[Altisguy]

Anyone planning to do the Hyderabad Delhi stretch please think twice at this juncture. I did this trip yet again this year after the last year's experience was great. Left Hyderabad on 17th July 4:30AM from Kondapur and were in Nagpur conveniently around 10:30AM. Did not have to enter the city due to the bypass at Nagpur which was great. The Pench stretch that was still under construction last year was completely done which meant the onward journey to Sagar was cut short by an hour and we were comfortably at hotel Deepali for a chai around 4:00PM. The experience at Deepali left a lot to be desired though since we were kept waiting for long and the chai and the snacks never arrived. After a quick stopover at a roadside shop started around 5:00Pm from Sagar and had reached Gwalior around 9:30PM. Checked into Radisson which had a good room but pathetic food. Now having covered around 1200 kms on day I still did not leave us very tired. Started easy around 10:00AM from Gwalior and encountered bad city traffic right until Agra bypass and then continued onwards on the Mathura road for a change from the regular Taj expressway. A bunch of dhabas on either side of the road claiming food chain to be from Murthal but all of that is incorrect. Be wise with your choice of place for food since it is nothing great. The traffic went crazy near Palwal due to heavy rains and this GPS took us to Manesar, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Dwarka finally at 6:00PM. Parts of the road were slightly damaged due to rains in the complete stretch but still not so bad.

The real ordeal started on the way back and as soon as we crossed Gwalior we could see smaller sections of the road damaged which changed for the worse once we crossed Jhansi and that continued pretty much all the way up to Narsinghpur. I am at a loss to understand that how can the roads get so damaged when it had not even rained so heavy in those areas by then. The toll has only gone up from last year and the roads have gone down considerably.It was a taxing drive upto Nagpur from Delhi. We started from Delhi around 5:00AM and reached Nagpur around 10:30PM. The entire journey left us frustrated. This was when it was just the two of us and had a good ride in a good old Altis with great suspensions and extremely comfortable drive. However, if you are traveling with family esp kids and older parents, please avoid do so till the roads get better. Most of the fastag toll booth were ill managed where we had to reverse the car a few meters for the sensor to be able to read the tag. Checked into Centre Point Airport Hotel which had amazing food but not so great rooms ( very old and ill kept). The next day's journey started a little after 10:00AM and we touched ORR at around 5:00PM after a relaxed easy drive.

[nitinralli]

Thanks for the heads up on the road condition from Delhi to Hyderabad.

I will be going to Delhi in October from Gachibowli again. Last I did this route was in March 2021 (Hyd to Delhi). While returning from Delhi in April 2021 (thanks to second wave hitting that time) I did Delhi to Hyderabad on same day, approx 1700kms. Roads were fine then as it was before monsoon. That's why I was able to do this in one day. Started at 5am from Dwarka and reached Gachibowli at 11.30PM.

[satishchugh]

Originally Posted by Altisguy

Anyone planning to do the Hyderabad Delhi stretch please think twice at this juncture.

This is a bit worrying as I am starting for Hyderabad on 5th Sept. Here is the plan -
5th Sept - Delhi to Chanderi
6th Sept - Local sightseeing
7th Sept - Chanderi - Sanchi - Bhopal
8th & 9th Sept - Bhopal
10th Sept - Bhopal to Pench/Nagpur
11th Sept - Nagpur to Hyderabad
12th & 13th Sept - Hyderabad
14th Sept - Hyderabad to Bengaluru

Its partly an outing and partly a visit to office
With a 4 year old kid we don't want to drive long hours day after day.

Any suggestion on route and options to stay? We are esp looking at places to stay at/near Nagpur and in Hyderabad (preferably near Gachibowli).

Both of us are single vaccinated. Is there any travel restriction at any place. I haven't heard anything except for Karnataka where a RT/PCR may be required. Is it necessary?

