[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by binand

The no-nonsense route is NH 66 till Kuttipuram,
2. The Chelari-Chettipadi road, I saw was blockaded at the Chettipadi end last time I went through here (last month). Probably still so.

Do we need to take Chelari- Chettipadi rather Kadalundi, Vallikunnu , Parappanangadi is the costal route rite ? Recently the width of the road had been increased along Tirur - Chamravattom. No idea after Chamravattom.

[MSAneesh]

Originally Posted by binand

Having said that, most local drivers prefer the shorter detour Puthanathani-Thirunavaya-Kuttipuram to avoid Valancheri.

Tried this alternate route recently and didn't find it useful. Very narrow roads and many small towns in between. I think it is better to stick to Valanchery route.

Originally Posted by binand

This is the Feroke-Kadalundi-Tirur-Chamravattom route? It might not be advisable because:

Agree. When coming from Mangalore, no point going in via Kozhikode town. Stick to bypass, Kottakkal route. Also, the Tirur-Chamravattom route is too narrow and has high traffic with lots of towns in between.

But, in this route, will Thrissur city slow you down considerably?

Originally Posted by binand

4. The coastal NH 66 from Ponnani onwards is narrow, town-infested and terribly slow.

Kuttippuram to Chavakkad is good road, usually not a lot of traffic. Ckavakkad till Chettuva is narrow ~6KM.
Beyond Kodungallur bypass, all the way till Edappally is very narrow and lots of traffic.

Originally Posted by rohanjt96

Hey everyone!

What would be the best route to go from Mangalore to Kochi? Also any recommended stops along route?

Thank you!

Best route would be #1 binand suggested. To stick to this route, don't go by Kochi/Eranakulam sign boards. At Chelari (after Calicut university, Thenhipalam), and at major by routes thereafter, the Kochi/Ernakulam sign boards directs you to Chamravattom route. So stick to Thrissur sign boards. At Chelari, take the left arm at the Y intersection.

Kannur - Kozhikode is usually a very tiring drive, lot of traffic and very difficult to overtake.

In general, driving through Kerala roads is very tiresome. Expect a lot of traffic. So time your drive to avoid peak time and peak day traffic.

[binand]

Originally Posted by MSAneesh

But, in this route, will Thrissur city slow you down considerably?

Not if you follow BHPian ranjitp1's excellent directions. As a frequent Calicut-Kochi traveller I have collected those in this Google doc for everyone's benefit:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...C73CMcQWFXEd0/

(Check the Coming from Shoranur section. Coming from Kunnamkulam you join at the "circle with NexT Showroom to your right" and need to go straight at the circle).

Originally Posted by greyhound82

Do we need to take Chelari- Chettipadi rather Kadalundi, Vallikunnu , Parappanangadi is the costal route rite ? Recently the width of the road had been increased along Tirur - Chamravattom. No idea after Chamravattom.

Chelari-Chettipadi is the most popular connection from NH 66 to the coastal road (Kadalundi-Tirur road). Chettipadi is a minor village just outside Parappanangadi.

Also not sure where the width of the road has been increased - Tirur-Chamravattom is still like a small village road more or less? I last went this way last month.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by binand

1. To get to this at Feroke you have to skip/abort Calicut bypass or backtrack a bit.

2. The Chelari-Chettipadi road, I saw was blockaded at the Chettipadi end last time I went through here (last month). Probably still so.

3. All subsequent connections to this road are unnecessarily circuitous and will not save any substantial time.

4. The coastal NH 66 from Ponnani onwards is narrow, town-infested and terribly slow.

Couple of weeks back, in one of my Calicut-Tirur trips, I took a new connect from the NH as I had to pick someone. This is basically a right turn at Idimuzhikal just after the bypass end. This road goes and meets the University-Aanangadi road then then Aanangadi, Valikkunnu, Chettipadi, Parappanangadi. Its a small road, but well laid and minimal traffic. Does not make a difference time wise, but an option if you want to use the Calicut Byepass and still want to get to the Parappanangadi road without using the NH till University or Chelari or turning back towards Feroke. There is a railway gate though.

[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by binand

Not if you follow BHPian ranjitp1's excellent directions.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...C73CMcQWFXEd0/
Also not sure where the width of the road has been increased - Tirur-Chamravattom is still like a small village road more or less? I last went this way last month.

Thanks for the direction to avoid Trichur town. My home town is Tirur and my house is adjacent to Tirur - Chamravattom road and couple of months back road got widened. May be still not in the league of NH

Tirur - Feroke route was my college going route during 2000’s and knew Chettipadi very well.
Will explore this route in January as Iam planning to drive down to Tirur from Delhi

[george.joe]

Originally Posted by can

Any new update on RT PCR checking at Walayar or Attibele while traveling from Kerala to Bangalore?

