[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Watch out for nasty humps after Ranebennur and the abrupt deviations near Haveri.

there are three unmarked speed breakers just before Ranebennur and if you're driving under low visibility (read night time and rains), you better be cautious. even a speed of 40-50kmph can give a nasty bump.

also, there is one or two places where there is road work in progress and one will have to take deviation.

information is based on our recent trip from Bangalore > Pune (and Mumbai and Nashik)

Originally Posted by nileshch

I plan to leave early morning 4/5 am. From what I read, Chitradurga for breakfast and Kolhapur for lunch are the ideal spots. Is this fine? Also what are good eating joints in these places?

There is Kamat Upachar on Ranebennur bypass on LHS of NH 4 attached to Reliance fuel pump, which is a good place for breakfast. Details are here. Sai Food Court on RHS after Kolhapur is ideal for lunch.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Watch out for nasty humps after Ranebennur and the abrupt deviations near Haveri.

Ideally, you can have lunch at Sankam Residency at Belgaum (50 metres off NH4) or at McD on Kolhapur bypass. Further down, Sai Resort some 15-20 kms beyond Kolhapur is a good place too.

HVK, thanks for the 100th time! Your posts have been very helpful!

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

there are three unmarked speed breakers just before Ranebennur and if you're driving under low visibility (read night time and rains), you better be cautious. even a speed of 40-50kmph can give a nasty bump.

also, there is one or two places where there is road work in progress and one will have to take deviation.

information is based on our recent trip from Bangalore > Pune (and Mumbai and Nashik)

Thanks for that detail. I guess it would be well past dawn when I reach Ranebennur, so I'll watch out for these

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

There is Kamat Upachar on Ranebennur bypass on LHS of NH 4 attached to Reliance fuel pump, which is a good place for breakfast. Details are here. Sai Food Court on RHS after Kolhapur is ideal for lunch.

Great. Thanks! These look good to go.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by nileshch

I am due for a Mumbai trip this weekend. This is the first time I am travelling by road from Bangalore to Mumbai. Going by the recent posts in this thread, the route seems to be all clear. Am I right? Are there any surprises (diversions) on NH4?

I plan to leave early morning 4/5 am. From what I read, Chitradurga for breakfast and Kolhapur for lunch are the ideal spots. Is this fine? Also what are good eating joints in these places?

Nilesh,

If you are planning for Breakfast in Chitradurga, dont miss Laxmi Bhavan in town for excellent Benne Masale Dosey (Butter Masala Dose). Chitradurga is a small twon and the place is five minutes drive once you get off the high way. You can ask any local and they will guide you.

By chance if you feel it is too early for breakfast, then continue your drive and have Butter Masala Dosa at famous Kottureshwara Benne Dose hotel opposite BDT Dental college. Any local will guide you.

As you might have read on this post, the road till Kolhapur is breeze except for small patch near Haveri and road humps near Rane bennur - well marked rather. Beyond Kolhapur, you will encounter two wheeler as well as sugar cane tractors/lorries which will slow you down.

If you are having Breakfast in Chitradurga, then break for lunch in Belgaum as Kolhapur will be little late.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Nilesh,

If you are planning for Breakfast in Chitradurga, dont miss Laxmi Bhavan in town for excellent Benne Masale Dosey (Butter Masala Dose). Chitradurga is a small twon and the place is five minutes drive once you get off the high way. You can ask any local and they will guide you.

By chance if you feel it is too early for breakfast, then continue your drive and have Butter Masala Dosa at famous Kottureshwara Benne Dose hotel opposite BDT Dental college. Any local will guide you.

As you might have read on this post, the road till Kolhapur is breeze except for small patch near Haveri and road humps near Rane bennur - well marked rather. Beyond Kolhapur, you will encounter two wheeler as well as sugar cane tractors/lorries which will slow you down.

If you are having Breakfast in Chitradurga, then break for lunch in Belgaum as Kolhapur will be little late.

Fauji, reading your descriptions, I am already in butter masala dosa land! Davanagere would be the better stop of the two for me since I am leaving early. Will report my experience.

[nileshch]

I made the trip to Mumbai yesterday.

Left Bangalore at 4 am sharp. Reached Ranebennur at 8 am and Kolhapur at 12:30 pm. Pune was touched at around 4pm, Panvel at 5:45 pm and I was in Mulund, Mumbai at 6:30pm. Total travel time: 14.5 hours with 1 hour break. Maintained a constant speed of 90-100kmph throughout most part of the journey.

Overall, the drive was enjoyable because of the good roads. Roads were excellent on the KA side. The roads close to the state border are so well maintained, with manicured plants on the dividers and hand-cut grass. MH roads are patchy and not so well maintained, and well, the tolls are almost double of those on the KA side (for the most part). The traffic on MH side is much more than KA. Toll queues are almost non-existent.

