[ampere]

If you want to do Munnar/Allepey and nearby locations, best would to take a train to Ernakulam and then engage a cab. Munnar-Ernakulam should be about 120 km.

If you plan to do Waynad area, then a roundtrip cab option from Bangalore may not be a bad idea.

My take would be take a train to Ernakulam. You will have more options. You can do one roundtrip Munnar/Allepey and back to Ernakulam with a single cab and then take the train back.

[traveloholic]

Thanks everyone for the inputs. I was just curious, if I do a Wayanad trip, would I get a chance to spend whole 3 days exploring Wayanad or I also need to look at other options. How far is Munnar from Wayanad.

[ampere]

Its about 350km. You would end up spending much more on the transportation.
That is why I suggested to choose the Ernakulam region so that you can do Munnar/Thekkady/Kumarakom/Allepey etc.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Thanks everyone for the inputs. I was just curious, if I do a Wayanad trip, would I get a chance to spend whole 3 days exploring Wayanad or I also need to look at other options. How far is Munnar from Wayanad.

Munnar is towards the South while Wayanad is the northern tip of Kerala.Travelling from Munnar to Wayanad is not a feasible option in a three day trip.

You could either do Ernakulam-Munnar-Thekkady-Alleppey(Kumarakom)Backwaters-Kochi.You could stay in munnar and do Thekkady as a day trip from munnar as in all probability the boating on the Periyar would be suspended during the monsoons after the recent boat tragedy.You could 2nights in munnar and third day you could drive through Thekkady to Alleppey and spend the night in a houseboat(again weather permitting)or else stay in any of the numerous hotels/resorts which have houseboats.The advantage is that you would get to spend the day in the houseboat with lunch and evening tea onboard and then spend the night in the hotel.

OR

Bangalore-Mysore-Gundulpet-Muthanga-Sulthan Batheri-Kalpetta(Wayanad).This is a 5 hour trip.All the resorts and hotels are situated mostly in Kalpetta and most of the "places" to see are in and around Kalpetta.

[jksantosh]

Mods,

Please move this to a relevant forum, if there is already one.

I am planning a 20 days Road Trip from Panchkula to Kerala and back and am wondering if the road condition of North South Corridor is going to be fine in December. Here is the tentative plan and looking for Inputs.

Day 1 : Pnachkula to Sagar via Agra - Night stay in Sagar
Day 2 : Sagar to Hyderabad via Nagpur - Night stay in Hyderabad
Day 3 : Hyderabad to Ooty via Mysore - Night stay in Ooty
Day 4 & 5 : Visit Ooty, Cunnoor, Kodaikanal.
Day 6 : To Madurai - Night stay in Madurai
Day 7 : Madurai to Kanya Kumari - Stay in Kanya Kumari
Day 8 & Day 9 : Stay in Kanyakumari and visit Kovalam one day
Day 10 : KanyaKumari to Thekkady - Stay in Thekkady on Day 11
Day 12 : Thekkady to Munnar - stay in Munnar
Day 13 & Day 14: Munnar to Kochi & Alleppy
Day 15 : Kochi to Kannur - Overnight in Kannur
Day 16 : Kannur to Banglore - Overnight in Banglore
Day 17 : banglore to Pune
Day 18 : Pune to Udaipur
Day 19 : Around Udaipur
Day 20 : Udaipur to Panchkula

Please suggest if the above sounds doable and if the road conditions will be suitable between Dec 11 - Dec 31st. I will be the only driver on the Trip and will be accompained by my spouse, and we will be in our New Mahindra XUV 500 W8.

Any comments on the Precautions required.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Any comments on the Precautions required.

Some initial thoughts:

- Route wise there are no issues within south India
- But to get to Bangalore, you should considere the option via Western India both for to and fro option. Agra-Sagar-Nagpur would be pretty bad,
- Now that Delhi Agra is good, but do note that the Yamuna e-way is good for access to Kanpur side rather than Agra side. You will need to cut through the city to take the road to Sagar,
- Hence I would still suggest routing via Jaipur.

- Places like KK/Madurai you can spend a night. But give 3 days for Ooty if you really want to enjoy.
- Ooty to Kodaikanal is far. You cannot club the two in 2-3 days. They are two separate hill stations.

[jksantosh]

Originally Posted by ampere

Some initial thoughts:

- But to get to Bangalore, you should considere the option via Western India both for to and fro option. Agra-Sagar-Nagpur would be pretty bad,

Yes, I have been told that MP Roads are in pretty bad shape, recently I went to Khajuraho and the road between Gwalior and Jhansi was worse then road to ladhak. The only good thing about this route is that I will not have to cross the bigger cities like, Udaipur, almost all the big cities of Gujrat, Mumbai, Pune, etc. which in my Opinion will waste more time than driving through bad roads.

- Ooty to Kodaikanal is far. You cannot club the two in 2-3 days. They are two separate hill stations.

