[ampere]

Originally Posted by NPV

Chennai-Ullundurpet-Salem is 2 lane but very good from the posts here.

Chennai-Ulundurpet : 4-Lane GST
Uludurpet-Salem : Another 4-lane with only some section between Attur and Salem being 2-lane. Else is a fantastic 4-lane.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by anandharamanp

Hello Guys,



On my last trip to Wayanad i noticed that first 100 kms on Chennai -bangalore highway was full of patches, traffic was heavy through and finally the stretch between Bangalore to Mysore was full of speed breakers for every 2 kms approx. hence i decided not to travel this route this time.

2) I also want to avoid the conoor -ooty route as i am planning to go to ooty from masinagudi.

Please let me know your suggestions,Thanks.

The route you have mentioned sounds fine. Yes it is better to avoid commuting on the Bangalore-Mysore stretch. Leave alone speed breakers, sometimes you have agitation organised by farmers residing in the vicinity of Maddur/Mandya. This is enough to choke the SH ruining your travel plan. Plus the traffic density is also more on this SH especially during week ends where you get to see crazy driving as well.
So stick to the route you have mentioned.

[anandharamanp]

Thanks NPV for those additional very useful inputs.

Thank you Suresh for the confirmation.

[praveen_v]

Originally Posted by anandharamanp

Hello Guys,

I have planned for a drive with my family from Chennai to Masinagudi in my Santro this Friday, 28th August night and i have chosen the following route but please let me know your suggestions.

Route preferred: Chennai- ullundurpet-Salem-Bhavani-Sathymangalam-bannari-dhimbam -chamrajnagar – Gundalpet-Bandipur-masinagudi - 600 kms. But i wanted to understand from you guys on the current road conditions in this route.

My expectations are that the route has to be with relatively low traffic, excellent road conditions.

Route I want to Avoid:1) Krishnagiri-Nice road-Mysore-Gundulpet -Masinagudi
On my last trip to Wayanad i noticed that first 100 kms on Chennai -bangalore highway was full of patches, traffic was heavy through and finally the stretch between Bangalore to Mysore was full of speed breakers for every 2 kms approx. hence i decided not to travel this route this time.

2) I also want to avoid the conoor -ooty route as i am planning to go to ooty from masinagudi.

Please let me know your suggestions,Thanks.

I travelled to Wayanad along the route you mentioned about 6-7 months back. The route from chennai to salem is really good NH with occasional two lane stretches between ulundurpet and salem. From there to Bhavani and sathiyamangalam are twisty roads and ghat sections and the roads were excellent but you cant stop in some sections as it runs through forests and not much available in terms of food outlets/Fuel stations in this stretch.

Only thing is the roads around Gundlupete were being completely scrapped and re-laid and progress was really slow though not much traffic. Google maps still shows construction signs around this area still and you might want to have some additional time to cover this section. The worst affected due to this construction is the stretch from gundulpete to wayanad and you should be ok since you wont take that stretch.

Have a lovely trip and keep us updated

[deepakchan]

I am going to do chennai to Coimbatore this Friday. Will update on the road conditions as this thread has not been updated for over a month. Anything to watch out for on the way?

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by deepakchan

I am going to do chennai to Coimbatore this Friday. Will update on the road conditions as this thread has not been updated for over a month. Anything to watch out for on the way?

I did Chennai - Coimbatore - Chennai last month.
Chennai - Vilupuram - Ulundurpet - Salem - Perundurai - Coimbatore was the route taken.
There's absolutely nothing to slow you down! Start at 5am & take the bypass you'll cross the SRM & Vandalur junction in no time. The roads are damn good as we all know. Avoid the krishnagiri route because the roads till wallajahpet will make you hate driving :P

Last year , roads were not so great beyond perundurai. I was surprised this time when the road turned from 4 lane to a beautiful 6lane after perundurai. It extends all the way upto Coimbatore.
Here's the PIC that was taken when I was exiting Coimbatore.


And some more..


The 6 lane!



This huge toll gate near karumathampatti(CBE outskirts) that's not functional is the only place where you'll have to slow down.

Drive safe

[Rajeevraj]

Few questions. Seems the best thread to post it in.

• I assume Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Coonoor is in good condition?
  
• How is the Mettupalayam-Kotagiri-Coonoor route? Is it good and scenic. Would it make sense to take this route to Coonoor assuming I am ok with ~1 hour of extra driving time. Google maps indicates ~20 min extra driving time.
  
• Any one has info about the Coonoor- Manjoor route. Link
  
• Any latest info on the Manjoor-Mulli-Karamadai route to descent from Ooty.

[batterylow]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

• I assume Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Coonoor is in good condition?
• How is the Mettupalayam-Kotagiri-Coonoor route? Is it good and scenic. Would it make sense to take this route to Coonoor assuming I am ok with ~1 hour of extra driving time. Google maps indicates ~20 min extra driving time.

