[vaibhav_a_a]

Opinions on Bikaner vary widely. Some easily while away two days visiting Lalgarh, Junagadh fort, Camel Farm and Deshnoke temple and also visiting the dunes that are a lot quieter than the ones near Jaisalmer.

For something quite untouristed, Kolayat is a good bet - 50 kms from Bikaner.

[Hemant_Joshi]

Hi Folks,
I am planning a 14 Day Rajasthan + Agra, Road trip from Pune, in DEC-2015,
The plan I have devised is listed below, Need your feedback on the plan and Route,,Any other info, recomended stops for lunch, fuel - facilities enroute with decent restrooms,
We are 4 people - 2 couples, NO Kids, travelling in Rapid TDI.



PLAN:
Pune TO Ahmadabad :– START – 5th Dec Morning, 5 AM. TOUCH – 5th Dec Evening,

Ahmadabad TO Udaipur – START – 6th Dec Afternoon, TOUCH – 6th Dec Evening,

UDAIPUR: 3 days/3 nights. TOUCH – 6th Dec Evening/night.
local sightseeing - 7th Dec and 8th Dec,

9th – Day Trip to Eklinji and Nathdrawa temples, Haldighati, and Kumbhalgrah Fort, Back.
IS it possible to fit Rankapur temple also in this - or will that be stretching it???

Checkout – 10th Dec and Drive to Jaipur Via Chottorgrah.



JAIPUR : 3 Days / 3 Nights. TOUCH – 10th Dec Evening/Night.
Local sightseeing - 11th Dec and 12th Dec,
Checkout – 13th Dec and Drive to Agra via Fathepur sikri.


AGRA: 1 Day/1 Nights. TOUCH – 13th Dec Afternoon.
Local sightseeing - Fathepur Sikri and TAJ - 13th Dec,
Checkout – 14th Dec and Drive to Jodhpur via Ajmer/Pushkar. Both are must.



JODHPUR : 3 Days – 3 Nights. TOUCH – 14th Dec Night.
local sightseeing - 15th Dec and 16th Dec,
Checkout – 17th Dec and drive to Ahmadabad.
.
AHMADABAD: 1 Night TOUCH 17th Night,.
Drive back to PUNE – 18th Dec.


Planned ROUTES:
Pune – Thane / Godbunder – Dahisar – Vapi – Surat - Baroda – Ahmadabad

Ahmedabad-Himmatnagar-Shamlaji-Ratanpur-Rishabdeo-Udaipur

Udaipur – Chittorgrah – Bhilwara– Kishangarh - Jaipur

Jaipur - Agra and Back -- Ajmer/Pushkar - - - Jodhpur

Jodhpur - Mt Abu Road- Palanpur – Mehsana – Halol – Ahmedabad

Ahmadabad - Baroda– Surat – Vapi – Dahisar – Mumbai / Godbunder - Pune

[Mnjdnght]

I am planning a road trip from Bangalore to Rajasthan in Nov/Dec. I am starting prep for the trip and have the following queries that need your help.

I am giving an outline of the itinerary before the queries.

Nov 28: Bangalore - Pune (stay in Pune)
Nov 30: Pune - Ahmedabad (stay in Ahmedabad)
Dec 2: Ahmedabad - Jaisalmer
Dec 5: Jaisalmer - Bikaner - Jodhpur
Dec 7: Jodhpur - Udaipur
Dec 10: Udaipur - Mumbai
Dec 12: Mumbai - Hubli
Dec 13: Hubli - Bangalore

1. Is Bangalore - Pune doable in a day? Any route conditions that I need to watch out for?
2. Is Pune - Ahmedabad doable in a day? I am planning to start from Pune around 5:30 AM. Would this pose any issue in bypassing Mumbai? (I am planning to dig up the Mumbai bypass directions from other threads). How is the Mumbai - Ahmedabad stretch? I recollect some posts mentioning long queues on this stretch (Narmada crossing?) and maybe a few other choke points. Please advice on ways to avoid if possible.
3. Any special consideration for driving in Gujarat (such as the yellow sticker requirement for headlights - is this still required)?
4. Is Udaipur - Mumbai doable in a day? Any route considerations/ tips would be helpful.

Please also share any other tips or suggestions that you may have.

Thanks in advance.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Mnjdnght

1. Is Bangalore - Pune doable in a day? Any route conditions that I need to watch out for?

Yes - Refer this post for further details.

2. Is Pune - Ahmedabad doable in a day? I am planning to start from Pune around 5:30 AM. Would this pose any issue in bypassing Mumbai? (I am planning to dig up the Mumbai bypass directions from other threads). How is the Mumbai - Ahmedabad stretch? I recollect some posts mentioning long queues on this stretch (Narmada crossing?) and maybe a few other choke points. Please advice on ways to avoid if possible.

