[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Friends, has anyone driven to Kerala and entered via Aryankaavu checkpost recently? Are there any covid specific checks at the border(aryankaavu) where one has to get down and submit your travel pass etc.? I plan to take the Madurai-Tenkasi route since I'm starting in the morning (6 am) from Bangalore and heading to Kollam side.

Quoting my own post to update. I travelled this route on 22 nd. I have taken both TN transit pass and Kerala short visit pass. There weren't any checks at both the borders. I entered Kerala via Aryankaavu around 8 pm. Roads after Rajapalayam for around 16-18 kms are in bad shape a bit but manageable. After Shenkottai, it's a newly paved road and in very good condition. Road from Bangalore till Madurai and to Tenkasi is also good with very occasional bad patches.

[can]

I am planning to travel from Thrissur to Bangalore on the 2nd of Jan. Which are the safe places for restroom breaks considering the current situation as my mother would be travelling with me.

Regards,
nishant

[NutsNBolts]

Originally Posted by ike

What route are you taking to Mysore? I'm also planning to go to Mysore and thinking about Thrissur - Coimbatore - Kotagiri - Ooty - Hullathy - Gundalpet - Nanjangund - Mysore. I had heard earlier that Only local licence plates are allowed on the Ooty - Masinagudi road via hullathy and the others are asked to go via Gudalur, not sure though.

I took the Kochi-Thrissur-Avinashi-Dhimbam-Chamrajnagar-Mysore road. The forest section after the Dhimbam ghats (approx 7-8 km) is sheer hell of bad roads. Took me eight hours (including 1 hour stop for breakfast).

[ike]

Originally Posted by NutsNBolts

I took the Kochi-Thrissur-Avinashi-Dhimbam-Chamrajnagar-Mysore road. The forest section after the Dhimbam ghats (approx 7-8 km) is sheer hell of bad roads. Took me eight hours (including 1 hour stop for breakfast).

I took the kotagiri - Ooty - gudalur - mudhumalai - Bandipur - gundulpete route while going and returned via dhimbam - Sathyamangalam.
Lots of wild elephant sightings in mudhumalai, was a really nice drive through forests.

[ike]

I did a same day return trip from Thrissur - Chennai. Started at 5.30AM on the 24th from Thrissur, reached Chennai by 4.00 PM. Started back at 6.30 PM and was back in Thrissur by 4.30AM. There are some stretches between Salem and Coimbatore which is freshly tarred. There are no markings of any kind on the road in these patches and visibility drops starkly all of a sudden. These are patches of 100 to 200m which I came across a few times. I hope they mark the lines soon.

[binand]

Did a return trip to Kerala (Perumbavoor) over Christmas. Out on 23/12, back 27/12.

Registered and took passes (2 - TN & KL for outbound, 1 - TN only for return). The KL pass leaks a lot of information; please dispose the printout properly (full name, DoB, PAN, phone number displayed without any masking). These were not checked anywhere.

Original plan was to start from Bangalore at 3 AM; but due to sleep issues decided to start only at 8 AM. So had to stop for lunch, which was at Le Meridien Coimbatore where we reached at 2 PM.

Google Maps told me upfront that Paliyekkara was gridlocked and suggested an alternate route which I took - apparently saved between 20-30 minutes. Link: https://goo.gl/maps/x8YhkqEH3ENk4SQH9

Overall it still took 10 hours driving time / 11 hours total time for the 530 km distance. My worst ever. Terrible traffic throughout. Therefore exited MC Road at the FISAT junction.

For the return - started at 2 PM after lunch. No stops till dinner break at McD Soolagiri where we used the drive-through option. Getting in here from the northbound carriageway is a pain though. Home at 11 PM.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by binand

Google Maps told me upfront that Paliyekkara was gridlocked and suggested an alternate route which I took - apparently saved between 20-30 minutes. Link: https://goo.gl/maps/x8YhkqEH3ENk4SQH9

How was the road in this alternate route?

