Team-BHP - All Roads to Kerala

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thanos-VV (Post 5642523)

For option 1, please note that from Mangalore till Kasargode, NH work is on going with lot of narrow service road deviations and bottlenecks ( 4 lane road suddenly becoming 2 lane which are full of potholes) and cause delays depending on the time of travel. I have faced delays in the evenings in this stretch but Sundays were relatively free. From Kasargode till Nileshwar, you can take Kasargode kannur road via bekal fort ( Not NH66).

Not sure about Option 2 though. Could be lesser traffic but can expect narrow SH and some twisties there.

Hope this is useful. :thumbs up

Thanks. Guess I'll stick with my option 2 - slower windy roads are better than bad 4 laned roads! :)

I am driving to Thrissur from Bangalore tomorrow morning. Which would be the best route to take?

I know that there are AI cameras operational in Kerala. Is there something similar to watch out for in TN?

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL01toKA03 (Post 5646550)

Bangalore - Salem - Palakkad - Thrissur route is better. We travelled during last weekend. Till Kerala border there are no issues with AI speed cameras, but the moment you enter Kerala there are various types of cameras at frequent distances, fixed speed cameras, seat belt and cell phone usage cameras, and speed limit also varies at certain places. There are cameras even on state highways now.

I have been using RadarBot MobileApp once I enter Kerala and the app while running in background, will give audio notifications including speed limits for these cameras - which is pretty accurate most of the time.

cheers,
narayanang76

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL01toKA03 (Post 5646550)

I know that there are AI cameras operational in Kerala. Is there something similar to watch out for in TN?

Do they even have AI cameras along the usual route? I thought these are the normal speed cameras (Static and average speed type).

No cams in TN but heard there can be interceptors along the route. But I didn't find them when I took this route during Onam.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj (Post 5616115)

Drove Bangalore-Tirur-Bangalore in the last week. Both ways via Gundlepet, Gudalur, Nilambur, Manjeri, Malappuram, Kottakkal. I used to always go via Salem, Palakkad, Ottapalam, Pattambi, Valanchery/Kuttipuram, Tirur which was 100km longer but usually would take less time. With the Mysore Expressway open and the fact that roads are good all through plus the fact that Krishnagiri-Salem-Coimbatore has become slower due to increase in traffic, this route no longer make sense.

Amen to that. Drove to Bangalore via this route today. Road conditions are fine, except in the TN section of Nadugani. Since I started at 6 AM, was able to avoid traffic snarls inside Malappuram towns.

In the Gundlupet-Nanjangud stretch, had to take some evasive actions due to mad overtaking manoeuvres from some vehicles coming from the opposite direction. A smooth drive otherwise. Cheers to the expressway.

Any recent update on the Mysore to Cochin route? It has been 4 years since I have travelled this route?
Leaving to Thiruvalla from Mysore>Nanjagud>Chamrajnagar>Dimbam>Sathyamangalam >Annur>Palakkad and then on..

Is this fine?

Hi,
Traveling from Bangalore to Trivandrum via Salem - Madurai NH 44 and will start from Bangalore in the morning.
This time planning to break the journey in half and have an overnight stay in between. Madurai appears to be an ideal stop point.

Can anyone please suggest a good hotel for the same?

Thanks in advance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ranjitp1 (Post 5566185)

After Amala Hospital, take a left onto the Parappur road and go via Pavaratty.Narrow road,scenic road,lots of twisties,no jams,road condition is good.

I took this road last Thursday for an afternoon start from Bangalore. Reached Guruvayur by 11PM. In fact, Google suggested this route to the hotel where I stayed (south nada). The last few kms on Guruvauyr-Kanjani road is dug up. But there was no traffic due to the timing. So, this route is good if you reach late night in Guruvayur.

I remember reading that, Kerala published revised speed limits on its highways effective from August 1, 2023 which now allows 110 Kmph on 6 lane roads (e.g. Vadakkenchery to Mannuthy), 100 Kmph (was 90 earlier) on 4 lane NH, 90 Kmph (was 85 earlier) on other NH/ 4 lane SH etc.

Does any of you have experience driving at these speeds in Kerala since then? I have a trip coming up, so wanted to check if the speed cameras have been recalibrated as per these revised limits.

I need advice on my trip from Bangalore to Ashtamudi. I'm planning this trip in mid of December.

From some of the previous post I see that suggested route is "Salem - Karur - Dindigual - Madurai - Shenkottai - Aryankavu".

Also Google maps also suggests me via Salem - Kochi highway (via angamaly, Alappuza), with similar travel times of 13-14hr.

I'm also looking at possible halting midway in the night. Has anyone done these routes recently?
Any experiences and suggestions will be really helpful for planning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridhar24 (Post 5670856)

f possible, avoid the Salem-Kochi highway due to heavy traffic conditions. Additionally, a six-lane highway project is currently underway from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram, which may further disrupt traffic flow.

Best route will be Salem-Karur-Dindigul-Madurai. However, information on rest stops and food options along this route is limited to my knowledge. In contrast, the Kochi route offers ample dining options along the way

This below is the best route in my opinion. Even though it will be slow moving from Madurai, you will be compensated by some scenic routes. If you are traveling for leisure, I'd take this route

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridhar24 (Post 5670856)

From some of the previous post I see that suggested route is "Salem - Karur - Dindigual - Madurai - Shenkottai - Aryankavu".

I'm also looking at possible halting midway in the night. Has anyone done these routes recently?
Any experiences and suggestions will be really helpful for planning.

If you leave by 5.00 am from Bangalore you can reach Ashtamudi, latest by 6.00 pm same day even with sufficient bio-breaks and food stops etc.

If you are looking to break overnight Madurai is best

The HW up to Madurai is a "peach of a raod" and one of the best in South India and can keep the new Highway upper speed limits easily, despite the high density of 2W vehicles at patches

All the best

Drive Safe!

Was checking for threads on roads within Kerala. Couldn't find one, so posting this here.

Is it worth the effort to drive from Kannur to Kottayam and back. Preference to drive, as we would need a vehicle for small diversions enroute and at Kottayam. If yes, please let me know road conditions and time taken. I would prefer to start at say 3AM from Kannur.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xotiq (Post 5672989)

Unless the diversions and the need for a car at Kottayam are really really critical, would not recommend driving. The NH66 6 laning work is pretty much happening all through and that makes driving a nightmare. Google shows it as a 9-10 hr drive.

Would be much more peaceful to take the Vande Bharat which would take under 5 hrs. Even other superfast trains does it in under 6 hrs.