[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by dozer

How long did it take you and at what speeds did you go?
I'm planning to drive the next month from Bangalore to Kochi.
Does starting early in the morning help?

And google maps say the mysore route is 60+ kilometers shorter but no one here seems to prescribe that route. Horrible roads I guess?
Thanks.

Bangalore-Coimbatore L&T toll: It should be some 4 hour 30 mins to 5 hour 30 mins

L&T entrance to Kochi: up to 4 hours during day time, as less as 2 hours 30 mins during night (past midnight)

If you are passing through Salem during evening peak hours, you may try Omallur route to avoid possible traffic jam

Satyamangalam route is good for 80-100 kmph speeds

Nilambur route is shorter but bad for Kerala ghat section and 1-2 kms inside forest. Vazhikadavu onwards is best for travel after 10 pm.

NH209 may be overall faster during a long weekend.

[hothatchaway]

hi, am planning to drive from bangalore to cochin on 17/4 - first leg of my roadtrip to Kerala - intend to stay overnight at Cochin as pitstop before proceeding to kovalam on 18th morning. Am planning to take NH 7 via coimbatore even though would have liked to take 209 via Chamrajnagar; reason being 17/4 being election day would like to exit Karnataka as soon as possible.

Any thoughts on whether it would be ok to take 209 on 17/4 (am ok with leaving in the wee hours of the morning)

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

intend to stay overnight at Cochin as pitstop before proceeding to kovalam on 18th morning.

If you do not have any other reason for going to Cochin, you can consider taking NH 7 all the way towards Nagarcoil to reach Trivandrum. That would be the best route to TVM from Bangalore.
If you are starting really early (~ 3.30 / 4 AM) it may be better to take NH 7 since the traffic builds up at toll booths only past that. Also with an early morning start you can reach Coimbatore in around 5 hours of drive.

I don't think there will be any other issues related to elections as such, anyways voting will start only after 7 AM, you will be crossing KA by that time in both the routes with an early start.

[binand]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

hi, am planning to drive from bangalore to cochin on 17/4 - first leg of my roadtrip to Kerala - intend to stay overnight at Cochin as pitstop before proceeding to kovalam on 18th morning. Am planning to take NH 7 via coimbatore even though would have liked to take 209 via Chamrajnagar; reason being 17/4 being election day would like to exit Karnataka as soon as possible.

Any thoughts on whether it would be ok to take 209 on 17/4 (am ok with leaving in the wee hours of the morning)

If you have no work in Kochi and are just passing through the city on your way to Kovalam, I'd say just keep away. Between the holiday weekend and the metro work and general chaos, Kochi is best avoided nowadays - especially the Aluva-Kalamassery-Edappally stretch.

As far as elections go - I had traveled to Kerala a day before the KA assembly elections last year (May 2013). There was strict security of course, but the election itself was peaceful.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

If you do not have any other reason for going to Cochin, you can consider taking NH 7 all the way towards Nagarcoil to reach Trivandrum. That would be the best route to TVM from Bangalore.
If you are starting really early (~ 3.30 / 4 AM) it may be better to take NH 7 since the traffic builds up at toll booths only past that. Also with an early morning start you can reach Coimbatore in around 5 hours of drive.

I don't think there will be any other issues related to elections as such, anyways voting will start only after 7 AM, you will be crossing KA by that time in both the routes with an early start.

Thanks, covering 700+ to TVM in one day was not something I was looking forward to and hence felt Kochi was a good pitstop overnight and resume on 18th to Kovalam. Any other suggestions for an overnight break after completing 500 odd kms?

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

hi, am planning to drive from bangalore to cochin - kovalam

Take NH7 all the way to Nagarcoil. Its fastest and stress free. Bangalore-Kochi is 9 hours with stops and same for Bangalore-Trivandrum via NH7. Expect high day time traffic between Nagarcoil and Travandrum.

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

If you do not have any other reason for going to Cochin, you can consider taking NH 7 all the way towards Nagarcoil to reach Trivandrum. That would be the best route to TVM from Bangalore.
If you are starting really early (~ 3.30 / 4 AM) it may be better to take NH 7 since the traffic builds up at toll booths only past that. Also with an early morning start you can reach Coimbatore in around 5 hours of drive.

