[pratt]

Hi folks, have recently been granted membership of this Group. Me and wife are planning to drive down in my Mitsubishi Outlander, from Goa to Munnar towards the end of November. I know a lot of folks here have travelled to Munnar, mostly from Bangalore.
I was wondering does it make any sense to go to Munnar by the coastal route from Goa i.e. Goa -Udupi-Mangalore -Kozhikode-Kochi-Munnar. Can anyone advise on the road conditions along this route, or would it make more sense to go via Bangalore?
Any information appreciated.
Pratt

[hvkumar]

The NH17 coastal route would be the best, but you can also drive down via Bangalore which means better roads.

NH17 would also mean travelling through the congested Kerala towns.

[kutlee]

but HV, how would you compare costal route from Goa till say Kannur? because if it is of same condition as that of Goa-Bangalore-Coimby, then it doesn't make much difference. does it? what's the difference in KMs between these two routes?

[hvkumar]

Let us look at distance comparisons:

Bangalore Route
Goa-Bangalore, via Shimoga, 670 kms
Bangalore-Munnar, via Udumalpet, 550 kms
totalling 1220 kms


NH17 Route:
Goa-Mangalore-Angamali, 820 kms
Angamali-Munnar, 120 kms
totalling 940 kms

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

The NH17 coastal route would be the best, but you can also drive down via Bangalore which means better roads.

NH17 would also mean travelling through the congested Kerala towns.

+1 to this,IMO,NH17 is any day better towards Munnar,
For an easy drive stopver at Kozhikode for the night.or else if you do an early morning 3am start then it can easily be done in 1 day.

[pratt]

I'm in Phuntsholing at present with limited access to email, and hence late in acknowledging the suggestions. Thank you all; Considering the difference in distances, NH17 does appear to be a more attractive alternative. And I plan to take it leisurely with plenty of time in hand, stopping, halting overnight and moving wherever we fancy ..a real holiday!! so getting up for a 3 am start would be extremely unlikely. Any idea of the road conditions on the NH17 route at this time of the year? Am keeping my fingers crossed, it won't be too bad. And HV, couldn't locate Angamalli on the map i had handy. Is it before Kozhikode or after?

[hvkumar]

Angamali is on NH47 between Trissur and Kochi, around 40 kms before Kochi. It is also the junction where the MC Road starts and goes via Kalady, Perumbavoor and Muvattupuzha to Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram. Nearest towns to Angamali are Chalakudy (north) and Aluva (south)

[neel24neo]

I am driving to Munnar from Trivandrum on the 12th.the route i am planning to take is Trivandrum-kayamkulam-mavelikkara-thiruvalla-kottayam-muvattupuzha-kothamangalam-munnar. Please can someone give me an update on road conditions between kottayam and munnar.i haven't traveled along NH-49 yet, how good is that route.

[hvkumar]

Munnar road is good - update from last week

[RajaTaurus]

An Outlander owner here!
I am not aware of any other Outlanders here on team-bhp. Pratt, I am looking forward to your initial ownership reports and of course, your travelogue.
For that matter, there is not even a 'detailed' test drive report for Outlander by a team-bhpian here yet.

[pratt]

Hi Raja, Its a great car and I am looking forward to the drive. Will be the first time I'll be putting it to test on this longish trip. Will definitely put up my experiences here on my return. Am keeping my fingers crossed that the roads will be in reasonably decent condition after the recent heavy showers.

[gadadhar]

@ pratt, Since you have time at your disposal you can go via NH17 & plan to come back through Munnar -> Marayoor -> Udumelpet -> Dharapuram-> Kangayom -> Perundurai -> Bangalore (roads are excellent till Bangalore). Will give you a good feel of the ghat roads, Chinnar wild life sanctuary etc and will save you from boredom of taking the same road twice

[pratt]

thanks gadadhar; excellent idea, and I think I'll do just that. On the NH 17, still have to find out the latest condition of the roads between Karwar and Udupi, as I understand they can be in terrible condition !

[pratt]

Had a great trip.

The weather was just right, the roads not too bad (except for some relatively brief stretches), and the car behaved perfectly. Was in no great hurry to reach anywhere, and hence took it leisurely, stopping frequently. Won't bore the BHP'ians with all the details but just an outline of the route I took..

Day 1 - From Pune to Goa by NH4, till Nipani, then the right turn into Gadinglaj, Ajra, Amboli, Sawantwadi, and finally into Goa at Mapusa, and onto Varca Beach (530 kms). Two nights at Varca Beach, Goa.
Day 3 - NH 17 from Goa to Karwar (85 kms). Checked at Karwar about the NH 17 road conditions further on and was advised that it would be foolish to take that route beyond Honavar (88 kms), as the roads ahead were in terrible condition. The alternative was to go from Honavar to Shimoga, and then onto Bangalore and from there to Munnar. Kept the decision on hold till we reached Honavar. Stopped for lunch at Kamat's at Honavar, and while still debating whether to take the left to Shimoga, or the right towards Udupi on NH17, checked with an Indica driver who was coming on NH 17 from Mangalore. He confirmed the road wasn't great in patches, but was definitely manageable, and would be no problem for the Outlander. The decision was made and decided to continue on NH17. Repair work was underway on the bad stretches, and it was obvious that a few days ago there would have been no road to speak of. But for now the going wasn't too bad, a bit slow on the bad stretches - which never lasted more than a few hundred metres anyway. Stopped to visit the lovely Murudeshewar temple enroute. The 130 kms from Honavar to Udupi took a little over 3 and a half hours and reached Udupi where we stopped overnight. Visit to the Krishna temple followed by good wholesome food at Woodlands.
Day 4 - Udupi / Mangalore / Kasargod/ Mahe / kozhikode (300 kms). Had a taste of the narrow, winding NH 17 roads in Kerala winding their way through congested towns. Also, realised that the fastest way to travel in these parts was probably by public buses, which managed to overtake everything that came in their way! At kozhikode stayed at the KTDC Govt Guest House Bunglow. Surprisingly, comfortable, and great value. Would you believe an AC Room in a Bunglow, at just Rs 460 + taxes for the night. Guest Hse Ph: 0495 - 2383920 / 2373862
Day 5 - Kozhikode / Guruvayur temple / Kochi (200 kms) - and decided to stop at Kochi, instead of continuing on to Munnar the same day. Once again at the KTDC Guest House on Marine Drive -and again great value at Rs 1460/- including taxes (Ph:0484 - 2360502) .
Day 6 - Kochi /Tripunithura / Moovattupuzha / Kothamangalam / Neriyamangalam / Adimali / Munnar (150 kms). Break at Munnar for 4 days;
Day 10 - Munnar / Udumalpet / Dharapuram / Kangyam / Perundarai / Bhavani / Salem (295 kms) - Very good roads, except for parts of the last stretch towards Salem, on account of the road work being done at parts on the Highway. The windmills around Dharapuram , Kangyam make a fascinating sight.
Day 11 - Salem / Bangalore (200 kms); Overnight
Day 12 - Bangalore / Tumkur / Chitradurga /Davangere/ Hubli / Dharwad / Belgaum (529 kms); Numerous stretches right upto Chitradurga were very slow going on account of diversions and road work in progress on the Highway. But thereafter it was a dream run. Overnight at Belgaum.
Day 13 - Belgaum / Pune (348 kms);

A few random pictures of the route....

[LongDrive lover]

@ pratt, nice trip you had. If possible, Pl post few more pics of those beautiful places.