[chinkara]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Take the Kishangarh Bhilwara Chittorgarh route to Udaipur. Road is excellent all through. Don’t go via the Ajmer-Beawar-Nathdwara route, it’s in rough shape and widening work is in progress.

Have you taken the Lalsot-Bundi-Chittorgarh route? The new NE4? Is it done? Was thinking of taking that to Udaipur...

[rajorshiroy84]

Dear All, I am planning a to drive down to Mumbai from Delhi next weekend with a night halt in a hotel/motel on the highway post-Udaipur (location of night stay would depend on our fatigue levels but I intend to stop the moment we feel tired - we are 2 drivers who would be taking turns to drive every hour). We also have an 11 year old dog.

I was looking up on the available route options. As per Google Maps, the preferred route could be Delhi-Gurgaon-the newly launched Delhi to Mumbai Expressway through Sohna-Lalsot-Niwai-Tonk-Dooni-Deoli-Jahazpur-Shahpura-Mandal-Bhilwara-Gangapur-Rajasmand-Nathdwara-Udaipur-Rishahbdev-Bichhiwara-Samalji-Modasa-Godhra-Kalol-Halol-Vadodara- and then NH48 right upto Mumbai (I stay in Chembur).

Would request the members if this route is worth taking? Also, if they know of any dog friendly stays on this route (would prefer not to take a detour if options are available on the highway).

Regards
RR

[VT-RNS]

Originally Posted by rajorshiroy84

Delhi to Mumbai Expressway through Sohna-Lalsot-Niwai-Tonk-Dooni-Deoli-Jahazpur-Shahpura-Mandal-Bhilwara-Gangapur-Rajasmand-Nathdwara-Udaipur-Rishahbdev-Bichhiwara-Samalji-Modasa-Godhra-Kalol-Halol-Vadodara- and then NH48 right upto Mumbai (I stay in Chembur).

The above route should work very well. The road after you finish the DME till Udaipur was done by my parents last year and it was smooth. I wouldn't suspect things to have gone terrible post monsoons (like it happens in Mumbai side), so yea, good luck and enjoy the ride.

Post Udaipur, the route is fairly standard and expect good NH till you enter GJ and then free & good quality SH till you join the NH again at Baroda.
The traffic on the Baroda to Mumbai stretch is usually quite high, despite it being 6 lane. And expect the Fountain mess to exist (adds to the charm of Mumbai's welcome ), even if it has reduced from before.

Originally Posted by rajorshiroy84

Would request the members if this route is worth taking? Also, if they know of any dog friendly stays on this route (would prefer not to take a detour if options are available on the highway).

Hotel Paras Mahal has been my go to option in Udaipur, as its right off the main highway, good clean property and nice food. Not sure of their pet policy, so do call and check with them.

Enjoy and have fun!!

PS: I am currently in Greater Noida, visiting family. and its showing me only 10 hour 30 mins to Udaipur via the DME route as you show. That's easily a saving of 1.5 hour to what it used to take before on my drives.

[rajorshiroy84]

Thank you. I will post the details of my journey once I complete it next week.

[devilking]

I drove from Delhi to Navi Mumbai on 24th and 25th.

Day 1 - Delhi - Lalsot (expressway) - Kothun (NH23) - Niwai - Tonk - Deoli - Kota (NH52) - Chittorgarh (NH27)

Day 2 - Chittorgarh - Udaipur (NH27) - Ahmedabad - Baroda - Mumbai

Started from my dad's place in South East Delhi on Mathura Road at 9:30 in the morning and continued till after Faridabad. Went straight instead of taking the right turn exit for Sohna, and after a few kms needed to take the exit for the Faridabad bypass road beginning from the other side of the highway which will connect to the Delhi - Jaipur expressway and KMP. Google Maps helped here otherwise there were no clear signboards pointing us to the Faridabad bypass road.

