[udaygk77]

Did Pune to HYD on 9th March, the 120kms journey from Solapur to Hotel Gujarat in Karnataka used to take 150mins.......this time i've done it in 120mins...so 30mins of improvement

1. Bypass road for Omerga town is open now and saves some 10mins
2. Road condition between Naldurg to Omerga has improved with opening of few lanes in this section.

I'm sure by the end of summer road work will further progress.

[Majumdarda]

How is the dreaded stretch now? (Zaheerabad till Solapur?) Last I heard, the condition had improved. I will be traversing this section in two days time. Some responses will help me definitely.

[Majumdarda]

I just returned yesterday to Pune via the NH65. Had taken a breakfast halt at Punjabi Dhami hotel. It has a very good lodging arrangement at the back side for overnight stay.

From here till Omerga (around 30 kilometers), the road conditions has improved a lot from what I had observed around 2018. There are still a few diversions here and there but no road construction machinery was viewed in the entire stretch.

From Omerga to Naldurg (approx 40 kilometers) I could see some machines and bit of construction happening, specially around the Naldurg city.

From Naldurg, towards Solapur, a lot of work is happening. It seems the road construction is more concentrated in this stretch (Its just a few kilometers from Naldurg towards Solapur)

In short, though the conditions have improved, but this stretch is better avoided at night, especially if one is travelling in small cars. There are a lot of unmarked diversions scattered around.

[PetrolRider]

This thread has a lot of information, no doubt.

I am planning to drive down to Hyderabad during 15th August long weekend, it would be a pleasure trip. As this is the first time I am venturing out on that road, would appreciate few more info from the regulars on that road.

1. I gather that the road condition has been improved a lot, but for the bad patches, how bad is it? Will it stress up a low-slung sedan?

2. My family (wife and kid) are not too happy for a prolonged drive, 5-6 hours of drive is OK for them. Hence, will it be ideal to break the journey at Solapur? Plan is to leave at late afternoon (6 PM) from Pune and night break at Solapur, how good / bad it would be?

3. Good fuel bunk with good quality petrol en-route? Any shell bunk/ COCO etc?

4. Fastag accepted all the way?

Any other points to consider specific to the route?

Thank you all in advance.

[samkat1]

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

This thread has a lot of information, no doubt.

I am planning to drive down to Hyderabad during 15th August long weekend, it would be a pleasure trip. As this is the first time I am venturing out on that road, would appreciate few more info from the regulars on that road.

.

Even I've a plan for the same weekend but on the reverse route. Heard that Pune - Solapur stretch is awesome. All bad patches come between Solapur and Hyd.

[WhiteHorse]

Hello folks, I did the Hyd - Pune stretch on the 11th July and returned on 15th July with my wife and 15 month twins. We stayed at Marriott - Hinjewadi and made couple of day trips to Lonavala/Khandala/Lavasa. I think no major changes in terms of road conditions.

Hyd to Pune 11th July

Gachibowli/Khajaguda - Sholapur/Balaji Sarovar Hotel
Distance - 300kms
Dep - 420 AM
Arr - 8 AM

We could have stopped near one of the dhabas, but since it was an unknown route we decided to make the pit stop for breakfast and changing nappies at Balaji Sarovar. Its a very comfortable hotel. Buffet breakfast was around 380/person. And they made some customized food for the babies.

After a 2 hour break, we left for Pune. I was looking to top-up my fuel tank and was pleased to find that the diesel prices were a bit lower than Hyd . Topped up at one of the BP COCO's on the highway and checked air pressure.

Sholapur - Pune/Hadapsar
Distance - 250kms
Dep - 10AM
Arr - 1230PM

We then had to stop roadside for the babies next nappy change and their lunch. This was a disaster as they was hardly any place to park and when there was it was all slushy. I still parked next to a bus stop and fed the babies. From here, it took eternity to reach Hinjewadi. We finally reached the hotel at 330PM.

Pune to Hyd 15th July

Pune/Hinjewadi - Naldurg (We stopped at a Dhaba just after the Fort)
Distance - 315kms
Dep - 415AM
Arr - 830AM

Again after the usual babies refreshments and a poori/coffee, we started for home. I did no refueling this time. Just checked my pressures on the portable Bosch pump.

