Road Trip to Kerala

trumpet · 22nd March 2011, 11:44

Hi All,

This is my first trip to Kerala via road. I have also been following up with these forums to see if anyone else has gone via the route I have in mind, but I have failed to see any related posts. I got this route mentioned from Google maps. I don't know and can't vouch for it's authenticity though.

The route I plan on is :

Chennai > Trichi > Madurai >Theni > Cumbam >Kumili > Kanjirapalli > Kozhencherry - using NH 45,45B, NH 49, NH220

I have seen a lot of posts with routes touching Palakkad, Salem etc...I arrived at this route map by discussing this with my friends and their suggestions to follow the same.

Has anyone taken this route as mentioned above ?, could you share your experience ?, if you already have shared, please direct me to your posts.
I have a Getz 1.3 petrol, it's clocked 17,000 till date.

hvkumar · 22nd March 2011, 12:00

Good route to go to Kozhencherry.

You can also continue on NH45 beyond Trichy (without going to Madurai) to Dindigul and go to Theni via Periakulam.

There is no need to go into Madurai city, just take the bypass towards Kanyakumari and then turn around towards Dindigul at the end of the bypass (just before Tirumangalam), go a little towards Dindigul and take the Theni road.

Road conditions from Madurai are good, although it is 2-laned. Some bad patches where you climb up the ghats to Kumili.

You can do the drive to Kozhenchery in a day, assuming you have an early morning start.

lloydofcochin · 22nd March 2011, 12:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumpet

Hi All,

This is my first trip to Kerala via road. I have also been following up with these forums to see if anyone else has gone via the route I have in mind, but I have failed to see any related posts. I got this route mentioned from Google maps. I don't know and can't vouch for it's authenticity though.

The route I plan on is :

Chennai > Trichi > Madurai >Theni > Cumbam >Kumili > Kanjirapalli > Kozhencherry - using NH 45,45B, NH 49, NH220

I have seen a lot of posts with routes touching Palakkad, Salem etc...I arrived at this route map by discussing this with my friends and their suggestions to follow the same.

Has anyone taken this route as mentioned above ?, could you share your experience ?, if you already have shared, please direct me to your posts.
I have a Getz 1.3 petrol, it's clocked 17,000 till date.

Trumpet,

See this thread for more info about routes to Kerala - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...erala-145.html

I had driven to Kottarakara on Saturday via Dindigul, Theni, Cumbum, Kumily Mundakkayam. The roads were pretty good apart from few patches in Cumbum Town and pretty bad stretch on the climb to Kumily and around 10kms downhill from Kumily.

trumpet · 22nd March 2011, 12:46

Hi,

Thanks for your replies. Just a little apprehensive about the whole thing. A lot of what-if analysis going on my mind. Will post the sightings and pictures. I plan to go on April 21.

narayans80 · 22nd March 2011, 15:32

Quote:

There is no need to go into Madurai city, just take the bypass towards Kanyakumari and then turn around towards Dindigul at the end of the bypass (just before Tirumangalam), go a little towards Dindigul and take the Theni road.

HVK, Theni road cannot be reached by taking the Kappalur-Samayanallur bypass ?

hvkumar · 22nd March 2011, 15:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by narayans80

HVK, Theni road cannot be reached by taking the Kappalur-Samayanallur bypass ?

When you are coming on NH7 from Dindigul, coordinates are as follows:
1. Samayanallur Bypass turn: 0 kms
2. Madurai bypass turn: 3 kms
3. Theni road intersection/Flyover: 7 kms
4. Madurai bypass end: 15 kms
5. Turn off to Rameswaram/Old bypass to Trichy: 19 kms
6. Tirumangalam bypass turn: 21 kms

So if you are coming on NH45B from Trichy-Viramalai or from Rameswaram, it is best to connect to Point #5 and retract (go back north) to Point #3 where you go under the flyover and turn left to go to Theni. If you go right you will hit the junction which has the Hotel Best Western Germanus in Madurai city (the original NH7 bypass).

Fauji · 24th March 2011, 21:19

Trumpet,

Dont worry. Get behind the wheels and enjoy the drive

. After Theni, it is very picturesque. Drive safe.

trumpet · 20th April 2011, 10:41

Hey guys,

It's all set and the news it out. The trumpet's going out of town. Just wanted to update all of you on the happenings. I had started this thread with Kumily route in mind, but we have decided to skip it and go via CBE instead.

So we are now doing Chennai > Krishnagiri > Palghat > Angamali > Kottayam > Chengannur. ( just a rough note)

It's my father's new Swift Dezire, so can't floor it too much. By the way, he told me yesterday that the service center changed the oil to a synthetic one, and he claims that engine noise has greatly reduced. I doubt that claim. The car has done only 400 km till date, but it's been one month since he got it so, the first service was still valid

Will update once I return on Apr 28.

trumpet · 2nd May 2011, 18:06

Hi Guys,

We successfully completed our first long trip to Kerala and back. This is the trip musings.