This was my first drive on the Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai expressway and the wide lanes and quality of the tarmac lived up to the hype. The roadside amenities though were very basic, but once the traffic increases more facilities will come up for sure. There were a few petrol pumps and all such stops had restrooms (construction of the restroom was still not completed at the fuel pump where we stopped), trauma centers, and space for kiosks and food outlets (again very few were functional).
No food malls with branded fast food outlets, but before the Alwar Bharatpur exit there were a couple of decent restaurants.
Was not sure if the speed cameras were functioning but decided to stick to the speed limit of 120 kms. That required some effort on the wide and empty lanes but one needs to keep an eye on vehicles coming on the wrong side and also locals jaywalking on some stretches.

We had planned to go to Kota to visit a relative, so we drove till the end of the currently functional section of the expressway at Lalsot. From there, NH23 goes to Kothun, a town at the intersection of NH23 and NH52. The road quality of NH23 is decent though its mostly double lane with some stretches that are 4 laned. At Kothun, a left turn will take us to Niwai-Tonk-Deoli-Kota-Jhalawar on NH52.
This is a decent highway which is 4 lane throughout. There are numerous dhabas on this route. One thing to watch out for in Rajasthan are the cattle which feed on the grass at the divider, or which try to cross the road without a worry in the world.

We reached Kota before 4 PM and spent a couple of hours at our relatives place. We started again at 6 PM but were in two minds over the subsequent route. The options are going onwards on NH52 till Indore and then taking the Agra-Mumbai highway. But we decided against it and instead opted for going west on NH27 till Udaipur. However, we decided to stop for the night at Chittorgarh as it was almost 8:30 PM. The road till Chittorgarh was good - four laned throughout with few bad patches which were manageable, and traffic was thin.

After some sightseeing at Chittorgarh the next morning, we were back on the highway to Udaipur at around 11 AM. This section is 6 lane throughout and we were able to complete the 111 kms between Chittorgarh and Udaipur in an hour.

We took the Udaipur bypass and hit the Udaipur-Ahmedabad highway (NH48) at 12:30. The NH48 section in Rajasthan is very good - scenic, with light traffic and smooth tarmac. However, there is deterioration after entering Gujarat as the road is a bit rough on a few bridges. Moreover, there are frequent diversions after Himmatnagar. Still, we were able to reach Ahmedabad by 3:30 PM. After navigating the Ahmedabad traffic, we hit the NE1 (Ahmedabad-Baroda expressway) where we made up for lost time. Reached Baroda within an hour and then we stopped for a late lunch.

Got going at 5:30 PM and I naively thought that we should be able to reach Mumbai within 5 hours, as it had taken us a bit more than 4 hours while going from Mumbai to Baroda a few weeks ago. But the heavy Mumbai-bound truck traffic on this route slows cars down, and then we encountered a traffic jam around 40 kms before Surat. We were stuck for almost 2 hours starting from 7:15 PM, so all hopes of having dinner at home in Mumbai were dashed. But deciding against stopping for the night so close to Mumbai, we stretched and made it home around 2 AM.

Hopefully, this is the last time I am doing this route and the next time I take a road trip between my place in Mumbai and my dad's place in Delhi, I would plan on having breakfast at my place, lunch at some restaurant on the expressway and dinner at my dad's place.

[parthdmaniar]

Hello,

I hope my message finds members and their loved ones safe and healthy.

I am planning to travel from Mumbai to Gurugram on 31st March 2023.

I see many recent trips, but I wanted to know if we should look out for some tricky bypasses/exits.

Also, any good recommendations for staying at Udaipur?

Thank you very much and hope to update photos soon

[chinkara]

Update from my side:
We took the NE4 (Delhi-Mumbai Expressway) and then from Lalsot via Bundi Chittorgarh into Udaipur. From Udaipur via Ahmedabad-NE1-Vadodara-Surat. The NE4 road condition is excellent, but the road in SH post Lalsot is variable.

On the way back, we took the Nathdwara-Bhilwara route from Udaipur to Lalsot, which was a much better option.