Many toll attendants on the MH side (upto Pune) wanted to pass off toffees instead of coins and give discounts for not accepting toll receipts. I refused and they promptly gave me the coins and receipts. So be firm when they hand over toffees and torn notes to you.

Just before (or is it after?) Haveri there is a diversion to a railway crossing as the flyover on the railway line is still under construction. There was an unmarked speed breaker before this diversion. I don't recollect seeing any other unmarked speed breakers after Ranebennur. However there were two semi-marked speed breakers in a village on NH4 (but I don't recollect where exactly).

For all the eateries, things did not go as planned. This being the first time, we did not want to venture away from the highway and end up reaching home late at night. So stuck to eateries along the highway. Stopped at Kamat Upchar at Ranebennur. Toilets were ill-maintained. Did not use them. Food was ok. Service was slow. Then stopped at McDonalds at Kolhapur for lunch. Toilets were much better. The journey from Kolhapur to Mumbai was a non-stop one. We seriously did not expect to reach before dusk so hurried it up.

[VJ_MAVRICK]

Originally Posted by nileshch

I made the trip to Mumbai yesterday.

Left Bangalore at 4 am sharp. Reached Ranebennur at 8 am and Kolhapur at 12:30 pm. Pune was touched at around 4pm, Panvel at 5:45 pm and I was in Mulund, Mumbai at 6:30pm. Total travel time: 14.5 hours with 1 hour break. Maintained a constant speed of 90-100kmph throughout most part of the journey.

Overall, the drive was enjoyable because of the good roads. Roads were excellent on the KA side. The roads close to the state border are so well maintained, with manicured plants on the dividers and hand-cut grass. MH roads are patchy and not so well maintained, and well, the tolls are almost double of those on the KA side (for the most part). The traffic on MH side is much more than KA. Toll queues are almost non-existent.

Many toll attendants on the MH side (upto Pune) wanted to pass off toffees instead of coins and give discounts for not accepting toll receipts. I refused and they promptly gave me the coins and receipts. So be firm when they hand over toffees and torn notes to you.

Just before (or is it after?) Haveri there is a diversion to a railway crossing as the flyover on the railway line is still under construction. There was an unmarked speed breaker before this diversion. I don't recollect seeing any other unmarked speed breakers after Ranebennur. However there were two semi-marked speed breakers in a village on NH4 (but I don't recollect where exactly).

For all the eateries, things did not go as planned. This being the first time, we did not want to venture away from the highway and end up reaching home late at night. So stuck to eateries along the highway. Stopped at Kamat Upchar at Ranebennur. Toilets were ill-maintained. Did not use them. Food was ok. Service was slow. Then stopped at McDonalds at Kolhapur for lunch. Toilets were much better. The journey from Kolhapur to Mumbai was a non-stop one. We seriously did not expect to reach before dusk so hurried it up.

It's been quite some time now that I did this stretch and good to read here that the KA side roads have improved. The Haveri and Ranebennur stretches were bad when I first did this stretch from Bangalore.

The key to the perfect timing is to start around 3Am or 4 Am with minimal stops and you reach the destination in 15 hours flat.

[INNOWAGON_CL]

When we are on a long journey by road, first time users are better off taking precautions given that we find some vehicles stranded midway.

I just thought to highlight the precautions to be taken for the long drive:

Please check the car’s engine oil and if an oil change is due soon, make sure you see to it before you go. The level of the oil dipstick should be close to full before leaving.

Antifreeze level or coolant level should lie somewhere between the ‘min’ and ‘max’ marks.

Checking the Battery is a good precautionary measure to change it before a trip. Some tell-tale signs of an old or dying battery are a slower acceleration rate or suspicious engine noises

Check the operation of the car’s handbrake and braking system

Check tyre pressure and the recommended pressure is usually listed in the owner’s manual.

As one is spending a long time on the open road and there is potential to be in isolated areas, make sure your car is fitted with a spare tyre and the appropriate tools needed to ensure that you can change the wheel yourself – such as a wrench and a jack. If there are visible cracks or the thread is wornout, it calls for replacement.

Check if the car’s horn, blinkers, headlights, brake lights and tail lights are working.

Check for any damage on your windscreen. This includes chips which can lead to nasty irreparable cracks and replacement costs

As it is monsoon time, don’t be caught with a dirty windscreen and check the operation of your windscreen wipers and ensure the rubbers are not damaged and are in good working order. Also check the water level in your windscreen washer reservoir

GPS is an extra expense and perhaps a luxury, but if one is driving in unfamiliar areas then investing in it might significantly cut down travel time and one will also have easy access to information such as where the nearest petrol station / hotel / restaurant is.

