[ampere]

Originally Posted by golfdude

I can do the following route as suggested:

Pune-CBE-Cochin-Munnar/Thekkady-Kodai-BLR-Pune

I was assuming except for Cochin the other places like Munnar, Kodai will be lot cooler so we will not be traveling in the heat throughout.

I will be leaving Pune on may 2nd and returning on 18th. Don't I have enough days to add Mysore/Kabini ? Also when in Cochin I would like to do Alleppey backwaters in the house boat. So if possible I would like to do this:

Pune-CBE-Cochin-Munnar/Thekkady/Alleppey-Kodai-Mysore/Kabini-Pune.

Or is this sequence better:

Pune-Munnar/Thekkady/Alleppey-Cochin-CBE-Kodai-Mysore/Kabini-Pune

Thanks.

Definitely doable. I think the one highlighted in bold would be most optimal with minimal criss-crossing. Slight change.

Pune-CBE-Cochin-Allepey-Munnar/Thekkady-Kodai-Mysore/Kabini-Pune.

Route:

- Pune - CBE : Nh4/Nh7 via Bangalore, Salem.
- CBE-Cochin/Allepey NH47 via Palakkad/Trichur/Angamaly. (Deviations can be explained as we discuss for the best road conditions)
- Allepey - Munnar : Kottayam-Muvattupuzha (MC Road) - Adimali-Munnar.
- Munnar to Thekkady can be a day trip.
- Munnar - Kodai : Munnar-Bodi-Batlagundu-Kodai. (NH49/NH45)
- Kodai-Mysore : Kodai-Dindigul-Karur-Erode-Gobi-Chamrajnagar-Nanjangud-Mysore

Kabini-Pune : Kabini-Bilkere-Krishnarajanagar-Holenarsipur-Hassan-Belur/Heleibid-CKM-Kadur-Bhadra-Shimoga-Honnali-Ranebenur-
Hubli-Pune

EDIT: Let us also hear from others, if there are any better options. HVK ?

[golfdude]

Originally Posted by ampere

Definitely doable. I think the one highlighted in bold would be most optimal with minimal criss-crossing. Slight change.

Pune-CBE-Cochin-Allepey-Munnar/Thekkady-Kodai-Mysore/Kabini-Pune.

Route:

- Pune - CBE : Nh4/Nh7 via Bangalore, Salem.
- CBE-Cochin/Allepey NH47 via Palakkad/Trichur/Angamaly. (Deviations can be explained as we discuss for the best road conditions)
- Allepey - Munnar : Kottayam-Muvattupuzha (MC Road) - Adimali-Munnar.
- Munnar to Thekkady can be a day trip.
- Munnar - Kodai : Munnar-Bodi-Batlagundu-Kodai. (NH49/NH45)
- Kodai-Mysore : Kodai-Dindigul-Karur-Erode-Gobi-Chamrajnagar-Nanjangud-Mysore

Kabini-Pune : Kabini-Bilkere-Krishnarajanagar-Holenarsipur-Hassan-Belur/Heleibid-CKM-Kadur-Bhadra-Shimoga-Honnali-Ranebenur-
Hubli-Pune

EDIT: Let us also hear from others, if there are any better options. HVK ?

Thanks a lot for the route. How much of this is on 4 lanes NH ? Are the roads good throughout ? If I start from Pune around 7.00 am which would be a good place to take a night halt ?

Is this the optimal route given above ?

Thanks.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by golfdude

Thanks a lot for the route. How much of this is on 4 lanes NH ? Are the roads good throughout ? If I start from Pune around 7.00 am which would be a good place to take a night halt ?

Is this the optimal route given above ?

Thanks.

Only Nh4 and NH7 and NH47 are GQ routes.

Pune-BLR-Salem : 4L
Salem - CBE : 4L
CBE-Cochine : 2L with some parts bein 4L (Trichur-Angamaly)

Madurai-BLR-Pune : 4L

[golfdude]

Originally Posted by ampere

Only Nh4 and NH7 and NH47 are GQ routes.