He should not go to Coimbatore

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

hi, am planning to drive from bangalore to cochin on 17/4 - first leg of my roadtrip to Kerala - intend to stay overnight at Cochin as pitstop before proceeding to kovalam on 18th morning. Am planning to take NH 7 via coimbatore even though would have liked to take 209 via Chamrajnagar; reason being 17/4 being election day would like to exit Karnataka as soon as possible.

Any thoughts on whether it would be ok to take 209 on 17/4 (am ok with leaving in the wee hours of the morning)

You can cover Bangalore - Kovalam via Nagercoil in 11.5 hours. Bangalore to Kochi would take 9.5 - 10 hours and Kochi - Kovalam would take atleast 5 hours in day time traffic. From Nagercoil, exit NH 47 at Kaliyikkavilai and proceed to Kovalam via Poovar ( follow the signboards to Kovalam instead of Trivandrum city). Bangalore to Nagercoil will take 9 hours and Nagercoil to Kovalam ( approx 80 KMS) will take 2.5 to 3 hours.

If you want to break the Journey, you can do so at Madurai ( approx 450 KMS ) but I would not suggest it.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

hi, am planning to drive from bangalore to cochin on 17/4 - first leg of my roadtrip to Kerala - intend to stay overnight at Cochin as pitstop before proceeding to kovalam on 18th morning. Am planning to take NH 7 via coimbatore even though would have liked to take 209 via Chamrajnagar; reason being 17/4 being election day would like to exit Karnataka as soon as possible.

Any thoughts on whether it would be ok to take 209 on 17/4 (am ok with leaving in the wee hours of the morning)

Take NH7 all the way to Kochi. BTW you will avoid Coimbatore by taking the by pass on to Walayar.

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Roads are all in good condition,take the following route:

Salem-Perundurai-Kangayam-Palladam-Pollachi-Kollengode-Alathur-Pazhayannur-Wadakancheri-Thrissur-Kodungallur-N.Paravur-Cherai.

Road widening is in progress between Vadakkencheri(NH47) and Mannuthy and I personally find the road too narrow to drive on,even though the potholes have disappeared,theres way too much of heavy truck and bus traffic and there is nil road shoulder at many places to get off the road.

http://goo.gl/maps/dxGxE

Originally Posted by ampere

Its not that bad. If you like to drive, you can easily make till Chalakudy 4-lane section without any issues. Beyond that to Cherai via Potta/Kodungallur and/or Paravoor, I am not sure, what are the best options and how are the road conditions.

Drive via Avinashi/Palladam/Pollachi/Vadakkecherry and traffic is quite easy if you start early. Hold speed under limits in Kerala. If you start by 4, I am sure you would in Pollachi for lunch by 11/12. It should be another 150 at max from Pollachi. And roads in general would be good Pollachi/Kollengode/Vadenkkencherry/Trichy-Bypass on 4-lane etc.

Resurrecting thread #6313: Query on route from Bangalore-Cherai/Cochin.

Ampere, Ranjit, Coolclouds and other Kerala road SMEs,

My travel date is getting nearer and I wanted some more details and validations from you all.

1. Should I finalize on the route mentioned by both of you (ampere and ranjit), or should I try the 4-lane NH, given any improvements between then and now?

2. Road to Kumarakom from Cherai. Google directions good enough?

3. Road to TVM from Kumarakom. Google directions good enough?

4. I plan to visit TVM to visit Padmanabha Swamy temple. I will check out of Kumarakom that day. Please tell me how to organize my day and where should I stay in TVM for one night?

5. I plan to visit Kanyakumari from TVM on next day. Which route to take? Where to stay? What to do while in Kanyakumari? We are vegetarians.

6. Kanyakumari to Bangalore. I am a bit nervous about this long drive. How long does this take? Where should i break for rest and vegetarian food? Should I halt somewhere? Passengers: W+2K.

Please assist. Thanks, as always!

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by bsdbsd

Resurrecting thread #6313: Query on route from Bangalore-Cherai/Cochin.

