[MorePower]

Covered the Bangalore-Mumbai stretch yesterday in 15 hours with 3 halts. Left Bangalore at 5.15 am, reached Mumbai at 8.20 pm.

Route update -

Happy to report that the kolhapur - satara stretch is in a much better shape than it was last month. Most of the surface has been recarpeted, in some places the surface is uneven due to filling up of potholes but no major potholes/craters as it was in my last month's drive. You will find some small potholes near and while bypassing satara.

Likewise with the satara - pune stretch. The service roads where the diversions are in place have been resurfaced. Some uneven surfaces appear while bypassing Pune. Overall the whole stretch is in a much better shape than it was last month.

[SajiNSalin]

Dear vikramv4u,

If you can get up a little earlier, it would save a lot of time if you start your journey by 0500 or 0530 hours. During the dawn hours, there will be very little traffic on the city roads and you can cover a lot of distance. My journeys usually start at 0530 and by the time the traffic picks up at about 0830 to 0900, I am well on my way.

Another time saving tactic which is followed by HV Kumar is to have snacks in the car during the journey. This saves a lot of time spent in restaurants, which means for every 1 hour spent eating, you have to drive another 60 to 70 km.

I used this technique on a recent trip from Ahmedabad to Bikaner, during which the three of us used to eat snacks frequently and we were not hungry till dinner, and could drive nonstop except for fuel breaks for over 750 km.

Many bhpians have covered the distance from Bangalore to Mumbai in a day, so your plan is definitely doable.

All the best for your journey.

Regards

Saji

[amit_purohit20]

Things to consider:
1) Fill your fuel to the brim whenever possible as fuel outlets are spaced far apart on Hubli- Bangalore Highway.
2) Once you enter Maharashtra its going to be crowded roads with Undisciplined drivers so be carefull.
3) I suggest dont detour for any sightseeings and go as per plan. Only thing which comes to my thought and is bang on your journey is Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Devi. You can take blessings but it will consume time and delay your journey.
4) You can speed up a bit on Highway upto Maharashtra but after that be carefull. Road quality is not the same as in Karnataka and Traffic is high.
5) Do not stop on Pune-Mumbai Highway other than food malls as its a big risk.
6) You can use the Vashi-Ghatkopar-Jogeshwari Link Road to get to Jogeshwari East which is close by to Andheri east and is normally less crowded as compared to other routes. I have not been to Mumbai for long so this might have changed.

Start early next day. Dont wait for breakfast to be done in the same hotel if it gets you delayed.You can do breakfast on-route. I would recommend starting early.

With 1Lakh kms under your belt, you have more than enough experience to do this journey.

Nothing else should be important than safety on this trip. So plan properly. Drive safely and defensively. Park properly on highways away from road as much as possible and last but not the least a power nap makes wonders. So dont feel shy to take a half hour to 1 hour nap as needed.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by vikramv4u

Anyone has any idea about how much water there is at Gokak? Is it worth the detour and how are the roads?

Gokak has low levels of water. May be you can visit Hampi on the way.
You can even do Kaas if you have penchant for vast landscapes. I would definitely recommend Kaas over Hampi! Flowering season is over and so the place would be low on crowd.

D1 : BLR-Satara. Stay for 2 nights.
D2 : Spend the day at Kaas/Bamnoli
D3 Drive to Mumbai early morning.

[honeybee]

Please avoid Ghatkopar at all costs. Whatever route you take to enter Mumbai, the JVLR is the swiftest way to Andheri E.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Please avoid Ghatkopar at all costs. Whatever route you take to enter Mumbai, the JVLR is the swiftest way to Andheri E.

+1 to that.
Once you reach Vashi take the Vashi-Chedda Nagar-Eastern Express Highway to get to the JVLR instead of going to Ghatkopar. Since you would be entering Mumbai in the evenings, keep additional buffer time for the traffic.

[vikramv4u]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Post expressway the Thane Belapur road is undergoing concrete work and will have traffic jams. You can either drive down this till Airoli or look for the Vashi/Mankhurd exits.

Andheri E means you would go through the JVLR which should have light to medium traffic in the eveing in the direction you are going.

Yes, will most likely be getting on to the Mankhurd/Ghatkopar road and then hit the Eastern Express Highway to enter either JVLR or go through Asalpha.. Let's see based on traffic that day.. Thanks

Originally Posted by ampere

Here is a very active thread for all your answers.


http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...teries-83.html

Thank you for this. Yes, I did take a look at that thread, but since my requirements were slightly customized i thought its better to put it separately. I have taken inputs from there, however, so thanks again for the recommendation

Originally Posted by SajiNSalin

Dear vikramv4u,

If you can get up a little earlier, it would save a lot of time if you start your journey by 0500 or 0530 hours.