Pune-BLR-Salem : 4L
Salem - CBE : 4L
CBE-Cochine : 2L with some parts bein 4L (Trichur-Angamaly)

Madurai-BLR-Pune : 4L

Thanks. Any suggestions for a night halt ? The age group in my party is from a 5 year old to a 72 year old.

I am hoping they don't scream at me for taking the road for such a long journey .

[ampere]

Originally Posted by golfdude

Thanks. Any suggestions for a night halt ? The age group in my party is from a 5 year old to a 72 year old.

I am hoping they don't scream at me for taking the road for such a long journey .

There are quite a break options, depending on the distance you can cover.

1. Tumkur/Hosur for the first halt.
2. Salem/CBE (Need not even mention about them!)

Ranjit and HVK are the experts about the places on Bangalore/Pune.
Renaissance in Hosur is good. Salem has Cenneys and GRT (Costly).

[hvkumar]

Budget hotel stays on Pune-Coimbatore route:
- Hotel Pooja International, Davangere (but too early to stop there)
- Hotel Ravi Mayur, Chitradurga
- Hotel Victoria, Hosur

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by ampere

Salem - CBE : 4L
CBE-Cochine : 2L with some parts bein 4L (Trichur-Angamaly)

The Thrissur-Angamaly stretch is 4 laned in parts,and even on the parts that are 4laned,you wouldnt feel you are on a 4L highway!So dont get your hopes high on this stretch!As for Salem-CBE,4laning ends 18kms before Perundurai,from thereon till Thrissur it is 2 laned.

Like HVK said,you could easily reach Hosur on day1,conditions inside the car permitting,else Chitradurga.I would still reccomend you try and reach Hosur.Hotels are better there.

Also from CBE,if you dont have a reason to go to Cochin,you could go to Munnar via Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary.Its a better and saner option as opposed to driving via kerala roads.From Munnar you could go to Thekkady and from thereon to Alleppey backwaters.If you are not a big fan of staying in a house boat,then what you could do is,leave Munnar early after breakfast,go to Thekkady(IMHO this can be avoided as the heat would take a toll on you)instead go from Munnar to Alleppey/Kumarakom.Reach there around 10-11am.Spend the full day in the boat,they would arrange an in house lunch and take you around in the boat and drop you back to the jetty.Get back to Munnar by night.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Also from CBE,if you dont have a reason to go to Cochin,you could go to Munnar via Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary.Its a better and saner option as opposed to driving via kerala roads.From Munnar you could go to Thekkady and from thereon to Alleppey backwaters.If you are not a big fan of staying in a house boat,then what you could do is,leave Munnar early after breakfast,go to Thekkady(IMHO this can be avoided as the heat would take a toll on you)instead go from Munnar to Alleppey/Kumarakom.Reach there around 10-11am.Spend the full day in the boat,they would arrange an in house lunch and take you around in the boat and drop you back to the jetty.Get back to Munnar by night.

Would it not be hectic, going to Kumarakom from Munnar and also be back the same day? It would be really touch and go. @Golfdude also mentioned he has aged folks with him.

[jkrishnakj]

Would this trip have to go past the Walayar Check post at any time ? if so, its best avoidable on the weekends, given the horror stories we hear of people waiting there for hours together for the Jam to clear.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Would this trip have to go past the Walayar Check post at any time ? if so, its best avoidable on the weekends, given the horror stories we hear of people waiting there for hours together for the Jam to clear.

To go to Munnar from Coimbatore - as ranjitp1 has suggested - you do not have to go via Walayar. Instead, you will go from Coimbatore via Pollachi to Udumalaipet and then go to Munnar.

[ampere]

1. You can go to Kumarakom from Munnar instead of Allepey. But note that you cannot go via Vaikom as the Vaikom-Kumarakom road is dug up. You will need to go via Kottayam (MC Road).

Munnar-Adimali-Kothamangalam-Muvattupuza (NH49)
Muvattupuzha-Kottayam : Via MC Road
Kottayam-Kumarakom.