Naldurg - 250kms
Dep - 930AM
Arr - 1215PM

Overall, the Naldurg-Omerga stretch is still WIP and that's the way it will be for a while. If you hit these roads in the morning I think you can still maintain a good average.

[WhiteHorse]

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

1. I gather that the road condition has been improved a lot, but for the bad patches, how bad is it? Will it stress up a low-slung sedan?

You may have to slow down at these stretched. But it's only to switch over to the other side of the road. They are very few places where it is rubble. In the bad places the road has been closed down and traffic diverted to the other side. So I don't think you'd need to worry too much.

2. My family (wife and kid) are not too happy for a prolonged drive, 5-6 hours of drive is OK for them. Hence, will it be ideal to break the journey at Solapur? Plan is to leave at late afternoon (6 PM) from Pune and night break at Solapur, how good / bad it would be?

That's a good idea as well. But if you are okay to drive for 6 hours with couple of decent breaks I think you can drive Pune to Hyd easily. Start early to avoid the traffic.

3. Good fuel bunk with good quality petrol en-route? Any shell bunk/ COCO etc?

Good ones before you hit Sholapur.

4. Fastag accepted all the way?

Yes, it was a breeze. Also don't forget to get your Pollution done, and keep your papers ready. I was asked for my papers by the cops at one of the toll gates, but he smiled when he saw the babies and the digital license/insurance all looked fine.

Any other points to consider specific to the route?

I'd say either way, start early and you can breeze through. No major traffic at any of the points unless you plan to enter Sholapur.

[PetrolRider]

Originally Posted by WhiteHorse

So I don't think you'd need to worry too much.

Thank you very much WhiteHorse for your assurance. I gather you crossed Solapur-Pune stretch, 250 kms in flat 2 & 1/2 hours. That's definitely showing the road condition.

Originally Posted by WhiteHorse

That's a good idea as well. But if you are okay to drive for 6 hours with couple of decent breaks I think you can drive Pune to Hyd easily. Start early to avoid the traffic.

Thank you for your suggestions. My last long trip to Goa with similar early morning drive for 10-11 hours was not very comfortable for family (I was greening from ear to ear though), hence thought of breaking up. I might end up driving all way till Pune while returning. Again, for IT laborer like me, breaking up journey means getting 1/2 a day time more in destination .

Originally Posted by WhiteHorse

Good ones before you hit Sholapur.

I will be looking at BP coco then.

Originally Posted by WhiteHorse

and the digital license/insurance all looked fine.

Ahh, so they do accept Digilocker one?

Originally Posted by WhiteHorse

No major traffic at any of the points unless you plan to enter Sholapur.

Any idea about evening (5PM - 7PM zone), do they have substantial traffic in evening?

[Altisguy]

I have seen the road improve a great deal over the last 5 years. For most part now, it's a great drive except for around 70 kms around Solapur. Before you start, ensure that you have your insurance, pollution and RC along with license on you since you are sure to encounter traffic cops in Solapur or 10kms short of Solapur. You will be stopped if you have a registered plate from a different state. The intent obviously is evident. This is the only stretch where you will be checked. Any lack of document or a damaged number plate could set you back by a few thousand.

Start early from Hyderabad so that you don't get stuck in city traffic until Patancheru which kills your speed. The first 200 kms are a breeze with very well laid out roads. Do not experiment with food here on apparently crowded or good looking places. I would personally recommend Punjab Dhami Dhaba which is around 185 kms from Hyderabad bon your left side. The place is super clean and decent food. When you enter the place, look to drive towards the back of the Dhaba where you will find a bigger dining place with clean washrooms and ample parking. Or else you could try Natkar dhaba on the opposite side a few kms down which serves okay food.

