[Yatra Moksha]

Completed Borivali-Thrissur this week. Took an overnight break at Davangere. Roads good. No issues to report.

[Nishant_UK07]

hi there
can anyone guide me on Mumbai to Calicut route? Since i will be driving from Gujarat and would appreciate if someone can suggest the most convenient route. I am travelling with family so would be happy to drive 9-10 hrs daily with night stops.

[PradeepVKiger]

Originally Posted by Nishant_UK07

hi there
can anyone guide me on Mumbai to Calicut route? Since i will be driving from Gujarat and would appreciate if someone can suggest the most convenient route. I am travelling with family so would be happy to drive 9-10 hrs daily with night stops.

I did a trip back in April 22. I wanted to do the coastal route (especially that stretch after udupi) but as I had a pretty good idea of the old Mumbai-Goa (NH66) route, I skipped that and used NH48 (the usual route for Goa via Belgaum) we halted at Goa for a couple of days. Then drove the entire stretch to Cochin on NH66 the Roads in Karnataka are very good except for few patches where there were partially completed flyovers. But once we entered Kerala from Thelapady toll it was very frustrating. The roads were good, BUT - two lane!!! and then there were heavy vehicles trying to overtake, we halted at Kozhikode before our onward journey.

Route suggestion for you - From the news i have heard that - the Karnataka stretch work has resumed on NH66 with very poor provision for existing roads, how long this goes i am not sure, so you may want to check that. And roads after Thalapady are pretty much the same.

If you are not too much into coastal roads i would suggest taking NH48. Halt at Davangere, there is this place called DVG Socials right off NH48. Good rooms, nice food, ample parking not much on service but given that you'll be there to just crash for the night it is a good option. Leave early and you should be in Calicut in 13hrs including breaks.

HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY!!

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by Nishant_UK07

... guide me on Mumbai to Calicut route? Since i will be driving from Gujarat ....

Which city in Gujarat?

There are several options (but only two from convenience point of view) after you reach Pune via Thane and proceed towards Belgaum. If this stretch can't be completed in a day, you can halt anywhere in Thane/Pune/Satara/Kolhapur depending on how much distance you cover.

Based on my experience (Mumbai/Pune to Calicut), these two are best - in that order :

1. Belgaum -> Hubli -> Yellapur -> Ankola -> Mangalore -> Calicut. The tiresome part of the journey will be between Mangalore & Calicut.

2. Belgaum -> (avoid) Bangalore -> Salem -> Coimbatore -> Palghat -> Calicut. The last part i.e. Palghat to Calicut will be as good or as bad as Mangalore to Calicut.

Either route will mean a journey of more than 10 hours. You can halt at Udupi/Mangalore if you take the former or Coimbatore/Palghat in case of latter.

I have tried another option also (on the second route) and had a good driving experience. From Tumkur, I turned towards Mysore (via Dobbaspet, Nagamangala, Srirangapatna) and went via Gundlupet, Kalpetta to Calicut (state transport buses use this route). It is time consuming than the other two options....

[Nishant_UK07]

Thank you for your suggestions.
I would be starting from Junagadh in Gujarat. Planning to drive towards Maharastra via Vadodra. I guess you wont recommend the costal route.
Also it seems Kerala highways are not fun to drive and really time taking. Also i did read a lot about the local bus drivers there.

[vrprabhu]

This is how I see it -

Junagadh -> Thane = ~800 kms

Thane -> Bangalore (outer) = ~1000 kms

Bangalore -> Coimbatore = ~400 kms

Coimbatore -> Calicut = ~200 kms

Full day driving = first day has to end between Surat (~600 kms?) & Thane. If you plan and exit Thane by early morning, then the second day can end between Hubli & Davengere and the third day at Coimbatore.

However, if you opt for the second option (Coastal route), do note that there will no lodging facilities between Hubli & Ankola; may be Kumta would be preferable for stay.

Problem in Kerala is that the roads are single carriageway on the route you need to take to reach Calicut.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

Coimbatore -> Calicut = ~200 kms
Problem in Kerala is that the roads are single carriageway on the route you need to take to reach Calicut.

Just to explain the point about highways being musty single carriageways here, the 200 odd kilometers would take 5Hrs in these times.

