[KrisSree]

Friends,

Would be doing a Hyderabad - Nileswaram trip - Planned for the weekend.

Need route suggestion on the Bangalore - Nileswaram Segment.
As far as I know,
Route 1. Bangalore - Mysore - Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Iritty - Srikandapuram - Taliparamba - Payyannur - Nileswaram
Route 2. Bangalore - Mysore - Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Iritty -Mattannur - Kannur - Taliparamba - Payyannur - Nileswaram

are the options.

Need to know the road conditions and TBHP recommended path.

Members : My family & me.(little one 9 months)
Drive : TATA Safari 2011.
Request all to help me freeze on the route.

Regards

[Latheesh]

Route 1 is good in my opinion. Iritty-Srikandapuram-Thalipparamba road is better and save you some time.

[ranjitp1]

As Latheesh has already said,your route 1 would be a better one.What date are you leaving HYD?We are driving to Thrissur on Sat/Sun from Hyd,

[KrisSree]

@Latheesh - Thank you for your recommendation. How do you rate the road condition.. Even though from Kerala am not a great fan of Kerala roads !

@Ranjit - We plan to start Friday, the trip has an onward journey from Nileswaram to Mumbai hence the final plan is not frozen. Any idea about NH17 in Karnataka.. Last time I travelled - Nov 2010, many segments were only tractor worthy!

[nityaya]

Originally Posted by KrisSree

@Latheesh - Thank you for your recommendation. How do you rate the road condition.. Even though from Kerala am not a great fan of Kerala roads !

@Ranjit - We plan to start Friday, the trip has an onward journey from Nileswaram to Mumbai hence the final plan is not frozen. Any idea about NH17 in Karnataka.. Last time I travelled - Nov 2010, many segments were only tractor worthy!

N.H. 17 from Mangalore to Kundapur 4 laning work is going on at a brisk pace. Still it is okay to drive as they have maintained one part of the road but be prepared for bus and city traffic. Kundapur to Ankola is okay with some kms in between having patches. Take a right after Ankola to go to Hubli via Yellapur. This is a very beautiful stretch which was featured in Autocar as one of the 30 most drivable stretches in India. You reach the four lane Express national highway which will take you straight to Mumbai in no time. Avoid Goa - Ratnagiri route because it is two lane and congested making overtaking difficult.

[ranjitp1]

We are headed out on Saturday morning from Hyderabad till Salem and onwards to Kerala.

As for NH17,we drove Ottapalam-Mumbai last month.Since you would be driving Nileshwaram onwards,you would not have to face the bad NH17 sections in Kerala.

Mangalore-Kundapur 4 laning is in progress.Very dense traffic and road conditions are just ok-like someone said-it just means there are no potholes.But traffic is crazy especially the express private buses which go from Kollur to Mangalore and the trailer trucks,they make life miserable and the legs begin to ache with continuous brake-clutch rhythm!There is a very good CCD outlet around 10kms before Udupi attached to a HP pump that takes Credit Card as well.Fuel quality also is pretty good.That CCD is a welcome break from the 4 laning mess.

Once you cross Kundapur and from Marvanthe till Karwar is pure bliss.2 laned but you just wonder where did all that traffic go!Speeds of 90-100 easily maintained.There was a bad section before Bhatkal town,but that has been done up now.

If you are doing the drive with a night stop,then you could stay at Lotus Resorts in Karwar,it comes to your left immediately after the Kali River Bridge.Excellent place and food.We stayed there.Rooms are in the range of INR1700.The other options are Kamat hotels at Honnavar & Kumta.

From Karwar,we drove back to Ankola and then took the NH63 via Yellapur and then onto NH4 via Hubli-Belgaum-Kolhapur-Satara-Pune-Mumbai.The Hubli bypass is a pain as it is only 2laned and there is always a loong line of trucks on it,and add to it the KA cops checking,it just throws away all your speed averages.Again very dense traffic between Kolhapur & Pune.If its a weekend,then expect real long lines of indisciplined drivers at each toll gate.

To eat,there is a nice place just after Tawandi ghat before kolhapur.Clean washrooms and excellent food.Else there is McD at Kolhapur.

The other option is to drive from Karwar on NH17 till Panvel.The route would slow you down as it is the 2 laned highway.Also bear in mind fuel is cheaper in Maharashtra than KA

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by KrisSree

Friends,

Would be doing a Hyderabad - Nileswaram trip - Planned for the weekend.

Need route suggestion on the Bangalore - Nileswaram Segment.
As far as I know,
Route 1. Bangalore - Mysore - Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Iritty - Srikandapuram - Taliparamba - Payyannur - Nileswaram
Route 2. Bangalore - Mysore - Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Iritty -Mattannur - Kannur - Taliparamba - Payyannur - Nileswaram

are the options.