I guess all of them would be same, Ooty, Cunnoor, Munnar and Kodaikanal, would there be much of difference? I have seen all of Himachal, J & K, so I guess I wouldn't mind skipping some of these places as they won't match up to Himalayas.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 1 : Pnachkula to Sagar via Agra - Night stay in Sagar

Very long drive on some very bad roads,plus accomodation options in Sagar are non-existent unless you manage to get some Army guest house option.Hotels are sad.

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 2 : Sagar to Hyderabad via Nagpur - Night stay in Hyderabad

Possible but again a very long drive and bad roads between Sagar & Nagpur.If you do take this route,I would suggest you come via Narsinghpur-Chhindwara-Nagpur which is slightly better off than the NH7 via Seoni-Pench

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 3 : Hyderabad to Ooty via Mysore - Night stay in Ooty

Hyd-BLR 8hrs,1hr to bypass blr,3hrs to Mysore,3hrs to Ooty-total 14hrs

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 4 & 5 : Visit Ooty, Cunnoor, Kodaikanal

Like Ampere mentioned,not at all possible in two days.You would need 2 nights in Ooty and 2 nights in Kodai to do justice.

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 6 : To Madurai - Night stay in Madurai

You could start for Madurai from Kodai.
Day 7 : Madurai to Kanya Kumari - Stay in Kanya Kumari

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 8 & Day 9 : Stay in Kanyakumari and visit Kovalam one day

Why do you want to stay in KK and visit Kovalam?You might as well check out from KK and stay the night in Kovalam since you are going towards Thekkady the next day.

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 10 : KanyaKumari to Thekkady - Stay in Thekkady on Day 11

Suggest you leave for Munnar on Day 11 post lunch

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 12 : Thekkady to Munnar - stay in Munnar

Too short a time in Munnar

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 18 : Pune to Udaipur

Long drive.Pune-Ghodbunder approx 4-5hrs depending on traffic.From there 7hrs to AMD,4-5hrs to UDP.

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 19 : Around Udaipur

UDP needs atleast two full days to do justice to the place

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Day 20 : Udaipur to Panchkula

Another long drive,Udp-Jaipur would take around 7hours,then to Gurgaon another 5 and then to Panckula another 3-5hrs.

Originally Posted by jksantosh

Yes, I have been told that MP Roads are in pretty bad shape, recently I went to Khajuraho and the road between Gwalior and Jhansi was worse then road to ladhak. The only good thing about this route is that I will not have to cross the bigger cities like, Udaipur, almost all the big cities of Gujrat, Mumbai, Pune, etc. which in my Opinion will waste more time than driving through bad roads.

I guess all of them would be same, Ooty, Cunnoor, Munnar and Kodaikanal, would there be much of difference? I have seen all of Himachal, J & K, so I guess I wouldn't mind skipping some of these places as they won't match up to Himalayas.

Coonoor is an extension of Ooty,so you could consider staying at Coonoor and going around Ooty.Coonoor is less crowded as well.Ooty & Kodai are more or less similar in landscapes but with their own share of uniqueness.You would be having an overdose of hill stations with Ooty,Kodai & Munnar.If you do want to do it then the way is Ooty-Mettupalayam-Annur-Avinashi-Palladam-Dharapuram-Palani-Kodai-Bathalangundu-Madurai.Roads are good.Also in comparison with J&K and Himachal,the landscapes are definitely different with each region having their own share of beauty,so comparisons are pointless

Overall I would say imho,you have far too many long driving consecutive days as opposed to rest days.Would be a good idea to reduce your driving days and spend some more time at some places or remove some places from your itinerary.

As for taking the GQ vs the NS corridor,the N-S corridor is a tiring drive while the GQ is a stress free drive with more toll as well.

The GQ is more in distance by approx 300kms one way but the extra distance is compensated by good GQ roads.

As for cities on GQ,all the cities are bypassed except for Mumbai which is also not very difficult to bypass.

As for time taken,both the routes are going to take more or less the same time of approx 33-36hrs to reach Bangalore from Delhi.

[Ajitsingh208]

I also have the same plan as you, except for lesser no. of days, 12 to be exact.
I will be leaving Delhi on 21st evening and plan to be back on 2nd Jan.
Here's my tentative plan
Day 1 - Delhi-Daman
Day 2 - Daman - Gokarna
Day 3 Gokarna
Day 4 - Gokarna -Honavar-Shimoga-Mangalore-Vythri/Kasargod
Day 5 - Vythri/Kasargod-Kochi, Kerala - Alleppey
Day 6- Alleppey
Day 7- Alleppey - Kollam - Kanyakumari
Day 8 Kanyakumari - Bangalore - Hubli(outskirts)
Day 9 Hubli - Goa
Day 10 Goa
Day 11 Goa - Surat/Vadodra
Day 12 Surat/Vadodra - Delhi

