[ampere]

If you start by 4AM , you should be in:

- Bangalore NICE entry by about 9:30/10AM.
- Cross NICE road to be in Tumkur road in about 40 minutes (11AM)
- At Chitradurga in 4 to 4.5 hours (200km) 3:30PM

Chitradurga to Hubli is another 200km. Depends on your fatigue levels if you can cover it, before calling off for the day.

[mbhangui]

thank you mayank, csentil, antz and libranof1987. These advice are giving me plenty of confidence.

Originally Posted by ampere

If you start by 4AM , you should be in:

- Bangalore NICE entry by about 9:30/10AM.
- Cross NICE road to be in Tumkur road in about 40 minutes (11AM)
- At Chitradurga in 4 to 4.5 hours (200km) 3:30AM

Chitradurga to Hubli is another 200km. Depends on your fatigue levels if you can cover it, before calling off for the day.

I think that is what I will do and start at 4:00 AM on Mar 11 Sunday. Also I will buy one of those 12Volts water heater and have coffee so that I stay alert.

[binand]

Originally Posted by mbhangui

I have done a few search in the forum. I believe, the best route is to go Chennai-BLR-Tumkur-Chitradurga-Davangere-Dharvar-Belgaum-Kohlapur-Satara-Pune. Is this the best route?

Yes of course. The GQ route is the best option.

Originally Posted by mbhangui

Has anyone traveled recently to Pune from Chennai?

I last did Mumbai-Chennai back in May 2011. Did it in 20 hours with self and a professional driver taking turns. Pune is about 1200km from Chennai, so you should be able to do it in about 15-16 hours (assuming average of 80kmph-ish).

Originally Posted by mbhangui

What time should I start from Chennai? I am a careful driver and don't exceed 80 Kmph.

This is a matter of personal preference. Mine is to sleep early and start early - 4AM-ish. The problem with that is you hit Bangalore around 10AM which is a bit messy. Try to do it on a Sunday/holiday if possible.

Originally Posted by mbhangui

Are there any tricky ghats on the way?

Not in the northbound route. The one major ghat (Khambatki, between Satara and Pune) has a tunnel for northbound traffic.

Originally Posted by mbhangui

From What I can gather is that, this trip cannot be done in a day. I am travelling with Family. So what places should I halt so that there is a decent hotel (not costly)?

Depends on your preference. Look in the Bangalore-Mumbai thread for recommendations. Hubli/Dharwad, Belgaum and Kolhapur are towns you can consider. I have stayed once in Hotel Naveen in Hubli (Rs. 2300 for double occupancy, about 800 km from Chennai) and liked it.

Originally Posted by mbhangui

What tools should I carry? Any standard checklist that I should use just before the trip and during the trip? In case of any emergency, what numbers can travellers contact?

There is a thread here on essentials of a long distance drive. The emergency numbers change frequently (with distance) and are displayed prominently along the highway. I have never had to use one, but the numbers usually are easy to memorize.

Originally Posted by mbhangui

I have a mapmyindia GPS. Will this be of use?

The road is very well sign-posted, so the utility of a map tool would be within city limits.

Points to note:

Remember to take the NICE bypass of Bangalore. Which means you need to skip the BETL. Go underneath the BETL along NH4 and then take the NICE exit.

There is 6-laning work between Vellore and Krishnagiri and if I remember correctly, Satara and Pune.

Be aware of the speedbreakers on NH4 in Karnataka.

Hubli-Dharwad bypass is 2-lane, single carriageway. Be aware.

People recommend entering Pune not via Katraj, but from beyond, due to bad roads.

Total toll would amount to Rs. 1000, more or less.

[root]

Originally Posted by mbhangui

From What I can gather is that, this trip cannot be done in a day. I am travelling with Family. So what places should I halt so that there is a decent hotel (not costly)?

Kolhapur could be a good place to break journey on the same route. Some decent hotels such as Panchshil and Raysons Regency.

Regards
Vijay

[mbhangui]

Originally Posted by binand

Points to note:
Remember to take the NICE bypass of Bangalore. Which means you need to skip the BETL. Go underneath the BETL along NH4 and then take the NICE exit.

Just a small confusion. Why to skip BETL? Isn't BETL supposed to skip the congested traffic as per the url below?

Bangalore Electronic City Flyover | Elevated Tollway | Expressway | Highway | BETL

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by mbhangui

Just a small confusion. Why to skip BETL? Isn't BETL supposed to skip the congested traffic as per the url below?

Bangalore Electronic City Flyover | Elevated Tollway | Expressway | Highway | BETL

Thing is - once you reach Bangalore (Electronic City); you can either take the BETL and land right at Silk Board or not take it and take the entry on to NICE road.

If you don't go on BETL, you can go on to NICE road and straight to NH4. You will be amazed how effortless and stress-free your journey will be.

However, if you do take BETL, you'll land at Silk Board where all hell is always loose. You'd have to take a U-turn there to come back for the NICE rd entry. And you'd be surprised at how MUCH time you'll waste in the process.

The NICE rd entry ain't very close to Silk Board so by all means, take it without having to take the U-turn.

[mbhangui]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Thing is - once you reach Bangalore (Electronic City); you can either take the BETL and land right at Silk Board or not take it and take the entry on to NICE road.

