[pypkmsrikanth]

I don't know about the exact distances on NH17 but it is certainly not fast especially if you are traveling during day time as the road is not really wide at most places, the traffic is an over kill.

The best option for you is to take the Munnar - Kothamangalam - Perumbavoor - Angamaly - Thrissur onwards towards Guruvayoor. What possibly you could do is to go all the way upto Mannuthy on the byepass and then take a left onto Thrissur which could save you some strain of driving through the city traffic in Thrissur.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

@ ranjitp1 : If i halt in Salem, distance to be covered next day ( Salem - Munnar) will be more and we will reach Munnar only late afternoon. Am i right ??
Also, i definitely intend coming via Bandipur, Mysore only.

Its not much of a difference in terms of distance to travel from Salem & Perundurai.I would recco a stay at Salem or as Srikanth suggested,stretch the drive to Erode and stay the night at Erode,especially since you are travelling with family.

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

Ampere has suggested a route thro' Angamali, Kaladi. What is the difference between the above route and the one suggested by you ?
Distance & road conditions pls ?

Distance wise-both are more or less same (around 200kms approx from Munnar on both routes).

The NH17 would be a more scenic route as you drive through the coast with the Arabian sea to your left to keep you company till Chavakkad.

Once you enter Kerala,travel times on highways do not matter any more.This is due to the density of population in the state.You wouldnt know at what point you leave a district and enter another district because the whole state is dotted with houses and people.A friend from Bhopal once remarked that its so difficult to find lonely stretches in Kerala,I guess something thats unique to the state.

So imho thrissur or nh17 not much of a difference,either ways would take you around 4-5 hours of travel time with stops.

PS:Please maintain speeds below 80 once you enter Kerala as the Police are pretty strict with speed limits and you would find them with speed guns on various roads.Fines range between INR 300 & INR 500.(Not that you would be able to maintain a 80 on the roads.Thats a different story altogether)

[bijuks]

Visiting Guruvayoor first would be a better choice.

If you start @ 3:00pm from Bangalore, you can target reaching Palghat/Thrissur/Guruvayoor on the same day and plan for an early morning darshan at Guruvayoor. You can reach Palghat easily before 9:00pm. Palghat to Guruvayoor would take Approx 2 hours in the early morning.

Plan to leave by afternoon to Munnar via Thrissur - Chalakkudi - Angamali - Perumbavoor - Kothamangalam - Adimali - Munnar.

From Munnar - return directly to Bangalore. Options are Marayoor - Udumalpettai route or Devikulam - Pooppara - Theni - Dindigul - Salem (NH49 & NH7) route.

[ampere]

Either way its the same.
You just need to figure out when you want to meet the gods !

[Rajesh K R]

Originally Posted by bijuks

Visiting Guruvayoor first would be a better choice.

If you start @ 3:00pm from Bangalore, you can target reaching Palghat/Thrissur/Guruvayoor on the same day and plan for an early morning darshan at Guruvayoor. You can reach Palghat easily before 9:00pm. Palghat to Guruvayoor would take Approx 2 hours in the early morning.

Plan to leave by afternoon to Munnar via Thrissur - Chalakkudi - Angamali - Perumbavoor - Kothamangalam - Adimali - Munnar.

From Munnar - return directly to Bangalore. Options are Marayoor - Udumalpettai route or Devikulam - Pooppara - Theni - Dindigul - Salem (NH49 & NH7) route.

Thanks biju. I am still thinking whether i should go to Munnar first and then come via Guruvayur or vice-versa. The hitch is i will be staying a Sterling in Munnar which has a 12 noon check-in/ check-out.

My travel date is still a long way to go, so will firm up the plans only after i talk to the Sterling guys. Can Kaladi also be covered on the way from Munnar to Guruvayur ?

One more thing, i think you drove from BLR to Munnar on a Wagon-R. How was the drive ? Did you feel too much tired ? Vehicle performance good ? I will be driving my Wagon-R to the above places.

[bijuks]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

Can Kaladi also be covered on the way from Munnar to Guruvayur ?

One more thing, i think you drove from BLR to Munnar on a Wagon-R. How was the drive ? Did you feel too much tired ? Vehicle performance good ? I will be driving my Wagon-R to the above places.