Driving in Kerala is best explained in hours taken rather than kilometers

[kala]

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

I have tried another option also (on the second route) and had a good driving experience. From Tumkur, I turned towards Mysore (via Dobbaspet, Nagamangala, Srirangapatna) and went via Gundlupet, Kalpetta to Calicut (state transport buses use this route). It is time consuming than the other two options....

Are you certain this took more time than your second option (Tumkur-Bangalore-Salem-Coimbatore-Calicut) ?? The latter is at least 200 kms more in terms of distance and I'd expect it to take at least 3 to 4 hours more.

In my experience Tumkur to Calicut should be doable in about 8 to 9 hours, and would be a much better option compared to your second route suggestion. It makes absolutely zero sense to go via Coimbatore when you're heading from somewhere Northwest of Bangalore towards Calicut.

[Bigzero]

I drive Pune-Calicut every year . I ditched the Mangalore route after a couple of runs because of the stressful drive after Mangalore. Its a personal preference, but I choose to go via Wayanad - either Pune - Mysore (night halt) - Sultan Bathery - Calicut or Pune - Hassan (night halt ) - Kutta - Mananthavady - Calicut (either via Thamarassery ghat or Kuttyadi). The drive once you get down the ghats in Kerala is bad in both routes, but you dont have to endure it for long.

The big plus with the Wayanad option is the second day's drive - both from Hassan and Mysore, the second day's drive refreshes you with lovely views all around.

An additional reason to avoid Mangalore route is the ongoing NH66 widening work - can slow you down further.

Once the NH66 gets six-laned ( probably by end of 2023 or early 24 ), then Mangalore route will become a no-brainer first choice. Apart from the fact that roads get six laned with service roads, you will also get to bypass many towns - Cheruvathur, Payyannur, Thaliparamba, Kannur, Thalassery, Mahe, Koilandy etc. That itself will be a big relief.

Added: If you start from Mumbai, breaking the journey at Mysore or Hassan can be quite challenging because of the distance ( both places take 10-12 hours of driving from Pune ). In that case Davanagere can work out as a decent option.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by kala

... In my experience Tumkur to Calicut should be doable in about 8 to 9 hours ....
....makes absolutely zero sense to go via Coimbatore when you're heading from somewhere Northwest of Bangalore towards Calicut.

Wayanad Ghats, couple of breaks (to enjoy tea and pazham-pori!) plus the scenic route (as Bigzero said), especially Gundlupet forest area (and the hope of seeing some wildlife) made it 10 hours from Calicut to Tumkur. Had to halt between Davengere / Chitradurga before proceeding to Pune.

Why suggest Coimbatore route? Because (a) second day of continuous driving, and may be another half-day driving to be done - roads are much better till Palghat (b) option to break journey anywhere in-between.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

Which city in Gujarat?

There are several options (but only two from convenience point of view) after you reach Pune via Thane and proceed towards Belgaum. If this stretch can't be completed in a day, you can halt anywhere in Thane/Pune/Satara/Kolhapur depending on how much distance you cover.

Based on my experience (Mumbai/Pune to Calicut), these two are best - in that order :

1. Belgaum -> Hubli -> Yellapur -> Ankola -> Mangalore -> Calicut. The tiresome part of the journey will be between Mangalore & Calicut.

Hi, am doing a Mumbai Mangalore run this month, am very familiar about the route till Hubli but unknown territory after that.

Are the roads good? Medianed 2 lane each side types? Availability of eateries?

Google shows me 17 hr driving time for 900 kms, but in general we can discount Google times by 20-30% , so is the real driving time closer to 12-13 hours?

[vrprabhu]

Hubli -> Yellapur is a two laned road, no median. Drive will excellent in this weather, especially from Yellapur to Ankola. Nice ghats. Don't take it too fast. Somewhere north of 3 hours of travel.

You will hit the Goa -> Mangalore highway at Ankola, from where it is a four lane toll road (work is going on some places in between). Again, it is tempting to go fast, but guess everyone will take a pause at Marvanthe (beach). Non-stop travel will be 6 to 7 hours. Used to take a break (Udupi / Kundapur / Bhatkal / Kumta) depending on the direction....

[Petrolhead0593]

Originally Posted by Yatra Moksha

Completed Borivali-Thrissur this week. Took an overnight break at Davangere. Roads good. No issues to report.

