Re: All Roads to Kerala Pune to Munnar in May with family
Vehicle - Skoda Kushaq 1.5 Auto
After considering various suggestions, my family and I embarked on a road trip from Pune to Munnar, and I'd like to share our experience.
We set off on Friday evening and reached Kolhapur by 7 pm. I avoid driving at night, so I always aim to arrive before sunset. The highway had numerous diversions due to ongoing construction, which hopefully will improve once it's completed.
Our plan was to leave early Saturday morning at 4 am and drive to Salem. However, as is often the case with road trips, unexpected events unfolded. My older daughter fell ill during the night and wasn't able to wake up early.
At one point, we even considered cancelling the trip altogether, but things started to look up. We consulted a doctor in Kolhapur, got medication for our daughter, and decided to proceed. By the time we were ready to leave, it was already afternoon, but our daughter was feeling much better.
We resumed our journey and reached Chitradurga in the evening. Diversions persisted until Belagavi, and after Dharwad, we had to endure a 30 km stretch of two-lane highway behind trucks. Along the way, we booked a hotel called Mayuradurga, which seemed to be the best option available in Chitradurga on Booking.com.
May 5th coincided with a religious festival in Chitradurga, causing heavy congestion in the city as people gathered for festivities. It was quite challenging to navigate through the crowded streets to reach our hotel, but with the help of locals, we managed. lesson learnt - always book hotels on the highway for halting purpose.
The medication began to take effect, and by the next morning, our daughter was feeling much better. We continued our journey towards Salem, encountering excellent road conditions until our destination. Kushaq, cruised smoothly for most of the journey, allowing us to maintain a good speed on the highways. There was some traffic when we bypassed Bangalore, but it was manageable.
We stayed at the Grand Estencia in Salem, conveniently located right on the highway, offering excellent amenities. It provided us with a relaxing environment to recharge before continuing our journey to Munnar the next day.
Setting off in the morning after a hearty breakfast, we headed towards Munnar via Dindigul-Theni. The initial 170 km stretch was a four-lane highway, followed by hilly terrain leading to Munnar. I prefer to drive cautiously, maintaining a speed of 30 km/hour on the hilly roads, which were in good condition and not too challenging for experienced drivers. For those new to driving in such terrains, I would recommend gaining some experience in places with lesser elevations, like Lonavala or Mahabaleshwar, before attempting Munnar.
Upon entering the Munnar area, we were greeted with breathtaking views. We made several stops along the way to capture the beauty of the tea gardens and the awe-inspiring landscape. Family was truly overwhelmed by the beauty of the surroundings, confirming why Kerala is often referred to as "God's Own Country."
Munnar is beautiful. words and picture cannot capture the beauty of this place. After spending 3-4 days there, we decided to head back.
earlier plan was to go to Coimbatore, visit Adi yogi and then to Pune. but it was too hot that we dropped the idea of visiting Coimbatore this time.
We came back via the same route with two stops on the way at Hosur and Belagavi.
Munnar -> Dindigul -> Salem -> Hosur -> Dharwad -> Belagavi -> Kolhapur -> Satara -> Pune |