[di1in]

I am planning a trip with my 4 cousins, to drive from Guruvayur (Kerala) to Manali and back on February 26th onwards.

We’re using a 2017 Jeep Compass Limited 4x4 with stock tires. Had a mechanic take a look at it and he spied a leak in the rear differential unit handing 4x4. I’m getting it fixed now.

Route to be driven shared by 5 drivers each day:

• Feb 26 night: Thrissur to Bangalore 500kms (8 hours)
• Feb 27: Bangalore to Nizamabad: 800kms (13 hours)
• Feb 28: Nizamabad to Jhansi 1000kms (17 hours)
• March 1: Jhansi to Chandigarh 800kms (14 hours)
• March 2 early morning: Chandigarh to Manali 350kms (10 hours)

No sight seeing enroute. Stops were picked from the map based on distance alone and outside cities to reduce hotel costs. Open to ideas for better stops.

Any advice for us for the route or anything else.

I picked up these by going through our forums for similar trips.

• Once at Manali, I’m told to drive with no sudden moves.
• I saw a video with a fortuner where the owner pours hot water on the entire bay, is that really required?
• No special coolant or wiper fluid needed in Manali in March. Just keep the engine running for 2 minutes before and after each drive.
• Don’t use 4wd lock, just use the auto AWD.
• Get a clutch lock when parking at hotels outside cities to prevent vehicle theft.
• Get jumper cables of 4 gauge and 20 feet for easier rescues
• Fill up the tank when there’s 1/4th left to prevent surprises.
• Vehicle body cover not needed due to light snow fall in March
• Cruise steadily at 120kmph for best efficiency and lowest engine stress on national highways (when safe to do so with enough distance between vehicle in front)
  

Will surely appreciate any additional advice!

[jkrishnakj]

While I’m sure you’ll get inputs on the route and map from many others here, I definitely wanted to point out that 5 in one car will be a bit too tough to handle. Especially, from day 2 onwards, the three sitting at the back will look at it as a punishment, due to the distances to be covered each day.

Maybe have two cars between 5 cousins. It does take the fuel and toll bills to a higher level, but I feel it trades off with comfort.

Have fun and enjoy the drives and Manali.

[MSC]

I can only comment on March 2 expected itinerary as I am native.
If you leave Chandigarh early morning at 5am, most likely you'll cross Mandi sometime around 9 or 10 am and that will bring you to the notorious construction zone of four laning of highway between Mandi and Kullu somewhere around afternoon. During day time the ongoing work may cause repeatedly getting stuck at traffic jams. Other than this it should not be problematic.
As stated by your good self, the temperature in March is not much stressing on vehicles. Even if the Gods decide to bless you with snowfall, it won't be much problem as March snowfall is less likely to cause any road blocks or sub zero temperatures. Just make sure to check battery voltage before you leave. Cold temperatures are distressing for all sorts of batteries.
Good luck. Happy motoring.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by di1in

[*]Feb 27: Bangalore to Nizamabad: 800kms (13 hours)

You can instead do Bangalore-Nagpur quite easily. The roads are excellent all the way to Nagpur, and you will actually average more than usual without even crossing 120 Kmph here. Only very small sections are still WIP.

Also, Nizambad is not an ideal (or preferred) location to stay and hence you must look at Nagpur.

[*]Feb 28: Nizamabad to Jhansi 1000kms (17 hours)

Due to Bangalore Nagpur on Day 1, you can now do either Gwalior or Agra on Day 2. Jhansi to Gwalior is better compared to the nightmare that it was few year before.

[*]Once at Manali, I’m told to drive with no sudden moves.

Follow the gentleman's rule. Follow the rules! Drive in peace, enjoy in peace and return back in peace.

[*]I saw a video with a fortuner where the owner pours hot water on the entire bay, is that really required?

Not required unless the temperatures are extremely low. While we had halted for a night at Sarchu where the temperatures had dropped to -6 Degrees, we could still start the car without either heating the engine bay or lighting up the fire below the fuel tank. It will all depend on the temperatures when you visit here. The car I am referring to was a Fiat Linea.

[*]No special coolant or wiper fluid needed in Manali in March. Just keep the engine running for 2 minutes before and after each drive.

Typically, what we had noticed was that the temperature needle would come to halfway mark only after at least 25-30 minutes of idling after that first crank in the morning. You may even see the engine shake violently for the first 1-2 minutes under colder conditions but this will be extremely normal.