Hi, did you choose the roads suggested by Gmaps? I am planning to do Vasai - Thrissur in May, hence, looking for suggestions/help.

[Yatra Moksha]

Originally Posted by Petrolhead0593

Hi, did you choose the roads suggested by Gmaps? I am planning to do Vasai - Thrissur in May, hence, looking for suggestions/help.

Hey Petrolhead0593,

Firstly apologies for a super delayed revert. However, since you mention that you are planning a trip in May, this reply may still be of use.

I do these Borivali - Thrissur trips in my car (Don't remember using any other mode of transport for quite a while) & I generally travel with my family of 4 (including 2 teenagers) + my pet dog. Hence, I always take two halts before Thrissur. I start really early (between 4AM to 5AM) from Borivali & my first overnight halt usually is at Hubli. Similarly the next day I start early from Hubli & halt at Bangalore.

This trip becomes leisurely and family + pet are always refreshed & do not feel the tiredness (or indeed the excruciating heat if driving in summers).

This instance quoted above was the only time I tried a 1 overnight halt drive and while I did not face any difficulties, I may not do it again, especially when travelling with my family and the pet.

Gmaps are all you need and you can follow it. The maps are quite accurate and very dependable on this route.

You can also look out for restaurant, COCO fuel outlet stop co-ordinates that other kind BHPians have listed on the Bangalore - Mumbai thread.

All the best & enjoy the drive.

[Bailey]

Originally Posted by Petrolhead0593

Hi, did you choose the roads suggested by Gmaps? I am planning to do Vasai - Thrissur in May, hence, looking for suggestions/help.

Originally Posted by Yatra Moksha

Hey Petrolhead0593,

I always take two halts before Thrissur. I start really early (between 4AM to 5AM) from Borivali & my first overnight halt usually is at Hubli. Similarly the next day I start early from Hubli & halt at Bangalore.

You can also look out for restaurant, COCO fuel outlet stop co-ordinates that other kind BHPians have listed on the Bangalore - Mumbai thread.

All the best & enjoy the drive.

With the current improvements in roads, 2 overnight halts may not be necessary, especially with a 4 am start. BOM to BLR is a maximum of 13 to 14 hours & BLR to TCR around 6 hours. Hubli would be a good place to stop on your return journey from TCR.

If you do not fancy driving all the way to Bangalore then Davanagere would be a good halfway point.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...eries-226.html (Bangalore - Pune - Mumbai : Route updates & Eateries)

Please refer to the above link for toilet break, food stops upto Bangalore. There are quite a few new Jio-BP and Nayara outlets open as well. New food stops also on the highway McD, CCD etc. Diesel prices are similar now at Jio-BP & Nayara when compared to IOC,BPCL,HPCL. Petrol is a few Rs. higher. For that matter even Shell is just a few Rs. higher now compared to 15 to 20 Rs. a few months back. Shell bunks offer a clean toilets & a convenience store for coffee and snacks, as an alternate to filling Fuel if you chose not to.

After Bangalore you will find options at Shoolagiri, Krishnagiri, Salem etc.

The only bottlenecks you will find in this entire journey are

1. A possible traffic pile up on the Mumbai - Pune expressway if you are unlucky.
2. A guaranteed 30 to 45 min delay if you reach Karad after 9 am either way.
3. A possible delay 20 - 30 mins if there are any breakdowns, accidents etc between Sankeshwar & Nipani as the road here is single lane for some duration due to road works in this area.
4. Traffic on the Hubli & Coimbatore bypass roads as they are 2 lane highways.

Rest is mostly smooth all the way to Kerala if you choose the Kolhapur, Bangalore, Salem, route.

If you are travelling before the elections in Karnataka be prepared to stop over at ever district border in Karnataka mostly after the toll plaza's for a vehicle check by cops and election commission officials. Mostly its just a name, where from, where to. Couple of times they ask you to open the boot, maybe open a bag as well.

Also remember that fuel is substantially cheaper in Karnataka than either Maharashtra, TN & Kerala. Would suggest that you top your tanks when you exit and leave Karnataka and top your tank after Coimbatore before you enter Kerala as fuel is now cheaper in TN compared to Kerala.

If you are choosing the coastal road via Karwar, Kannur, Calicut which is far more scenic be prepared for traffic all the way after Kasargod. You would need to factor in a additional stop as well.

Enjoy your drive.