[swiftgeorge]

I have done this trip (Pune - Trichur) in May 2008 in my 2007 Swift VXI. My route was
Pune - Hubli (NH 4)
Hubli - Ankola (NH 63)
Ankola - Trichur (NH 17)

Total distance travelled 1200 km from home in Pune to home in Trichur. I did Pune - Kannur on day 1 starting at 5 am from Pune and reaching Kannur (Kerala) at 8 pm. Next day started at 6 am from Kannur and reached Trichur at 11.30 am. NH 4 was a dream run from Pune to Hubli. NH 63 and NH 17 was decent.

Planning to repeat the trip this year in April. Was looking at an alternate route as follows

Pune - Belgaum (NH 4)
Belgaum - Karwar (combination of NH 4A & Karnataka SH 93)
Karwar - Trichur (NH 17)

Reason for this route is, it is supposedly 1070 km from Pune to Trichur against my last years route which was 1200 kms.

Wanted to know what is the condition of NH 4A and Karnataka SH 93 also would this be a recommended route to travel with family.

[hvkumar]

Since NH17 is not in a very good shape, and the roads of North Kerala are very congested, the ideal route would be the following:

Pune-Belgaum-Hubli-Harihar-Shimoga-Tarikere-Arsikere-Channarayapatna-K R Pet-Srirangapatna-Mysore-Gundulpet-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Gudalur-Nilambur-Shoranur-Trissur.

NH4A is good till Londa but the road from Londa to Karwar (via Supa, Anshi, Kadra and Sadashivgarh) is anarrow mountain road with lots of wildlife and absolutely no facilities. Great drive if you are on a day picnic but not when you are on a 3,000 km round trip.

[swiftgeorge]

Dear Kumar Sir

I saw your response to Hellrider for his trip to Coimbatore (slated for February 7, 2009). The route (till Mysore) that you suggested to him is the same as the one you proposed to me. I have asked Hellrider for updates on the road conditons for the common section (Harihar - Mysore).

Could you give me updates for the remaining section i.e

Mysore - Gundulpet - Bandipur - Mudumalai - Gudalur - Nilambur - Shoranur - Thrissur.

Also could you suggest some timelines for the trip so that I could plan the stay accordingly. Would it be possible to reach Mysore on day 1 if I were to start from Pune at 5 am ? My wife and 4 yr old daughter would be on this trip

Thanks
Swiftgeorge

[Jammy70]

hi george,

regarding the mysore-Nilambur-Thrissur route: used the same recently till guruvayoor. Some notes you could use:

Mysore-Gundulpet is a good drive, especially from Nanjungud. From Gundulpet the next 14-16km till the start of Bandipur WLS is in real bad condition and will take you about 45 minutes to traverse this section.

Bandipur - Mudumalai is a great drive as always. As you cross over to TN, just remember that they have relaid the road surface BUT have left sudden dips every 300-400m or so. These 'innovative' speed breakers (without markers) hit you hard if you miss them; in effect you will need to keep your eyes peeled on the road and not get engrossed in spotting wildlife!

From Gudalur, you are up against some lovely twisties right upto Perinthalmanna; should enjoy the ride (though if you have family in the back seat, there are chances they will complain of queasiness!).

Do keep in mind that beyond Bandipur, there aren't too many decent refreshment options which provide you clean toilet facilities.

Hope the above helps.

Cheers,

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by swiftgeorge

Gudalur - Nilambur - Shoranur - Thrissur.

Is in good shape as of two weeks back. Great roads with plenty of twisties. Very very enjoyable and the roads beyond the Kerala border are excellent - superb surface, well-marked roads etc.

But they charge you 50 bucks for using the roads in the TN side (collected at the border) which I thought was unreasonable as the roads are not as good. There are no potholes, but the surface is uneven and rough - you cant slide through corners like you would do past the border.

[swiftgeorge]

Hi Jammy

Thanks for the update especially the ones about the "innovative" speedbreakers

Could you share some timelines for the trip. Also approximate distance from point to point if available else from Mysore to Thrissur

Thanks

[Jammy70]

Well, the break-up is as follows (easy-paced driving as I had 2 kids AND their grandparents in addition to my wife):

Mysore - Gundulpet - 67km (60 minutes)
Gundulpet - Gudalur - 48km (70 min)
Gudalur - Perinthalmanna - 109km (130 min)
Perinthalmanna-Guruvayoor - 53km (65 min)

Total: Mysore-Guruvayoor 277km (5 1/2 hours - only driving time, not including stoppage time)

I suspect for you Mysore-Trichur will be around 300km and should take 6 hours-odd.

