[verma_rahul]

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

Completed the BLR - BBS trip on 28th September, 2017. Below are some observation from the trip.

1. Start early. I started at 5AM from BLR but still had to face some traffic until Tirupati.
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9. Once inside Odisha, be careful of everything on the road. Road manner is next to nil and anything can jump in from anywhere. Keep your speeds in check and try to anticipate things even though the butter smooth tarmac will beg you to speed up.

Hi! Thanks for the update! But would you be able to share some specifics around the timings, given the current amount of rainfall and broken tarmac. I have a trip coming up too and wanted to understand the rough estimates.

[Suryendu87]

Originally Posted by verma_rahul

Hi! Thanks for the update! But would you be able to share some specifics around the timings, given the current amount of rainfall and broken tarmac. I have a trip coming up too and wanted to understand the rough estimates.

Hello Rahul,

I started at around 5.30 AM from Bengaluru on 27th September. Target for the day was hotel booked in Rajamuhndry. A distance of 803 kilometers were covered and we reached at around 9.30 PM.

We took intermittent breaks every 2-3 hours and did lunch on N5 food plaza at Ongole at around 3.30 PM. The distance from there to hotel was 322 kilometers which took 6 hours thanks to the evening traffic in Vijaywada and bad patch between Vijaywada and Rajamuhndry. We entered Vijayawada at around 5.30 PM and it took a painful 2 hours to cross city traffic.

On the second day, we started at around 8.30 AM from Rajamuhndry. Target for the day was Home in Bhubaneswar at a distance of 626 kilometers.

The lunch break was at Visakhapatnam at around 1.30 PM. We reached Bhubaneswar by 8.30 PM. You will find rare bad patches in this section and can maintain good speeds.

I preferred covering maximum distance on first day and leisurely drive on second day. Based upon preference you can halt in Vijaywada to skip traffic and bad patch in evening time. An early morning 5-6 AM start from Vijaywada will let you reach Bhubaneswar at around 8-9 PM.

Let me know if you require any further specifics.

[verma_rahul]

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

Hello Rahul,

I started at around 5.30 AM from Bengaluru on 27th September. Target for the day was hotel booked in Rajamuhndry. A distance of 803 kilometers were covered and we reached at around 9.30 PM.
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Let me know if you require any further specifics.

Thank you so much for the detailed info!!

Have been doing BLR-JSR for the past 10 years now. Was a little concerned about the bad patches considering the amount of rainfall we've had this year.

Well, I am reading your post after having done this trip

We started from Bangalore (Whitefield) at 5 AM on 13th October. Took the Tirupati route and reached Rajahmundry at 6 PM. The patch between Vijayawada and Rajahmundry was bad. The top layer is completely eroded.

Left Rajahmundry hotel yesterday @ 4 in the morning and I reached Jamshedpur last night/today morning at 12:30AM. Took the Balasore-Baripada-Baharagora route and there were no roads at all after Baripada. The huge craters were at least a feet deep. It took me almost 5 hours to cover a distance of about 150 odd kms.
Cheers!

[Majumdarda]

In the month of January, I plan to do a up and down between Visakhapatnam and West Bengal.

The itinerary would most probably by Visakhapatnam - Bhubaneshwar - Cuttack - Bhadrak - Balasore - Jaleshwar - Belda - Keshiary - Hijli.

• Is anybody aware of the current road condition of this stretch?

If I start from Visakhapatnam around 4:00 AM, then I am expecting to reach Bhubaneshwar around 12:00 noon. A very long stretch in terms of food I would say.

• Please advise if there are decent eateries between Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneshwar?

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

In the month of January, I plan to do a up and down between Visakhapatnam and West Bengal.

The itinerary would most probably by Visakhapatnam - Bhubaneshwar - Cuttack - Bhadrak - Balasore - Jaleshwar - Belda - Keshiary - Hijli.

• Is anybody aware of the current road condition of this stretch?

If I start from Visakhapatnam around 4:00 AM, then I am expecting to reach Bhubaneshwar around 12:00 noon. A very long stretch in terms of food I would say.

• Please advise if there are decent eateries between Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneshwar?

If you start at 4AM from Visakhapatnam, you can reach Bhubaneswar by 9-10AM maximum, because of lack of local traffic and excellent roads. It took me 4.5 hrs to cover Bhubaneswar to Vizag, after starting at 5:30AM. Traffic would be high within Bhubaneswar and continue to be slightly higher till Cuttack.

Target Berhampur city for your food breaks. I don't know the specific places as I have never needed break in this stretch.