Need to know the road conditions and TBHP recommended path.

Regards

If there are only 2 options, then option - 1 is the best.


You can also venture out Hunsur - Madikeri - Bhagamandala - Panathur - Kanhangad (NH17) - Nileswar. This will be shorter by few KMs. Roads are good, but beyond Madikeri untill you reach Kerala restaurants are very very minimal. Route details can be found at this link --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post1353322

Thanks
Rajesh

[KrisSree]

Thank you all for the suggestions. Have a minor change in the travel plan. Would be travelling to Cochin on Tuesday for a two weeks break. After that the trip to Mumbai from Cochin. (Again have dependencies there too).

@Ranjit - Would look forward for your comments on the road conditions to Kerala - From Hyd to Avinashi should be bliss. Avinashi - Coimbatore in a mess and in Kerala guess its better not to talk about that!

@nitya - I would be doing the Ankola - Hubli only since don't want to pass through Goa and the unavoidable check-posts! My sun controls could make me poorer by some INR if I pass through that state!

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by KrisSree

Thank you all for the suggestions. Have a minor change in the travel plan. Would be travelling to Cochin on Tuesday for a two weeks break. After that the trip to Mumbai from Cochin. (Again have dependencies there too).

@Ranjit - Would look forward for your comments on the road conditions to Kerala - From Hyd to Avinashi should be bliss. Avinashi - Coimbatore in a mess and in Kerala guess its better not to talk about that!

I decided to give the NH7 a miss this time(am just bored of it) and instead driving Hyd-Blr-Mys-Gudalur-Nadugani-Nilambur-Perinthalmana-Ottapalam-Shornur-Thrissur.

BTW Hyd-BLR toll has increased significantly,it now costs INR440 one way and might be INR 480 by the time u drive!

[KrisSree]

Hi Mates,

Reached Kochi 14th April Night. Started from Hyderabad on 13th Evening, made a stop over in Bangalore (*forced*). Was taken by a surprise by the road conditions.
Hyderabad - Avinashi is pure bliss. Yes the toll rates have gone up significantly - No complaints - the travel in this stretch is absolutely easy. Only issue I found is the ODD toll rates - 61, 53 etc which makes us carry loads of coins as the toll booths rarely have some!

Avinashi - Coimbatore Bypass is a literal mess! On and Off constructions for the Four Laneing - would take atleast 3-4 years to complete.

Walayar -Mannuthy Bypass is two lane with the infamous Kerala potholes & the messy checkpost!

The surprise bit was from Mannuthy to Kochi - The guys have completed the four laning work sans some over bridge work which does not slow you down significantly!

Kudos to the Highways authority - you guys made it happen in Kerala also!!!

[yaji]

Originally Posted by KrisSree

Hi Mates,

Reached Kochi 14th April Night. Started from Hyderabad on 13th Evening, made a stop over in Bangalore (*forced*). Was taken by a surprise by the road conditions.

KrisSree,

I plan to drive upto Hyderabad from Bangalore sometime next week and then return the next day.
What was your drive time from Hyderabad to Bangalore when you drove down ? Your's i presume will be the latest timing as all the previous entries on TBHP have been prior to 2011

Cheers

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by yaji

KrisSree,

I plan to drive upto Hyderabad from Bangalore sometime next week and then return the next day.
What was your drive time from Hyderabad to Bangalore when you drove down ? Your's i presume will be the latest timing as all the previous entries on TBHP have been prior to 2011

Cheers

There are two other threads running which would give you the most recent conditions

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...itions-42.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ndition-4.html

Conditions are perfect.Devanhalli to Shamshabad would take you around 7.5hrs.No eating places enroute.Petrol pumps available in plenty.Credit cards accepted in almost all pumps.Last eating place BLR-HYD is at Chikballapur-Kamat Upachar.Nothing beyond that.100KPH easily maintained.Beware of vehicles on the wrong side.No safety issues.

[yaji]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

There are two other threads running which would give you the most recent conditions

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...itions-42.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ndition-4.html

Conditions are perfect.Devanhalli to Shamshabad would take you around 7.5hrs.No eating places enroute.Petrol pumps available in plenty.Credit cards accepted in almost all pumps.Last eating place BLR-HYD is at Chikballapur-Kamat Upachar.Nothing beyond that.100KPH easily maintained.Beware of vehicles on the wrong side.No safety issues.

Well, before i could read the threads i had taken off and i did the drive upto ORR (Outer Ring Road) Hyderabad in 5.5 Hrs from Devanahalli. Like you mentioned, superb roads. I was blown away by the ORR at Hyderabad...only place where i could check the top speed of my Toyota Fortuner