Yes again. Please start at least at 0500 so that you cross Mumbai and are on NH8 before 0800. You would face good traffic but thats usual all the way till Baroda expressway (Vapi, Surat, Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Baroda bypass are places that would be dense during the day anyway).

Note: There is one way restriction (Traffic allowed only southward between 1500-2100 Hours) and hence you need to cross Ankleshwar-Bharuch before 1500 Hours in case you plan to take the Golden Bridge route.

Please note that you can take a final call whether you need to take the Golden Bridge or the usual NH8 Bridge over Narmada at the last moment by checking the latest traffic on Googlemaps. It has been pretty accurate and U was able to decide based on the same over the last few drives.

3. Any special consideration for driving in Gujarat (such as the yellow sticker requirement for headlights - is this still required)?

The Rule is no more applicable. So no need of having that Yellow sticker on the headlight. Remain belted always & carry all the Original documents, toll receipts and Emission Test certificates.

4. Is Udaipur - Mumbai doable in a day? Any route considerations/ tips would be helpful.

With an early start you can do this in a day. But remember that you really don't want to enter Mumbai post 1800 hours as most of the traffic snarls build up from Ghodbunder itself and will have to crawl after that long day drive. May be you can plan smartly to enter Mumbai after 2000 hours.

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by Mnjdnght

I am planning a road trip from Bangalore to Rajasthan in Nov/Dec. I am starting prep for the trip and have the following queries that need your help.

I am giving an outline of the itinerary before the queries.

Nov 28: Bangalore - Pune (stay in Pune)
Nov 29: Pune - Ahmedabad (stay in Ahmedabad)
Dec 2: Ahmedabad - Jaisalmer
Dec 5: Jaisalmer - Bikaner - Jodhpur
Dec 7: Jodhpur - Udaipur
Dec 10: Udaipur - Mumbai
Dec 12: Mumbai - Hubli
Dec 13: Hubli - Bangalore

1. Is Bangalore - Pune doable in a day? Any route conditions that I need to watch out for?
2. Is Pune - Ahmedabad doable in a day? I am planning to start from Pune around 5:30 AM. Would this pose any issue in bypassing Mumbai? (I am planning to dig up the Mumbai bypass directions from other threads). How is the Mumbai - Ahmedabad stretch? I recollect some posts mentioning long queues on this stretch (Narmada crossing?) and maybe a few other choke points. Please advice on ways to avoid if possible.
3. Any special consideration for driving in Gujarat (such as the yellow sticker requirement for headlights - is this still required)?
4. Is Udaipur - Mumbai doable in a day? Any route considerations/ tips would be helpful.

Please also share any other tips or suggestions that you may have.

Thanks in advance.

I completed a Rajathan - Agra road trip from Bangalore. Came back last Friday.
I did Bangalore - Thane in day 1 & Thane Udaipur in day 2. No special requirment in driving in Gujarat. The yellow sticker rule is no longer there.

Mumbai - Udaipur can be done in 13 hours. Take the Golden Bridge to cross Narmada to avoid jams on NH8. Also take Vadodara - Halol - Godhra - Shamlaji route to avoid Ahmedabad. Good roads and less traffic compared to NH8. I would suggest the following Itinerary (you can increase the no of days).

Nov 28: Bangalore - Mumbai (stay in Mumbai)
Nov 29: Mumbai - Udaipur (stay in Udaipur)
Dec 1: Udaipur - Jodhpur via Kumbalgarh - must see (Stay in Jodpur)
Dec 3: Jodhpur - Jaisalmer (Stay in Jaisalmer)
Dec 5: Jaisalmer - Bikaner (Stay in Bikaner)
Dec 7: Bikaner - Jaipur(Stay in Jaipur)
Dec 9: Jaipur - Chittorgarh (Stay in Chittorgarh)
Dec 10: Chittorgarh - Mumbai via Neemuch - Ratlam - Lebad - Manpur - Dhule - Nashik - Thane - Mumbai(Stay in Mumbai)
Dec 11: Mumbai- Bangalore

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Mnjdnght

Dec 5: Jaisalmer - Bikaner - Jodhpur

This is not a great idea.You would just be driving the whole day.

[rajatmakar]

Originally Posted by Mnjdnght

I am planning a road trip from Bangalore to Rajasthan in Nov/Dec. I am starting prep for the trip and have the following queries that need your help.

...

