[manmohanmaan]

Rockyb,

Thanks for your suggestions, look forward to your feedback once you are back. Best of luck.

Manmohan.

[manmohanmaan]

Right Sir, so i bye-pass patna - muzaffarpur and directly head to Bengusarai and continue on NH 31. Sounds good, will look at more details and take a final call.
Planning to start from Bangalore sometime in May first-second week. Post elections hopefully will have left the areas a little more peaceful.
Roughly Bangalore - Nagpur(1090 Kms) - Aurangabad(892 Kms) -Siliguri(605 Kms). I may add another stop to break the journey into more manageable chunks and on the fourth day reach Phuentsholing..
Been sitting on the plan for some time.
Hey thanks a lot Sir. God Bless.

[Landkruzer]

Originally Posted by manmohanmaan

Prior to Varanasi, I see coming from Jabalpur I can take NH 7 through Katni, Rewa and Mirzapur to reach varanasi direct. I believe this section too is in a bad shape.

As per the recent post Jabalpur-Rewa is in good condition. Also Rewa to UP Border (Hanumana) is 4 lane road now. So this adds more weight to your route choice.

Roughly Bangalore - Nagpur(1090 Kms) - Aurangabad(892 Kms) -Siliguri(605 Kms). I may add another stop to break the journey into more manageable chunks and on the fourth day reach Phuentsholing..

Since you will be driving mostly on 2 lane roads beyond Nagpur, you can consider targeting lesser distance per day. After Nagpur you can consider Mirzapur/Varanasi, Purnea and Phentsholing for stopover.

[manmohanmaan]

Thank you Landkruzer. That is helpful.

May be i could do Nagpur - Varanasi(735Kms). Then Varanasi - Purnea via NH31 (578Kms) and finally Purnea -Phuentsholing (320 Kms).

Varanasi to Purnea has been calculated by Sheel Sir at about 13 hours, since its summer, daylight should extend to almost 7PM.

Nagpur I am acquainted with, Varanasi surely has ample choice for overnight stay, Purnea is the mystery I have to solve for a overnight stay.

Thank you all, welcome any further inputs will post my final choice choice.

I know this is a little off-topic here but from down south it does offer an alternative route than Calcutta to Siliguri and it does look better on paper.

Manmohan.

[Babuda]

Nagpur I am acquainted with, Varanasi surely has ample choice for overnight stay, Purnea is the mystery I have to solve for a overnight stay.

You can try Hotel Center Point, Purnea. Stayed there on multiple occasions on our way to and back from North Bengal/Sikkim/Bhutan. Take the first right at the small roundabout after crossing the Purnea bus stand.

[manmohanmaan]

Thank you Babuda Sir. Will put it down as the Hotel of Choice in Purnea.

Manmohan.

[rahul_kej]

Originally Posted by manmohanmaan

Thank you Landkruzer. That is helpful.

May be i could do Nagpur - Varanasi(735Kms). Then Varanasi - Purnea via NH31 (578Kms) and finally Purnea -Phuentsholing (320 Kms).

Varanasi to Purnea has been calculated by Sheel Sir at about 13 hours, since its summer, daylight should extend to almost 7PM.

If possible stretch till Siliguri. Purnea to Siliguri roads are good with few bad patches and its totally safe even 24hours a day. There are plenty of options in Siliguri and you can head towards Thimpu directly from Siliguri the other day. Just that reach Phuentsholing at 9am for your passes.

[manmohanmaan]

Thank you Rahul Ji.

Not a fan of driving in the night at all specially since the hill towns close shop early and once dark there is hardly anyone to make enquiries with.

However what you suggested makes a lot of sense.

The handicap is I will be travelling with my nephew, who is very young, and most likely I will have made my hotel bookings of all night-halts even before I leave Bangalore. There are advantages and disadvantages, I am sure to sleep in a better hotel with confirmed booking, however I loose all flexibility in changing my plans at the last minute.

Excuse me for going on like this, but I am looking at multiple options that are confusing.

Since I have been advised to stick to 4 lane roads, would it be better to travel all the way to Barhi on AH 1 (G T Road) then take NH 31 (AH 42) towards Jhumri Telaiya past Nawada – Bihar Sharief – Bhaktiyarpur – Barh following NH 31 to Begusarai.

