[max8791]

Hi all,

I need suggestion for best route from cochin to darjeeling. its about 3100kms.
Is there a way to find about the condition of road/highway?

I will be driving an auto rickshaw so small potholes matter

feeling adventurous
max

ps: need to buy better cushion for the obviuos

[rjstyles69]

Thats a whole lotta driving in an auto Max8791 . All the best dude.

[hari_rama]

Originally Posted by max8791

Hi all,

I need suggestion for best route from cochin to darjeeling. its about 3100kms.
Is there a way to find about the condition of road/highway?

I will be driving an auto rickshaw so small potholes matter

hey tell me tht u r joking.......3100 km in an autorickshaw????even an hour journey seems disturbing......

[max8791]

lol.. guyz i know its crazy.. its wicked.. its wierd.. and its awesome .. and i really really doing this... havent driven an autorickshaw ever before.

I need to really find the best route for the same .. iam reaching cochin on 26 evening .. will spend some time pimping the rickshaw ..... will be heading north on 28th ..

have my camera ready .. have no mechinical knoweldge and iam not doing this alone ... its a run for a charity .. Rickshaw Run - Adventures in the India

give me route guyz, i need it urgent

mayday! mayday! someone help before i head towards he mercyless highway

adventurer in hurry
max
indianadventure.co.uk

[aZa]

Autos have trouble climbing up flyovers how do you plan to climb the 70KM of hills to reach darjeeling?

[hvkumar]

Kochi to Darjeeling route will be as follows:

(NH47) Kochi-Palakkad-Coimbatore-(NH7) -Salem-Krishnagiri-Hosur-Bangalore

(NH4) Bangalore-Kolar-Chittoor-Tirupati-Renigunta-(NH5) Sulurpeta-Nellore-Guntur-Vijaywada

(NH5) Vijayawada-Eluru-Rajahmundry-Tuni-Visakhapatnam-Srikakulam-Behrampur-Bhubaneswar

(NH5) Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Baleshwar-Jaleswar-Dantan-(NH6) Kharagpur-Kolkata

Kolkata-Krishnanagar-Behrampur-Malda-Raiganj-Kishangarh-Siliguri

Siliguri-Keylong-Ghoom-Darjeeling

The road is fantastic all along. Kochi-Bangalore is a great drive without any significant mountains to cross, except for some ghat climbing between Trissur-Palakkad, Toppur (beyond Salem)-Dharmapuri.

Bangalore-Tirupati-Nellore is again a very good road.

Once you are in NH5, it is double road all the way in AP and several sections in Orissa. There may be some small sections of road where construction debris may be of some problem, but nothing serious.

You have to go through Kolkata city to get into the road to Krishnanagar. This road all the way to Sliguri is not the best of roads, but tolerable. Expect some bad sections in North Bengal in the Raiganj area. Facilities are OK.

From Siliguri, the mountain climb starts, but I think I have sen auto rickshaws in these parts (considering that I have seen autos in Rohtang Pass near Manali), and I don't think any of the sections are too steep for an auto to manage. The road to Darjeeling is also in good condition.

I can help you plan your detailed trip sheet since I have driven on all these roads which I have mentioned. When do you propose to do thsi trip? Please remember that once the monsoons begin, the road conditions are likley to undergo change, but right now roads will be in good shape.

I am sure this is going to be a fantastic journey.

[akroy]

In addition to what Dr. Kumar has mentioned, following is my 2 cents:
1) NH5 till Ichhapuram is favulous (completed GQ)
2) Don't take Ichhapuram bypass, follow the truckers there...
3) Ichchapuram to Sunakhala is under construction so its 2 laned...
4) Worst roads in Basta, Jaleshwar (bypass construction is on)

Abhi

[jkdas]

why not meet us before you start
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-b...le-jungle.html

[max8791]

thanks for the reponse

i'll be reaching cochin on 26th evening(still have to find a hotel), the journey will start on 28th.


hvkumar : the detailed map will definately help us. please see if you can mail it to me or post it here.


jkdas : i will try to make it ..depends on other team members... i need someone from cochin to help me out finding good rickshaw mechanics to give us few tips on maintainnig it.

heading toward local auto parts market to buy clutch/acclerator wires, headlightbulb and few more stuffs

adventurously thanking u all
max

Hi Max,

Wish you good luck and happy journey .

You can get good maps from MapmyIndia - India's First Interactive Mapping Portal
or MapmyIndia - India's First Interactive Mapping Portal

It is also advisable to buy TTK maps for states of : Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilanadu, AP, Orissa and WestBengal.

Also try to have Eicher India map (which is very good from overall perspective)

regards

Suryam

[rks]

@max8791: My advice is to plan your journey very thoroughly before embarking on it -- doesn't look like you have done this. E.g. what distance you plan to do each day, where you plan to stay at night (do you have bookings?), what you will need to carry, contacts in case of break-downs, etc. Be aware that the highway is not the safest of places, so you should know when to start/break your journey so that you don't get caught at night in some desolate spot.

Better get a very good auto, as I fear that your engine will over-heat. Autos are not made for long drives. Don't want to sound discouraging, though. By all means be adventurous, but plan in advance and you won't be sorry.

[prabuddhadg]

I hope there will be other Autos also in this ride. As a group it could still be manageable, otherwise, with trucks whizzing past and speeds not exceeding 65kmph, this could get boring if you do this alone.
Must say, this is one of the most adventurous ideas I have come across.
All the best to you buddy.

[Vid6639]

You said you have bought headlight bulbs. Are these the stock ones??? Pls upgrade to better lighting even if your not planning to drive at night. Plans can get get disrupted and you may need to.
What about batteries?
Youll need supplies, spare tyres, front suspension if you hit an unexpected pothole.

[chirantanaranya]

Greetings!

I desire to drive from Bangalore all the way to Siliguri via Kolkata and the route you have provided is just what I was looking for! Thanks a lot.

I am planning to bring my wife and son along the drive. Do you have for me a recommendation for planning day time driving and overnight rest breaks at hotels/motels in convenient points along the route?

Regards,
Chirantan

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by chirantanaranya

Greetings!

I desire to drive from Bangalore all the way to Siliguri via Kolkata and the route you have provided is just what I was looking for! Thanks a lot.

I am planning to bring my wife and son along the drive. Do you have for me a recommendation for planning day time driving and overnight rest breaks at hotels/motels in convenient points along the route?

Regards,
Chirantan

Quite a long journey, you will be retracing the journey (till Kolkata) what Abhijit Roy did last year.
The overnight halts depends on your driving speeds and your options to stop by en route.
But ideally,
Bangalore-Tirupati-Nellore-Vijayawada-Rajahmundry (Vizag is difficult unless you are very fast)
Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar-Jaleshwar-Kharagpur-Kolkata
Kolkata-Durgapur-Moregaon-Kishanganj-Siliguri (alternatively Kolkata-Krishnanagar-Behrampur-Malda-Kishnaganj-Siliguri)

In none of the towns mentioned (or for that matter any town in AP) you will any problems with acco. Facilities are good on NH5, although they are not great on either NH2 or NH34. Large towns en route are Nellore, Ongole, Vijayawada, Eluru, Rajahmundry, Vizag, Srikakulam, Baleshwar, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Kharagpur.

Kumar