[Bigzero]

Hi folks,

I will have to make a road trip from Pune to Calicut this December end - With family . I have been looking at the route options, and the general feel I got by browsing various threads in team-bhp and speaking to some of the friends is that it may be better to avoid the NH17 route, considering road conditions, traffic etc.

I am thinking of going via Mysore. I will have to camp in Mysore overnight, considering the distance I will have to cover. I am no stranger to long drives, and have done a number of trips to Kerala from Hyderabad, where I was based earlier.

What I am not sure this time is the exact route to take, to get to Mysore. I think it may make sense to stick on to NH4 as long as possible and then take an exit at an appropriate point, to reach Mysore. It will be great if experts can provide some advise on this.

1. What are the best route options? considering distance as well as road condition?

2. I am planning to leave Pune by 4 am. Will I hit Mysore by 8pm at least? I will be taking decent breaks for breakfast, lunch and a couple of more here and there. And I will maintain decent, but not risky speeds. The car is an i20 CRDi.

3. Or is it better to aim to hit outskirts of bangalore by evening and make an early morning dash to Calicut next day? that way I can be sure of the quality of the roads at least.

Will be great if I can get some responses!

[libranof1987]

I got by browsing various threads in team-bhp and speaking to some of the friends is that it may be better to avoid the NH17 route, considering road conditions, traffic etc.

Yep, it's best you avoid NH17. Monsoons take a very bad toll on it. Right now, it's in quite a bad shape.

What I am not sure this time is the exact route to take, to get to Mysore. I think it may make sense to stick on to NH4 as long as possible and then take an exit at an appropriate point, to reach Mysore. It will be great if experts can provide some advise on this.

What you should do is - take NH4 from Pune to Bangalore. I think this should typically take you 12-14 hours depending on speed and breaks.

At the end of NH4 in B'lore, take the NICE road IMMEDIATELY. I stress on immediately because if you enter B'lore, you'll be stuck in terrible traffic for a long time to come.

So, NH4 - NICE road. Once on NICE rd, take the Mysore rd exit and carry on that highway.

All the 3 roads, NH4, NICE rd and B'lore-Mysore highway (SH17) are in good condition. B'lore-Mysore should take ~2hrs.

So, if you start at 4am from Pune, 7-8pm is realistic.

3. Or is it better to aim to hit outskirts of bangalore by evening and make an early morning dash to Calicut next day? that way I can be sure of the quality of the roads at least.

If you enter B'lore city in the evening, traffic is going to ruin your peace of mind.

PS : My suggestions are purely for the Pune-B'lore-Mysore route; I don't know the Pune-Calicut sector.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Bigzero

Hi folks,

I will have to make a road trip from Pune to Calicut this December end - With family . I have been looking at the route options, and the general feel I got by browsing various threads in team-bhp and speaking to some of the friends is that it may be better to avoid the NH17 route, considering road conditions, traffic etc.

I am thinking of going via Mysore. I will have to camp in Mysore overnight, considering the distance I will have to cover. I am no stranger to long drives, and have done a number of trips to Kerala from Hyderabad, where I was based earlier.

What I am not sure this time is the exact route to take, to get to Mysore. I think it may make sense to stick on to NH4 as long as possible and then take an exit at an appropriate point, to reach Mysore. It will be great if experts can provide some advise on this.

1. What are the best route options? considering distance as well as road condition?

2. I am planning to leave Pune by 4 am. Will I hit Mysore by 8pm at least? I will be taking decent breaks for breakfast, lunch and a couple of more here and there. And I will maintain decent, but not risky speeds. The car is an i20 CRDi.

3. Or is it better to aim to hit outskirts of bangalore by evening and make an early morning dash to Calicut next day? that way I can be sure of the quality of the roads at least.

Will be great if I can get some responses!

Avoid the NH17 like plague.Simply not worth it going through that route.

Stick to what Libran has already mentioned Pune-Bangalore-NICE Road-Kengeri-Mysore.4am departure should easily see you reach Mysore by 8pm.

If you dont have any reason to be in Mysore,then I would suggest that you look at staying back in Bangalore on day1.Start around 7am from bangalore the next day,you would be crossing mysore by 10am.

Head towards Gundulpet,go through Mysore city.Do not take the outer ring road at Mysore,instead go through the city.it is simpler and easier.the outer ring road is broken up and endlessly long.

From Gundulpet,continue towards Gudalur via Bandipur-Thepekadu-Gudalur.

From Gudalur to Nadugani-Vazhikadavu-Nilambur-Edavanna-Areekode-Kozhikode.

Do not take the Wayand route to kozhikode as roads are bad and traffic adds to your problems.The nilambur route is the same in terms of distance but better road conditions and lesser traffic and eating options are ample as well.You can have breakfast between blore and mysore,plenty of options.I would reccomend kadambam onto your left.

Lunch could be at Vazhiyoram before Nilambur or at home,depending on your speeds.

Blore-Kozhikode via this route should not take you more than 8 hours at the slowest.Ideally it should be done in 6.5 to 7hrs,which means you should be home for a late lunch.

Kengeri, Karnataka to Kozhikode, Kerala - Google Maps

[pjbiju]

I suggest the same. Start early from Pune and then stay in Bangalore for the night. In fact stay close to where the NICE road begins or where it joins the Bangalore-Mysore road. That way you will have good rest for the night. And if your family has not been to Mysore, you can actually visit a few places on your way to Calicut, the next day.