Cheers

[hvkumar]

Some more points:

- You will have to do some fast driving to reach Mysore the same day from Pune. Limit your halts to not more than 2 hours totally

- After Harihar, roads are 2-lane roads, where you cannot maintain high speeds

- Road condition between Shimoga and Tarikere is bad

- Alternative options for stay (in case you are delayed in the Pune-Mysore round) are Shimoga or Channarayapatna and Chickmagalur (that would mean turning off from Tarikere, and taking a different route via Belur and Hassan to Mysore)

- Please bear in mind that driving on the Bandipur-Mudumalai-Gudalur-Nilambur leg is avoidable after dark in view of wildlife movements.

- hence, if for some reason, you are unable to reach Mysore on Day 1, please ensure you leave early enough on day 2 to cross the WLS sections before dark.

- expect traffic congestion between Shoranur and Trissur.

[pawan_pullarwar]

Hey Guys, I am doing Pune-Kodaikanal-Munnar-Pune trip between 14-March-09 to 21-March. Please suggest me the best rout. I am planning to leave pune at 3AM, want to reach as near as Kerala/Tamilnadu in one day. Till now I have decided to take first halt near Banglore, if possible I can extend.

Generally I drive at the speed 80-120-130 on good highway, 140+ on rare ocassion. Comfort driving for me is 15 hrs in a day with 2 hours break.

Also Suggest me good places to visit. I have decided to stay in Kumaragiri Guest House Kodaikanal, does anybody have any idea about it? Still in process to find out good hill top hotels in budget in Munnar and Kodaikanal. Let me know if it is possible to visit both(Kodaikanal and Munnar) in 4 days, I want to give proper time to places, no hurry to visit more places in short time.

[hvkumar]

The shortest and best route to get to Kodai from Pune (avoiding Bangalore) is to go on the following route:

Pune-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Hubli-Harihar-Shimoga-Tarikere-Ariskere-Channarayapatna-K R Pet-Mysore-Nanjangud-Chamarajnagar-Sathyamangalam-Coimbatore-Pollachi-Udumalaipet-Palani-Kodaikanal

I have attached a route guide (made for someone else) which has the route options from Pune till Mysore/Nanjangud.

The other option is to go via Bangalore, and then via Hosur. Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Toppur, Bhavani, Perunthurai, Gangeyam, Dharapuram, palani to Kodai. This route is also attached.

In case you are not familiar with the route from Pune to Bangalore, please find that route also attached to this message.

In case you are planning to go via Harihar-Shimoga-Mysore, with some spirited driving you can reach Mysore on day 1, else Shimoga. If going via Bangalore, your ideal Day 1 destination will be Bangalore itself, else either Chitradurga or Tumkur.

Kodaikanal to Munnar is a short 4-hour drive via Vathalagundu, Theni, Bodinayakanur, Bodi Medu and Poopara.

You can return from Munnar directly to Bangalore, am attaching the route for that also.

Originally Posted by pawan_pullarwar

Hey Guys, I am doing Pune-Kodaikanal-Munnar-Pune trip between 14-March-09 to 21-March. Please suggest me the best rout. I am planning to leave pune at 3AM, want to reach as near as Kerala/Tamilnadu in one day. Till now I have decided to take first halt near Banglore, if possible I can extend.

Generally I drive at the speed 80-120-130 on good highway, 140+ on rare ocassion. Comfort driving for me is 15 hrs in a day with 2 hours break.

Also Suggest me good places to visit. I have decided to stay in Kumaragiri Guest House Kodaikanal, does anybody have any idea about it? Still in process to find out good hill top hotels in budget in Munnar and Kodaikanal. Let me know if it is possible to visit both(Kodaikanal and Munnar) in 4 days, I want to give proper time to places, no hurry to visit more places in short time.

[pawan_pullarwar]

@hvkumar: Thanks a lot for the info. I am not keen to go to Banglore. Just looking for road to cover more distance in 1 day. I will explore the rout you have suggested.

[pawan_pullarwar]

@hvkumar: Thanks for the rout you have suggested. I did Pune-Mysore-Kodai-Munnar-Ooty-Banglore-Pune trip. And the rout you had suggested were the perfect rout. many thanks

[spiritofdriving]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Since NH17 is not in a very good shape, and the roads of North Kerala are very congested, the ideal route would be the following:
Pune-Belgaum-Hubli-Harihar-Shimoga-Tarikere-Arsikere-Channarayapatna-K R Pet-Srirangapatna-Mysore-Gundulpet-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Gudalur-Nilambur-Shoranur-Trissur.
NH4A is good till Londa but the road from Londa to Karwar (via Supa, Anshi, Kadra and Sadashivgarh) is anarrow mountain road with lots of wildlife and absolutely no facilities. Great drive if you are on a day picnic but not when you are on a 3,000 km round trip.

