[FanaticOnWheels]

Thanks for this input. I already did the stretch till Bangalore, and regret doing it. The Hubli-Chitraguda section was a nightmare to do - no streetlights, horrible roads. To top it all, they had the gall to collect toll for this stretch

I think I will do it via Hyderabad next time. As long as the roads are smooth, I think it will be a smooth drive.

[prasanna.sub82]

Originally Posted by narayans80

If you are doing Pune-Madras, you could even take the Solapur-Hyderabad-NAM-Ongole route. Except for the Naldurg-Solapur bad section, which I gather is only about 3-4 km stretch from the Pune-Hyderabad thread. The route is much more peaceful in terms of traffic and also avoids the diversions in Hubli-Chitradurga section.

Depending on your inspiration to drive, this can be dismissed in a day.

Hi Narayans80, I am contemplating a drive from Mumbai - Chennai in the coming week or 2, and was looking for guidance if I may be better off going via Hyderabad i/o via Bangalore. Have done Mumbai - Bangalore - Chennai twice in the last yr so fairly familiar with what tht entails, but wondering if Mumbai -Hyderabad - Chennai may be any good, worth trying?

It also happens to be a better split across 2 days..

Any updates on the Covid related checks around AP borders or TN borders entering from AP ?

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by prasanna.sub82

Any updates on the Covid related checks around AP borders or TN borders entering from AP ?

I haven't done recently. Last was in November-December 2020. AP always had police stationed at the AP-TS border even during non-Covid times when they ask you where you are heading and a cursory look at your boot. For TN, in November there was e-Registration check a km before Nallur toll plaza. Was not checked for TN license plates at that time (ours was a TN-09).

Yes you should split in 2, unless you are someone who is used to doing 24 hours non-stop. From Bombay, it would be either Hyderabad or Ongole. And Hyderabad or Solapur in the reverse direction. Madras-Solapur/Osmanabad roughly takes about 15 hours driving (mostly driven at 90-100 ballpark). I've not gone beyond that towards Pune. Coming from Bombay you have to go through Pune, which is be the only pain point.

[rajivr1612]

Hi, I plan to drive from Chennai to Pune and onwards to Kalyan towards Dec end. Travelling with wife and kid in my Liva diesel.
Plan is to start early morning from Chennai and halt for the night at Hubli. Next morning Hubli to Pune. Stay at Pune for a day for sightseeing. Next day to Kalyan.
How is Hubli for night stay and could anyone please suggest decent hotels in Hubli not too far from highway?
In Pune my son wants to see Sinhagad fort. What would be the ideal place to stay in Pune considering this? I don't want to go deep into the city.
Thanks.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

How is Hubli for night stay and could anyone please suggest decent hotels in Hubli not too far from highway?

You should easily be able to target Belgaum Sankam, now that Tumkur-Hubli is almost 6-laned (barring 2-3 diversions). Even targeting Kolhapur or Sai International, Yelur isn't far fetched.

What would be the ideal place to stay in Pune considering this? I don't want to go deep into the city.

There many on the bypass itself. Sadanand Regency, Wakad Ginger to name a couple.

[rajivr1612]

Originally Posted by narayans80

You should easily be able to target Belgaum Sankam, now that Tumkur-Hubli is almost 6-laned (barring 2-3 diversions). Even targeting Kolhapur or Sai International, Yelur isn't far fetched.

Thanks @narayans80.
GMaps shows Chennai-Hubli to be ~12hr drive which is sort of my daily driving limit, Kolhapur would be a stretch, isn't it? Note that my usual speed is 80 to 90 so don't think I can make it to Kolhapur.
Considering this I would prefer Hubli. Any idea how is Ananth Grand along the highway near Hubli?

[aargee]

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

Thanks @narayans80.
GMaps shows Chennai-Hubli to be ~12hr drive which is sort of my daily driving limit, Kolhapur would be a stretch, isn't it? Note that my usual speed is 80 to 90 so don't think I can make it to Kolhapur
Considering this I would prefer Hubli. Any idea how is Ananth Grand along the highway near Hubli?

You're underestimating yourself!! Post Chitradurga, there will almost no one on the road; if you leave by 3:00 Am from Chennai you can find a good hotel to crash for the night at Kholapur along with a nice Kholapuri dinner.

