[WheelWake]

Guys looking to cover Jaisalmer and Ranthambore this Dec End in a short period of time. Also, while searching HVK Sir seems to have suggested Mumbai to Jaisalmer can be done in a day with an early start! Now here are my question:

1)which will be preferred route/itinerary (of course siteseeing would be extra days)
Mumbai-Ahm-Barmer-Jaisalmer (1 day drive)
Jaisalmer-Jodhpur(1day)
Jodhpur-Ranthambore (1 day)
Ranthambore-Mumbai (1day)
OR
the above in reverse order? with preference to time of the drive, eat/stay options. - I can start 22nd Dec afternoon 2PM from Andheri
2)would there be any safety issues on the above trail/road conditions i should be aware off

I have driven 16hrs or less (blr-mum) in a day without any issues.Also, any good stay/eat options that I should consider.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by WheelWake

Guys looking to cover Jaisalmer and Ranthambore this Dec End in a short period of time. Also, while searching HVK Sir seems to have suggested Mumbai to Jaisalmer can be done in a day with an early start! Now here are my question:

1)which will be preferred route/itinerary (of course siteseeing would be extra days)
Mumbai-Ahm-Barmer-Jaisalmer (1 day drive)
Jaisalmer-Jodhpur(1day)
Jodhpur-Ranthambore (1 day)
Ranthambore-Mumbai (1day)
OR
the above in reverse order? with preference to time of the drive, eat/stay options. - I can start 22nd Dec afternoon 2PM from Andheri
2)would there be any safety issues on the above trail/road conditions i should be aware off

I have driven 16hrs or less (blr-mum) in a day without any issues.Also, any good stay/eat options that I should consider.

Andheri Ahmedabad 7hrs(with early morning start,add about 2 hours extra with a 2pm start)
Ahmedabad entry to exit 2hrs
Palanpur Disa Barmer Jaisalmer:5-6hrs(I wouldnt drive this stretch after dark,extremely poor facilities and lonely )Jaisalmer to Jodhpur 5 hrs
Jodhpur to Ranthambore 11 to 12hrs
Ranthambore to Andheri is approx 1300kms not possible in one day.

[nishantbhatia84]

Originally Posted by WheelWake

HVK Sir seems to have suggested Mumbai to Jaisalmer can be done in a day with an early start!

Mumbai-Ahm-Barmer-Jaisalmer (1 day drive)
Jaisalmer-Jodhpur(1day)
Jodhpur-Ranthambore (1 day)
Ranthambore-Mumbai (1day)
OR
the above in reverse order? with preference to time of the drive, eat/stay options. - I can start 22nd Dec afternoon 2PM from Andheri
2)would there be any safety issues on the above trail/road conditions i should be aware off

Talk about co-incidence! I'm doing a Rajasthan road trip in December as well, starting on 23rd!
Here's my recommendation:
- Mumbai to Jaisalmer in 1 day is not recommended unless you start in the evening around 9pm or so. (I've done Mumbai-Jaisalmer twice and it's taken me close to 20hrs - both times I had started in the evening which helps achieve higher average speeds). If you are to leave early in the morning from Andheri, you'll get traffic almost the entire way which will slow you down drastically and increase you travel time.
- Here's what I suggest - If possible, leave on 21st evening around 8-9pm and stop at Vadodara which is around 5-6hrs. From Baroda you can leave at 10 or 11pm which will mean you'll cross Sanchore only in the morning once it is safer and reach Jaisalmer by 11am or so - perfect time for check-in into any hotel!
- Jaisalmer - Jodhpur is fine - roads are good.
- Jodhpur - Ranthambore - this is fine too.
- Ranthambore - Mumbai - can't do it in 1 day - it's 1200 kms - take a halt at Vadodara - it'll be a 14hr drive and the last day drive to Mumbai will be relatively easier.

PM me your number as I will be in Jaisalmer around the same time as you, we can have a small Tbhp Jaisalmer meet!

[centaur]

is Pune-Mount Abu/Udaipur doable in one day with an early start? Google maps suggests around 14-15 hours for around 900 kms. Anyone who has taken this up in the recent past?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by centaur

is Pune-Mount Abu/Udaipur doable in one day with an early start? Google maps suggests around 14-15 hours for around 900 kms. Anyone who has taken this up in the recent past?

Stretched one but doable with a super early morning start from Pune, say 0400am.

You bypass Mumbai/Thane before 0700, Enter Ahmedabad SP Ring road by 1400/1430. With this, another 5 to 5.5 Hours will take you to Mount Abu. So around 1900/2000 you will be at your destination.

Unlike days before, the Infamous jams at Ankleshwar are also passe with the new bridge in place.

[Makin Rulesz]

Originally Posted by centaur

is Pune-Mount Abu/Udaipur doable in one day with an early start? Google maps suggests around 14-15 hours for around 900 kms. Anyone who has taken this up in the recent past?

I have done it in reverse direction starting from Udaipur. We started early at 5:00 AM with initial plan to stop at Pune, but could stretch upto Kolhapur. Total distance covered was ~ 1100 KM in 16 hours with usual food breaks in between.