Another time saving tactic which is followed by HV Kumar is to have snacks in the car during the journey. This saves a lot of time spent in restaurants, which means for every 1 hour spent eating, you have to drive another 60 to 70 km.

Many bhpians have covered the distance from Bangalore to Mumbai in a day, so your plan is definitely doable.

Hi Saji, Yes.. early morning is certainly an option but we are not quite early birds.. Kinda hate getting up too early but I know what you are saying and certainly will think of that.. Also, we know the distance can be covered in a day, but I do not want it to be a stressful trip (as I am the only driver), and would rather enjoy and go a little leisurely, that's the idea. Yes, your option of having snacks in the car is a good idea and we may most likely implement it also.. gives a 'picnicky' feel, so that should be fun :-)

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

Things to consider:
1) Fill your fuel to the brim whenever possible as fuel outlets are spaced far apart on Hubli- Bangalore Highway.
2) Once you enter Maharashtra its going to be crowded roads with Undisciplined drivers so be carefull.
3) I suggest dont detour for any sightseeings and go as per plan. Only thing which comes to my thought and is bang on your journey is Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Devi. You can take blessings but it will consume time and delay your journey.
4) You can speed up a bit on Highway upto Maharashtra but after that be carefull. Road quality is not the same as in Karnataka and Traffic is high.
5) Do not stop on Pune-Mumbai Highway other than food malls as its a big risk.
6) You can use the Vashi-Ghatkopar-Jogeshwari Link Road to get to Jogeshwari East which is close by to Andheri east and is normally less crowded as compared to other routes. I have not been to Mumbai for long so this might have changed.

Start early next day. Dont wait for breakfast to be done in the same hotel if it gets you delayed.You can do breakfast on-route. I would recommend starting early.

With 1Lakh kms under your belt, you have more than enough experience to do this journey.

Nothing else should be important than safety on this trip. So plan properly. Drive safely and defensively. Park properly on highways away from road as much as possible and last but not the least a power nap makes wonders. So dont feel shy to take a half hour to 1 hour nap as needed.

Thank you for all the tips and encouragement! Truly appreciate all your thoughts!

Originally Posted by ampere

Gokak has low levels of water. May be you can visit Hampi on the way.
You can even do Kaas if you have penchant for vast landscapes. I would definitely recommend Kaas over Hampi! Flowering season is over and so the place would be low on crowd.

D1 : BLR-Satara. Stay for 2 nights.
D2 : Spend the day at Kaas/Bamnoli
D3 Drive to Mumbai early morning.

Yeah.. Ok Gokak is ruled out. Kaas is something I need to research on in terms of where exactly it is and how far. Hampi is a place we have already been to, so will not go there.. Thanks for the Kaas option. Will certainly look into it

Originally Posted by honeybee

Please avoid Ghatkopar at all costs. Whatever route you take to enter Mumbai, the JVLR is the swiftest way to Andheri E.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

+1 to that.
Once you reach Vashi take the Vashi-Chedda Nagar-Eastern Express Highway to get to the JVLR instead of going to Ghatkopar. Since you would be entering Mumbai in the evenings, keep additional buffer time for the traffic.

Done. Noted.. Thanks for this

[palitrana]

Vikram,

The itinerary seems quite good! My 2 cents -
1. You need to time your fort visit properly to be able to reach Hubli by 7:30 evening. The 200 odd kms is quite good, especially after Davangere! Overall should take you not more than 4 hour at extreme max with some bad luck on traffic too!

2. Day 2 itinerary is perfect. Last december, we did Goa to Mumbai, left Goa at 6 AM to come through Nipani and onwards through the same route! Reached Mumbai at 5 PM sharp, with few butt breaks, nice lunch, etc!

3. Kolhapur to Pune section - Although the roads are good, there is some widening going on at places, specially nearer to Pune. This road is infested (yes INFESTED!) with two wheelers and slow moving commercial vehicles, Both of whom decide to ride on any of the lanes. Be ready to snake through vehicles, can be a bit tiring!

4. Pune Bypass - If you are passing Pune in the afternoon, should be a breeze, the more late you are, the heavier the traffic!

5. Mumbai - Andheri - My recommendation is you come via Palm beach road to Vashi from Belapur (check google maps or let me know, i can plot the route for you). Cross Vashi bridge, catch the Mankhurd Ghatkopar link road, and then the JVLR. This is the best road and will have the least fatigue considering you already have driven for so long!

I myself am planning a trip which would entail driving straight from Davangere to Mumbai in one day!

Cheers and all the best!

[honeybee]

Worth repeating: Avoid Ghatkopar or Asalpha. It's the same evil, just on two sides of the railway tracks.