PART 1
We started off on April 21 at 7:00 PM (My father, mother Wife and I) after prayer and doing the essentials to safe housekeeping. Appa took the wheel and started off quiet smooth. We hit quite a rough patch of traffic till we reached the toll booths and the dezire was happily strumming along in the cool morning breeze.

We stopped at Hotel Brindavan ( I think) on the highway around 8:30am for breakfast and refreshments. Started off again at 9:00. By 10:30 we crossed Vellore and were still going strong. I must say that since Maruti A.S.S changed the oil to a synthetic one, the ride has been comfortable, to cite a point : once you touch 70/80 on 5th gear , you hardly can hear the motor, it purrs very quietly and turns rough only when you go lower on the gearing. I think its the oil. Experts can pitch in.

By 11:30 we stopped for a tea break and there was a change of wheel. Appa asked me to take over. Both our driving habits differ very much. With the new Dezire, his driving has been quite rash as he comes from an old school of driving. Anyway, I took the wheel and by 12:30 stopped for lunch at a wayside hotel on the highway.
After half an hour we took to the road again, we past Salem and were heading to CBE bypass.

All was well till we hit Avinashi. Then as most of you will know now, the current 2 lane is being changed to a 3 lane carriage way. So, there was a lot of road work in progress for atleast 20-25 kms. We crossed CBE by 3:30 /4, but due to the road work we lost about 2 hours and finally reached the Kerala border by 5:00pm. We were quite worried at the Walayar checkpost as there was every possibilty of getting stuck behind a trail of lorries. But thankfully, there was not much disturbance there. We continued on NH47 till we turned off into ChandraNagar (where my uncle stays). We reached home by 6:30 (usual traffic and signals at Kerala) and put up for the night. All along we never crossed 100 on the speedo. We were only within that range.

PART II

The next day, we started off again by 6:30am, took the bypass and started our journey to Kozencherry. The wave of difference was awesome. There was so much fresh air that we rolled down the windows and saw greenery like never before. Till the clock struck 9, we didn't switch the AC on. The display temperature was between 26- 29 C. I drove the whole way down till Kozhencherry.

Trichur,Wadakancherry, Angamaly...all these passed effortlessly. The Dezire gave no signs of pain or wear or tear even after lapping so much. The turbo was just adequate to get out of jams and traffic. There were a few picket areas of traffic which we could not avoid. We continued on with NH 47 and we past Ernakulam and turned off NH 47 into a road that has paddy fields and houseboats on both sides. (I forgot the name of this road) It's a long straight road with a couple of bridges. We past EKM around 10:00am.

All through the length of this road, there are people selling duck meat, eggs etc. The other end of the road will link you to Channganacherry > TVLA. Once we got off the highway, movement slowed considerably as there was traffic and jams. So we finally got home by around 1:00pm happily - but tired.

The AC made a lot of effect as it helped my parents maintain their cool and composure. The long drive made my mom's back flare up a bit, but in the end everything turned out well.

Will update the return on a separate post.

Kaimal · 19th November 2012, 09:23

Hi,
Planning to drive to kerala on 22nd Dec. Considering that this is the Christmas weekend, and assuming that the Walayar road will remain the same as it is now, we are planning to take the pollachi route. Bangalore - Tirupur(Night Stay in Tirupur) - Palladam - Pollachi - Alathur - Thrissur - Cochin.
Do let me know if you are planning to use the same route .

ampere · 19th November 2012, 10:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaimal

Hi,
Planning to drive to kerala on 22nd Dec. Considering that this is the Christmas weekend, and assuming that the Walayar road will remain the same as it is now, we are planning to take the pollachi route. Bangalore - Tirupur(Night Stay in Tirupur) - Palladam - Pollachi - Alathur - Thrissur - Cochin.
Do let me know if you are planning to use the same route .

Another option is ti stay at Pollachi iteself, if you want to. Two nice places.
Nivethas Inn and Shakthi Hotels.

Its also better to go via Perundurai-Palladam-Pollachi. Crossing Tiruppur can be traffic, thanks to traffic.

amg5610 · 13th December 2023, 20:40

Hello BHPians,
Planning to embark on a road trip to Kerala from Chennai with my parents by the end of the year tentatively for 5-6 days. I have shortlisted Munnar as my first stop and Thekkady as my last stop before making my way back to chennai. I'm open to suggestions on what other cities in kerala should i visit on the trip. Assuming Munnar & Thekkady are 1 and half day stay each i can perhaps visit 1-2 more cities. Any suggestions of the cities along with recommended routes to take will be hugely appreciated as it is my maiden trip to kerala.
I hope to finally stretch the legs of my '23 Verna after a couple of hectic months.