Around 200 kms from Hyderabad you see a huge toll road plaza being constructed. This has been going on for years and this is where the crazy road begins. Earlier it used to be really bad but had improved leaps and bounds over the last few years and has been newly laid for most parts with a lot of diversions for construction. Weird thing is that you can see the road in most places completely done on the other side but still not open to traffic. Only about 10 kms of this 100 kms strech would be really real bad, the other kills your speed but is manageable. Oomerga town and Naldurg on the way becomes frustrating with city traffic and congestion. Mark around 1 hour 45 mins to 2:00 hours for completing this strech at safe speeds. Take the bypass at Solapur else you will be held up in city traffic. I would personally not recommend staying at Solapur since you would not find good hotels compared to a Pune of Hyderabad. Have tried a few and have always been disappointed. If you decide not to stop at the previous dhaba, you could stop at Hotel Samarth 15 kms after crossing Solapur. Neat place and quick service. The landmark is that the highway goes down a slope and you would find this on your left. Again there are multiple hotels which have huge hoardings announcing where they are located but food is not that great. After Solapur, the road is an expressway all up to Pune. The traffic picks up from Hadapsar. All tolls accept fastag but there are a lot of non fastag users who get into the line and cause delay. One way from Hyderabad to Pune should cost you between 350-400 rupees.

One last piece of choice to contemplate. The traffic gets bad from Hadapsar so for people heading to Hinjewadi you could easily take more than two hours from Hadapsar to Hinjewadi via Sancheti hospital and cantt road. There is an alternate road from Hadapsar which takes you through a village towars Wagholi road and you can take that one to lead you to viman Nagar, khadki, aundh and finally Hinjewadi. This has lesser speed breakers and traffic signals. Start early from whichever city you drive. That will hugely impact your overall driving time. Pune -Hyd is definitely doable in a day with two or more breaks and stress free driving. It's not as great as Hyd- Bangalore highway but has been improving considerably over years. I drive a Corolla Altis and have not had clearance issues for most part except some crazy speed breakers within Pune city limits.

PS: For anyone driving to Goa, I would recommend driving down from Hyderabad to Solapur, take the State highway to Kolhapur, from there take the ghat section leading to Amboli ghat and then on to Goa. That the quickest and the best option as per me.

[harryputtar]

HI Friends,

Planning to drive to Hyderabad from Pune on Saturday morning around 6am, in my low slung Jetta, with my wife and 2 kids (8 and 5 year old).

This is the first time I am doing this trip, we have usually done Goa, Dapoli, Ganpatipule etc in the past.

Going by the heavy rainfall in the past few weeks, is it a safe drive? Are there any dangerous ghat sections etc, like on the way to Goa? Any other gotchas I need to be aware of?

In Hyderabad itself, are there any water-logging problems, should we reconsider going there at this time? We are planning to do the usual touristy stuff, Salarjung museum, Ramoji film city etc etc etc.

Another option would be to take a flight, but thats less convenient as we go around a lot in the places that we visit, so its the last resort if driving is risky.

Finally, can I have some recent inputs about:

1. The best route to follow.
2. Any gotchas on the route, for instance ways of bypassing any traffic congestion areas.
3. Any good pitstops on the way? Good food and clean loos are the top priority.
4. Finally, what timelines we can expect, can never trust google on this.

Thanks in advance for all inputs forum.

Regards

[harryputtar]

Any inputs forum, we have to leave in 2 days, so some inputs would be welcome.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by harryputtar

HI Friends,

Planning to drive to Hyderabad from Pune on Saturday morning around 6am, in my low slung Jetta, with my wife and 2 kids (8 and 5 year old).

Finally, can I have some recent inputs about:

1. The best route to follow.
2. Any gotchas on the route, for instance ways of bypassing any traffic congestion areas.
3. Any good pitstops on the way? Good food and clean loos are the top priority.
4. Finally, what timelines we can expect, can never trust google on this.

Thanks in advance for all inputs forum.

Regards

Hi.

It is a good idea to go by car, no need to take a flight. Car will provide you the flexibility of schedule.

Best route: Pune - Solapur - Akkalkot - Aland - Gulbarga - Sedam - Kondangal - Pargi - Chevella - Hyderabad. I have taken this route twice, it is good. It is not a 4 lane road after Aland, but it is peaceful to travel. Do not expect speeds above 80 - 90 kmph.

The other route after Solapur, along NH65 (Omeraga - Zaheerabad - Hyderabad), was not good to travel; the road construction was in progress. I will check if this route is good and get back to you.

On the route recommended above, there are almost no good hotels after Solapur. You can have loos at the petrol pumps. You can have fruits or packaged food (biscuits, chips etc.) at all the towns. The shops / vendors close by 8 or 9 pm.

Take Gulbarga bypass, no need to pass through the town.