This is as of end March and beginning of April.

[rajorshiroy84]

I did the Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi trip in the first week of April.

I) From South Delhi, we took the National Expressway 4 (NE4) through Gurgaon and Sohna and then exited the expressway at the last possible exit at Lalsot (had left my home around 0600 hrs). Target was to reach Udaipur by evening and then take a call on the onward journey.

Much has been written about the NE4 where one can floor the pedal given the good roads and sparse traffic, hence not adding more to it except that it should be an amazing drive once the entire stretch gets operationalised. Stopped at a couple of rest-areas on NE4 which are operational. They also do have Indian Oil petrol pumps (I think at 2 or 3 locations on the expressway spanning Haryana and Rajasthan). By the way, petrol costs approx. Rs 11 more per litre in Rajasthan than Haryana. There are markers on the expressway which indicate which state one is in!

From Lalsot, I followed google maps which took me through Niwai, Tonk, Deoli, Jahazpur, Shahpura and then Bhilwara. However, this stretch had a couple of road closures that day with the diversions ranging from being manageable to complete off-roading for around 4 odd-kms through a dusty track which was not even plotted on google maps. Some sections were riddled with potholes apart from passing through small towns which brought its own set of issues like cattle on road, locals crossing without looking at oncoming traffic etc. Unsurprisingly, progress slowed down by quite a bit.

From Bhilwara, I had planned to take the NH 758 through Gangapur, Rajasmand, Nathdwara to Udaipur but missed the cut and had to take the NH48 through Chittorgarh. The cut to NH 758 starts from a service lane with proper marking of Rajasmand/Nathdwara - one should take the cut towards the left here by following directions because the next cut is now blocked. The NH 48 is in good shape but added more time to the journey - not only because of more distance but also truck traffic.

Reached Udaipur at around 1800 hrs. At a cafe, someone recommended taking the Himatnagar-Samalaji-Ahmedabad-Baroda route via NE1 - apparently because the alternative route could be slightly unsafe at night (we had planned to do an all-nighter). Reached Baroda in the morning around 0700 hrs after taking many short naps at petrol pumps en-route. The road condition is good barring a few flyovers in Gujarat – these had uneven surface and big bump like structures at the top of the flyover. After attending to some office work, started for Mumbai via NH 48 at 1100 hrs and were greeted by truck-traffic throughout the journey. The roads are being repaired between Bharuch and Surat – got stuck in one such section for around 35-odd minutes. Filled up in Gujarat since petrol is cheaper than Maharashtra. Reached Chembur via Thane at 2000 hrs. Thankfully, did not encounter any traffic around the Hotel Fountain area.


II) Started my return journey within a week. Since this would now be a solo drive (not counting my dog as company), broke down the journey into 3 days. The first day comprised of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section. Started at 0600 hrs, took NH48 through Western Express Highway (no traffic around Fountain area) - there was a check-post after Mumbai which had a massive traffic jam of trucks but cars were being allowed to take the extreme left lane. After filling-up fuel post entering Gujarat, encountered a 40-odd minute jam in the same Surat-Bharuch section where roads are being repaired. Followed NH48 to Baroda, then NE1 to Ahmedabad where I stayed over at a dog-friendly motel which is located a few kms post-Ahmedabad. NE1 is in good shape. Overall, it took me around 11 hours to reach my destination, driving at a sedate speed of 75-80 kms/hr, and taking a break every hour for around 10 minutes, apart from one big break of half an hour.

Next morning, left for Udaipur around 0645 hrs by taking NH48 – truck traffic had thinned down considerably on this section. Road condition is excellent. Google maps (thankfully) took me through Udaipur city and then onto NH 758 to Bhilwara – excellent roads and practically zero traffic. From Bhilwara, merged onto NH 48 to Jaipur through Ajmer and Kishangarh – again excellent roads but lots of truck traffic. Reached Jaipur in 11 hrs.