From Math POV, if you're doing a steady 90 Kmph, your average speed is around 72, round it to 70 Kmph. Chennai-Kholapur should be around 950 Km, which should give you a driving time of ~14 hours; include 7 breaks in between for 3 hours gives you 17 hours. So around 8:00 Pm you should be at Kholapur

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

Hi, I plan to drive from Chennai to Pune and onwards to Kalyan towards Dec end. Travelling with wife and kid in my Liva diesel.
Plan is to start early morning from Chennai and halt for the night at Hubli. Next morning Hubli to Pune. Stay at Pune for a day for sightseeing. Next day to Kalyan.
How is Hubli for night stay and could anyone please suggest decent hotels in Hubli not too far from highway?
In Pune my son wants to see Sinhagad fort. What would be the ideal place to stay in Pune considering this? I don't want to go deep into the city.
Thanks.

I’ve stayed at Navin Lake Side, Hubli, twice. This was with family. Rooms are of decent size. Breakfast was good. The hotel is at a quiet place.

I’ve heard of ‘Sangam’ at Belgaum from many in this forum, but haven’t stayed. Please do check that as well. Belgaum can be another stay option.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

GMaps shows Chennai-Hubli to be ~12hr drive which is sort of my daily driving limit, Kolhapur would be a stretch, isn't it? Note that my usual speed is 80 to 90 so don't think I can make it to Kolhapur.

Except for Sriperumbudur-Walajah and Attibele-Tumkur remaining stretches are so empty, you aren't going to stick 80-90

Plus Hubli has this midnight-midnight toll, so if you enter the toll previous day and exit next day then you'll end up paying twice.

The advantage of reaching Kolhapur or Karad on day 1 is you don't have to deal with messy MH traffic in the morning peak hours.

Originally Posted by aargee

You're underestimating yourself!! Post Chitradurga, there will almost no one on the road

Post Tumkur bypass/Kyatasandra itself there is no one on the road till you reach Sankeshwar.

[rajivr1612]

Originally Posted by aargee

You're underestimating yourself!! Post Chitradurga, there will almost no one on the road; if you leave by 3:00 Am from Chennai you can find a good hotel to crash for the night at Kholapur along with a nice Kholapuri dinner.

From Math POV, if you're doing a steady 90 Kmph, your average speed is around 72, round it to 70 Kmph. Chennai-Kholapur should be around 950 Km, which should give you a driving time of ~14 hours; include 7 breaks in between for 3 hours gives you 17 hours. So around 8:00 Pm you should be at Kholapur

Originally Posted by narayans80

Except for Sriperumbudur-Walajah and Attibele-Tumkur remaining stretches are so empty, you aren't going to stick 80-90

Plus Hubli has this midnight-midnight toll, so if you enter the toll previous day and exit next day then you'll end up paying twice.

The advantage of reaching Kolhapur or Karad on day 1 is you don't have to deal with messy MH traffic in the morning peak hours.



Post Tumkur bypass/Kyatasandra itself there is no one on the road till you reach Sankeshwar.

Thanks @narayans80 and @aargee.
Your suggestions have made me to rethink my plans. More often than not I never come near GMaps time predictions, hence the pessimistic original plan. I will discuss with the better half and tweak the plan.

[Stribog]

Hey guys, had a lovely Chennai > Blr > Sringeri > Murudeshwar > Goa > Mumbai onward last month. Took a solid 6.5 days (stopped for 1 day in Goa, 2 in Sringeri and 2 in Goa).

The thing though is, my new company has on account of the Omicron Guru decided to do a permanent wfh until further notice so am shifting base temporarily (again) to Chennai. Which is why I am here. Need your expertise in this route to help me plan.

Mum - Chennai trip with the following personal challenges (if I may call it that) which I will label alphabetically so responses will be easier for you to compose.

I can't, like literally physically can't wake up by 5 which means the earliest start will be around 530 - I usually lock & load the car in the night, including cleaning it, so morning is just coffee, shower and vamoose.

Haven't ever driven beyond 12 hours in a single day which is my biannual (pre covid) Chennai Sringeri solo. So that's my limit. I could possibly extend it by another 2 hours (11 hrs driving with 3 hours of breaks) so what's the range here. How should I plan my itinerary.

Am a lazy human version of Garfield (see point A&B) and if I wake up early, then by 1330-1400 I 100% need a 30 min nap (which is why 3 hours of breaks). So on known routes I plan to halt around 1230, have a quick lunch, then put an alarm, crack the window open a notch and map till around 1330-1400 (based on when I finish lunch)

My second large break chunk is the twilight hour, so around 1800-1830 ish when headlights don't work but it's not bright enough. The rest of the time I can pretty much drive nonstop.