After exiting Solapur, you will need 5 hours (excluding the time for breaks) till the Hyderabad outer ring road. And from Hadapsar to Solapur shall be 4 hours (excluding the time for breaks).

Carry the toll receipts, driving license, insurance papers, RC book and valid PUC. Remove the films from your window glasses / windshield, if any. Maintain lane discipline in Hyderabad. Do not take right lane if you are not turning right at the signal. This way, you will avoid loss of time and money (fines).

We used our car to go to Ramoji Film City. But to roam around within Hyderabad, we used autorickshaw / cab.

[abhijeetp]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Hi.

It is a good idea to go by car, no need to take a flight. Car will provide you the flexibility of schedule.

Best route: Pune - Solapur - Akkalkot - Aland - Gulbarga - Sedam - Kondangal - Pargi - Chevella - Hyderabad. I have taken this route twice, it is good. It is not a 4 lane road after Aland, but it is peaceful to travel. Do not expect speeds above 80 - 90 kmph.

The other route after Solapur, along NH65 (Omeraga - Zaheerabad - Hyderabad), was not good to travel; the road construction was in progress. I will check if this route is good and get back to you.

On the route recommended above, there are almost no good hotels after Solapur. You can have loos at the petrol pumps. You can have fruits or packaged food (biscuits, chips etc.) at all the towns. The shops / vendors close by 8 or 9 pm.

Take Gulbarga bypass, no need to pass through the town.

After exiting Solapur, you will need 5 hours (excluding the time for breaks) till the Hyderabad outer ring road. And from Hadapsar to Solapur shall be 4 hours (excluding the time for breaks).

Carry the toll receipts, driving license, insurance papers, RC book and valid PUC. Remove the films from your window glasses / windshield, if any. Maintain lane discipline in Hyderabad. Do not take right lane if you are not turning right at the signal. This way, you will avoid loss of time and money (fines).

We used our car to go to Ramoji Film City. But to roam around within Hyderabad, we used autorickshaw / cab.

I will suggest take Solapur -Naldurg-Zaheerabad-Hyderabad road. Except for Solapur-Naldurg stretch rest all is good. Omerga has a bypass now , so no need of going through Omerga.

I had last traveled in June this year. My brother is coming to hyderabad tomorrow from pune, will update tomorrow if there is any marked difference.

[harryputtar]

Thanks Rahul and Abhijeet this is exactly the kind of inputs I was hoping for.

Abhijeet, Google is also suggesting the same route, I am guessing google will take me via the route which bypasses Omerga? Your brother's feedback will be particularly interesting, as we are concerned about overflowing water bodies on the way, as things stand in Pune, heavy rains are wreaking havoc. So please share the feedback when you have it, would appreciate it.

About no good hotels after Solapur, is the Zaheerabad route any better? I have 2 kids with me 8 and 5 and its useful to have several short tea breaks etc.

From the timelines I am seeing on google this is a solid 10 hour drive excluding the breaks, do share the real timelines for the Zaheerabad route if you can Abhijeet.

Thanks Rahul, for your feedback about carrying all necessary papers and lane discipline, in Pune we have kind of forgotten what that means .

Thanks again for all the inputs folks!

[abhijeetp]

Originally Posted by harryputtar

Thanks Rahul and Abhijeet this is exactly the kind of inputs I was hoping for.

Abhijeet, Google is also suggesting the same route, I am guessing google will take me via the route which bypasses Omerga? Your brother's feedback will be particularly interesting, as we are concerned about overflowing water bodies on the way, as things stand in Pune, heavy rains are wreaking havoc. So please share the feedback when you have it, would appreciate it.

About no good hotels after Solapur, is the Zaheerabad route any better? I have 2 kids with me 8 and 5 and its useful to have several short tea breaks etc.

From the timelines I am seeing on google this is a solid 10 hour drive excluding the breaks, do share the real timelines for the Zaheerabad route if you can Abhijeet.

Thanks Rahul, for your feedback about carrying all necessary papers and lane discipline, in Pune we have kind of forgotten what that means .

Thanks again for all the inputs folks!

A quick update from my brother who traveled this route today - No overflowing water bodies on this route. 10 km stretch around Naldurg is very bad full of mud. Solapur-Umerga stretch took 2.5 hours.