Or would it be better to do the above route but just after a place called Giriak on AH 42 take a right on SH 71 (Islampur – Rajgir – Parvathipur Road) thus giving Bihar Sharief a miss and via SH 83 – NH 82 reach Begusarai. This is the Google Maps standard route, it is shorter that the Bihar Sharief Route and also appears to miss the larger towns, however the condition of the road is not ascertained, so that’s the risk.

Any input in this matter will be very helpful. Thank You in Advance.

Manmohan.

[manmohanmaan]

Hi All,
All right, I am putting down a final draft of the route not following the East Coast to reach Siliguri / Phuentsholing from Bangalore, but taking the NH 7 that connects Kanyakumari to Varanasi as follows. I have connected to posts from logs of travel from Delhi / UP to Siliguri and also from the Calcutta Siliguri log where I was originally posting my queries.
The Calcutta Siliguri route seems too unstable and changeable, there are good routes but they involve re-routing through smaller and smaller towns (how I understood it). I have never travelled by road in these areas and it appears even a slight confusion in directions takes a heavy toll on ones schedule.
So the NH 7 route as follows.
Leave Bangalore in a relaxed manner and reach Hyderabad, 570 kms.
Hyderabad to Jabalpur 785 kms.
Jabalpur - Reva - Varanasi 454 kms. One or two days halt to explore the city, though the plan being in mid may it bay be a mild 'burning experience'. However cannot just pass through this place always wanted to visit.
Varanasi to Siliguri 776 kms via GT Road (AH1) then turn at Badeya to Bodh Gaya passing south of Bihar Sharif on NH 71 / 83 through (as seen on google maps) Barbigha to Begusarai, then NH 31 following to all the way to Purnea, Dalkhola, Islampur and Siliguri.

I will be hugely obliged if anyone can set my mind at rest about the following.

1. Is the last stretch Varanasi to Siliguri doable or is it wiser to stay back at Purnea ?

2. Should I take the left towards Bodh Gaya near Badheya OR continue on to Barhi then turn towards 'Jhumri Taleya' (can't miss a chance to visit this place and Chauparan if you have listed to Vividh Bharathi's Aap Ki Farmaish) to Rajauri, Nevada (also AH 42 or NH 31 as per google) rejoining the above route on NH 71 at a place called Giriak then on to NH 31 Begusarai etc.
I thought of this longer route as we can be on the 4 lane GT Road for longer time. The distance shown is 833 kms, longer by 57 kms.

Of course one could leave varanasi by late noon and reach bodh gaya by (225 kms) by evening thus shortening the distance by that much for the next days journey to Siliguri. .

Look forward to any suggestions to improve on the above.

Manmohan.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by manmohanmaan

I will be hugely obliged if anyone can set my mind at rest about the following.

1. Is the last stretch Varanasi to Siliguri doable or is it wiser to stay back at Purnea ?

Of course one could leave varanasi by late noon and reach bodh gaya by (225 kms) by evening thus shortening the distance by that much for the next days journey to Siliguri. .

Look forward to any suggestions to improve on the above.

Manmohan.

I have a trip lined for Bangalore sometimes within a month, so will depend on you for updates prior to Varanasi [if that is the route you take]

BTW, we have plans to go via Orissa & Vizag. I will be in a low slung sedan, so I too am looking for good roads.

Varanasi to Purnia, well...Purnia to NH-2 via BodhGaya is ~400 kilometers which will require a travel time of 8/10 hours, depending on traffic. Varanasi to BodhGaya took me 4 hours. Siliguri is another ~3 hours from Purnia.

Let me know what you think of and if you may reveal your travel date..? Which car?

[manmohanmaan]

Sheel Sir,
thank you for the reply. I am basically travelling through Varanasi side as the roads are clearly defined and appear to be better than the Calcutta to Siliguri option which now includes various diversions and really pathetic NH 34 (as per logs here) Being absolutely the first time I will be using the roads here thought that the Varanasi route looked more controlled and straightforward.
However for you who knows these roads so well i think the east coast road from along Orissa and AP would be the best choice, scenic, tourist friendly and the best way to get to my bungled-ooru .
I hope to post the road conditions as we travel each evening if not anything more.
Could you please recommend the route between Bodh Gaya and Purnea as there appear to be a few choices.
I think you are not recommending the Barhi - Jhumri Taleya Route ?
I am tentatively thinking of 2nd week of May and will be travelling by a Fortuner.
Manmohan.