So given all this, my queries are

A) what route should I take from Bom -Blr. Have friends here so I can do an overnighter for free here and also party with some friends and leave the next day

B) if it's the Blr route, it shows 19 hours, even assuming I shave off a few hours that's seriously way too long for me to drive. Assuming I leave by 0530 hrs, what's a stop I can plan on by around 1730-1800 hrs. Possibly push it to 1900 hrs.

C) Gmaps shows me a route via Hyderabad for some reason. This is 150 odd km longer but adds only 3 hrs. Is this a better option(can skip Blr in this case)

D) good lunch, break points (eat only vegetarian food), Bhpians always have these "must eat" spots so which are they. Breakfast around 830-9, lunch by around 1230-1245 are my usual times.

Any other precautions? And any Shell pumps (or good clean pumps till I hit Blr? Range is only 800 fully topped up so need to refuel once enroute)

Thanks guys.

And if anyone lives on the way, and wants to do a quick impromptu meet, dm me. Am double vaccinated and will be doing an RT PCR the day before I leave.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Stribog

C) Gmaps shows me a route via Hyderabad for some reason. This is 150 odd km longer but adds only 3 hrs. Is this a better option(can skip Blr in this case)

One via Hyderabad Sholapur Pune is definitely an option worth considering now for doing Chennai to Bombay.

This is due to the improved road conditions between Hyderabad and Pune which earlier was iffy.

The only irritant, if I may call so would be the fact that you will need to cut across Pune from east to west to get onto the expressway for Bombay and depending on the time you are entering Pune from Sholapur side, this can be a time consuming affair in the absence of a bypass.

On the other hand, doing it via Bangalore means apart from crossing Bangalore, you are good all the way till you enter into Maharashtra (Kolhapur). Kolhapur to Pune in present conditions if done during the day can be 4-5 hours while crossing Pune through westerly bypass takes about 45 minutes and after this it will be 2 hours for Panvel and then the extra time to reach your final destination.

Sooner or later, one will no longer have to drive through Bombay-Bangalore road for Chennai when Surat Chennai expressway becomes a reality.



The good thing in the last 3-4 years is the emergence of good alternate options to reach various corners of our country and these choices have certainly been a boon for some regular travelers who take up cross-country drives, not to mention the truckers who are the primary beneficiaries.

[narayans80]

Pune to Madras through Hyderabad is definitely more peaceful, you can largely maintain your sanity given there is a lot less competition on road If you enter Sangareddy-Patancheru in evening peak hours, it would be busy. You can see some aggressive driving on the other end till Pangthangi toll. But this will not hold candle to the pressure driving on NH4 (especially MH and to a lesser extent Chitradurga to NBTL). Since the Nelamangala-NBTL overhead section is closed for another week, I bet it is going to be 'awesome'

Biggest question mark is wading through Pune from western to eastern end given your late start. I've found crossing Pune to be a breeze around 7 am-ish. I am no early riser, I do it only for my drive trips!

Apart from Hyderabad-NAM-Ongole-Madras, there's also Hyderabad-Kurnool-Mydukur-Nellore-Madras that can be tried. I did the Mydukur route in September. The update was posted here (Hyderabad - Chennai : Route Queries).

[Cousik]

Lots of useful information in this thread. Am travelling from Mumbai to Chennai in the Baleno RS. Planning stops at Hubbali and Hosur on the way.
Have chosen to stop at Hubbali because of the horror stories on the state of the road after that. I'd rather do that bit in the morning than at twilight while rushing to the destination.

RTPCR completed and E-pass for TN applied and obtained. We are double vaccinated but RTPCR is a requirement to enter Karnataka from Mumbai. Equipped with Masks, sanitisers, wipes and "Pee-Safe". Car check up done and good to go.

Pretty excited since this is the 1st long trip in the Baleno since I bought it from True Value during the lockdown. Will update highlights of the trip next week.

Thanks for all the tips on the thread and any other last minute advice welcome.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Cousik

Have chosen to stop at Hubbali because of the horror stories on the state of the road after that.

What sort of horror stories on roads beyond Hubli to Madras?

Last time I did was 13 months back, even then most of the 6-laning between Chitradurga and Hubli were done. Now almost everything should done, and should be among the fastest sections.

If at all, you should time your Bombay start well to escape the MH side traffic. Start early like 3am-ish, you may even get the entire drive done in one sitting. Even if you are not an aggressive drive, you'll reach Hosur by sundown, stay overnight and Madras by next day lunch.