2. Then I would suggest some thing different from Ranjit.
Stay in Kumarakom and then head to Kodai via Kumily Theni (NH220/NH49)

You also have the option of visiting Thekkady on this stretch. (But as Ranjit said I would also prefer a day visit to Thekkady from Munnar).

3. From Kodai go as per what I mentioned earlier.

Now your sequence becomes:
Pune-BLR-CBE-Munnar/Thekkady-Kumarakom-Kodai-Mysore/Kabini-Pune

[golfdude]

Originally Posted by ampere

1. You can go to Kumarakom from Munnar instead of Allepey. But note that you cannot go via Vaikom as the Vaikom-Kumarakom road is dug up. You will need to go via Kottayam (MC Road).

Munnar-Adimali-Kothamangalam-Muvattupuza (NH49)
Muvattupuzha-Kottayam : Via MC Road
Kottayam-Kumarakom.

2. Then I would suggest some thing different from Ranjit.
Stay in Kumarakom and then head to Kodai via Kumily Theni (NH220/NH49)

You also have the option of visiting Thekkady on this stretch. (But as Ranjit said I would also prefer a day visit to Thekkady from Munnar).

3. From Kodai go as per what I mentioned earlier.

Now your sequence becomes:
Pune-BLR-CBE-Munnar/Thekkady-Kumarakom-Kodai-Mysore/Kabini-Pune

Thanks a lot folks.

Like I mentioned before, I will have two parents (ages 66 and 72) and two kids (ages 5 and 7). The long drive itself is not a problem for me. But is this kind of a drive OK to do in May ?

I know there is no right answer to my question, but just wanted to get some feedback.

Thanks.

[ampere]

As long as you are driving on good 4L highway with your AC on, it should be OK.
In Kerala (and in ghats), roads may be narrow and winding. This can cause discomfort to both old people and kids. Need to be aware of that.

As long as you give then enough time at each place to relax, they would to be rejuvenated for the drive to the next place. If you cannot do that, you need to curtail the number of place you can visit. That is the only log, which I can think.

Another point: 7+ hours of driving on NH (even if 4L) would take toll on aged folks. Need to be sensitive to that.

[golfdude]

Originally Posted by ampere

As long as you are driving on good 4L highway with your AC on, it should be OK.
In Kerala (and in ghats), roads may be narrow and winding. This can cause discomfort to both old people and kids. Need to be aware of that.

As long as you give then enough time at each place to relax, they would to be rejuvenated for the drive to the next place. If you cannot do that, you need to curtail the number of place you can visit. That is the only log, which I can think.

Another point: 7+ hours of driving on NH (even if 4L) would take toll on aged folks. Need to be sensitive to that.

Hello,

Considering the above constraints, I am planning to fly into Cochin from Pune and then fly back from either Coimbatore or Mysore to Pune. In that case can I have the following itinerary for the road trip ?

Cochin-Allepey-Tekkadi-Munnar-Kovalam-Kanyakumari-Mudurai-Kodai-Coimbatore-Mysore-Kabini Lodge

I can remove any of these places but not Coimbatore:

Mudurai
Kanyakumari
Mysore/Kabini
Kodai

Dates are May 2nd till May 18th.

The long drive will have to wait till the next trip.

Thanks.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by golfdude

Hello,

Considering the above constraints, I am planning to fly into Cochin from Pune and then fly back from either Coimbatore or Mysore to Pune. In that case can I have the following itinerary for the road trip ?

Cochin-Allepey-Tekkadi-Munnar-Kovalam-Kanyakumari-Mudurai-Kodai-Coimbatore-Mysore-Kabini Lodge

I can remove any of these places but not Coimbatore:

Mudurai
Kanyakumari
Mysore/Kabini
Kodai

Dates are May 2nd till May 18th.

The long drive will have to wait till the next trip.

Thanks.

The logical sequence:

Cochin-Allepey-Kovalam-Kanyakumari-Munnar-Thekkady-Kodai-CBE-Mysore-Pune.

I would say out of this you can remove Kodai and the rest fall in place.