First time users should preferably avoid night driving as they are not familiar with the road conditions


Have a safe and enjoyable drive.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by nileshch

I made the trip to Mumbai yesterday.

For all the eateries, things did not go as planned. This being the first time, we did not want to venture away from the highway and end up reaching home late at night. So stuck to eateries along the highway. Stopped at Kamat Upchar at Ranebennur. Toilets were ill-maintained. Did not use them. Food was ok. Service was slow.

Hey Nilesh,

Good driving man. Sad you couldn't stop for Benne Dosey in Davanagere. Kamat in Haveri is not good at all. Not recommended. Yes, toilets were bad when we stopped there in Oct last year. I had complained to the manager to improve the place overall. Your experience shows that they just don't care.

[sri1951]

Hi!

I did a trip from Mumbai to Mangalore end of last year. The road from Mumbai to Dharwad from where I took a turn towards Managalore was superb.

No! You do not need any permit for crossing the state border if you are not travelling in a hired vehicle. I have given below the note that I made at that time.

We (my wife, my driver and I) recently drove from Mumbai to Manipal on December 1st 2010 and came back on December 4th 2010. I did of lot of ground work before leaving. I studied the route map using Google map and Google Earth. In addition I spoke to a few friends and a neighbour. I also visited www.team-bhp.com to gather information. After understating the route and being warned about bad roads, heavy truck traffic and not to miss the scenic beauty on Hubli Karwar road, I decided that I should do the stretch during the day. Based on this I worked on an estimated time for departure and arrival and possible breaks to ensure that both the car and driver were rested.
I made an excel sheet that gave the route that I took with distance and time (both estimated and actual). It is with me in case you need.
Roads
With the actual time taken one can easily judge that the road conditions were excellent from Mumbai to Dharwad. The traffic was also thin and we could drive anywhere between 120 to 140 Km per hour in most of the stretches. At some places I had to control myself to keep the speedometer to 120 Kms and lower!
As I had read from the postings in team-bhp that the Hubli Karwar road was bad I was concerned about the driving time that we would take. In fact the initial stretch of Dharwad to Kalghatgi was not too good and I was wondering if the further stretch of road will be equally bad. To our surprise the Hubli Karwar road was exceptional and there was no major truck traffic. We could drive anywhere between 90 to 120 Kms through this stretch. One of the issues we faced was that some of the signboards were in Kannada. Of-course the Indian GPS system worked very well for us. One would wonder what the Indian GPS system is. It is as simple as rolling down your window and asking someone where you are and how to proceed.
As the sign-board was in Kannada, we almost missed the turn from Hubli-Karwar Road, on our way from Idugundi to Kumta. Even the google maps driving directions said “Slight right toward Kochi-Panavel Rd/NH 17”. After seeing the map I knew that this was wrong and it should be a left turn. After a few minutes, a tempo truck told us that is the right place to turn and go. This road is very narrow and not too good. However, there was no traffic at all, sans 1 or 2 motorbikes. I think during the rains it will be simply superb to be in this area, but, I do not know how the roads would be. We decided on the return leg to avoid this road and went beyond Ankola and took the Hubli Karwar road from the point where it meets the Kochi-Panvel road. This decision was correct as we took 10 minutes less driving time though the distance was 20 KMs more.
The road from Kumta to Manipal was initially fantastic and trouble started after we crossed Honavar. Thereafter, one did not know where the potholes would be and the drive was cautious. But the piece of the Indian road engineering expertise was the 14 KM stretch between Bhatkal and Shirur. There was just no road and they call it National Highway!! The traffic threw up so much of dust from the ground that the trees and plants were all coated white. I understand that they are in the processes of relaying this road. One could hope that the road will be there in another 2 or 3 months and then will disappear after the first showers in 2011.
In spite of all this, we could cover approximately 910 Km in a driving time of about 13 hours, i.e.an average of 70 Km per hour. I guess this note could entice people to drive through this route. If you are a larger group, i.e. 5 or 6 cars you should drive during monsoon time just to ensure that there is a back-up available in case of any problems.
Food and Bio-break
We stopped for breakfast after Pune, post the toll station on Pune-Satara road. We went to Mac but later realised that there were other Indian food choice available further up. I am not too sure if all these guys are up and about at 7:30 in the morning. The bio-break stop here was decent. We stopped for petrol at Kholapur at the Konduskar petrol pump after crossing the city. Tea and Bio-break stop is fine here. We reached Belgaum by 12 noon and were not yet that hungry.
Hence, we decided to move on. At the toll booth we found that there was no proper eating joint on the highway and one had to go inside Dharwad or Hubli or make do with a joint about 25 Km from the toll on the highway itself before the Dharwad toll. We ended up doing that. The food was just about OK. The Bio-break facility could not meet any bare minimum standards. God bless Indian women and girls as they hold on to their bladder much longer than the insensitive Indian male who stands-at-ease wherever he pleases.
The Coffee at Kumta was excellent. If you chose to sit as a commoner you were served in stainless steel “Dabara and Tumbler” or in cup and saucer if you went into the A/c room. The A/c room provided you a decent bio-break facility too!! After the back breaking drive from Bhatkal to Kundapur we could not help but to stop and have an excellent Coffee at Kundapur.
I would not know what people would do if they had to us these facilities other than for urinals. I wish a group like bhp took on this issue and address it to its final conclusion. This national shame needs to be converted into a national pride. Of-course this requires training of the users as well.