Plan:
Chennai - Munnar - ? - ? - Thekkady - Chennai.

Thanks in advance.

robincsamuel · 13th December 2023, 23:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by amg5610

Any suggestions of the cities along with recommended routes to take will be hugely appreciated as it is my maiden trip to kerala.
I hope to finally stretch the legs of my '23 Verna after a couple of hectic months.

Plan:
Chennai - Munnar - ? - ? - Thekkady - Chennai.

One option would be to take the route via Idukki town from Munnar to Thekkady. Check out Idukki Dam and Kalvari Mount. Another option would be Meghamalai, although not in Kerala, is along the route. There are also some vineyards along the route in Cumbum.

If you have a day or more and love to drive through the forest, Gavi is just 40 km away from Thekkady. Here's a nice travelogue, https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5546415 (To Thekkady and Gavi in a BMW 630d)

Have a wonderful trip

amg5610 · 14th December 2023, 16:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by robincsamuel

One option would be to take the route via Idukki town from Munnar to Thekkady. Check out Idukki Dam and Kalvari Mount. Another option would be Meghamalai, although not in Kerala, is along the route. There are also some vineyards along the route in Cumbum.

If you have a day or more and love to drive through the forest, Gavi is just 40 km away from Thekkady. Here's a nice travelogue, https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5546415 (To Thekkady and Gavi in a BMW 630d)

Have a wonderful trip

Brilliant! Hearing about Gavi for the first time and from what it look like, it is certainly getting added to the list. Thanks for the suggestions. Cheers!

robincsamuel · 14th December 2023, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by amg5610

Brilliant! Hearing about Gavi for the first time and from what it look like, it is certainly getting added to the list.

I forgot to mention the booking requirement. You need to book in advance at https://gavikakkionline.com/

You can get more info from this travelogue, https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5550779 (Gavi via Konni - Tata Safari goes on an expedition). Please note that in this travelogue, they are traveling in the opposite direction, towards Thekkady. You'll be traveling in the opposite direction, entering through the Vallakadavu Forest Check Post. You can find plenty of videos on YouTube.

22nd March 2011, 11:44	#1
trumpet BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 92 Thanked: 78 Times	Road Trip to Kerala Hi All, This is my first trip to Kerala via road. I have also been following up with these forums to see if anyone else has gone via the route I have in mind, but I have failed to see any related posts. I got this route mentioned from Google maps. I don't know and can't vouch for it's authenticity though. The route I plan on is : Chennai > Trichi > Madurai >Theni > Cumbam >Kumili > Kanjirapalli > Kozhencherry - using NH 45,45B, NH 49, NH220 I have seen a lot of posts with routes touching Palakkad, Salem etc...I arrived at this route map by discussing this with my friends and their suggestions to follow the same. Has anyone taken this route as mentioned above ?, could you share your experience ?, if you already have shared, please direct me to your posts. I have a Getz 1.3 petrol, it's clocked 17,000 till date.
	() Thanks

22nd March 2011, 12:00	#2
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	Re: Road Trip to Kerala Good route to go to Kozhencherry. You can also continue on NH45 beyond Trichy (without going to Madurai) to Dindigul and go to Theni via Periakulam. There is no need to go into Madurai city, just take the bypass towards Kanyakumari and then turn around towards Dindigul at the end of the bypass (just before Tirumangalam), go a little towards Dindigul and take the Theni road. Road conditions from Madurai are good, although it is 2-laned. Some bad patches where you climb up the ghats to Kumili. You can do the drive to Kozhenchery in a day, assuming you have an early morning start.
	() Thanks

22nd March 2011, 12:46	#4
trumpet BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 92 Thanked: 78 Times	Re: Road Trip to Kerala Hi, Thanks for your replies. Just a little apprehensive about the whole thing. A lot of what-if analysis going on my mind. Will post the sightings and pictures. I plan to go on April 21.
	() Thanks

24th March 2011, 21:19	#7
Fauji Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,471 Thanked: 994 Times	Re: Road Trip to Kerala Trumpet, Dont worry. Get behind the wheels and enjoy the drive. After Theni, it is very picturesque. Drive safe.
	() Thanks

20th April 2011, 10:41	#8
trumpet BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 92 Thanked: 78 Times	Re: Road Trip to Kerala Hey guys, It's all set and the news it out. The trumpet's going out of town. Just wanted to update all of you on the happenings. I had started this thread with Kumily route in mind, but we have decided to skip it and go via CBE instead. So we are now doing Chennai > Krishnagiri > Palghat > Angamali > Kottayam > Chengannur. ( just a rough note) It's my father's new Swift Dezire, so can't floor it too much. By the way, he told me yesterday that the service center changed the oil to a synthetic one, and he claims that engine noise has greatly reduced. I doubt that claim. The car has done only 400 km till date, but it's been one month since he got it so, the first service was still valid Will update once I return on Apr 28.
	() Thanks

