[sghosh2019]

I did a Gurgaon to Kolkata roadtrip all alone in my amazing new Honda City ZX back in March 2020, just before the Covid-19 lockdown. You can read it all here (Delhi-Kolkata by Road | NH2 (now called NH19) in full detail). Was working-from-home from Kolkata all this time, which happens to be my native place. Also, in Feb got married, and it was time to shift to my real home, Bengaluru. So myself & wifey (who has traveled all over India driving) decided driving from Kolkata to Bengaluru.

So the route we have taken is:
- Day1: Kolkata (Gariahat) to Bhubaneshwar
- Day2: Bhubaneshwar to Vishakhapatnam (+1 night)
- Day3: Stay at Vizag
- Day4: Vishakhapatnam to Vijayawada
- Day5: Vijayawada to Bengaluru



Car: Honda City ZX CVT iVTech with sunroof (Color: Radiant Red, 4-cylinder, 7-gear automatic, with D & Sports mode). Also got some customization done with extra Bose pads, premium seat leather, leather seats ceramic coating, extra-cushions, ambient lighting, Honda bonnet badge in chrome etc.

Preparation:
- Got a Honda servicing done.
- Filled tank (40 Litres).
- Packed our bags, some books and all the essential items (hand sanitizers, 4 packets of chips, 7 2Litre bottles, 10K in cash etc).
- Fastag - filled 3K.

Day1: Started at 6:00am from Kolkata.
Route: Kolkata - Kharagpur - Balasore - Bhadrak - Bhubaneswar
Roads were OK, but there was an agitation going on by CPI/CPIM workers on road, who had stopped all Trucks/Commercial vehicles, but allowed personal cars to pass through before Balasore. In fact, we faced this 3 times at different locations during this stretch. Must have wasted at least 1 hour in between these 3 locations. We stopped at an awesome looking restaurant just after Balasore and had a nice meal. And then started off once again. Owing to Covid-19, a lot of restaurants are yet to open on this stretch; so ensure you carry HOT coffee/tea/biscuits etc. whilst traveling.
Hotel in Bhubaneswar: Hotel Hindusthan International Bhubaneswar
Time: 12 hours with 2 breaks + 2 tea breaks.
Distance: 443 Kms







Day2: We started at 6:30 from Bhubaneswar.
Once you leave Bhubaneswar behind, the roads and scenery both improve. The roads pass through Khallikote Forest which happen to be on Eastern Ghats, and you can see amazingly built, super fast lanes cutting through hills, hillocks, and small small stretches of lush green forests. Amazing sights that I shall never forget. Wifey and myself stopped at a few places to just enjoy the sights. We reached Vizag well within 4:30 pm. The view of the Bay of Bengal once we hit Vizag was too soothing for our eyes... amazing view from our Hotel windows as well!
Hotel in Vishakhapatnam: The Gateway Hotel Beach Road, Visakhapatnam, Beach Rd (Taj Group).
Time: 10 hrs with 2 breaks + a few breaks for tea/coffee/loo breaks etc.
Distance: 437 Kms




Day3: We spent in Vizag strolling the beach in the morning, bought some souvenirs, photo shoots along the beach, and then lunch at the famous Daspalla Restaurant, and then evening we went shopping at Nalli's Silk House; and wifey ended up buying 3 sarees: one pure Mysore Silk, one pure Coimbatore silk, and another of course, Kanchipuram silk. Our hotel had an amazing Lounge overlooking the Bay of Bengal, called "Lawson's Lounge" and we had a nice quaint romantic dinner & drinks at the Lounge. Finishing off the day well spent... and gearing up for the drive next day.








Day4: We started at 9am from Vishakhapatnam.
The roads from Vizag towards Vijayawada are amazing... you can cruise at above 100+ Kms/hr at most places... my Car was revving to go more but had to keep check. We stopped at a few local Coffee stops, and had some amazing biscuits and coffee; followed by a nice Lunch at a local Restaurant. Reached Vijayawada well within 5pm with the Sun still smiling at the horizon.
Hotel in Vijayawada: Park Iris Hotels, Governerpet.
Time: 8 hours with 2 breaks + a few breaks for tea/coffee/loo breaks etc.
Distance: 369 Kms



Day5: We started at 7:30am from Vijayawada.
The route is Vijayawada - Ongole - Nellore - Tirupati - Chitoor - Bengaluru
We started afternoon a nice morning breakfast, and stopped after Chitoor for a very nice Veg lunch meal. Stopped a few places on the way for Coffee. Owing to continuing Covid-19 effect, a few restaurants were closed along the way, so again, we filled in our flasks. We reached home at around 22:30.
Time: 15 hours with 2 breaks + a few breaks for tea/coffee/loo breaks etc.
Distance: 675 Kms



Overall, it was an amazing roadtrip! Thanks to the amazing Honda City ZX which is smooth as butter on highways... great experiences, amazing cuisines, breath-taking sceneries, different languages... we were finally home! Am sure we're gonna remember this trip for a long time!