[binand]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

How was the road in this alternate route?

Very well done; smooth surface, median and shoulder marked with reflective paint. Just that it is a fairly narrow road (typical interior Kerala 7.5m road) for the most part.

[vandemanw]

Need to travel from Katpadi to Thrissur on 30th during the day time. Got a train ticket for the Chennai Coimbatore intercity which will drop me in CBE by 2 pm. Any ideas on how to proceed from CBE Jn railway station to Thrissur. Trains ruled out as there is no availability. Heard that interstate buses are not running between the 2 states and no private buses at this time?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by vandemanw

Need to travel from Katpadi to Thrissur on 30th during the day time. Got a train ticket for the Chennai Coimbatore intercity which will drop me in CBE by 2 pm. Any ideas on how to proceed from CBE Jn railway station to Thrissur. Trains ruled out as there is no availability. Heard that interstate buses are not running between the 2 states and no private buses at this time?

Maybe a taxi to Palakkad or worst case to the border at Walayar. Once you cross over, should get private bus to Palakkad and then on to Thrissur. Or if you are up for it, TNSTC bus to Walayar border and then bus to Palakkad and on to Thrissur

If you are ok driving, I guess Zoomcar is an option-assuming you can drop off in Thrissur or Kochi.

[rohitoasis]

Originally Posted by vandemanw

Need to travel from Katpadi to Thrissur on 30th during the day time. Got a train ticket for the Chennai Coimbatore intercity which will drop me in CBE by 2 pm. Any ideas on how to proceed from CBE Jn railway station to Thrissur. Trains ruled out as there is no availability. Heard that interstate buses are not running between the 2 states and no private buses at this time?

I see some buses in redbus search for tomorrow. But they seem to be very late at night. There also seems to be a Karnataka State RTC bus at similar timing. (Not very sure if it stops in Coimbatore)

Ola outstation also seems to show booking options for tomorrow.

[Bibendum90949]

I drove from Alapuzha to Muthanga, Wayanad yesterday via Nilambur. TN folks at Nadukani checkpost were asking for travel pass. Entered the checkpost at around 8:30 pm. I applied for the same while at the checkpost itself. One has to show the soft copy of the pass at their counter and proceed. There were only couple of them in the queue. All it took was 5 minutes.

Also saw the Kerala police at Vazhikadavu checkpost stopping Kerala bound vehicles and asking details, not sure if it's the pass. It could be owing to the new year rush.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

I drove from Alapuzha to Muthanga, Wayanad yesterday via Nilambur. TN folks at Nadukani checkpost were asking for travel pass. Entered the checkpost at around 8:30 pm. I applied for the same while at the checkpost itself. One has to show the soft copy of the pass at their counter and proceed. There were only couple of them in the queue. All it took was 5 minutes.

Also saw the Kerala police at Vazhikadavu checkpost stopping Kerala bound vehicles and asking details, not sure if it's the pass. It could be owing to the new year rush.

How is the road condition on the Nilambur-Vazhikkadav-Nadugani churam stretch?
Did you take the Devala- cherambady route or the Gudulur - Devarshola route towards Wayanad from Nadugani? If the latter, how is the Nadugani- Gudalur stretch?

[JohnnyBoss]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

How is the road condition on the Nilambur-Vazhikkadav-Nadugani churam stretch?

The churam in KL side is super smooth and well marked. In TN side it is bad but manageable. Vazhikkadavu to Nilambur is good.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

How is the road condition on the Nilambur-Vazhikkadav-Nadugani churam stretch?
Did you take the Devala- cherambady route or the Gudulur - Devarshola route towards Wayanad from Nadugani? If the latter, how is the Nadugani- Gudalur stretch?

Roads are in very good shape from Nilambur. I took the Nadugani - pandalur - ayyankolly - nambiarkunnu- cheeral- pazhoor route.