I know you have noted it but since you mentioned Asalpha I was worried again.

[Equus]

I recently did Bangalore Pune in my NHC. We started from home in Koramangala at 6:30am and shockingly we had driven only 70 kms till 9am when we stopped at a Kamat place for breakfast. Bulk of the time was spent waiting at Jalahalli cross. If you can get past this sooner, then you are all set for a great day!

PS: From then on, we reached Belgaum before 2pm driving non-stop, consistently around 120kmph!

[sri1951]

Dear vikramv4u

Your timing is very rel;axed. However, traffic in Maharashtra is heavy and gets heavier as your reach Mumbai.

1. There are lot of diversions from Satara till you reach the express way.
2. I do not think there are speed breakers from Hubli till Navi Mumbai.
3. After the express way the traffic will be a mess due to widening of the road.
4. You will reach in the evening peak hour on a week-day be ready for slow moving traffic in Navi Mumbai and from Powai to Andheri East stretch on JVLR.
5. Weather should be nice.

Have a safe trip.

[nileshdias]

Hi Guys,

We are driving from Bangalore to Mumbai later this month. We have two vehicles, a old VW aircooled bus and a Fiesta (4 drivers)

I'm travelling to Bangalore from Mumbai and would arrive at the airport at 3:30 PM. The VW could leave couple of hours earlier than that as it would be slower. Fiesta would pick me at the airport and we would catch the bus somewhere along the route for an overnight stop.

How far can we realistically go for the overnight journey after starting at 4:00 PM from Bengaluru Airport?

Can you advice for good clean places to stay?

P.S. Have an option of sending the bus on truck but would like to drive it for a once-in-life journey!

Thanks,
Nilesh

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by nileshdias

Hi Guys,

We are driving from Bangalore to Mumbai later this month. We have two vehicles, a old VW aircooled bus and a Fiesta (4 drivers)

I'm travelling to Bangalore from Mumbai and would arrive at the airport at 3:30 PM. The VW could leave couple of hours earlier than that as it would be slower. Fiesta would pick me at the airport and we would catch the bus somewhere along the route for an overnight stop.

How far can we realistically go for the overnight journey after starting at 4:00 PM from Bengaluru Airport?

Can you advice for good clean places to stay?

P.S. Have an option of sending the bus on truck but would like to drive it for a once-in-life journey!

Thanks,
Nilesh

Simply think no further and take the Devanahalli Dobaspet route to hit NH4 from Airport and then continue all the way to Mumbai.

It will easily save you time if you compare that with taking city route to reach NH4.

If you manage to leave Airport at 4PM you will manage reaching Tumkur by 5:15PM easily. The suitable option for you to halt would be Hubli which will be another 5.5 hours from this point (Dobaspet) during this time of the evening.

This means it would be anywhere between 10 and 11PM when you reach Hubli and check in.

The other ideal (only because its got decent option to stay) would be Davanagere which you will easily make it by 8:30PM.

If you prefer a little early stop Chitradurga which you should make it by 7:30 will be the last option.

After Davanagere all the way till Hubli your choices to halt would be negligible.

HUBLI: Clarks Inn, Anant Residency
DAVANAGERE: Genesis Resort, Harihar Bypass
CHITRADURGA: Naveen Regency.

Hope this helps.

Edit: My Advise: Among these 3, make a choice depending on the progress the VW Bus has made and where it would want to call it a day.

[nileshdias]

Thanks Parag. It seems Hubli is a realistic option and Belgaum would be pushing it. Now need to decide what time the VW needs to leave to be in Hubli around 8 PM.

What would be a good time to leave next day towards Mumbai?

Cheers,
Nilesh

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by nileshdias

Thanks Parag. It seems Hubli is a realistic option and Belgaum would be pushing it. Now need to decide what time the VW needs to leave to be in Hubli around 8 PM.

What would be a good time to leave next day towards Mumbai?

Cheers,
Nilesh

Hubli Kolhapur is 2.5 - 3 Hours
Kolhapur Pune is 3 Hours
Pune Vashi is 2 Hours

There is MIDC soon after you enter MH and then for the next 45 kms there will be a lot of industries all the way till Islampur.

You would be greeted by loads of miscellaneous traffic, specially 2 wheelers if you enter MH around 0830 or 0900 hours.

If you can start from Hubli by 6 you would actually drive in dense morning traffic.

I would say delay your start till 9am so that you make it to MH around 12 noon and then cross the messy Pune bypass by 1530 or 1600 hours.

However, you will hit Mumbai at peak hours then but you would've beaten a lot of miscellaneous and messy traffic in Kolhapur Pune stretch that way.