Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat]

[manojodungat]

Planning a trip to Anand[Gujarat] from Palakkad [Kerala] in my Scorpio this July- help needed

I have not driven beyond Bangalore.I am planning a long trip to Anand from my home town at palakkad covering around 1850 km. If everything goes well I should be doing it in the first week of July. Plan is to stay in Anand for some personal work for about three weeks and then drive back home.

• I am not planning any night drive at all.
• I need help from you to help me by-pass traffic in major cities, especially Bangalore,Pune and Mumbai.
• I could be leaving home at Palakkad as early as 4.00am and cover the maximum on the first day.

Will I be able to do it in two days with just one halt ?

My plan

Day -1

Palakkad- Salem-Bangalore –Hubli/Belgaum & stay at Hubli/Belgaum

Day-2

Hubli/Belgaum-Satara-Pune-Mumbai-Anand

thanks in advance.

 

[Gurrala74]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

@Manoj

How about going via Mangalore,Goa,Mumbai-Anand ??

 

[AR Ram]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

@Manoj

How about going via Mangalore,Goa,Mumbai-Anand ??

@Manoj
@RK

I think going via Bangalore will be much easier in terms of road condition.

Last year from Bangalore to Mumbai I did in 14 hours with few stops for tea and lunch. Manoj, If you start at 4 am from your place, by dark you can reach Belgaum. Road till Mumbai is excellent, beyond somebody can update.

 

[anshuman8]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

I think the best person to guide you is TAI-ian autosafari. He did a GJ-KL round trip recently.

 

[manojodungat]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

Thanks a lot Gurrala74, AR Ram & anshuman8 for the inputs.

@Manoj

How about going via Mangalore,Goa,Mumbai-Anand ??

NH-17 via Mangalore is a big No for me. I did this stretch a couple of times earlier. Heavy Kerala traffic with multiple towns in between all the way till Mangalore and narrow roads will make you retire at Mangalore itself on the first day. Beyond that the roads are not in good shape and in Monsoon that Mangalore-Mumbai coastal stretch is best avoided, IMO.

The stretch shown in my post is mostly 4-Lane all the way.

@Manoj
@RK
I think going via Bangalore will be much easier in terms of road condition.
Last year from Bangalore to Mumbai I did in 14 hours with few stops for tea and lunch. Manoj, If you start at 4 am from your place, by dark you can reach Belgaum. Road till Mumbai is excellent, beyond somebody can update.

thanks.

First I thought I should try satara on the first day and halt there. But I know I am a bit overambitious here. I used be in and around Satara/Mahabaleshwar/Panchgani back in 1999-2003.

My big concern is identifying correctly to by-pass Bangalore,Pune and Mumbai.

 

[AR Ram]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

Thanks a lot Gurrala74, AR Ram & anshuman8 for the inputs.



NH-17 via Mangalore is a big No for me. I did this stretch a couple of times earlier. Heavy Kerala traffic with multiple towns in between all the way till Mangalore and narrow roads will make you retire at Mangalore itself on the first day. Beyond that the roads are not in good shape and in Monsoon that Mangalore-Mumbai coastal stretch is best avoided, IMO.

The stretch shown in my post is mostly 4-Lane all the way.

thanks.

First I thought I should try satara on the first day and halt there. But I know I am a bit overambitious here. I used be in and around Satara/Mahabaleshwar/Panchgani back in 1999-2003.

My big concern is identifying correctly to by-pass Bangalore,Pune and Mumbai.

Bangalore - Nice road if you take you can bye pass the city, if it is reopened for traffic, as I am in Kerala for almost a month, other Bangalore TAI ians can update.

And all the major towns/cities till Mumbai got byepass. Your GPS will precisely guide you.

 

[smooth rider]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

I did the route this week. NH4 is really a bliss. i did a nonstop drive from jaipur till payangadi, in kannur kerala. i could average about 100kmph almost at all places.by passing pune is easy as the NH4 takes you directly on to the Mumbai Pune expressway. the way is well marked out with large sign boards.
as for by passing mumbai first you have to reach Thane. the route is well marked out. from Thane you have to reach godbundar via the thane godbundar road. at godbundar the road merges with the NH8 and you have to make a right turn.( there is a large hotel called fountain on the left side at the turn)
night driving on NH4 and NH 8 is advisable as there is only very little traffic and you can maintain good speeds

 

[autosafari]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

Manoj,

As you rightly said, NH17 route through Goa is best avoided eventhough its scenic and total distance is less.

