathankot – Amritsar - Wagah
14:00 Reach Wagah Border
15:00 See Gate opening and closing at the border
18:00 Return to Amritsar

Give traffic conditions on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, impossible to reach Amritsar before 10 - 11 pm.
In any case, during Oct, the border ceremony at Wagah is likely to start at 530 pm.

Day 27 24/10/15 Saturday. Amritsar to Jaipur. Distance 750 Km
09:00 Start from Amritsar
Preferred route: Amritsar - Faridkot - Rawatsar - Ratangarh - Sikar- Jaipur
22:00 Reach Jaipur

The fastest road out of Amritsar is via Feroepur to Abohar & Hanumangarh.

Day 28 25/10/15 Sunday. Jaipur to Udaipur Distance expected to cover 426 Km
09:00 Start From Jaipur to Udaipur
Preferred Route : Ajmer – Chittorgarh - Udaipur
13:00 Reach Chittorgarh
15:00 Proceed to Udaipur
17:00 Reach Udaipur
Stay at Udaipur

Preferred route: Kishangarh-Nasirabad-Chittorgarh. Ajmer not on your route.

Day 29 26/10/15 Monday. Ahmedabad – Surat – Mumbai Distance 790 Km
Take the Mount Abu Route Udaipur – Palanpur – Mehsana - Ahmedabad
09:00 Pass Ahmedabad and proceed to Mumbai via Surat
10:30 Pass Vadodara
11:30 Reach Bharuch
13:30 Reach Ankleshwar
14:30 Bye-pass Surat keeping NH8
16:30 Reach Daman and Diu - break (Union Territory)
18:30 Reach Dadra Nagar Haveli - break (Union Territory)
20:30 Reach Thane / Mumbai
Check in to a hotel near out-skirts and take train to City

At least 1-2 hours more required

6th Leg

Day 30 27/10/15 Tuesday. Drive to Goa Distance 577 Km
Thane – Pune – Kolhapur - Panjim
06:30 Mumbai - Pune
09:00 Reach Pune
Preferred Route :Pune - Satara - Kolhapur
13:00 Reach Kolhapur
Preferred Route : Kolhapur - Belgaum – Piranwadi – Chorla - Panjim
20:00 Reach Goa

Prepone departure to beat high density traffic in Pune-Kolhapur.

Day 31 28/10/15 Wednesday. Day off at Goa

Day 32 29/10/15 Thursday. Panjim to Ernakulam Distance 976 km
03:00 Start from Panjim
10:00 Reach Mangalore
15:00 Reach Ernakulam

As you know, driving KL is quite an arduous task!

The plan is for 32 Days and covering close to 15,000 Kilo-meter. Without a lot of time spent on planning it’s not going to happen.

advice us.

I don't know how many kms you have plotted for this, but I think you have not accounted for car servicing.

A trip of this magnitude is very stressful and rarely can anyone cope up with the non-stop Morning-to-Dusk drive schedules.

[Renjith_Mani]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

I would suggest you run the cars in thoroughly. I also own a Mahindra, never free form glitches. Happily, Mahindra vehicles have service centres across India. Plan your mandatory warranty period services properly to avoid voiding warranties.



A trip of this magnitude is very stressful and rarely can anyone cope up with the non-stop Morning-to-Dusk drive schedules.

Hi HVK

First of all hats-off to your dedication and support. Its barely couple of hours since I have requested your assistance and here you are.

I can see many over-ambitious plans in the schedule and I am getting right back to drawing board.

The real limitation is that we cannot afford to have more than 32 days as some of us will not get leave from jobs to afford a longer trip.

Let me go through each of the points you have suggested above and revise the plan.

Many thanks again.

Regards
Renjith

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

Hi HVK

First of all hats-off to your dedication and support. Its barely couple of hours since I have requested your assistance and here you are.

I can see many over-ambitious plans in the schedule and I am getting right back to drawing board.

The real limitation is that we cannot afford to have more than 32 days as some of us will not get leave from jobs to afford a longer trip.

Let me go through each of the points you have suggested above and revise the plan.

Many thanks again.

Regards
Renjith

Probably I would also re-look at the orientation. Do Kashmir-Ladakh first (before snow closes down the road) & North East later (after the rains stop there).

Give time buffer for your cars' maintenance schedules.

[Renjith_Mani]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Probably I would also re-look at the orientation. Do Kashmir-Ladakh first (before snow closes down the road) & North East later (after the rains stop there).

Give time buffer for your cars' maintenance schedules.

Hi HVK

We are planning to have one service for the cars at Kolkata (when we leave for Sundarbans on a separate tour - leaving our cars behind at service station) and another at Leh (one of these trips, Nubra Valley or Pangong we want to do on hired Bullets). I hope those two services should see us through.

About changing the route to clock wise travel, I will consult all fellow members with the trip team. To me it looks like a good idea.

Also could you please advice if there are any permits required at all in Leh area. Do we need a permit to visit Pangong?

Thanks again

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

Hi HVK

We are planning to have one service for the cars at Kolkata (when we leave for Sundarbans on a separate tour - leaving our cars behind at service station) and another at Leh (one of these trips, Nubra Valley or Pangong we want to do on hired Bullets). I hope those two services should see us through.

Better idea to do in large towns like Pathankot than Leh, which will see many establishments closed down by the time you arrive.

Originally Posted by Renjith_Mani

Also could you please advice if there are any permits required at all in Leh area. Do we need a permit to visit Pangong?

Thanks again

No permits required

[Renjith_Mani]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

This sector requires total revision, assuming you start from Jakar this day.
I think you should be able to reach Samdrup Jhonkar this day, not much beyond.

Hi HVK

We are still trying to revise the plan based on the suggestions you have given. The trip is now about 36 days long. Unfortunately we cannot afford those many days.

Can you please advice us if there is a direct route from Trashigang (Bhutan) to Tawang without passing through Tezpur. From the maps it looks like a possibility but we cannot see any roads connecting the places. If there is an option to cross the border near Buri, Sazo, Kharteng or any other small border towns, which is the border check-post?

This is a question out of desperation rather than optimism.

Please advice

Cheers
Renjith