Delhi to KanyaKumari

contactgautam · 16th May 2010, 10:34

Hi friends,
Have been planning this trip for some time and now I am pretty impatient to start it.
Well! The plan is to start from Delhi with my 10 month old Sx4 on the 28th evening at about 5 or 6 pm and drive through the night non stop to pune. It should take around 20 hours or so. Stay there for a week with my daughter who is doing her MBA and then proceed to Goa, Karwar, Mangalore, Kerala (idduki, lake periyar & Kumarakom back waters in kerala) and finally to kanya Kumari.
The return trip from Cape Comorin will be thru Bangaluru, pune and Ahemedabad, Udaipur, Jaipur and Back to Delhi. I have given myself one month for this trip. Total distance should be about 6500 km approximately.

Will keep you guys posted on the progress of my itenary.
Suggestions and advice are welcome

MX6 · 16th May 2010, 10:52

Wow! A live travelogue that starts 2 weeks before the trip! The base plan looks very exciting. Let's arrange a T-BHP meet when you are in Pune.

SmartCat · 16th May 2010, 10:57

If you want to be a little adventurous, while coming back to Delhi, take the Kanyakumari - Bangalore - Hyderabad - Nagpur - Sagar (MP) - Gwalior (MP) - Agra - New Delhi.

Take this route only if you want a change in the scenary, and you like a little bit of rough roading (among fantastic greenery) in Madhya Pradesh. SX4 shouldn't have any problems.

asdon · 16th May 2010, 11:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat

If you want to be a little adventurous, while coming back to Delhi, take the Kanyakumari - Bangalore - Hyderabad - Nagpur - Sagar (MP) - Gwalior (MP) - Agra - New Delhi.

Take this route only if you want a change in the scenary, and you like a little bit of rough roading (among fantastic greenery) in Madhya Pradesh. SX4 shouldn't have any problems.

And you will like the road From Kannyakumari to Bangalore as well, one of the very well constructed NH I have ever driven.

hvkumar · 16th May 2010, 17:28

A 20 hour target to reach Pune looks difficult, traffic is very high in Surat-Bombay sector and you can get slowed down considerably.
Road widening is going on between Surat and Vapi.
You can turn off NH8 at Navasari and go via Saputara and Nashik to Pune, may save you some time and hassles of traffic. Currently, the road is in good condition.
NH17 has bad patches between Bhatkal and Mangalore and traffic is terrible.
You can ideally do the circuit via Kochi as follows: Kochi-KOthamangalam-Munnar-Thekkady/Kumili/Periyar-Kuttikanam-Kattapana-Idukki-Thodupuzha-Kottayam-KUmarakom-Trivandrum-Kanyakumari.
Roads are great, but imminent rains means you can expect heavy rains at the start of the season in all these areas.
Why not have teh pleasure of taking NH7 all the way from Kanyakumari to Varanasi and then go to Delhi?
Kanyakumari-Madurai-Salem-Bangalore-Hyderabad-Nagpur-Jabalpur-Katni-Rewa-Varanasi-Allahabad-Kanpur-Etawah-Agra-Delhi?
NH7 is in good condition all along, except some bad sections in AP-MH border.
IN case you choose to go via Laknadon, Sagar and Khansi, please be warned that the road is being widened and condition is moderately good.

SmartCat · 16th May 2010, 17:43

Isn't the Nagpur - Laknadon - Sagar - Jhansi - Agra road part of the "North-South Corridor" (its called something like that)? Is it being 4-laned right now?

hvkumar · 16th May 2010, 17:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat

Isn't the Nagpur - Laknadon - Sagar - Jhansi - Agra road part of the "North-South Corridor" (its called something like that)? Is it being 4-laned right now?

The NS Corridor is going very slowly:

- Pholpur town (RJ, Agra-Gwalior route) has no bypass and there are heavy traffic jams around this town

- Gwalior bypass is incomplete

- Gwalior-Jhansi road is progressing fast, but several sections are incomplete

- Jhansi-Laknadon widening work is progressing very slowly, but road is better than before (earlier, it used to be terrible).

