[jealousdiamond]

I plan to drive Pune - Bangalore in a few days . Need suggestions on the driving directions from Pune . Please suggest . As I would be doing this route for the first time a detailed itnerary would help .


NOTE : I am a sedate driver , have experience of driving for almost 24 hrs continuous(several times) and the vehicle would be SAFARI Dicor .

suggest .

[CANPUSH]

I can tell you upto Hubli as I visited the place recently.

Road condition is very good. Pune to Kagal (Karnataka Border) 250 Kms takes approx 4 hours for not so fast yet maintaining 80-100 kmph as road design in Maharashtra is not upto the mark and depending on time of the day traffic could be heavy. You pay Rs. 209 as toll.

Between Pune and Shirwal (48 kms) near Satara and Between Karad and Kagal (90 kms) lot of two wheelers are on the road. Between Satara and Kolhapur also look for people crossing the road in totally oblivious to traffic mood as if they are on a stroll in a nice garden.

After Kagal till Hubli 180 Kms takes 2 hrs for the same speed bet 80 and 100 as road design is excellent and there is much less traffic. You pay Rs. 105 as toll.

If you wish to visit Hubli and enter through Dharwad there is 50 kmph speed limit very stringently observed and controlled through cameras and police. Touch 51 kmph and you will be fined for Rs. 350. If you continue on Highway (Bypass) no issue

I am told -after Davangere till Bangalore road conditions are not as good. (Will somebody pl give more authentic input?

In Maharashtra eventhough you are moving bit slower there is good greenery around. Once you cross in Karnakata scenery look bit dry around.

Happy journey Take Care!!

[prince_pervez]

Hi,
I would suggest move out of Pune early morning (as early as 4 AM) and reach Kolhapur by 7-8 AM and proceed further to Belagavi - Hubli - Davangere - Chitradurga - Tumkur - Nelmangala - NICE road to reach south Bangalore.
In the truck you mentioned it is do-able in 13-14 hours Max. Avoid evening traffic near Nelmangala. Try reaching there by 4-5 ish.

More here :
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...-roadtrip.html

Also PM @Paragsachnia for more. He probably knows this entire NH4 stretch inch by inch by now.

[jealousdiamond]

I am a bit confused after looking at the G-Maps . It does mention quite a few options including other than taking NH4 .

As per the suggestions , I understood this would be the way to go :

Pune - Kolhapur - Kanagala - Hattargi - Belgaum - Dhaarwaad - Harihar - Davanegere - Chitradurga - Tumkur - Bengaluru

Can somebody please help me with the distance between these places . Also what time should I make a move from Pune to make it real fast (No jams etc ).

Do suggest if I may need to take any diversions just to avoid local traffic at small towns .

[comfortablynumb]

Avoid evening traffic near Nelmangala. Try reaching there by 4-5 ish.

+1 to this.

Also what time should I make a move from Pune to make it real fast (No jams etc )

As prince_pervez suggested, the earlier you start, the better. I'd been to Hubli a few months back - left Pune at 4 AM and reached Hubli at 10.30 AM with 1 breakfast cum rest-room stop at Sai International just before Kolhapur. Speeds ranged between 80-100 kmph, never more than that.

Not sure about road conditions Hubli onwards, but they definitely wouldn't be bad enough to deter a Safari from maintaining at least 60 kmph. Assuming they're the same as Pune - Hubli or even slightly worse, there's no reason why you shouldn't reach Bangalore in another 7 hours.

[libranof1987]

Recently I travelled by the KSRTC Volvo to Pune from Bangalore and back.

There was an instances (came around 1am when the bus had left Bangalore at 7pm) where all the vehicles get off the road to a mud-service lane at a slightly lower level than the road and are stuck at a railway crossing.

Apart from that, the road is in very good condition and traffic builds up only 1-2 hours after Pune and before Bangalore.

Would depend a lot on when (time) you plan to start? If you are on the outskirts of Pune around 7am, you'll get stuck in terrible truck traffic. And plan to reach Bangalore either before 7.30am or in the afternoon or after 9pm. The metro and flyover constructions are wrecking havoc.

[bblost]

Thread closed.

The route is explained in both these threads.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...bangalore.html

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

[Impreza]

I drove from Pune to Bangalore and back. The road is amazing ! Smooth and clear. The weather helped too - no rains, not too hot.
The only thing that I missed was lack of good food venues on the way.

Time Taken:
12 Hours - Pune to Bangalore + 3 Hours to destination in Bangalore
Reverse - 2 hours to get out of Bangalore and 12 hours to Pune

I took minimal coffee and necessary breaks.

Vehicle: Tata Manza (ABS)

When I started, I had my tank full, and as is the practice in India, perhaps +1 litre after the tank is full. My display showed 850 KM odd as the range so I thought, lets try to do it on a single tank. Well, I almost did it. When the vehicle showed 70 KM as the remaining range, with 60 km of journey left, I decided not to take a chance and got a refill.

[abhaybakshi]

Dear All,

Need advice/help/suggestions here...

I am planning (not decided) to travel to Bangalore on 7th May with my spouse and daughter. The journey would be break journey. We will leave in the evening after I am back from office on Tuesday and will spend night at Kolhapur at cousin's place. Will start for Bangalore on Wednesday at around 5 AM. We have a 2006 petrol Swift and she is in mint condition

Now, this plan in place....I have few queries / Concerns.
Please guide me guys with your latest experience.

1. I know the route is breeze till Bangalore. But in Bangalore it will get crowded due to flyover/metro works (I guess after Sira). What's the current situation ?