Road from Goa to Panvel/Mumbai is narrow and mostly heavy traffic. Otherwise you have to take a turn from Ankola to Goa and then reach Hubli to continue through NH4. This route eventhough almost 140 km less and save about Rs 1000 in toll fee, is not advised considering the road condition and traffic from Palakkad to Mangalore and Mangalore to Uduppi.

If you start at 4.00 am as mentioned, then a lot of distance can be covered in day 1. If you have one more driver or ready to drive continously, then reaching by 6 am next day is possible within safe speeds.

From where are you starting? Palakkad town or from some interior location.

First bottle neck could be Walayar check post depending on the day and then there are some diversions after reaching Salem Highway through Coimbatore (L&T) byepass.

It is a very good road from Chengapally and then beyond Salem till Krishnagiri. After that some diversions due to six lane construction.

To byepass Bangalore:

Near Electronic City take the right finger at the fork (left one goes to the elevated highway - we can see the toll booth for elevated highway.). Slow down from here and look for a left turn - There is a green signboard showing Tumkur. Take this left turn which is inclined upwards. This is NICE road and pay a toll of Rs140.
After about 40 kilometers (after crossing the second toll booth) take the exit at the left towards Tumkur road.

Then it is NH4 which is generally good except some diversions after Tumkur.

Before Hubli, there is a stretch of Double lane road without a divider. Look out for humps without any warning sign near Hubli.
After Hubli, a 30 km stretch of Double lane road without a divider.

Since you are starting at 4 am, do not plan your night stay in Hubli. (We started at 7:30am and reached Hubli before 7:00 pm). Satara would be a better option.

Belgaum - Kolhapur road is excellent.

Satara to Pune is not so good as other parts of NH4 but it is bad either.
There was heavy traffic during our trip three weeks ago.

After Katraj tunnel, continue towards Pune - Mumbai Expressway (sign boards are there). After the Expressway, take the route via Thane and then towards Ghodbandar road. Signboards are helpful. Take care not to take the wrong finger of the fork at 2-3 places which will take us inside the City.

Before reaching Fountain Hotel at Ghodbandar junction, there is a toll booth. After this toll booth take right at the junction to NH8. Now it is a clean 6 lane highway. At Vadodara, continue towards NE1 - Vadodara - Ahmedabad Expressway. Take the exit to Anand at about 40 km.

 

[AR Ram]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

Woh!! Wonderful guidance.

Manoj if you want to avoid Walayar, consider these two routes.

From your place Mundur>Olavakkod>take bye pass > join Coimbatore NH at Chandranagar>after a km right to Pollachi>after Pollachi bus stand from the second signal take left to Coimbatore, continue straight till it hits L&T Cbe bye pass near Karpagam University, and take right to Salem. From Kerala border till Pollachi the road stretch is bad.

From Palakkad >Koduvayur>Pudunagaram>Kollegode>Govindapuran>Pollachi and continue. Excellent Road.

Several occasions even I got held up at Walayar, especially morning hours

 

[Superbad]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

if you are plannig for night drives, i would suggest the NH17 from goa.

else NH4 on nights is very good.

the actual pain in traffic towards mumbai is from pen/panvel depending on the route you choose.

if you are not planning to stay in mumbai , i would advise to plan you drive so that you reach mumbai by noon to avoid the crazy traffic early morning or late in the evening.

last time when i chose the NH17 from goa.

i left @ 8am and reached pen @ 4pm without any speeding.

after that, it took me 4 hours to reach mumbai.(around last 60-80kms)

choosing NH4 , you would meet traffic congestion @ panvel

 

[manojodungat]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

I did the route this week. NH4 is really a bliss. i did a nonstop drive from jaipur till payangadi, in kannur kerala. i could average about 100kmph almost at all places.by passing pune is easy as the NH4 takes you directly on to the Mumbai Pune expressway. the way is well marked out with large sign boards.
as for by passing mumbai first you have to reach Thane. the route is well marked out. from Thane you have to reach godbundar via the thane godbundar road. at godbundar the road merges with the NH8 and you have to make a right turn.( there is a large hotel called fountain on the left side at the turn)
night driving on NH4 and NH 8 is advisable as there is only very little traffic and you can maintain good speeds

thanks a lot for the guidance.