- Laknadon-Seoni is lovely 4-laner, but Seoni bypass is a disaster

- the mountain roads after Seoni till Kampty are 2-laned

- FRom Kampty to Nagpur, road is very congested

- Road widening on NH& south of Nagpur, roads incomplete, in a bad condition after Pandharkawada in MH-AP border

- Road not yet widened in several sections in AP towards Hyderabad

- No proper signages for Hyderabad bypass

- Road widening in some places incomplete between Hyderabad and Bangalore

- Road is great all the way from Bangalore to Kanyakumari

ampere · 16th May 2010, 17:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat

Isn't the Nagpur - Laknadon - Sagar - Jhansi - Agra road part of the "North-South Corridor" (its called something like that)? Is it being 4-laned right now?

I think NH7 is a part of N-S corridor. Its just that NS Corridor is also spoken in the same breadth as GQ.

StarVegabond · 16th May 2010, 18:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by contactgautam

Hi friends,
Have been planning this trip for some time and now I am pretty impatient to start it.
Well! The plan is to start from Delhi with my 10 month old Sx4 on the 28th evening at about 5 or 6 pm and drive through the night non stop to pune. It should take around 20 hours or so.

Gautam sir

I agree with HVK when he says Delhi to Pune in one stretch Non stop is difficult. How many drivers you would be having in your car with you ?
how many of them have night driving experience. How many times you have done Delhi-Pune before ? What is the age profile of people who would be with you in the vehicle ?

these are some of the aspects you need to consider before you decide to do it in 20 hours flat.

vikram.vns · 16th May 2010, 18:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

- Road not yet widened in several sections in AP towards Hyderabad

Road widening work on NH7 from Hyderabad to Kamareddy is completed and the work from Kamareddy to Armoor town is going on a slow pace.

contactgautam · 16th May 2010, 19:08

Hi HV,
Good to see you responding to my thread. I did Dli-Pune last year in my 8 year old Maruti Van in 2 days via Agra. Gwalior. Indore, Shirdi and finally Pune. I bypassed nashik as I wanted to visit Shirdi. While coming back I took pune-mumbai expressway from Pune & thereafter NH8 & drove to Mt Abu in the first day and and back in delhi the next day. To my pleasant surprise I did not find the kind of traffic you are talking about in Mumbai Surat Sector. I passed this sector around 11o'clock if I correctly remember. Anyway could tell me exactly what time the traffic becomes heavy. Secondly, how is t the nashik pune highway. Never driven on it. Also planning to do gao - kochi in one day. Is it doable considering the road condotion. Your alternate route suggestion for the return trip is great, But won't follow the route as I will have to meet my daughter again in Pune on my way back to dli. Your suggestion for the kerala route is well taken and possibly will be following it
By the way I was the solitary driver last year, and so will it be this year as well. No helping hand here.

manim · 16th May 2010, 19:11

Did the Tirunelveli -> Kanyakumari 4-lane stretch last week.
Mostly complete except near Kanyakumari.
The newly opened Tirunelveli bye-pass is like a dream!

contactgautam · 16th May 2010, 19:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

Gautam sir

I agree with HVK when he says Delhi to Pune in one stretch Non stop is difficult. How many drivers you would be having in your car with you ?
how many of them have night driving experience. How many times you have done Delhi-Pune before ? What is the age profile of people who would be with you in the vehicle ?

these are some of the aspects you need to consider before you decide to do it in 20 hours flat.

I was and will be the solitary driver now and am 51 years. I will be accompanied by my wife who is a year younger than I and my daughter who is just 17 years. I did dli-pune in my 8 year old maruti van only last year, Took 2 days.
Took the dli agra, gwalior Indore, Shirdi, and finally to pune, Have done many similar long distance trips by car in the past (i.e. in the ninties, eighties..)

contactgautam · 16th May 2010, 19:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by MX6

Wow! A live travelogue that starts 2 weeks before the trip! The base plan looks very exciting. Let's arrange a T-BHP meet when you are in Pune.

]

If all goes well I will be there on the 29th evening or 30th of this month. I will see if you so wish. Can give me your cell no. Wish me luck

ampere · 16th May 2010, 19:24

BLR-KK is almost like a complete 4L with bypasses in place at almost all places. Its a dream to drive.