Hello Sir Kumar/Other fellow BHPians,
I am planning to do a road trip in my Fiesta 1.6 Sxi by end of Jan'12 from Pune (Kothrud) to Kozhikode aka Calicut, Kerala.

Planning to take the Pune - Hubli (NH 4) - proceed to Karwar - Mangalore (NH17) and then to Calicut (NH17).

My questions are:

1) Could you please help me with the current road condition - possible alternate routes if conditions are bad - Read in the forum that NH17 after Managalore, through Kerala, is notorious for traffic density and narrow roads - how is it now?
Although Id been driving for the last 10 years, I haven't done any long drives as yet. Longest yet is a 450km drive within Kerala which is my comfort zone - dint have to tackle language issues etc - I did this about 2 months ago. So to say, a highway newbie. (any tips will be appreciated)
2) What is the overall average KMPH that we can expect considering traffic/potholes etc for an avg driver?

3) Basic checks that I need to do before the Longdrive - Did read the Longdrive checklist thread - is a bit too exhaustive - am not very good with technicalities so unsure which is more important than the other - any tips on the must and bare minimum to be checked will be great.

4) Where can I possibly stay over en-route? - How about Om Beach or Mookambika Temple (My friend is keen on Mookambika)?

Thanks in advance.
Sree

[swiftgeorge]

Spiritofdriving

The easiest route to Calicut from Pune is the one you have detailed i.e Pune - Hubli - Kumta (you would not touch Karwar on this route)- Mangalore - Calicut. The entire stretch is covered on national highways also the number of turnoffs are very less. The appropriate exit and entry points are well marked on the highways so chances of losing your way is less likely. I have gone this way in May 2011 and the roads were good. There is widening work happening on NH 17 before Udupi where your progress might be delayed.

If you start by 0500 hrs you could easily make Mangalore by 1800 hrs on the same day on following conditions
- Carry light breakfast and lunch with you so that you would need to hunt for an appropriate hotel to stop thereby saving time. There are plenty of places along the road for a roadside picnic.
- Keep your pitstops for natures call/tea etc to the least time possible
- Top up your car with fuel in Pune before leaving so that you can top up again at Kolhapur (approx 260 kms from Pune). This is suggested as fuel is more expensive in Karnataka than Maharashtra and Kerala. Hence by filling up at Kolhapur you may just need to add a little in Bhatkal / Udupi to take you across to Kerala (offcourse this depends on the average of your car)

You can overnight at Mangalore and leave early the next day to make Calicut by Mid morning ( leaving early will ensure that you cover maximum distance inside Kerala before the traffic hits the road). You can also stay at Mookambika however you would not reach Calicut until mid afternoon the next day.

I drive a Swift Petrol and am mostly well loaded so the average is 15 kms to the liter with full A/C. I am sure that with a lighter load the average should go up a little. I am not familiar with the average of a Fiesta hence cannot comment on the average that you can expect.

As regards preparation I carry out the following checks on the car
- Full service with oil change a week before the trip. Please also ensure to complete any pending work recommended in earlier services.
- Tyre balance and alignment - if your car is more than 4 years old with factory tyres then please also get the condition of the tyres checked. Also check the spare tyre
- Check wipers for cleaning efficiency
- Fill up windscreen wash water with mixture of windscreen wash solution
- as there is interstate travel involved please carry all original and upto date documentation of the vehicle alongwith a fresh PUC
- please carry a good pair of sunglasses so that they protect your eyes.
- please eat lightly previous night and in the course of your travel.
- please have good rest the previous night.
- drink plenty of water
- keep speed at levels that you are comfortable with.
- also prepare co travelers to stopover a different location should you not make it to your planned destination and also keep some numbers for hotels on hand.
- Do not push ahead if you are feeling fatigued
- keep some good music
- carry the toolkit that came alongwith the car
- eyes tend to get fatigued by constantly adjusting to road conditions please carry plenty of water to wash your face.

Enjoy the drive in a relaxed manner and you would not have much problems.

Regards

George

[ampere]

I think the best option is not via Konkan but by NH4 till Bangalore and Mysore. Through this option you would have access to 4L all way till Mysore, good 2L till Gundlupet and a small portion of NH212 (In comparison to the total distance from Pune) beyond Gundlupet being bad.

Though this route is 100km more, but its still worth taking compared to NH17.