I recently came back from a Bangalore- Rajasthan trip and here are some tips which you may find useful. Already Parag and others have explained many useful points.

a) Keep the onward journey flexible and less hectic. That will ensure that you arrive at your first destination energetic and cheerful. To do this, I started a day in advance, and split the onward journey in to 3 legs : Blore - Kalamboli, Kalamboli - Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad-Udaipur. We enjoyed the relaxed drives, stopped whenever we found something beautiful, had relaxed chai breaks.

b) At Ahmedabad, Armoise Hotel is a good place to halt. Secure parking, free breakfast and clean rooms.

c) I checked traffic status in google maps before reaching Ankeleshwar at around 1300 hours. Didnt need to take Golden bridge and crossing it in the usual NH-8 route was a breeze.

d) At Mumbai, we halted both times at Kalamboli and found it very suitable.

Regards,
Rajat

[Mnjdnght]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

With an early start you can do this in a day. But remember that you really don't want to enter Mumbai post 1800 hours as most of the traffic snarls build up from Ghodbunder itself and will have to crawl after that long day drive. May be you can plan smartly to enter Mumbai after 2000 hours.

I am headed to Mira Road (I don't have the exact address yet) for a 2 night stay. Would this help in avoiding the snarls that you are cautioning about.

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Mumbai - Udaipur can be done in 13 hours. Take the Golden Bridge to cross Narmada to avoid jams on NH8. Also take Vadodara - Halol - Godhra - Shamlaji route to avoid Ahmedabad. Good roads and less traffic compared to NH8. I would suggest the following Itinerary (you can increase the no of days).

That is encouraging. Thanks.
I've made bookings in Rajasthan already but have flexibility on either side (onward/ return).

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

This is not a great idea.You would just be driving the whole day.

Hmmm ... Need to consider this. I was thinking of starting early from Jaisalmer and reaching Bikaner by 10 (4 hr drive I presumed based on google maps). Spend 4 hours in Bikaner and head to Jodhpur (for a 7-ish arrival). Idea is to do a minimum coverage of Bikaner. But will revisit this plan (basically drop Bikaner in that case).

Originally Posted by rajatmakar

I recently came back from a Bangalore- Rajasthan trip and here are some tips which you may find useful.

Thanks. I am visiting relatives in Pune (onward) and Mumbai (return). Hence these locations are locked and I need to plan around this. In case the relatives visit plan is dropped then will consider the suggestion of Kalamboli in Mumbai for breaking the journey.

[mkbksc]

I did gandhidhham - abu road - mount abu - haldighati - nathdwara - udaipur - chittorgarh - Kumbhalgarh - abu road - Gandhidham in five days , 1650 kms in my XUV 500.

Great roads nh 14 - nh 15 - nh 76 - then SH .

[couswheels]

I recently did my Chennai - Rajasthan trip during last week of September.

You may find the details here from post #36

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...0ps-rxl-3.html

[pramodpk]

Here is a thread on my recent Bangalore - Rajasthan - Agra road trip with family.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...road-trip.html

[couswheels]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Here is a thread on my recent Bangalore - Rajasthan - Agra road trip with family.



http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...road-trip.html

Hi Pramod, read your TL. You have just started the trip the day after i have concluded the trip.

Excellent pictures and well written TL.

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by couswheels

Hi Pramod, read your TL. You have just started the trip the day after i have concluded the trip.

Excellent pictures and well written TL.

Thanks a lot. Now expecting your travelogue. Hope you enjoyed your trip.

[Engine_Roars]

Hello Team,

I along with my wife, will be driving from Pune to Jodhpur(Rajasthan) on the 5th of December'2015. Please note I am the only driver. I have already done this drive once last year, and the route I plan to take is Pune>By Pass Mumbai via Ghodbunder(Hotel Fountain)>Vadodara>Ahmedabad>Abu Road>Sirohi>Pali>Jodhpur.

Would appreciate if I could get the latest updates on the route I am planning to take and if there is something I should know before I embark on my journey.

Thanks & Regards,
Ashish

[Krishroy]

Originally Posted by Hemant_Joshi

Hi Folks,
I am planning a 14 Day Rajasthan + Agra, Road trip from Pune, in DEC-2015,
The plan I have devised is listed below, Need your feedback on the plan and Route,,Any other info, recomended stops for lunch, fuel - facilities enroute with decent restrooms,
We are 4 people - 2 couples, NO Kids, travelling in Rapid TDI.

Probably, you have already finalised the entire trip. But still providing my two cents

Instead of travelling to Jaipur from Udaipur, you can plan Udaipur -> Jodhpur -> Bikaner -> Jaipur -> Agra -> Jaipur -> Ajmer-> Chittorgarh -> Udaipur

Trust me night desert safari in winter in Bikaner is really worth. You can cut down a day in Jodhpur and Udaipur to accommodate Bikaner. And all roads are awesome

Mod Note: Please avoid quoting the entire post while responding.