[Bigzero]

Thanks folks. I had a feeling that Pune-Mysore could be a stretch, and your posts seem to confirm that. I will start exploring for stay options around NICE road. however I will also continue to seek some more info on the options to reach Mysore so that I can weigh the options better.

And yes I will most likely take the Nilambur option on the Blr-Clt stretch.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Stick to what Libran has already mentioned Pune-Bangalore-NICE Road-Kengeri-Mysore.4am departure should easily see you reach Mysore by 8pm.

If you dont have any reason to be in Mysore,then I would suggest that you look at staying back in Bangalore on day1.Start around 7am from bangalore the next day,you would be crossing mysore by 10am.

If he can push it till Mysore, I would suggest that. Because getting out of Mysore is easier than Bangalore (even though if he starts in the morning).

You can try Ginger at Mysore.

Again as Ranjit mentioned, dont use the Waynad route from Gundlupet.
Going via Gudalur/Nilambur is much better.


EDIT; Just saw your post @BZ. If you cannot stretch till Mysore, then fine, then better would be stay at Tumkur than Bangalore.
Because I am not aware of good places near NICE road/Nelamangala or NICE road Mysore exit. No point getting into the city.

EDIT-EDIT @BZ I am very well am aware of your Nilambur connection! Have not forgotten those snaps!

[Bigzero]

thanks ampere.

I am originally from Nilambur, so I always have a soft corner for the Nilambur route! :-)

[libranof1987]

The distance from Pune - Mysore is a lot but honestly speaking, I don't think you'll be fatigued out at the end of it.

NH4 and SH17 are flat, 4-laned, divided highways - so you don't get stressed out. If you maintain a steady speed and have good company, you'll enjoy the good highways.

Why don't you ask the MODS to change the thread title to Pune - Calicut; that way, people aware of the whole sector might give a better advice vis a vis halt at B'lore/Mysore.

The time you'll spend entering B'lore and finding your way to the hotel/accommodation, you'd have reached Mysore; such is the state of roads in Yeshwantpur (the entry point into the city from where NH4 ends).

[Bigzero]

I am perfectly ok driving for 12-14 hours- if it can take me to Mysore. Thanks for the suggestions again! That is an important point you raised there libranof1987. Its bad to crawl around Bangalore city after a long drive... by that time I could as well be in Mysore.

No views on the interior roads directly to Mysore, say from Hiriyur , Chitradurga etc? I vaguely remember someone indicating that the roads are iffy, which is the reason I created this thread in the first place. the last thing you want is to hit an unknown, pockmarked and deserted road towards the fag end of a long journey!

EDIT: @ampere, glad you remember! :-)

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Bigzero

No views on the interior roads directly to Mysore, say from Hiriyur , Chitradurga etc? I vaguely remember someone indicating that the roads are iffy, which is the reason I created this thread in the first place. the last thing you want is to hit an unknown, pockmarked and deserted road towards the fag end of a long journey!

The issue is you dont gain much. At best I guess 50km but the drive through these two lanes would tire you out as against driving on 4L.

[GTO]

Here is a travelogue that you might want to check out.

[nutmello]

hi, pune to mysore is like this - pune - belgaum-hubli-harihar ( highway till here). at harihar take right turn to shimoga. shimoga night halt.
shimoga- mysore is thro arsikere, channarayapatna, srirangapatna and mysore. approx 220 kms. good roads all the way.

[gypsyFreak]

There are basically three main routes to Mysore from Pune, each with it's own pro's and cons

1. NH4 via Nice road - 968 KMS
- 4 laned throughout
- expect heavy traffic between bangalore and mysore during evening time
- longer by 70 - 90 Kms, which translates to 1.5 to 2 hrs additional driving towards the end when you are most tired.

2. NH4 - Shimoga - Mysore - 877 Kms
- shortest route, reduces driving time by approx 1.5 to 2 hrs
- 2 lane from NH4 exit, translates to approx 400 Kms in 2 laned roads
- moderate to less traffic

3. NH4 - Hiriyur (SH19) - Mysore - 897
- 4 laned upto Hiriyur
- 2 lanes from Hiriyur to Mysore which is approx 220 Kms
- moderate to less traffic
- good roads throughout

All these figures are from Google maps.

These are few things that i can think of. There are other small things like toll booths, hotels to consider. All this is upto you. Based on your driving style and all these factors you can decide which route best suites you.

I would prefer option 3, as that would give me maximum advantage of 4 lanes and also reduce the travel time by 1.5 hrs.

Another thing to consider is your time of travel to mysore, because friday night and Saturday mornings bang - mys road would be full.

[Bigzero]

Thanks folks for the help!

gypsyfreak, thanks for the options given. Yes the Hiriyur option looks the most logical from a distance perspective in the map... if the 220 km stretch is good then I will possibly take a chance with it. I think if I leave Pune at 4 am, I should be in Hiriyur by around 2 pm. If everything goes well, I should hit Mysore between 7 and 8 pm.

Looks a good option, if the roads in the last stretch are decent. I do have some time in front of me ( the trip is two months away ) to make a call :-)

[nanduchitnis]

Originally Posted by Bigzero

Hi folks,


I am thinking of going via Mysore. I will have to camp in Mysore overnight, considering the distance I will have to cover. I am no stranger to long drives, and have done a number of trips to Kerala from Hyderabad, where I was based earlier.

Will be great if I can get some responses!

I reccomend that you take a night halt break at Bangalore.