Next morning, left for Delhi from Jaipur through NE4. Surprisingly, google maps refused to show the NE4 route and kept recommending alternative routes. So had to search for Dausa on Google maps and then sought directions from locals for the entry to NE4.

Also, found several speed interceptor vehicles in Rajasthan and Gujarat. In fact, in Gujarat, a policeman had a hand-held speed gun and he was doing his speed-tracking job on the side of the highway all by himself under the blazing sun!

[sedatecruiser]

Summer vacations time, it is here in Vadodara! But maybe just a couple of months too early. And this I say because the Vadodara Delhi section of NE4 is expected to open in June.

Nonetheless, the road trip bug has hit yet again. I am cancelling all my Air and Train tickets to drive down with family on a tour of Uttarakhand from Vadodara.

The planned route is Vadodara - Delhi - Mussoorie - Pantwari - Dhanaulti - Kedarnath - Chopta - Vadodara. That’s a whopping 3,500 km planned in two weeks.

For Vadodara to Delhi, my plan is to leave Vadodara at 4.30am next Saturday and reach Gurgaon by dinner time. It will be too of us driving in turns of about 4 hours each. So, some sedate cruising should get us to Delhi in 16-18 hours.

Dividing Vadodara - Delhi in 4 sections, which will in order be Vadodara to Udaipur to Bhilwara to Dausa to Gurgaon.

For Vadodara Udaipur, I am planning to give Godhra - Modasa route a pass this time and instead go via Ahmedabad and Himmatnagar. This because I hear Ahmedabad - Himmatnagar - Modasa stretch has now been relaid and a good number of flyovers have been constructed. Also, the Halol-Godhara stretch has now become too crowded and Godhara - Modasa road is now more patch work than a single surface.

From Udaipur, I plan to get to Bhilwara via Nathdwara. Had done this route in October last year and the route was good.

Now from Bhilwara to Dausa is where I need some opinion.

Should I go via Lalsot and hazard jay walkers and cattle or go via Kishangarh - Jaipur Ring Road and take on the dreaded and so crowded Kishangarh - Jaipur section. Opinions here will be most helpful.

Dausa - Sohna should be straightforward and so not much to comment there.

For the remainder Delhi to Uttarakhand section I will update the relevant threads such as Delhi - Mussoorie Route Queries (Delhi - Mussoorie : Route Queries).

[sahil624]

Originally Posted by sedatecruiser

Summer vacations time, it is here in Vadodara! But maybe just a couple of months too early. And this I say because the Vadodara Delhi section of NE4 is expected to open in June.

Hi, best of luck for your trip.

The quoted part of your post interested me. Are you sure that Vadodara-Delhi portion of Delhi Mumbai Expressway is going to open in June 2023? I have trip planned in July

[sedatecruiser]

Originally Posted by sahil624

Hi, best of luck for your trip.

The quoted part of your post interested me. Are you sure that Vadodara-Delhi portion of Delhi Mumbai Expressway is going to open in June 2023? I have trip planned in July

Thanks, Sahil.

At least that’s what the fourth estate is reporting. See this report.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by sedatecruiser

Vadodara Delhi section of NE4 is expected to open in June.

That is not happening going by the updates here. Its possible for next year summer holidays, not this year.

[sedatecruiser]

Originally Posted by rajorshiroy84

Unsurprisingly, progress slowed down by quite a bit.

How long did this section take to complete for you? If you were to go from Dausa end of NE4 to Bhilwara oncemore, will you go via Jaipur or use this route again?

[rajorshiroy84]

That's a difficult question to answer simply because there were road diversions that day. But the quality of the road was better via Jaipur. Maybe you could look at google-maps on the day of travel to decide!

[arishi1]

Just completed Mumbai Delhi drive. Took Mumbai Vadodara Ahemadabad Himatnagar Udaipur Jaipur Dausa KMP Greater Noida Route. Road conditions good overall. Resurfacing work near Ankaleshwar so be watchful of traffic there. KMP road is patchy.