[Altisguy]

@ Satishchugh..I have not taken the Bhopal route but I understand that most part its a common road till Gwalior which means a breeze until you hit Agra. Agra to Gwalior is frustrating traffic and gets worse as the day progresses, better to cross that as early in the morning as possible. I have heard that the Shivpuri to Guna road is very well laid out so should not be a problem and maybe you will encounter lesser cattle than you would on the Jhansi to Narsinghpur stretch. I can speak for Pench to Nagpur and beyond. Pench to Nagpur is well laid out and safe to travel at anytime of the day. Try and stay at one of the properties closer to the airport since that is right on the Hyderabad highway which means you don't start your day with city traffic. Avoid centre point airport since that is a very old and unkept hotel but amazing food. Le Meridian was where I stayed last year which is not a bad property but very poor service and bad food. You could possibly stay at Le Meridian and order food from outside and the breakfast is not great but not too bad either. There is enough parking space and you don't need to get into city traffic and can exit the city easily. If you plan to stay at Pench take the bypass at Nagpur which will have you completely avoid city traffic and you can get onto the Hyderabad highway.Nagpur to Hyderabad is again a fairly good drive with some amazing ghat picturesque views. Get on the ORR as soon as you find the first entry point to ORR which will straight take you to Gachibowli. Many options to stay at Gachibowli and around that place which includes the Sheraton of the world and more affordable options too. VFM is lemon tree with amazing food and good rooms. There is also Kapil Towers in Gachibowli which is right close to the ORR. This means you don't need to enter the city and can exit via the ORR to Bangalore.I have traveled the length and breadth of the country right from Jammu down south to Trichy and most places in between but Hyderabad to Bangalore stretch is arguably the best drive.The traffic gets much lesser once you cross Kurnool onwards to Bangalore.

The key is that if you start early from Nagpur it won't take you more than 6.5-7 hours to get to Hyderabad which leaves you the entire day to rest. Similar is the case with Hyderabad-Bangalore. An early start around 6AM would get you to Bangalore a little after noon at easy pace.

No traffic restrictions at all on the entire route.I travelled right a day before 15th Aug and there was not as much a single place where we were stopped for checking.

Have a safe drive my friend..!!

[Karvel]

Originally Posted by Altisguy

Did not have to enter the city due to the bypass at Nagpur which was great. The Pench stretch that was still under construction last year was completely done which meant the onward journey to Sagar was cut short by an hour and we were comfortably at hotel Deepali for a chai around 4:00PM. The experience at Deepali left a lot to be desired though since we were kept waiting for long and the chai and the snacks never arrived. After a quick stopover at a roadside shop started around 5:00Pm from Sagar and had reached Gwalior around 9:30PM

The real ordeal started on the way back and as soon as we crossed Gwalior we could see smaller sections of the road damaged which changed for the worse once we crossed Jhansi and that continued pretty much all the way up to Narsinghpur. I am at a loss to understand that how can the roads get so damaged when it had not even rained so heavy in those areas by then. The toll has only gone up from last year and the roads have gone down considerably.It was a taxing drive upto Nagpur from Delhi. We started from Delhi around 5:00AM and reached Nagpur around 10:30PM. The entire journey left us frustrated

Thanks for sharing.
Did you take a different route to reach Nagpur, from Gwalior, on the return or the same route you had taken when going to Delhi. Do you mean to say this stretch had deteriorated between the couple of weeks?

[Altisguy]

Yes, I took the same route back.The only difference is that I took the Mathura road while going to Delhi and returned via the Taj expressway. Yes, the road has deteriorated in a matter of 4 weeks and that was surprising since I have been doing the Hyderabad Bangalore stretch for years now and no matter, no rain, sunshine or anything has changed the condition of the road. I was very appreciative of the MP roads from my drive last year but this year was a let down.

[BusyBoyKK]

Can someone provide feedback on road conditions for the attached route from Vrindavan, UP to Nellore, AP? I gathered feedback on the Jhansi-Bhopal stretch and was told road conditions are decent and can be managed in an Innova of 4 adults.

Thank you and much gratitude in advance!

[BrakeFree]

Just completed Hyderabad to Delhi road trip, 3 weeks back. Remained glued to NH44 all throughout with night halt at Sagar, MP (12 hours drive time from Hyderabad) and Agra (for sight seeing). The monsoons have taken a serious toll on the road conditions with few stretches riddled with many potholes.

Now it's time to head back to Hyderabad and I have few questions:
> I'll be starting from Gurgaon, so should I use Taj Expressway or KMP->Mathura Road-> Agra bypass?
> I plan to drive till Sagar, MP on day-1 and will like to avoid driving past sunset (can't handle the high beam glare from either front or rear directions ). With a total of 45min to 1 hour pitstop, what would you recommend as an ideal start time from Sohna Road, Gurgaon?