If you don't go on BETL, you can go on to NICE road and straight to NH4. You will be amazed how effortless and stress-free your journey will be.

However, if you do take BETL, you'll land at Silk Board where all hell is always loose. You'd have to take a U-turn there to come back for the NICE rd entry. And you'd be surprised at how MUCH time you'll waste in the process.

The NICE rd entry ain't very close to Silk Board so by all means, take it without having to take the U-turn.

I am making a trip planner. So this is one thing that I am noting down. THank You.

[binand]

Originally Posted by mbhangui

Just a small confusion. Why to skip BETL? Isn't BETL supposed to skip the congested traffic as per the url below?

BETL is to skip congestion between Bangalore city proper and Electronic city, a distance of about 11 km or so. You would take the BETL and then the ORR if you were coming from Krishnagiri and proceeding towards Hyderabad. Please zoom this map to see why you need to avoid the BETL to take the NICE road:

Google Maps

[mbhangui]

Originally Posted by binand

BETL is to skip congestion between Bangalore city proper and Electronic city, a distance of about 11 km or so. You would take the BETL and then the ORR if you were coming from Krishnagiri and proceeding towards Hyderabad. Please zoom this map to see why you need to avoid the BETL to take the NICE road:

Google Maps

Now I understand. The google maps makes it so easy to see

[Seek]

Originally Posted by root

Kolhapur could be a good place to break journey on the same route. Some decent hotels such as Panchshil and Raysons Regency.

Regards
Vijay

My personal favorite stop on this route is chitradurga, splits your journey into 2. You can get in by the evening of the first day and catch the night illumination of the fort and then see the fort (and the famous monkey man!!) in the morning and then continue on to bombay to reach by the evening. Its a good way to do it with family.

On the return leg, hubli works out just perfectly. I forget the name of this hotel thats on the main road in hubli next to a petrol pump. I paid 800 rs for a non-AC double occupancy room that was very comfortable. Has a basement car park as well.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by root

Kolhapur could be a good place to break journey on the same route. Some decent hotels such as Panchshil and Raysons Regency.

Regards
Vijay

@root, He mentions he drives sedate. I am not sure if he can make it that far. I would say even Hubli would make a stretch goal.

Places to stay in Hubli: Sankam Residency on the bypass road and Clarks Inn on the airport road.

Originally Posted by mbhangui

Just a small confusion. Why to skip BETL? Isn't BETL supposed to skip the congested traffic as per the url below?

Adding to what others mentioned, once you hit the E-City signal, make sure
you get on to the service road on the extreme left. Because its only that road, which would allow you to get on to NICE road.
The service road is fenced from the main 4L Hosur road (which runs below the BETL).


EDIT: I just saw @Seek's post. I also wanted to suggest Chitradurga as a break point, but did not know about
any good places to stay. Also as Seek mentions, you can visit the fort and the Vani Vilas Sagar dam
( a 30km deviation before Chitradurga).

[scopriobharath]

CHN-BLR (NICE) - 5.5 hrs
BLR-Tumkur Road (Via Nice): 45 mins
Tumkur - Hubli - 6 hrs

Add 1.5 hours of breaks for Lunch, Breakfast and Tea. This translates to a travel-time of 15 hours at the Max. If you leave Chennai 4:00 am, You will reach Hubli by 7:00 pm at the latest.

Try to reach Hubli on Day 1. It is easy to do CHN-Hubli in a day in a Scorpio. Agreed that you drive at 80kmph, but trust me the roads will definetly push you to do a 100-120 on it. They are super smooth and bullet straight.

[mbhangui]

Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another!

Originally Posted by ampere

Adding to what others mentioned, once you hit the E-City signal, make sure
you get on to the service road on the extreme left. Because its only that road, which would allow you to get on to NICE road.
The service road is fenced from the main 4L Hosur road (which runs below the BETL).

Does anyone have the latitude longitude of E-City Signal? If someone has that I can feed that in my GPS as a waypoint so that I don't miss to take the service road.

Originally Posted by csentil

Well the shorter route is actually through Chittoor - Palmaner - Kolar to Bangalore as this is the original NH4. Approximately 30 kms shorter. However this is 2 lane from Ranipet till K.R. Puram. Also Chittoor - Palmaner is bad and Mulbagal to Bangalore is being 4 laned. So you wouldn't save anytime on it.

Is Chittoor Palmaner still bad. I will be driving to Pune from Chennai and I think this could save time by avoiding BLR. Is this advisable?

EDIT: I think I will avoid this route as I find that there are still some stretches that have potholes and also a ghat section near palmaner.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by mbhangui

Is Chittoor Palmaner still bad. I will be driving to Pune from Chennai and I think this could save time by avoiding BLR. Is this advisable?

EDIT: I think I will avoid this route as I find that there are still some stretches that have potholes and also a ghat section near palmaner.

I you want to take the Chittoor option:

The Bangalore bypass is the following:
Hoskote-BIAL road exit-Devanahalli-Doddaballapur-Dobbaspet.

Route : link

But I would say take the Krishnagiri option.

[mbhangui]

Originally Posted by ampere

But I would say take the Krishnagiri option.

Is there any turn by turn instructions to get into the NICE ring road while coming from Chennai, so that one can hit NH4? I am getting confused on getting into the service lane instead of BETL.

Found something here, But not sure
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ngalore-4.html