Ampere, Ranjit, Coolclouds and other Kerala road SMEs,

My travel date is getting nearer and I wanted some more details and validations from you all.

1. Should I finalize on the route mentioned by both of you (ampere and ranjit), or should I try the 4-lane NH, given any improvements between then and now?

2. Road to Kumarakom from Cherai. Google directions good enough?

3. Road to TVM from Kumarakom. Google directions good enough?

4. I plan to visit TVM to visit Padmanabha Swamy temple. I will check out of Kumarakom that day. Please tell me how to organize my day and where should I stay in TVM for one night?

5. I plan to visit Kanyakumari from TVM on next day. Which route to take? Where to stay? What to do while in Kanyakumari? We are vegetarians.

6. Kanyakumari to Bangalore. I am a bit nervous about this long drive. How long does this take? Where should i break for rest and vegetarian food? Should I halt somewhere? Passengers: W+2K.

Please assist. Thanks, as always!

1. Take the NH 7 - NH 47 all the way. Except for a few KMS between Coimbatore bypass and Walayar, road is generally good.

2 From Cherai to Kumarakom, you can go via Vaikom and that is the shortest route. Roads are also good. Google maps is showing the route via Cherthala which is very long. Take Cherai -Kalamassery - Kakkanad - Tripunithura -Vaikom - Kumarakom ( approx 80 KMS - 2 hours).

3. Kumarakom - Kottayam - Changanassery - Chengannur - Adoor (bypass) Trivandrum ( approx 160 KMS).

5. Take NH 47 all the way from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari. Expectt heavy traffic during day time and this will be the most stressful part of your drive if you take during peak hours due to road condition and traffic

6. Kanyakumari - Bangalore - Excellent NH 7 all the way. Can be done in 10 hours comfortably.

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

1. Take the NH 7 - NH 47 all the way. Except for a few KMS between Coimbatore bypass and Walayar, road is generally good.
.....

Thank you Pramod for your real-time response! Feeling more confident now. I hope that my other queries will be answered by someone in the forum.

[aks2010]

Be prepared for scenes like this. This was at the busy seaport-airport road at Kakkanad, Kochi. The guy in the Innova lost his way, stopped in the middle of the lane and started speaking on the phone. This continued for around 2 or 3 minutes and in the meantime, other vehicles had to go around him.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by bsdbsd

Should I finalize on the route mentioned by both of you (ampere and ranjit), or should I try the 4-lane NH, given any improvements between then and now?

Based on my trips during the past few months, I can say that the condition of NH-47 inside Kerala territory is improving. There are bad patches between Avinashi and Neelambur (where the Coimbatore bypass starts), and between Madukkarai and Walayar. For Bangalore-Kochi, NH-7 and NH-47 all the way sounds good, provided you cross Walayar either late in the night or while there's still day light. Be warned that the traffic between Coimbatore and Thrissur is very thick during day time. Moreover, the private buses plying between Palakkad and Thrissur drive quite dangerously. Otherwise, take the diversion to Perundurai, and go via Pollachi (Perundurai-Kangeyam-Palladam-Pollachi-Kollengode-Vadakkenchery) to merge onto NH47. The advantage is smooth roads throughout (except a very small rough patch at the TN-KL border).

[ampere]

Originally Posted by bsdbsd

My travel date is getting nearer and I wanted some more details and validations from you all.

- Pramod has already answered each question to the dot. You can take the regular NH7-NH47.
- The only reason you can try Pollachi is because of traffic at Walayar and not road conditions.
- For that you can do Perundurai-Kangeyam-Pallada,m-Pollachi-Kollegode-Vadakkencherry-Kuthiran-Trichur
- Kanyakumari-BLR is quite easily doable. Its easier than Bangalore-Goa, as its 4-lane end to end.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

2 From Cherai to Kumarakom, you can go via Vaikom and that is the shortest route. Roads are also good. Google maps is showing the route via Cherthala which is very long. Take Cherai -Kalamassery - Kakkanad - Tripunithura -Vaikom - Kumarakom ( approx 80 KMS - 2 hours).

Traffic diverted between Vaikom and Kumarakom for a small stretch when I went to Kumarakom two days back. Better, stick on to Cherthala route itself.