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by BrakeFree

Just completed Hyderabad to Delhi road trip, 3 weeks back. Remained glued to NH44 all throughout with night halt at Sagar, MP (12 hours drive time from Hyderabad) and Agra (for sight seeing). The monsoons have taken a serious toll on the road conditions with few stretches riddled with many potholes.

Now it's time to head back to Hyderabad and I have few questions:
> I'll be starting from Gurgaon, so should I use Taj Expressway or KMP->Mathura Road-> Agra bypass?
> I plan to drive till Sagar, MP on day-1 and will like to avoid driving past sunset (can't handle the high beam glare from either front or rear directions ). With a total of 45min to 1 hour pitstop, what would you recommend as an ideal start time from Sohna Road, Gurgaon?

Thanks for the update.

I am starting tonight for Delhi from Hyderabad again. Can you let me know which stretchs are bad now after monsoon?

Last I did this route was in March this year and it was fine throughout.

[BrakeFree]

There were bigger but fewer potholes around 100 kms before Hinganghat. If you drive under 100kmph they were easy to dodge in a sedan.

Again between Sagar and Narsinghpur there were smaller but many potholes. With 16"+ wheel size the car was managing fine at 100+ kmph. Anything below that speed the ride became uncomfortable.

[Aniket Verma]

Originally Posted by BrakeFree

> I plan to drive till Sagar, MP on day-1 and will like to avoid driving past sunset (can't handle the high beam glare from either front or rear directions ). With a total of 45min to 1 hour pitstop, what would you recommend as an ideal start time from Sohna Road, Gurgaon?

Start around 5:30 AM and you will hit KMP by 6:00 AM. Sohna road is freshly laid after Badshahpur.

This will allow you to hit NH44 around sun rise and you will also avoid Morning traffic at Mathura.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by Aniket Verma

Start around 5:30 AM and you will hit KMP by 6:00 AM. Sohna road is freshly laid after Badshahpur.

This will allow you to hit NH44 around sun rise and you will also avoid Morning traffic at Mathura.

Is Sohna road better while going towards Dwarka? Or go through Manesar?

[Aniket Verma]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

Is Sohna road better while going towards Dwarka? Or go through Manesar?

If travelling during off peak hours, you can use Sohna road, you will also avoid Manesar Toll plaza if your end destination is in Delhi.

Please note that there are sections with WIP between Badshapur & Rajeev Chowk due to ongoing work of new Delhi-Mumbai expressway. But roads are good and throw no surprises.

[saikatmandal04]

Originally Posted by BrakeFree

Now it's time to head back to Hyderabad and I have few questions:
> I'll be starting from Gurgaon, so should I use Taj Expressway or KMP->Mathura Road-> Agra bypass?
> I plan to drive till Sagar, MP on day-1 and will like to avoid driving past sunset (can't handle the high beam glare from either front or rear directions ). With a total of 45min to 1 hour pitstop, what would you recommend as an ideal start time from Sohna Road, Gurgaon?

I just traveled back to Hyderabad from Gurgaon on the 15-Oct. We started from South City at around 6:00 AM and took the Sohna Road, WPE, Agra Bypass, and all the way on the NH44. We too had planned of halting at Sagar, but having reached Sagar in the late afternoon itself, we thought of traveling a bit further. Google showed this hotel called - The Grand Shukrana, at Kareli just before Narsinghpur and found the reviews okayish to spend the night there. On the 1st day we covered 780kms from home in 11.5 Hrs with a couple of stoppages for breakfast and lunch.

The next day we started at around 5:30 AM from the hotel. Roads were pretty bad once we entered MH maybe because of rains with lots of big-sized potholes and also missing the road surface at a few places. We also encountered rain just after entering into TS and it followed us all the way till we reached home at around 3:30 PM.

[Aniket Verma]

Originally Posted by Aniket Verma

If travelling during off peak hours, you can use Sohna road, you will also avoid Manesar Toll plaza if your end destination is in Delhi.

Please note that there are sections with WIP between Badshapur & Rajeev Chowk due to ongoing work of new Delhi-Mumbai expressway. But roads are good and throw no surprises.

Update as on today.

Construction work at Subhash Chowk jas picked up pace, also road b/w Subhash Chowk & Rajeev Chowk has deteriorated.

This route can be avoided for now.