2nd May 2011, 18:06	#9
trumpet BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 92 Thanked: 78 Times	Re: Road Trip to Kerala Hi Guys, We successfully completed our first long trip to Kerala and back. This is the trip musings. PART 1 We started off on April 21 at 7:00 PM (My father, mother Wife and I) after prayer and doing the essentials to safe housekeeping. Appa took the wheel and started off quiet smooth. We hit quite a rough patch of traffic till we reached the toll booths and the dezire was happily strumming along in the cool morning breeze. We stopped at Hotel Brindavan ( I think) on the highway around 8:30am for breakfast and refreshments. Started off again at 9:00. By 10:30 we crossed Vellore and were still going strong. I must say that since Maruti A.S.S changed the oil to a synthetic one, the ride has been comfortable, to cite a point : once you touch 70/80 on 5th gear , you hardly can hear the motor, it purrs very quietly and turns rough only when you go lower on the gearing. I think its the oil. Experts can pitch in. By 11:30 we stopped for a tea break and there was a change of wheel. Appa asked me to take over. Both our driving habits differ very much. With the new Dezire, his driving has been quite rash as he comes from an old school of driving. Anyway, I took the wheel and by 12:30 stopped for lunch at a wayside hotel on the highway. After half an hour we took to the road again, we past Salem and were heading to CBE bypass. All was well till we hit Avinashi. Then as most of you will know now, the current 2 lane is being changed to a 3 lane carriage way. So, there was a lot of road work in progress for atleast 20-25 kms. We crossed CBE by 3:30 /4, but due to the road work we lost about 2 hours and finally reached the Kerala border by 5:00pm. We were quite worried at the Walayar checkpost as there was every possibilty of getting stuck behind a trail of lorries. But thankfully, there was not much disturbance there. We continued on NH47 till we turned off into ChandraNagar (where my uncle stays). We reached home by 6:30 (usual traffic and signals at Kerala) and put up for the night. All along we never crossed 100 on the speedo. We were only within that range. PART II The next day, we started off again by 6:30am, took the bypass and started our journey to Kozencherry. The wave of difference was awesome. There was so much fresh air that we rolled down the windows and saw greenery like never before. Till the clock struck 9, we didn't switch the AC on. The display temperature was between 26- 29 C. I drove the whole way down till Kozhencherry. Trichur,Wadakancherry, Angamaly...all these passed effortlessly. The Dezire gave no signs of pain or wear or tear even after lapping so much. The turbo was just adequate to get out of jams and traffic. There were a few picket areas of traffic which we could not avoid. We continued on with NH 47 and we past Ernakulam and turned off NH 47 into a road that has paddy fields and houseboats on both sides. (I forgot the name of this road) It's a long straight road with a couple of bridges. We past EKM around 10:00am. All through the length of this road, there are people selling duck meat, eggs etc. The other end of the road will link you to Channganacherry > TVLA. Once we got off the highway, movement slowed considerably as there was traffic and jams. So we finally got home by around 1:00pm happily - but tired. The AC made a lot of effect as it helped my parents maintain their cool and composure. The long drive made my mom's back flare up a bit, but in the end everything turned out well. Will update the return on a separate post.
	() Thanks

19th November 2012, 09:23	#10
Kaimal Newbie Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Bangalore Posts: 9 Thanked: 0 Times	Re: Road Trip to Kerala Hi, Planning to drive to kerala on 22nd Dec. Considering that this is the Christmas weekend, and assuming that the Walayar road will remain the same as it is now, we are planning to take the pollachi route. Bangalore - Tirupur(Night Stay in Tirupur) - Palladam - Pollachi - Alathur - Thrissur - Cochin. Do let me know if you are planning to use the same route .
	() Thanks

13th December 2023, 20:40	#12
amg5610 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2023 Location: Chennai Posts: 32 Thanked: 216 Times	Re: Road Trip to Kerala Hello BHPians, Planning to embark on a road trip to Kerala from Chennai with my parents by the end of the year tentatively for 5-6 days. I have shortlisted Munnar as my first stop and Thekkady as my last stop before making my way back to chennai. I'm open to suggestions on what other cities in kerala should i visit on the trip. Assuming Munnar & Thekkady are 1 and half day stay each i can perhaps visit 1-2 more cities. Any suggestions of the cities along with recommended routes to take will be hugely appreciated as it is my maiden trip to kerala. I hope to finally stretch the legs of my '23 Verna after a couple of hectic months. Plan: Chennai - Munnar - ? - ? - Thekkady - Chennai. Thanks in advance.
	() Thanks