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Did not see any sort of checking on Attibele border while entering Karnataka last week. But I have also heard reports that KL vehicles are randomly stopped and checked for RTPCR negative report.
At Walayar, no checking for epass or RTPCR now towards TN direction.

Travelled from Kerala to Bangalore on 27th. No checking at Walayar or Bangalore. The diversion at Walayar is no more forced and you can proceed on the highway. The temporary shed is still there and when I passed through, there was 1 policeman inside.

Off topic - The road work on LT bypass in Coimbatore is far from over if they are planning for the entire 2 lane road. It slowed me down by 10-15 mins, but I crossed at around 7:45AM. During peak hours this is likely to slow you down. Plan accordingly.

The first tunnel which was opened at Kuthiran is now being opened up for 2- way traffic with a temporary divider in between. Looks like this is lay roads for the other tunnel. I didn't face any issues, though private bus operators can jam this up easily. Don't see any police around the tunnel, so they might continue their way driving like how it used to be through the old road.

[doorspf1212]

I am planning to travel from Bangalore to Palakkad on either 01-DEC or 02-DEC. While trying to register here https://eregister.tnega.org to get a TN epass,
I am NOT able to choose 1st or 2nd Dec. Other than today (30th Nov) all future dates are grayed out. Is it that we don't need pass to travel through TN?
Can someone throw some light on this?

[MSAneesh]

Originally Posted by doorspf1212

I am planning to travel from Bangalore to Palakkad on either 01-DEC or 02-DEC. While trying to register here https://eregister.tnega.org to get a TN epass,
I am NOT able to choose 1st or 2nd Dec. Other than today (30th Nov) all future dates are grayed out. Is it that we don't need pass to travel through TN?
Can someone throw some light on this?

I don't think the date matters. Get the pass with today's date and proceed.

Not sure if this happens at the month ends, but I faced the same on Oct 31st for my planned trip on Nov 1st morning. I applied the pass with date as Oct 31st, and next morning till 7 AM, the date for 1st was not listed.
That trip was to Parambikulam and we went through Chemmanampathy check post (scarcely travelled route). On that day, we were duly stopped, checked for epass and vaccination certificates.

[majumon]

Planning a drive to Palakkad on Friday 3rd Dec, was wondering if a different route like Sathyamangalam is adviseable just for a scenic change, any pointers would help.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by majumon

Planning a drive to Palakkad on Friday 3rd Dec, was wondering if a different route like Sathyamangalam is adviseable just for a scenic change, any pointers would help.

Its a scenic route with no tolls. But you need some luck not to get stuck in traffic on the Dhimbham ghats. In my opinion, take this route only if you don't have any time commitment. Also, there is very few options for pitstops, especially between Kanakapura and Sathyamangalam.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by majumon

Planning a drive to Palakkad on Friday 3rd Dec, was wondering if a different route like Sathyamangalam is adviseable just for a scenic change, any pointers would help.

The other option is Dharmapuri-Mettur-Sathyamangalm-Cbe. You get some rural roads with nice paddy, sunflower and other fields . I dont know the condition of the roads now, but it was something I used to do 7-8 years back. Sathy town will be crowded.

If you want to bypass Cbe city, take Annur-Karumathampatty-LT bypass.

[jatinbindra]

Need some expert advise on the best route to follow for Bangalore to Wayanad road trip around last week of December.

Also want to know if RTPCR tests are mandatory for entry into Karnataka(Bangalore).

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by jatinbindra

Need some expert advise on the best route to follow for Bangalore to Wayanad road trip around last week of December.

As you may already know, Wayanad is a relatively large district and not a specific town. For best advice, kindly mention the town/area you are planning to visit/stay in Wayanad or the itinerary. Route conditions can be suggested based on this.

Originally Posted by jatinbindra

Also want to know if RTPCR tests are mandatory for entry into Karnataka(Bangalore).

It is mandatory and checking has been intensified since last week.

[jatinbindra]

For best advice, kindly mention the town/area you are planning to visit/stay in Wayanad or the itinerary. Route conditions can be suggested based on this.

Was planning to travel to Kalpetta in Wayanad.
Please suggest the best possible route.

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by jatinbindra

Was planning to travel to Kalpetta in Wayanad.
Please suggest the best possible route.

Straight forward route. Bangalore - Mysore - Gundelpet - Muthanga check post - Kalpetta.

Do note that you will be asked for RTPCR on your return entry into KA if you are returning.