Manoj,

As you rightly said, NH17 route through Goa is best avoided eventhough its scenic and total distance is less.
Road from Goa to Panvel/Mumbai is narrow....

I can't ask for more. I have infact taken a hard copy of your post for quick reference.

All set for the big drive on Saturday[29/06]. I will be giving my scorpio for a general check tommorrow and hoping to start off as early as 4.00 am the next day.

Will keep updated here on the route related stuff.

 

[manojodungat]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

Update:
Back from a wonderful road trip and thanks to all for the route suggestions.
I won’t be able to start a dedicated travelogue this time around due to the nature and purpose of the trip and also that I couldn’t click many pictures as well.

Day 1:Palakkad-Coimbatore by Pass[L&T]-Salem-NICE -Road-Tumkur-Chitradurga-Belgaum-Kohlapur.[in 16 hours]
Stayed in Hotel Ayodhya.
Hotel Ayodhya, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Hotel Kolhapur, Hotel in Kolhapur, Kolhapur hotelTook a Delux room with two extra bed for 3100 INR+ tax.Good rooms and service.
Bad stretch between Walayar and L&T by-Pass but beyond that very good roads all the way.

Day 2: Kohlapur- Satara-Pune-Thane-Surat-Vadodara-Anand
Due to the ongoing work, lots of diversions and bumpy the stretch between Satara and Pune.Excellent 6-Lane road, mostly after Thane till Vadodara and beyond that the Vadodara-Ahmedabad Mahathma Gandhi Exp.way was the best in the entre trip.Took the exit at Anand.
Stayed in Anand at La casa in.
:: Welcome to La Casa Inn ::Excellent hotel[the best in the trip] with very good service.
Took its Diamond suit for two people for 2500 INR + tax per day.

Return
While returning, we took a detour to Panchgani/Mahabaleshwar and spent two days there. It was raining through out, thus couldn’t click many. Most of the Points were invisible as well.But enjoyed the typical monsoon Panchgani/Mahabaleshwar weather.
Stayed in Hotel Mount View Executive at Panchgani on the first day for INR 5250 in its executive suite.Not so clean and impressive.
Hotel Mount View Executive

Went down to Wai on the second day and stayed in Hotel Pearl. We took two rooms for INR 2000. Very good rooms with excellent service.
Hotels in Wai | Compare 3 Wai Hotels | 7 Reviews and Photos | TripAdvisorAlso spent some useful time around Dhom Dam in Wai as well.It was very much refreshing indeed.
Dhom Dam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe next day, we started our return journey at 5.15 am and got back home in Palakkad at 11.15 pm on the same day.I was able to consistently do 110-130 km/Hr all the way till Avinashi.

My Scorpio performed exceptionally and unbelievably well with no issues and zero rattles that, even the perfectionist in me did not even bother to prompt me for a visit to A S S, after this trip of around 4500km.While in Thane, took it to Global Gallarie and did a wheel alignment.

The roads in bad shape were

• The stretch between Walayar and Coimbatore by-Pass[L&T]
• Though almost finished, didn’t find the stretch between L&T by-pass and Avinashi pleasant and comfortable
• The stretch between Satara and Pune

Except these, the rest of the roads were beautiful, though had to shell out something close to INR 4000 at various Toll Plazas in the entire trip.

 

[manojodungat]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

Some more pictures from the trip- From Panchgani/Mahabaleshwar/Wai:

 

[Gurrala74]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

@Manoj, interesting pics, what is that place, where so many vehicle are there on the top

 

[manojodungat]

Re: Planning: Palakkad [Kerala] To Anand [Gujarat] - Help Needed

@Manoj, interesting pics, what is that place, where so many vehicle are there on the top

Its called "Harrison's Folly Point" at Panchgani, which is a beautiful hill station in Maharashtra. I used to be living there about 10 years ago

First 6 pictures are taken there. The water falls and the elephant Head Point from mahabaleshwar and the last three from Wai,Dhom Dam.