[*]Cruise steadily at 120kmph for best efficiency and lowest engine stress on national highways (when safe to do so with enough distance between vehicle in front)

Always the best range to drive on such long distances.

Since you are driving only till Manali, your apprehensions regarding the sub zero temperatures should be lesser compared to places like Sarchu, Leylong, Rohtang Pass and other places that are at higher altitude than Manali.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by di1in

I am planning a trip with my 4 cousins, to drive from Guruvayur (Kerala) to Manali and back on February 26th onwards
......
Any advice for us for the route or anything else.

Pardon me for my feelings but I think this sounds like a crazy trip. Especially when you mention about no en-route sightseeing while driving the length of our beautiful country.

Not sure on the areas that you have already explored in Central and West parts of the country so would refrain from making any suggestions there. But I would highly recommend not limiting your trip to only Manali.
Once you are up North, you can explore GHNP area, Mcleodganj in Himachal and Srinagar in J&K. On reaching Manali, one option is to go ahead and spend some time in Leh through the newly built Atal tunnel. Be ready for sub-zero temperatures if you do this.
Spiti is unfortunately out of bounds unless you want to drive your 4X4 in harsh snow-struck terrains. Auli (Uttarakhand) I am not sure of the tourist entry because of the recent glacier incident otherwise that would have been a recommendation as well.

To summarize - Old Manali is undoubtedly beautiful but is too commercialized and brimming with tourists now. It's not worth the break-neck travel you highlighted if that is the only place on your radar. Sorry if my post is not helpful but sharing first thoughts after reading your plans.

Looking forward to your travelogue no matter the itinerary you pick. Cheers!

[88_TANK_88]

Use engine braking instead of relyung solely on brakes when going downhill. Once we went Shimla to Manali via Jalori pass and cooked the brakes of an aeging Dezire midway through the route(the overall trip was longer but this particular stretch was with high gradient).
Shift to manual mode if car is an automatic. Hold your speeds and Snow would be unexpected.

[di1in]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

You can instead do Bangalore-Nagpur quite easily. The roads are excellent all the way to Nagpur, and you will actually average more than usual without even crossing 120 Kmph here. Only very small sections are still WIP.

That's interesting. I saw that Google maps shows it takes 18 hours, and so calculated based on that. Would you have an approximate idea of how many real hours it takes for that stretch?

Thank you so much for the other advice too, very valuable!

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Pardon me for my feelings but I think this sounds like a crazy trip. Especially when you mention about no en-route sightseeing while driving the length of our beautiful country.

That's true. To reduce the craziness, we do plan to sight see through the country on the way back and we haven't explored any part of our country north of Bangalore so any advice is welcome!

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Once you are up North, you can explore GHNP area, Mcleodganj in Himachal and Srinagar in J&K. On reaching Manali, one option is to go ahead and spend some time in Leh through the newly built Atal tunnel. Be ready for sub-zero temperatures if you do this.

Will definitely add this to the plan. Cheers!

Originally Posted by MSC

If you leave Chandigarh early morning at 5am, most likely you'll cross Mandi sometime around 9 or 10 am and that will bring you to the notorious construction zone of four laning of highway between Mandi and Kullu somewhere around afternoon. During day time the ongoing work may cause repeatedly getting stuck at traffic jams. Other than this it should not be problematic.

Thanks. Would there be a better recommended time to run this leg from Chandigarh to Manali?

[di1in]

One more question: Any idea if covid test is needed to enter Bangalore or Delhi by road? I only found mentions of domestic air travel online.

[88_TANK_88]

Originally Posted by di1in

One more question: Any idea if covid test is needed to enter Bangalore or Delhi by road? I only found mentions of domestic air travel online.

Covid test is not mandatory in Delhi. Do lookout for road blockages along your route due to farmer protests.

[ampere]

Isn't Pune/Bombay/Ahmedabad better as compared to Nagpur? Not sure how the routes through central pan out.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by ampere

Isn't Pune/Bombay/Ahmedabad better as compared to Nagpur? Not sure how the routes through central pan out.

The routes via NS corridor have improved a LOT over the last 4 years including the Jhansi Gwalior sections. You must really drive once to experience the difference today and you will love it am sure.










On NS corridor your progress will average better, perhaps with least stress compared to the Western corridor.

Sections between Hyderbad Nagpur or Nagpur to Narsingpur via Seoni have gotten super good including the road via National park at Pench.