Next trips planned:
- Bengaluru - Tirupati (April)
- Bengaluru - Ooty (July)
- Bengaluru - Cochin (August)

[Shant_Jams]

hi sghosh2019,

April time at Tirupathi would be pretty hot. Please be aware of this and plan accordingly. Usually the winter (Nov - Jan) would be a more ideal time. But then, any time is a good time when the Lord beckons you.

[Sidban85]

Keep reading about bad roads in earlier threads. Have the roads improved now?

[rkw]

Nice review! Honda City is a delight to drive when combined with good roads. Wish you many more pleasant journeys.
For Bengaluru - Ooty, I would suggest you take the Masina Gudi route after crossing forest from KA side. It is very scenic but be careful of steep gradients & turns.

[sghosh2019]

Originally Posted by Sidban85

Keep reading about bad roads in earlier threads. Have the roads improved now?

Hi, in terms of total percentage of Kms driven:
- there were patches (a few Kms only) between Kolkata and Bhubaneswar wherein new roads were being made, OR bridges were being constructed and we had to take the Side-roads which had massive massive bumps. I am mentioning the term massive because at 2 places, small cars (like Alto, Santro) had got stuck and people were pushing the cars above the Bumps (they were so large).
- Roads once we left Bhubaneswar improved a lot. Roads entering Vizag were so awesomely good, I have never seen such awesome roads even in Europe and in the US. My car was cruising at 140, I had to keep it down to less than 100 to be within Limits. Only thing that you need to keep in mind is - before entering Vizag and also before entering Vijayawada - all the Highways pass through small villages and both sides of the Highway you shall see a lot of Speed Cameras. I had my wife spot them and then had to decrease the speed from 80-100 to as low as 60 in many places; and 80 in other places. Again we were having a debate whether they are actually working OR just installed therein and not working, but we preferred to slow down since there were a lot of cameras.

Overall, less than 2% of total number of Kms had bad roads, and less than 10% had roads which were being laid OR contructed, and another 10% wherein bridges were being made. In total = max 22% had mediocre roads; remaining percentage was simply awesomely beautiful.

[sghosh2019]

Originally Posted by Shant_Jams

hi sghosh2019,

April time at Tirupathi would be pretty hot. Please be aware of this and plan accordingly. Usually the winter (Nov - Jan) would be a more ideal time. But then, any time is a good time when the Lord beckons you.

I agree. But its been some time since we visited Tirupathi, and both wifey & myself can't wait to see the Lord and the Ladoos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we are gunning for April.

[Sujoy76]

Welcome to the group. Nice travelogue and beautiful pictures. Wish you many more miles.

[sghosh2019]

Originally Posted by rkw

Nice review! Honda City is a delight to drive when combined with good roads. Wish you many more pleasant journeys.
For Bengaluru - Ooty, I would suggest you take the Masina Gudi route after crossing forest from KA side. It is very scenic but be careful of steep gradients & turns.

Agree... if the roads are good, Honda City is a dream car to drive in. Amazingly smooth the 2020 ZX model is.

Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty we have planned in May itself, and via Masinagudi as you have suggested. Lets see how that trip goes! Will definitely take a lot of photos and submit a Travelogue!

[Blacktop]

Originally Posted by sghosh2019

Overall, less than 2% of total number of Kms had bad roads, and less than 10% had roads which were being laid OR contructed, and another 10% wherein bridges were being made. In total = max 22% had mediocre roads; remaining percentage was simply awesomely beautiful.

Disappointing to note that still nearly 22 % of this patch is in bad shape. Plus speed cameras to dampen the joy of spirited driving. For all the noise around infrastructure development by the govt., it appears to be just marginally improved than 2013 when I did this patch.

[ARAY]

Welcome to TeamBhp. Crisp travelogue and beautiful pictures.

NH16 is very close to my heart, I have been taking this route at least twice a year from 2011 end ( Hyderabad - Asansol ).
I have seen it get made and finished ( 2012 May ).
I was seeing it getting torn off especially at the WB stretch which was finished last.
I recently saw the Tuni to Vizag stretch getting a major overhaul.
I recently saw the Kharagpur to BBSR stretch getting an overhaul.

NH16 is always a bliss to drive and with the recent expansions, hopefully by end of this year time taken would be less than 26 hours (2016-2020) and would be like back to 22 hrs (2013- 2015).

Balasore - KGP stretch had always been bouncy from day one of the construction. The culverts over the small water bodies always trigger the TC light on Duster and it does get Airborne a few times. With Punto, I had to slow down a bit, not with the Duster though.



I generally start from WB post 4 PM and get a chance to coss BBSR and Vizag before 6 am the next day. Vijaywada bypass is a bit crowded during lunchtime but that's manageable. Post Vijaywada NH65 is again a bliss to drive in the afternoon. The entire stretch in the Monsoon is a sight to behold.

[Shamikr]

Hi Everyone,

Since this is the latest thread on this route, I am planning to take this Journey by June end. if anyone has taken this journey recently during the various state lockdowns, your inputs will be valuable