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-   -   Bangalore to Munnar : Route Queries (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/43188-bangalore-munnar-route-queries-63.html)

Are you staying near Club mahindra?? If so then the theni route is the best option. Roads are very good post Bodi.
The other route via Udumalaipet is a traffic filled one with no so good roads now that it is monsoon time in kerala.

Ideally you should be able to reach by around 1pm near chinnakanal,hopefully your place of stay is nearby. To reach Munnar town it will take another hour or so from there. Unless there's heavy rain or road blocks you should be able to make it around lunch time.

I'm staying at a resort close to the Pallivasal tea factory. From maps, its appears off the Kochi - Dhanushkodi road, around 7 km south of Munnar town.

Looks like after passing Chinnakanal, would have to get to Munnar town and and turn left and head south.

I think it may be a good idea to consider taking the Marayoor route for onward journey as you may save some time. For return you can take the Theni-Batlagundu-Dindigul-Bangalore route.
For onward journey you can do:
Bangalore-Salem on NH 7-NH 47 upto Avinashi bypass-Mangalam-Palladam-Udumalaipet-Chinnar-Marayoor-Munnar

OR

Bangalore-Salem on NH 7-NH 47 upto Perundurai-Kangeyam-Dharapuram-Udumalaipet-Chinnar-Marayoor-Munnar
(I would prefer this compared to other one which maybe slightly longer).

Excellent roads on both routes except maybe a small stretch in the Chinnar forest area.

I had stayed on the same kochi dhanuskodi road, after a left from Munnar, when I visited a month ago. I would still recommend Dindigul - Theni route as this would be in better condition and lesser traffic. Additionally, the multiple checkposts on the udumalpet side really slows you down. You should be able to reach by round 2:30.

Have a safe trip.

Hi, I am driving to Munnar on Fri. from earlier posts, the route via Udumalpet wont be good i think, with the monsoons just over? so should i go the Theni route, bothways? Please advise. Thanks.

Where have you decided to stay?/ If it is say Club Mahindra, then going via Theni makes sense. Otherwise you can go via Udumalaipet route. The roads in the Theni route are far better compared to Udumalaipet route. Stick to this route for your onward and return trip.

Thanks, am staying in Pallivasal. Appears to be a road south from Munnar, 7kms away

Not sure about the quality of the roads in the Udumalaipet route post monsoon. That being the case, stick to the Theni route even if its is longer courtesy the better road surface. Also traffic in the Udumalaipet route will be higher as most of the buses operate in that stretch.

It is usually better to take one route each way so you can experience the drive. Both routes are scenic in their own sense and hence it makes sense to try both for the experience. Your place of stay being on the Kochi road(Tall trees?) might not make a difference to both routes anyway.

The Udumalpet route, if bad, will be at two stretches - from the Sainik school checkpost to Chinnar checkpost and from Kannan Devan factory to Munnar town - which should be manageable IMO.

Thanks Luvurride. i am staying in Glenmore resorts. Yeah, I remember an earlier post that Udumalpet is very scenic. So a manageable bad stretch despite the rains you say? I will try it on return.

I would suggest you to take the Theni route for the onward journey so that you can avoid most of the traffic and Udumalaipet route for the return journey.

Thanks Team for all your advise.:)

Route choices : This is what I did: On the way up, I took the Theni route, just so I could reach quicker, without getting delayed the slightest, ( due to possible) bad roads on the Udumalpet route). As I went up, I realized some of the views on this route close to Munnar, were fabulous (I remembered from my prev visit). But couldn’t see anything ‘cos it was dark. So took this route on the way back too!!! …But…to check out the views on the Udumalpet route, we took a drive once on that road, about 25kms down and back, upto a point called Lakkam falls. The views on that side were awesome too. The roads were not so good for the first 10kms, thereafter more tolerable. I was told, from there on, the road conditions would be the same i.e., not great, but driveable.

My conclusion: you must take both routes. Because the views are wonderful on both sides. And very different too, so one doesn’t substitute for the other. In fact one must take all 4 roads out of Munnar (the other 2 being Mattupetty dam and Kochi road) and check them all out . For that reason (good views), don’t mind where the roads are bad – its part of the sightseeing. Its worth it.

Mileage : the displayed mileage in the Jazz was 17.1 ( I presume that would mean 15 – 15.5 in reality)

Incident on the way up: It was raining and dark. At one point I braked, ‘cos the auto in front of me braked ( I was a little surprised by his stopping, but the braking wasn’t sharp or anything). But the next thing I hear is a thud. A car behind, had rammed into the boot. The fender badly depressed, and the hatch door too somewhat. The guy had no intention of owning up, so we just drove off.

Behavior of road users : This truly came home to me this time.

1. Somewhere on the way up… I am taking a curve at maybe 80-90, on the second lane. Another vehicle somewhere on the first lane ( a little behind I think). As I curve, there’s a moped to my left. Actually he was outside the 2nd lane too. Safely away, but I am keeping my attention on him, to avoid anything untoward. And suddenly in front me, there is a ‘Take diversion’ Board bang on the middle of the road. Maybe 30-40 metres away from the curve, I don’t know the actual distance, but it was close enough. The other half of the road is under some maintenance, so this side of the road now becomes 2-way! What if I was taking this turn at Night time??? Once again, Jazz’s braking is awesome.

2. A little way further…. A water truck parked bang on the first lane. 3-4 men, very serenely, watering the plants in the median. As the men progress in their work, the truck would move forward, little by little. Another potential disaster, if that truck was close to a curve.

3. On the way back….A cyclist about 40 metres away, so safe distance. But there was no sign of this guy looking behind or around or aware of the road – suddenly he takes off at 45 degres angle, into a gap in the median!

4. Karur bye pass. I am a good 50-75m away, so again safe distance. An old man, looks right and left, sees I am far enough away (true) and slowly pushes his bicycle into a gap in the median. All fine thus far. But as he does so, there’s a little girl, who having seen him cross, starts to push her bicycle forward too. This time I had to brake. She was not even looking at me – not even aware I was there. You could see what the kid was thinking. Seeing the man was going across, it was now safe for her to do the same.

5. Late in the evening, A moped in the wrong direction, coming on to me in the fast lane. Seconds later, another moped guy shoots out of nowhere and across my headlights, and follows this guy!

6. As I reached Hosur it was night. There was a large truck trying to cross the road. I absolutely couldn’t see him. He was thankfully sane. As I passed him, I realized my safety had been completely in his hands for a few seconds. How did I miss him?

How am I supposed to drive Team???? I drove most of the distance at about 80, not sure still if that was good enough.

I have been thinking – next time on – I am hiring a Scorpio / XUV. No driving when its dark. Time the drives such that, you drive the most before peak hours of the morning and evening. Drive at < 80. Takes a lot of the fun out, but its too scary Man.

Mate, Avoid driving on ghat roads in the night. Did you mean driving on the plain roads at speeds < 80 kmph. I would say speeds around 80-90 kmph are relatively safe as one will have better control of vehicle, less mental fatigue and better vehicle FE.

Yes Yes on the plains :). i also read likelihood of mishaps is far higher at nights / early mornings ( i guess when its dark).