The roads are excellent till Jaleswar (last update from July and doesn't get impacted by rains).

PS: Do remember to tank up before you retire for the day in Vizag the previous night. During night time/early morning hours, frequency of availability of fuel can be an issue.
Also, fuel is significantly cheaper in Odisha than AP.

[vnabhi]

Nandan hotel on RC Church Road in Berhampur offers decent breakfast options, but expect ordinary ambience. It is in the middle of town and around 5 kms from the highway. If you want to avoid entering the city, then there are a few dbabas on the highway. You may try the Chilika dhaba or even the OTDC Panth Nivas at Rambha or Barkul for food.

[Majumdarda]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Nandan hotel on RC Church Road in Berhampur offers decent breakfast options, but expect ordinary ambience. It is in the middle of town and around 5 kms from the highway. If you want to avoid entering the city, then there are a few dbabas on the highway. You may try the Chilika dhaba or even the OTDC Panth Nivas at Rambha or Barkul for food.

I would prefer something on the highway itself for a quick bite, if required. Making a note of the alternatives suggested. Thank you "vnabhi".

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

I would prefer something on the highway itself for a quick bite, if required. Making a note of the alternatives suggested. Thank you "vnabhi".

The other options i have suggested are on the highway. To be precise, they were on the highway before 4-laning was done. I think they will be within 500 meters of the 4-lane highway now. I have not traveled on that route after 4-laning.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

If you want to avoid entering the city, then there are a few dbabas on the highway. You may try the Chilika dhaba or even the OTDC Panth Nivas at Rambha or Barkul for food.

Chilika Dhaba and Panthanivas are less than 500 mts from the highway, below a flyover. But I believe he is looking for breakfast options (before 10 am) and I don't think these are the right options.

Secondly, Chilika Dhaba is exactly 100 kms from Bhubaneswar city (1.5 hrs away). No point waiting there.

There are a lot of small townships enroute and you should get plenty of options to eat there.

[Suryendu87]

I am planning for a return trip to Bengaluru on 1st December from Bhubaneswar. I took the Tirupati route during onward journey.

On return leg, I am thinking of taking the Hyderabad route to avoid the two lane stretch during late evening hours. Have couple of queries on the hyderabad route.

1 - The total distance is around 1650 kilometers. So what will be the ideal place to break for the night on 1st day.

2 - Is it doable in 2 days. I am a sedate driver with speeds hovering around 90- 110 most of the time. I do not dare to go beyond 120 on highways no matter how tempting the roads are.

3 - It will mostly be me and my wife during this trip. I hope the route is safe and there are fuel stations at regular intervals with washroom facilities.

4 - Any suggestion on places to eat will also be welcome. I tried the N5 food plaza above Ongole toll booth during onward journey based on feedbacks from the forum and it was very good.

5 - Any other tips that you deem useful for this route, please feel free to add

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

I am planning for a return trip to Bengaluru on 1st December from Bhubaneswar. I took the Tirupati route during onward journey.

On return leg, I am thinking of taking the Hyderabad route to avoid the two lane stretch during late evening hours. Have couple of queries on the hyderabad route.

1 - The total distance is around 1650 kilometers. So what will be the ideal place to break for the night on 1st day.

Start very early from BBSR ~5AM. Reach Vizag by 10. Rajahmundry by 4 and Vijaywada by 7-8PM.
Sleep after a quick dinner.

2 - Is it doable in 2 days. I am a sedate driver with speeds hovering around 90- 110 most of the time. I do not dare to go beyond 120 on highways no matter how tempting the roads are.

Definitely possible if you can drive for 14-15 hrs in a day and your wife should be able to sit for the same duration.

Maximize your sleep time on the first day's night. The next day, start by 8 at max. You should reach Bangalore by 8, though I would suggest you reach Bangalore around 10 to avoid traffic.

3 - It will mostly be me and my wife during this trip. I hope the route is safe and there are fuel stations at regular intervals with washroom facilities.

I never faced any issue while coming with wife from BBSR to Hyd. Fuel bunks are available at intervals, at least during the day time.

For food, I have carried home made food as much as possible and for the rest, I just stop at some decent looking crowded hotel. Others would be able to give more insight on this.

Note, my assumption is that you can do 14-15 hrs of driving in day.

[Suryendu87]

Thanks Ashis

Originally Posted by ashis89

Definitely possible if you can drive for 14-15 hrs in a day and your wife should be able to sit for the same duration.