The only grouse is the lack of facilities due to limited options and needs some planning.

Post lifting of interstate restrictions, a lot of colleagues of mine have travelled to Delhi or the Northern regions via NS corridor and have really loved their experience. The images that you see are from a BHPian who drove to Assam in the first week of February. So that's pretty much the most latest info that I have posted. He even reports the roads to Varanasi in super good shape via Jabalpur and Rewa.

As of today, due to better road conditions and less urbanization, NS corridor makes immense sense over Western India corridor that is too rich with traffic (both freight and private), industrialization as well as urban sections that one needs to cross which is limited when it comes to NS corridor and hence more efficient too.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by di1in

That's true. To reduce the craziness, we do plan to sight see through the country on the way back and we haven't explored any part of our country north of Bangalore so any advice is welcome!

My suggestion would be to cover non-hilly areas first due to weather considerations. Example - Experiencing Taj Mahal (Agra) in last week of February vs second week of March might be really different experiences because of the approaching summer.

Looked at the google maps to find the possible routes that you might take and here are a few recommendations on places to visit. Most of these would be on the way depending on the route you choose:
1. Agra (Fatehpur Sikri is a must see in addition to Taj Mahal)
2. Udaipur (Lake Pichhola)
3. Siliserh lake (Near Alwar) with a stay at Fort Kesroli
4. Tosh, Himachal
5. Tirthan Valley, Himachal

Some good places that are out of way but worth exploring:
1. Jaisalmer and Jodhpur (Highly recommended from December to Feb so do check the weather forecasts if you plan for this)
2. Chitkul
3. Srinagar
4. Leh

Feel free to PM me if you would like to talk.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The routes via NS corridor have improved a LOT over the last 4 years including the Jhansi Gwalior sections. .

Parag, is this a better route to take over the eastern one? Vizag etc. End destination being Guwahati.

[di1in]

Originally Posted by 88_TANK_88

Covid test is not mandatory in Delhi. Do lookout for road blockages along your route due to farmer protests.

Thanks for the heads up.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The routes via NS corridor have improved a LOT over the last 4 years including the Jhansi Gwalior sections. You must really drive once to experience the difference today and you will love it am sure.

Looking forward to this! Thanks for the pictures, can't wait to check it out in person. By the looks of that road, my 120 kph cruising speed may have to be revised upwards

Originally Posted by warrioraks

My suggestion would be to cover non-hilly areas first due to weather considerations. Example - Experiencing Taj Mahal (Agra) in last week of February vs second week of March might be really different experiences because of the approaching summer.

Looked at the google maps to find the possible routes that you might take and here are a few recommendations on places to visit. Most of these would be on the way depending on the route you choose:
1. Agra (Fatehpur Sikri is a must see in addition to Taj Mahal)
2. Udaipur (Lake Pichhola)
3. Siliserh lake (Near Alwar) with a stay at Fort Kesroli
4. Tosh, Himachal
5. Tirthan Valley, Himachal

Some good places that are out of way but worth exploring:
1. Jaisalmer and Jodhpur (Highly recommended from December to Feb so do check the weather forecasts if you plan for this)
2. Chitkul
3. Srinagar
4. Leh

Feel free to PM me if you would like to talk.

Much appreciated aks. Will add these to our list of suggested places. Will PM you after I pass these through my brothers.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Parag, is this a better route to take over the eastern one? Vizag etc. End destination being Guwahati.

Missed responding to this earlier last week.

Taking the eastern sector of GQ would also make sense as an alternate option and back then, this was the route to do Bhutan and the likes from Bangalore as well.

It is only due to the developments with the Central India route, especially the NS corridor that now doing it via Nagpur Rewa Varanasi is considered better.

The friend who drove to Assam reports that it took around 50 hours of driving time via Hyderabad Nagpur Jabalpur Rewa Prayagraj Ayodhya Darbhanga Araria Bahadurganj Silliguri Malbazaar Srirampur Bongaigaon Guwahati.

Except crossing Varanasi-Allahabad and Sultanpur, he reports all the roads were good.

What I see with NS corridor these days is the better Hyderabad Nagpur Lakhnadon section (remember people would take Chindwara to avoid the Nagpur Lakhnadon section few years before) and also the roads beyond Lakhnadon to Varanasi via Rewa that got better recently.

So, looks like Central India is route is the way to go if one is looking for all clean roads with less congestion (at least till Varanasi).