Kaladi is on the way between Munnar and Guruvayoor. If you want to enter the Shankaracharya place at Kaladi - better check for the timings there. No idea on that. The place is right there on the road side.

I ahve done many long trips in the Wagon-R and I guess many here also would have done the same. No problems in the BLR-Munnar route. For me, it takes close to 10Hrs to reach Munnar - Where ever possible, I stick to the 100-110 range and Max speed would be around 130.

With minimum a/c on full time, it saves me from getting tired and gives approximately 17kmpl. Also, keep some pillows for co-passengers - in case if required.

The issue of Wagon-R that worries me most are:
1. The low ground clearance - Tip is to be dead slow on humps.
2. The drop in power when a/c is on - Tip is to switch of a/c just before climbing any steep roads.

[Rajesh K R]

Thanks Biju for the tips. I don't think i can be maintaining speeds of over 100 Kmph in roads which i am travelling first time. Also will be travelling with elders & kid.

I might again need your tips / suggestion when i actually freeze my travel plans.

[ampere]

You dont need to drive (or overdrive ) your car. 80-100 should be good enough. The key is how efficiently you maintain this speed how less you stop. If you adhere to these points, you easily would get an average of 60. That is sufficient to reach Munnar without any trouble. Save the maximum breaks between Udumalpet and Munnar.

Because you would like to stop at every place on this section !

[Rajesh K R]

Originally Posted by ampere

You dont need to drive (or overdrive ) your car. 80-100 should be good enough. The key is how efficiently you maintain this speed how less you stop. If you adhere to these points, you easily would get an average of 60. That is sufficient to reach Munnar without any trouble. Save the maximum breaks between Udumalpet and Munnar.

Because you would like to stop at every place on this section !

Yes, you are spot on !! I mentioned this because, the Wagon-R has a body roll problem and may be unstable at high speeds. As you rightly said, we will definitely take many breaks to enjoy the scenic beauty of the western ghats.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

Yes, you are spot on !! I mentioned this because, the Wagon-R has a body roll problem and may be unstable at high speeds. As you rightly said, we will definitely take many breaks to enjoy the scenic beauty of the western ghats.

Also please make note of where the resort/hotel is? If its in the main town, then its OK. If its outside, you will need to account for the extra distance to travel and reach before light fades. Eg Chinnakannal (place where you sienna village, mahindra etc) is 22 Km from Munnar and its quite difficult to drive there in the dark. There is practically no light with heavy fog and its quite a ghat section.

[Rajesh K R]

Originally Posted by ampere

Also please make note of where the resort/hotel is? If its in the main town, then its OK. If its outside, you will need to account for the extra distance to travel and reach before light fades. Eg Chinnakannal (place where you sienna village, mahindra etc) is 22 Km from Munnar and its quite difficult to drive there in the dark. There is practically no light with heavy fog and its quite a ghat section.

Yes, i need to plan for that. I intend staying at Sterling which in the same Chinnakannal area. Around 1 hr required for that stretch of 20-22 kms ? We will plan in such a way that i reach Sterling around lunch time.

[cuttingcrew]

What is the suggested route from Bangalore to Munnar? How is the road condition (broken, under construction)? My plans are for end of July.

[ampere]

Bangalore-Salem-Bhavani-Perindurai (NH7/NH47, 4L).

Perindurai-Kangeyam-Dharapuram-Udumalper-Marayoor-Munnar (State Highways and good drivable roads).

Note that NH47 goes through the bypass. You wont see the town on the main highway.

You need to get into Perindurai town to take the Kangeyam road. The town is about 1-2km away from NH47.

You can expect good rains on the Udumalpet - Munnar ghat section which is about 90Km.

[cuttingcrew]

Thanks, Ampere. How about the route through Dindigul? It may be longer, but it is NH7 which is very good.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by cuttingcrew

Thanks, Ampere. How about the route through Dindigul? It may be longer, but it is NH7 which is very good.

You would be doing about 50-60Km extra. Route should be fine. Its just that Udumalpet to Munnar is an amazing drive which very good views. You would be missing on that.

Or you can take the Dindigul route (Via Theni-Bodhi NH45) while going and take Udumalpet via coming back.
Bodhi to Munnar is about 50Km.