Originally Posted by manmohanmaan

Could you please recommend the route between Bodh Gaya and Purnea as there appear to be a few choices.

I drove from Siliguri to Bodh Gaya via Purnea>Begusarai>Bihar Sharif>Pavapuri last year while returning from Tawang to Chennai. I took this roundabout route as I wanted to visit the shrines. There were good, bad and ugly roads in that route. All were 2-laned NH/SH. Crossing the Ganga river through Mokama bridge [Rajendra Setu] was an ordeal by itself. Driving through the markets of Begusarai and Biharsharif in the peak hours was painful.











If you don't have any plans of visiting Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, etc., you can consider the shortest and straight forward route via Tirupati>Nadiupeta>Vizag>Bhubaneswar>Barddhaman>Mo rgram>Malda>Dalkhola bypass>Siliguri. WB SH 7 connecting Barddhaman and Morgram is good. See this thread for the latest update: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3948147

[manmohanmaan]

Dear Ravi,
the route suggested by you was the first choice via the east coast and I did follow for more than a few years the calcutta - siliguri through dumka, bhagalpur thread and have been baffled by the continuous changes suggested and pathetic road conditions that ways.
Recently someone took about 14 hours on NH 34 to cover 500 odd Kms. Therefore the alternate route via Varanasi.
I have no specific agenda to visit Varanasi but as we are passing through will take a couple of days to wander around the City as also with Bodh Gaya. The final destination is Bhutan.
I took a quick look at the thread you have recommended, its the small town transition which unnerve me. . Also the thread is about 2 years old.
Therefore the alternate route.
Thank you for your posts and the reply.
Manmohan.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by manmohanmaan

I hope to post the road conditions as we travel each evening if not anything more.
Could you please recommend the route between Bodh Gaya and Purnea as there appear to be a few choices.
I think you are not recommending the Barhi - Jhumri Taleya Route ?
I am tentatively thinking of 2nd week of May and will be travelling by a Fortuner.
Manmohan.

That would be a bonus, really

Nothing to sweat on this route, only thing is, it will take time as out of 400 kilometers, you will have almost 100 kilometers of less trafficked roads and surface would be good [but no dual carriage way]

No, I won't recommend Barhi route. As Ravi Sir has mentioned, the route would be Bodh Gaya - Rajgir (via Hisua & not Nawada) - Biharsharif (there is a bypass to avoid the town) Bakhtiarpur [you have to take a right turn here to enter NH-31] Mokamah bridge - Barauni zero mile [refinery] - Begusarai - (a bit narrow & not very good road between this stretch for 40kms) Khagaria - Naugachia - Purnia

As you will near Biharsharif, after a small bridge which will have giant speed breakers on both ends, you will see a chowk or a चौराहा.{25.194748, 85.504896} Straight is Biharsharif town & to your left is the bypass, there should be boards indicating it. Glad you are in the Fortuner, there are huge speed breakers at a railway crossing in this route, heck the fully loaded Yeti scrapes here.

If you wish to stay at Purnia and can't locate hotels, let me know, will try to arrange for something.

Originally Posted by manmohanmaan

I have no specific agenda to visit Varanasi but as we are passing through will take a couple of days to wander around the City as also with Bodh Gaya. The final destination is Bhutan.

Hire a taxi here. If you want peace of mind. It will anyways be too hot and humid. On 25th February, at 14:00 hours, I got down on the barren GT road near Varanasi and can't describe what I felt. Can't imagine as to how would it be in May

[manmohanmaan]

Sheel Sir,

Not at all, Its the joint contribution that makes current and useful data available for all to use.
Will stick with your last suggestion and we will see what we see.
May be I will be tempted to use the east coast road on the way back, change of scenery too.
Just one more question, do these railway crossings have those height restriction bars ? cos I may mount a luggage box on top of the Fortuner. We have a weakness of over packing stuff and its gonna be a 4 week trip.
Yep I fully agree with you, I always hire a local taxi for local sight seeing specially as most tourist spots have parking facilities at some distance and a monopoly of the local taxi drivers.
Will keep you posted regarding the stopover at Purnea.
Thank you, you have been really helpful.
Regards,
Manmohan.