I always use the Kotagiri route, scenic and you have plenty of places to stop in between to take in the scenery. It is 20 kms extra but I would wholeheartedly recommend that you take it.

Advantages include lesser number of state transport buses plying this route.

[rajushank84]

Hi guys I am planning to drive (well technically not drive but sit in a rented) Innova to Ooty tomorrow. We will be starting from Ayanavaram. Based on my experience from five years back, I prefer Bangalore road compared to Salem route since Salem route had a lot of construction back then, and also I am not sure how much the Salem route will be damaged in recent rains/floods. Also if I remember correctly there are more restroom stops on the Bangalore road than the Salem route, correct me if I am wrong. Last but not least, I remember from my multiple runs on the NH4 that there are no good restaurants on the Chennai-Tindivanam stretch, the quality of food wherever I ate was abysmal (this was also five years back though), whereas on the other route we will be passing places like Ambur Star biryani etc. Let me know that this has all changed recently and I am making a mistake in picking this route.

Can you recommend any outstanding food joints along the way? Since we will be starting around 7AM, I think we should be near Salem around lunch time. Let me know if you know any must-visit places with outstanding food.

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Hi guys I am planning to drive (well technically not drive but sit in a rented) Innova to Ooty tomorrow. We will be starting from Ayanavaram. Based on my experience from five years back, I prefer Bangalore road compared to Salem route since Salem route had a lot of construction back then, and also I am not sure how much the Salem route will be damaged in recent rains/floods. Also if I remember correctly there are more restroom stops on the Bangalore road than the Salem route, correct me if I am wrong. Last but not least, I remember from my multiple runs on the NH4 that there are no good restaurants on the Chennai-Tindivanam stretch, the quality of food wherever I ate was abysmal (this was also five years back though), whereas on the other route we will be passing places like Ambur Star biryani etc. Let me know that this has all changed recently and I am making a mistake in picking this route.

Can you recommend any outstanding food joints along the way? Since we will be starting around 7AM, I think we should be near Salem around lunch time. Let me know if you know any must-visit places with outstanding food.

I'm a regular on the Chennai - Ulundurpet- Coimbatore route.
I made a 1500km trip last week. I took the Ulundurpet onward & returned via Bangalore highway. Highly recommend the Ulundurpet-Salem road, avoid Bangalore highway at all costs. SO MANY POTHOLES. Can't cross 70-80, I almost broke a suspension when I crashed into a crater sized pothole. The ulundurpet road is an absolute breeze to drive in, there are no road constructions. There are frequent 2-4 lane changes though but there's very little traffic. There's A2B near ulundurpet & woodlands next to it, then Salem has an A2B on the Coimbatore bypass. These two A2Bs are perfectly placed for breaks & they re exactly 1.5-2hours apart.

[Landkruzer]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Can you recommend any outstanding food joints along the way? Since we will be starting around 7AM, I think we should be near Salem around lunch time. Let me know if you know any must-visit places with outstanding food.

As already stated, stick to ulundurpet route. If you enjoy non-veg, there is Selvi mess at Salem bypass. And A2B on Kovai bypass road. If you go further down (30 mins) there is Saravana Bhavan

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by Landkruzer

As already stated, stick to ulundurpet route. If you enjoy non-veg, there is Selvi mess at Salem bypass. And A2B on Kovai bypass road. If you go further down (30 mins) there is Saravana Bhavan

Well, that's actually Sree Saravana bhavan. You're talking about the one that comes on the left, aren't you? Between Salem & Erode.
That place is decent & has good vegetarian food.

[zzzehar]

Hi guys, we are planning to do Chennai to Coonoor next week. Someone told me the route is through Coimbatore but Google Maps suggest otherwise. I am new to these roads, would appreciate if you can share the major points / highways I will need to keep in mind.

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by zzzehar

Hi guys, we are planning to do Chennai to Coonoor next week. Someone told me the route is through Coimbatore but Google Maps suggest otherwise. I am new to these roads, would appreciate if you can share the major points / highways I will need to keep in mind.

There's a road that crosses under the NH544 (Perundurai - CBE section) that will lead you to ooty without touching Coimbatore city. It's called Annur - Metupalayam road. You will have to get off the main highway at Annur& take that road to reach Ooty/Coonoor.
As I mentioned in my previous posts a few days ago, NH45 is the best option.

[Landkruzer]

Originally Posted by zzzehar

Hi guys, we are planning to do Chennai to Coonoor next week. Someone told me the route is through Coimbatore but Google Maps suggest otherwise. I am new to these roads, would appreciate if you can share the major points / highways I will need to keep in mind.

No need to goto Coimbatore. The route would Chennai-Ulundurpet-Salem-Avinashi-Annur-Mettupalayam-Kunnur(Coonoor). The default route shown by google maps is the correct one. After the avinashi bypass, you need to turn towards Avinashi town and take the Annur Road