Note: It was September last week and I was driving from Udaipur to Chennai.

[WheelWake]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

Talk about co-incidence! I'm doing a Rajasthan road trip in December as well, starting on 23rd!
Here's my recommendation:

Wow sounds cool! Actually now I am thinking of dropping either Jaisalmer or Ranthambore. Also, My LO school closes on Friday afternoon is when I leave (bit sticky about missing classes on first and last day). Anyways, before I
can strike out either of the two, I would like to get some clarity on the below things:

1) Jaisalmer (Sam Sand Dunes, etc.) - does dune bashing happen and hows the feedback. I read somewhere which said its an Off Roading of a different kind etc. (I am not an off roader)
2) Ranthambore - are the open Jeeps used safe or is there an option for a closed vehicle? (I know tiger sighting isnt guaranteed, but still..)

this short road trip is especially for my LO (who loves cars and animals :P - he is just 5). So it will be great if you can suggest any other thing that I shouldnt miss from his stand point. I know Forts Palaces and the Lakes are a given thing in Rajasthan.

[nishantbhatia84]

Originally Posted by WheelWake

1) Jaisalmer (Sam Sand Dunes, etc.) - does dune bashing happen and hows the feedback. I read somewhere which said its an Off Roading of a different kind etc. (I am not an off roader)
2) Ranthambore - are the open Jeeps used safe or is there an option for a closed vehicle? (I know tiger sighting isnt guaranteed, but still..)

Dune bashing at Sam is kinda waste for the price they demand. Not fun at all. I haven't tried it personally but have heard that it's not good. It's better to take a camel ride else just hang out in the dunes.
I wouldn't skip Jaisalmer if i were u, it's simply beautiful. Maybe you can skip Ranthambore this time around.
If you are visiting Jaisalmer, don't miss out on visiting Longewala - the road and the place itself is amazing.

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by WheelWake

Wow sounds cool! Actually now I am thinking of dropping either Jaisalmer or Ranthambore.

Jaisalmer is not only about Sam dunes. Like mentioned above, drive from Jaisalmer to Longewala is super fun! Also, if you are visiting Longewala, do try and complete the circuit by visiting Tanot from Longewala, the drive from Longewala to Tanot can get adventurous. You shoud keep a day for Jaisalmer-Longewala-Tanot-Jaisalmer.

You can consider staying at Jaisalkot, nights in December in camps will be cold.

Longewala-Tanot road:

[SajiNSalin]

WheelWake, the open Gypsies used in Ranathambore are very safe. The tigers are well adjusted to humans and pose no danger. In fact they more or less go about their activities with total regard to human presence. In Tadoba, a tigress came within touching distance of our Gypsy, and though it was scary, she posed no danger to us.

[autounion]

Originally Posted by Makin Rulesz

I have done it in reverse direction starting from Udaipur.

I am planning the same trip next week. Udaipur to Pune. How are the roads? How much time did you take? What was your start / finish time?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by autounion

I am planning the same trip next week. Udaipur to Pune. How are the roads? How much time did you take? What was your start / finish time?

Udaipur-Ahmedabad Ring Road-Baroda-Ghodbunder-Thane-Panvel-Expressway-Pune.Should take you around 14-16 hours with breaks and subject to traffic conditions
UDP-Ahmedabad 5hrs
AMD-Ghodbunder 7-8hrs
Ghodbunder-Expressway- 2hrs
EW entry to Exit- 2hrs

[Makin Rulesz]

Originally Posted by autounion

I am planning the same trip next week. Udaipur to Pune. How are the roads? How much time did you take? What was your start / finish time?

This is the route I took(snap from my timeline attached)
Udaipur-Kherwara-Himmatnagar-Ahmedabad-Nadiad-Anand-Vadodara-Karjan-Bharuch-Ankleshwar-Navsari-Valsad-Vapi-Thane-Mumbai-Pune
Roads were excellent all throughout and traffic was sparse except for some freight traffic between Vadodara - Surat. Crossing Mumbai was too breeze during late afternoon hours.

As I said in my earlier post it took me around 16 hours till Kolhapur. So, I guess it should take around 12-14 hours to reach Pune depending on traffic and average speed you could maintain, if you start early(before 5AM) from Udaipur.

[fiesta]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

Also, if you are visiting Longewala, do try and complete the circuit by visiting Tanot from Longewala, the drive from Longewala to Tanot can get adventurous.

sinharishi - I am planning Pune - Jaisalmer during second half of this month. In contrary to all travelogues I read so far, you are suggesting to visit Longewala first and then go to Tanot. Any specific reason?

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by fiesta

sinharishi - I am planning Pune - Jaisalmer during second half of this month. In contrary to all travelogues I read so far, you are suggesting to visit Longewala first and then go to Tanot. Any specific reason?

No specific reason. It was an impromptu decision to visit Longewala first, we spent 2 hours at Longewala and 30 mins at Tanot. We left our hotel at 12pm and got back at 8pm.

During the time of our visit, there was no one except me and my brother at Longewala. Only a few army men guarding Longewala and us! We did not find any other car after crossing Ramgarh.

The roads in these regions come under BRO and are a pleasure to drive on. Have a safe trip.