16th May 2010, 10:34	#1
contactgautam BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 51 Thanked: 2 Times	Delhi to KanyaKumari Hi friends, Have been planning this trip for some time and now I am pretty impatient to start it. Well! The plan is to start from Delhi with my 10 month old Sx4 on the 28th evening at about 5 or 6 pm and drive through the night non stop to pune. It should take around 20 hours or so. Stay there for a week with my daughter who is doing her MBA and then proceed to Goa, Karwar, Mangalore, Kerala (idduki, lake periyar & Kumarakom back waters in kerala) and finally to kanya Kumari. The return trip from Cape Comorin will be thru Bangaluru, pune and Ahemedabad, Udaipur, Jaipur and Back to Delhi. I have given myself one month for this trip. Total distance should be about 6500 km approximately. Will keep you guys posted on the progress of my itenary. Suggestions and advice are welcome
	() Thanks

16th May 2010, 10:52	#2
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	Wow! A live travelogue that starts 2 weeks before the trip! The base plan looks very exciting. Let's arrange a T-BHP meet when you are in Pune.
	() Thanks

16th May 2010, 10:57	#3
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,441 Thanked: 43,058 Times View My Garage	If you want to be a little adventurous, while coming back to Delhi, take the Kanyakumari - Bangalore - Hyderabad - Nagpur - Sagar (MP) - Gwalior (MP) - Agra - New Delhi. Take this route only if you want a change in the scenary, and you like a little bit of rough roading (among fantastic greenery) in Madhya Pradesh. SX4 shouldn't have any problems.
	() Thanks

16th May 2010, 17:28	#5
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	A 20 hour target to reach Pune looks difficult, traffic is very high in Surat-Bombay sector and you can get slowed down considerably. Road widening is going on between Surat and Vapi. You can turn off NH8 at Navasari and go via Saputara and Nashik to Pune, may save you some time and hassles of traffic. Currently, the road is in good condition. NH17 has bad patches between Bhatkal and Mangalore and traffic is terrible. You can ideally do the circuit via Kochi as follows: Kochi-KOthamangalam-Munnar-Thekkady/Kumili/Periyar-Kuttikanam-Kattapana-Idukki-Thodupuzha-Kottayam-KUmarakom-Trivandrum-Kanyakumari. Roads are great, but imminent rains means you can expect heavy rains at the start of the season in all these areas. Why not have teh pleasure of taking NH7 all the way from Kanyakumari to Varanasi and then go to Delhi? Kanyakumari-Madurai-Salem-Bangalore-Hyderabad-Nagpur-Jabalpur-Katni-Rewa-Varanasi-Allahabad-Kanpur-Etawah-Agra-Delhi? NH7 is in good condition all along, except some bad sections in AP-MH border. IN case you choose to go via Laknadon, Sagar and Khansi, please be warned that the road is being widened and condition is moderately good.
	() Thanks

16th May 2010, 17:43	#6
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,441 Thanked: 43,058 Times View My Garage	Isn't the Nagpur - Laknadon - Sagar - Jhansi - Agra road part of the "North-South Corridor" (its called something like that)? Is it being 4-laned right now?
	() Thanks

16th May 2010, 19:08	#11
contactgautam BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 51 Thanked: 2 Times	Hi HV, Good to see you responding to my thread. I did Dli-Pune last year in my 8 year old Maruti Van in 2 days via Agra. Gwalior. Indore, Shirdi and finally Pune. I bypassed nashik as I wanted to visit Shirdi. While coming back I took pune-mumbai expressway from Pune & thereafter NH8 & drove to Mt Abu in the first day and and back in delhi the next day. To my pleasant surprise I did not find the kind of traffic you are talking about in Mumbai Surat Sector. I passed this sector around 11o'clock if I correctly remember. Anyway could tell me exactly what time the traffic becomes heavy. Secondly, how is t the nashik pune highway. Never driven on it. Also planning to do gao - kochi in one day. Is it doable considering the road condotion. Your alternate route suggestion for the return trip is great, But won't follow the route as I will have to meet my daughter again in Pune on my way back to dli. Your suggestion for the kerala route is well taken and possibly will be following it By the way I was the solitary driver last year, and so will it be this year as well. No helping hand here.
	() Thanks

16th May 2010, 19:11	#12
manim BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: TN69 Posts: 822 Thanked: 917 Times	Tirunelveli -> Kanyakumari 4-lane Did the Tirunelveli -> Kanyakumari 4-lane stretch last week. Mostly complete except near Kanyakumari. The newly opened Tirunelveli bye-pass is like a dream!
	() Thanks

16th May 2010, 19:24	#15
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,959 Thanked: 12,955 Times View My Garage	BLR-KK is almost like a complete 4L with bypasses in place at almost all places. Its a dream to drive.
	() Thanks