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by Ajitsingh208

I also have the same plan as you, except for lesser no. of days, 12 to be exact.
I will be leaving Delhi on 21st evening and plan to be back on 2nd Jan.
Here's my tentative plan
Day 1 - Delhi-Daman
Day 2 - Daman - Gokarna
Day 3 Gokarna
Day 4 - Gokarna -Honavar-Shimoga-Mangalore-Vythri/Kasargod
Day 5 - Vythri/Kasargod-Kochi, Kerala - Alleppey
Day 6- Alleppey
Day 7- Alleppey - Kollam - Kanyakumari
Day 8 Kanyakumari - Bangalore - Hubli(outskirts)
Day 9 Hubli - Goa
Day 10 Goa
Day 11 Goa - Surat/Vadodra
Day 12 Surat/Vadodra - Delhi

Hey Ajitsingh,

This looks like an aggressive Itinerary for a 12 day road trip! I see 4 - 5 schedules which might require more than 10-12 hours of driving which might not leave enough time to enjoy these places you visit. I'm not trying to discourage you, and I realize that this is just a proposed / projected schedule.

I'm sure those well versed on these routes would be able to give you a better picture and will also help you to plan the trip accordingly.

Anyway, good luck man!! Have a safe journey!

R-Six

[Ajitsingh208]

Originally Posted by R-Six

Hey Ajitsingh,

This looks like an aggressive Itinerary for a 12 day road trip! I see 4 - 5 schedules which might require more than 10-12 hours of driving which might not leave enough time to enjoy these places you visit. I'm not trying to discourage you, and I realize that this is just a proposed / projected schedule.

I'm sure those well versed on these routes would be able to give you a better picture and will also help you to plan the trip accordingly.

Anyway, good luck man!! Have a safe journey!

R-Six

Thanks, I know it looks a bit aggressive but I have no other option. This is the maximum time that can be managed by all of us. On days with longer hours of driving, we are planning to start early at around 4Am so that we have some time in the evenings to explore around.
Rest as you said, its all tentative. The actual plan is always made in real time once you start from home.

[vijaythacker]

Friends, we group of friends three couples with kids tobe precise are planning a trip down south to kerela.
Our itenery as of now is that we have booked tickets from ahmedabd to ahmedabad and we are reaching trivendram first and returning from cochin.
Can you guys help us in planning our itenery from trivendram to cochin,which places shall we cover and how many days should be spend there.
Either on 26th or 27th of April we may land at Trivendram, as we have two set to tickets where one is confirmed and is via deroute,another one is yet tobe confirmed which is a direct train.
Its a first trip to kerela so please do pour in your valuable inputs.
Thankyou.

[275BHP]

I'd suggest the following places between Kochi and Trivandrum:

1. Varkala - Close to Trivandrum, has a beautiful beach and a cliff, overlooking the beach.
2. Alleppey - A cruise in the backwaters of Alleppey is a must-do. Depending on your budget you can decide the duration of the cruise. One night in the houseboat is strongly recommended.
3. Munnar - To escape from the heat you could head here. It is basically a very scenic hill station which is known for its tea estates.
4. Athirapally - The "Niagara of Kerala", it is about an hour from Kochi though. But the drive till there is excellent. This is where the film "Raavan" was shot.

You would require a full day (minimum) at Varkala and Munnar. Athirapally can be done in half a day.

This list doesn't include the general site seeing you can do in both Kochi and Trivandrum. Wikipedia has all the info you need for that. Hope this helped . Depending on the duration of your stay, you can plan your itinerary.

[gthang]

Originally Posted by vijaythacker

Its a first trip to kerela so please do pour in your valuable inputs.
Thankyou.

I would suggest you learn the spelling of the state is KERALA.

Cheers

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by vijaythacker

Friends, we group of friends three couples with kids tobe precise are planning a trip down south to kerela.
Our itenery as of now is that we have booked tickets from ahmedabd to ahmedabad and we are reaching trivendram first and returning from cochin.
Can you guys help us in planning our itenery from trivendram to cochin,which places shall we cover and how many days should be spend there.
Either on 26th or 27th of April we may land at Trivendram, as we have two set to tickets where one is confirmed and is via deroute,another one is yet tobe confirmed which is a direct train.
Its a first trip to kerela so please do pour in your valuable inputs.
Thankyou.

Corrections - Its Kerala and Trivandrum.

I'd suggest spending 4 days.
Day - 1. Trivandrum. If you are travel tired, take rest or have a round trip of the city. Give a slow start to the vacation by visiting Kovalam/Sanghumugham beach.

Day -2. Alleppey. Book a house boat. Relax a delay (Plus night also can be planned) in the calm backwaters. Usuallly, they serve fresh and delicious food on these boats.

Day -3. Athirapally. As fellow member '275BHP' suggested above, its a beautiful place. Dont stay there though. Spend time and travel to munnar.

Day 4 - Munnar. Its a hill station and will provide a good escape from the heat. If you have extra days - I suggest you spend two days here. (The best place I like here is 'top station' but it includes some walking).

Language should not be a problem. Stick to english.