2. If we leave Kolhapur at 5 AM, by what time we should expect to reach Bangalore. Please note I don't want to hurry as my girls are travelling with me...so it will be sedate drive (80-95 KM max). Anyways my wifey will be having close watch on the speedo !! Please consider lunch halt (30 min) and 2-3 of breaks of 15 min.

3. I should not be concerned about language as the toll booths will be in multi language ?

4. What's the good time to enter Bangalore? My final destination will be Kasturinagar (Near old Madras highway). Should above plan need to be adjusted so as to enter Bangalore during least traffic density ?

5. Any special checks to be done on my Swift (2006 model) before leaving.
She has been serviced regularly and have done 90K so far without any issues. I replaced tyres last year after my stock tyres wear out after 5 years.

6. Should I take care about any other things not listed here ?

7. How much fuel expenses I should expect for this return trip? I guess it will be around 7k. Please consider AC to be on for 50% of the travel time.

8. How much will be toll charges.

Waiting for your inputs guys....based on your replies I will take decision.

[condor]

1 Sedate driving: 80-95 will mean you will extend the journey time & hence the strain on the family. Do a steady 100-or so, and watch how comfortbly you can cover the distance, wihtout becoming risky.

2. If you leave Kolhapur at 5 am, have b'fast at Kamat's near Kittur. or Immediately after Hubli.

3. One break in between, where you can
Break for late lunch at Kamat (immed after Sira), or after Tumkur

4. Suggest to cover the distance and enter BLR as early as possible.

5. Toll charges - approx a rupee a Km. Give or take.

[abhaybakshi]

Thanks Condor. I am assuming fuel expenses to be around 7.5k.

870km+ 870 km = 1740 KM
Fuel efficiency = 17.8 km/ltr

Total petrol = 98 liters
Fuel expenses = 98*74 = 7252

[ampere]

Originally Posted by abhaybakshi

Now, this plan in place....I have few queries / Concerns.
Please guide me guys with your latest experience.

I think more than the second leg, the first leg should be taken care off. Because evening traffic streaming out of Pune can be heavy and you need to negotiate the same.

Post Kolhapur, the 4-lane is brilliant esp the Nippani-Sankeshwar-Belgaum section. One of the best I have driven on. As condor mentioned, you can break just after Hubli. Thats about 200km. I would recommend this exact spot for break fast. A 5AM start should lead you to this place by about 7:30 at most. The Sira Kamat is about another 300km from the Hubli Kamat. (Oh yes you find only Kamats on this 4-lane! ) You should be able to cover it up in about 4 hours with sedate driving of 90-100 consistent. You should be there by 12:30/1. If you want to push further without taking a break, you can drive beyond Tumkur to Dobbaspet for another 60-70km where you have another Kamat!

There are diversions on the 4-lane beyond Chitradurga all the way up to Tumkur. But they are well marked and are not a major concern. There is definitely truck traffic that you need to take care.
You should be entering Bangalore by 3/4 PM. Traffic should be sparse but it also depends on which part of the town is your destination.

[bblost]

Don't count on the 17.8 kmpl mileage.

Its hot so take care with your water intake. I hope you use age appropriate seats for your kids.

Toll booths almost always have English Notices. So don't worry about it.

When entering Bangalore be careful at Traffic lights. Some of them have unmarked speed breakers at the stop line.

[jkrishnakj]

You are better off with slightly higher speeds. The roads are good. Your car is in mint condition. With two breaks, you should be able to enter Bangalore around 4 PM.

You may also want to PM ParagSachania - i keep reading his logs, and i believe he has done several Blr-Pune-Blr trips.

I would imagine A/C on for almost 100% of the times, two things ;
1. Driving on the highways with the windows down can be a bit difficult, with the wind noise
2. The heat - despite the A/C being on, you should still feel the heat inside the car

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by abhaybakshi

1. I know the route is breeze till Bangalore. But in Bangalore it will get crowded due to flyover/metro works (I guess after Sira). What's the current situation ?

2. If we leave Kolhapur at 5 AM, by what time we should expect to reach Bangalore. Please note I don't want to hurry as my girls are travelling with me...so it will be sedate drive (80-95 KM max). Anyways my wifey will be having close watch on the speedo !! Please consider lunch halt (30 min) and 2-3 of breaks of 15 min.

4. What's the good time to enter Bangalore? My final destination will be Kasturinagar (Near old Madras highway). Should above plan need to be adjusted so as to enter Bangalore during least traffic density ?

The road & traffic situation is still bad around Yeshwantpur, once you get down the Nelamangala bypass flyover.

However, since you are leaving Kolhapur at 5am, even with really sedate driving and long breaks, you should take about 9-10 hours to reach Bangalore. Which means you will enter at a time (~3pm) when there is not much traffic at Yeshwantpur. It should be a breeze crossing that stretch.

Since you want to go to Kasturinagar, I would recommend taking the ORR, again for the least trouble.

Here is the route you can follow:



http://goo.gl/maps/8aU0T

3. I should not be concerned about language as the toll booths will be in multi language ?

Not at all. You dont even have to speak. All toll signboards are printed in English as well.

5. Any special checks to be done on my Swift (2006 model) before leaving.
She has been serviced regularly and have done 90K so far without any issues. I replaced tyres last year after my stock tyres wear out after 5 years.

Apart from that, check engine oil. The key risk on long distances is the use of old tyres, which you have taken care of already.

6. Should I take care about any other things not listed here ?

You could look up and make a note of service stations, in case of an emergency (Since you have your family with you)

Like Condor said, you can also make a note of good eateries along the way to take breaks. Go through the Mumbai-Bangalore route thread.