Sure thing. I am a sedate driver and do not have much fatigue on long road trips. My wife can also pitch in occasionally for a short 50-100 kilometers

Originally Posted by ashis89

Maximize your sleep time on the first day's night. The next day, start by 8 at max. You should reach Bangalore by 8, though I would suggest you reach Bangalore around 10 to avoid traffic.

Nothing can beat a good night's sleep. I would also love to enter bengaluru a bit late to avoid the traffic. In that case, I can plan to go into Hyderabad and spend 2-3 hours for a lunch break

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

Sure thing. I am a sedate driver and do not have much fatigue on long road trips. My wife can also pitch in occasionally for a short 50-100 kilometers

That's even better.
I covered the whole trip with a top speed of 100 kmph. Only difference, I was the lone driver.
Though my wife learnt driving, she hasn't tried her hands for close to 3 years. I intend to bring her up to speed so that we both can cover the trip 'together'.

Nothing can beat a good night's sleep. I would also love to enter bengaluru a bit late to avoid the traffic. In that case, I can plan to go into Hyderabad and spend 2-3 hours for a lunch break

Entering the Cyberabad (where most restaurants are there) will eat up 2+ hrs in journey time only. You can look for options near Ramoji film city.
You can also try Hotel Hyderabad Grand or Hyderabad House, both of which are not far from the exit on the Outer Ring road towards Bengaluru.

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Hot...1!4d78.3839053

Note: Heavy and tasty lunch can be injurious for your eyes.

[Krishroy]

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

On return leg, I am thinking of taking the Hyderabad route to avoid the two lane stretch during late evening hours. Have couple of queries on the hyderabad route.

Good decision; much pleasant drive

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

1 - The total distance is around 1650 kilometers. So what will be the ideal place to break for the night on 1st day.

Vijayawada - don't get into Vijayawada city. You should take the city bypass road, which starts from NH5 and take you to Hyderabad road directly. Take a hotel on that road to avoid evening traffic in Vijayawada.

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

2 - Is it doable in 2 days. I am a sedate driver with speeds hovering around 90- 110 most of the time. I do not dare to go beyond 120 on highways no matter how tempting the roads are.

Doable in 2 days. Road is superb throughout the entire stretch and tempting too

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

3 - It will mostly be me and my wife during this trip. I hope the route is safe and there are fuel stations at regular intervals with washroom facilities.

Yes safe road. I have done this entire stretch several times; never encountered any problem

Originally Posted by Suryendu87

4 - Any suggestion on places to eat will also be welcome. I tried the N5 food plaza above Ongole toll booth during onward journey based on feedbacks from the forum and it was very good.

Start from BBSR at 5 AM. You will reach Rambha in 2 hours. You can take breakfast at OTDC hotel there. If you are ok with late lunch you can try ONE food court at Annavaram; or try some dhaba between Srikakulam and Vizag. Between Vizag and Tuni, you will hardly find dhaba, except one CCD at your right side after crossing Tuni.

I always take AP state highway 38, which bypasses Vizag city. Earlier the condition of this road was horrible; now much better. Similarly, there is bypass road for Rajamundry also crossing Godavari 4th bridge, which I always prefer.

[Suryendu87]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Start very early from BBSR ~5AM. Reach Vizag by 10. Rajahmundry by 4 and Vijaywada by 7-8PM.
Sleep after a quick dinner.

Originally Posted by Krishroy

Vijayawada - don't get into Vijayawada city. You should take the city bypass road, which starts from NH5 and take you to Hyderabad road directly. Take a hotel on that road to avoid evening traffic in Vijayawada.

Thanks Ashis, Krish. As this will be my first venture on this route, can you guys help out with some pointers for below.

1- Landmarks to feed into google maps, so that it will not show the shortest route via Tirupati. Or should I simply put Hyderabad on day-1 and when nearby it, change destination to Bengaluru. I have below routes shown as alternatives for Bhubaneswar to Bangalore. Any guess on route -2.

Route -1 : The usual route via Tirupati
Route -2 : Post Guntur, a right turn at Chilakaluripet and via NH/AH 50, 765 through Nallamala Forest meets the hyderabad highway at Kurnool

2- Any good hotels on Vijaywada - Hyderabad bypass. I prefer to book things in advance to have a fixed target during a day.

Originally Posted by Krishroy

I always take AP state highway 38, which bypasses Vizag city. Earlier the condition of this road was horrible; now much better. Similarly, there is bypass road for Rajamundry also crossing Godavari 4th bridge, which I always prefer.

During my onward journey, I passed through Vizag city fearing the bypass is not in good shape. I believe the state highway is a 2-way road although it will not be difficult during daytime given the road is smooth.