Toll Booths
The following are the booths and the toll charges paid by us in December 2010 are listed below.
Place
Amount Rs
Vashi
30
Khalapur
140
Pune/Satara
60
Satara – Anewadi
45
Satara-Karad – Taswade
52
Before Kholapur
52
After Kholpaur
25
Before Belgaum
30
After Belgaum
30
Before Dharwad
34
After Honavar
5
Total
503


I could not get a site that could give me the actual number of tolls and toll charges there at, prior to my departure. I carried change with me so that we could tender exact toll charges. If this information is put up at a suitable place on BHP site it would be of help.
Petrol Pumps
These were available in plenty and there was no problem. However, there were no sign boards to tell you how far the next petrol pump is.
Last but not least - Post the monsoon you need to check how the road from Bangalore to Dharward is. Beyond that and till Mumbai should not be a problem at all.

[vbnadgir]

Did Bangalore to Hubli 2 weeks back and roads are very good throughout except some bad patch between Ranibennur and Haveri where there is a ROB work is going on.

There are big speed breakers has come up after Chitradurga and Just before Ranibennur. Davanagere bypass has improved considerably. There is new toll booths coming between Davanagere and Ranibennur, albeit not operational. They can start these any moment, i reckon.

From Haveri to Hubli drive is a breeze. Overall a very good driving experience and can be covered within 6 hours 30 minutes with 15-20 break. We packed the breakfast ( home made) and was travelling with my Twin Sons.

As some members pointed out watch out for two wheels, tractors coming in opposite directions between Davanagere and Ranebennur.

[lavish_n]

I did my 7th Mumbai Bangalore road trip on 22nd July. This time in my 2009 SX4 Zxi. No co-passengers. Surprisingly the roads were empty.
Started from Mumbai (Malad) @ 4:30 AM
Stopped @ McDonald's Kolhapur for breakfast @ 9:00 AM
Stopped @ Kamat's after Hubli for lunch @ 12:00 PM
Drove non-stop & reached Home OMBR layout at 5:00 PM

Roads in MH especially ghats before Khandala is full of potholes so one must be attentive to trucks suddenly coming on the right lanes without any signals/warnings.
KA roads were much better except the Ranebennur stretch. I could see the roads were tarred on the over bridge @ the rail crossing. Hoping to see it done in the coming months. It seems to be a never ending work.

[narayans80]

- Coming from Bangalore, the 3 "monsters" just past Chitradurga can be identified by 'go slow' boards. I missed the first .

- There is one adhoc diversion after the railway over bridge diversion at Ranibennur again denoted by a 'go slow' board just before a sharp right hander. There is a huge monster just after this diversion.

During early night hours (7-9 pm) mixed with rain its really hard to spot these and brake in time for these. The best thing to negotiate these is to Chitradurga-Haveri at day.

Hosur-Hubli to 6.5 hrs for me starting at 345pm including 30 mins of stops.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by lavish_n

I did my 7th Mumbai Bangalore road trip on 22nd July. This time in my 2009 SX4 Zxi. No co-passengers. Surprisingly the roads were empty.
Started from Mumbai (Malad) @ 4:30 AM
Stopped @ McDonald's Kolhapur for breakfast @ 9:00 AM
Stopped @ Kamat's after Hubli for lunch @ 12:00 PM
Drove non-stop & reached Home OMBR layout at 5:00 PM

Roads in MH especially ghats before Khandala is full of potholes Is this on the expressway? so one must be attentive to trucks suddenly coming on the right lanes without any signals/warnings.
KA roads were much better except the Ranebennur stretch. I could see the roads were tarred on the over bridge @ the rail crossing. Hoping to see it done in the coming months. It seems to be a never ending work.

Very good times, you must have been traveling at 120+ right through

[lavish_n]

Originally Posted by goandude

Very good times, you must have been traveling at 120+ right through

The potholes are on the expressway. I guess they will do patch work once monsoons are over.
Since I traveled on weekday, the road were almost empty.