[NPV]

Originally Posted by binand

Hmm. How did this work out for you? How much time did it take? That the road from Thrissur via both routes (Eranallur & Pavaratti) are under construction has been reported several times in the Kerala roads thread. Any signs of it ending soon?

We started from Alathur around 12:40pm, did a Thrissur detour for lunch at Pathans and then started around 1:45pm from the Swaraj Round to reach Guruvayoor at 3:15pm via Pavaratty.

For the return on Sunday, gmaps suggested taking the SH 49 which we did, but had to endure narrow roads in Guruvayoor near the railway parallel road to Dubai road junction and then a flyover construction where that road merges onto SH 49.

I am considering Alathur-Wadakkanchery-Kunnamkulam-Guruvayur for our trip later in October.

Might be a better option, but do note that many roads in Guruvayoor are dug up and being repaired, I don't see these finishing soon due to rains. The same is true even in the East Nada of the temple, drains dug up on both sides.

All the way from Krishnagiri, actually. In this section the roads coming from Bangalore and Chennai merge, creating a traffic bottleneck that can be quite horrible.

Absolutely!

[pnredkar]

Hello folks,

I am planning a Bangalore to road travel this Thursday and will be returning on Sunday. We plan to start by 4:30am and our destination will be Club Mahindra near Cherai Beach. We will be halting for breakfast near Salem before proceeding. Beyond Salem, it will be a new route for me. I plan to take the Erode - Coimbatore - Palakkad - Thrissur - Kochi road.

Please let me know what are good coffee/snack/lunch places with good restroom facilities beyond Salem. I am traveling with my 85+ year old mother, so we might require to take multiple breaks. And what would be the expected time to reach my destination if we start at 4:30am and have an overall break of 1hr en-route.

Thanks in advance,
Prasad

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by pnredkar

Hello folks,

I am planning a Bangalore to road travel this Thursday and will be returning on Sunday. We plan to start by 4:30am and our destination will be Club Mahindra near Cherai Beach. We will be halting for breakfast near Salem before proceeding. Beyond Salem, it will be a new route for me. I plan to take the Erode - Coimbatore - Palakkad - Thrissur - Kochi road.

Please let me know what are good coffee/snack/lunch places with good restroom facilities beyond Salem. I am traveling with my 85+ year old mother, so we might require to take multiple breaks. And what would be the expected time to reach my destination if we start at 4:30am and have an overall break of 1hr en-route.

Thanks in advance,
Prasad

There are plenty of eateries throughout the TN stretch , you can stop anywhere and you'll find a place to eat

Salem - Selvi Cafe
Coimbatore - Sre Saravana Bhavan / Ananda Bhavan, Trichy road junction,L&T bypass.

Afterwards you will enter the land of speed cameras.

Enjoy your trip!

[neoone042]

Route: Bangalore - Krishnagiri - Erode - Coimbatore - Palakkad - Thrissur - Kochi

I just did this stretch and will post a detailed experience soon.

We started from Bangalore at 4:30 AM and were at our destination (South Kochi) at 1:20 PM with a 30-minute breakfast and 15-minute refueling and toilet break.

Overall, the roads are good, except for 2-3 very small stretches where some construction is happening right now. There is a stretch after you cross Coimbatore, which is 2-lane, where overtaking is difficult, not to mention the speed cameras in Kerala.

To address the speed cameras situation, you can use this application: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...hl=en_IN&gl=US

It works really well and notifies you in advance about speed limits and other details being noted at these speed cameras.

While going, we stopped at the Sarvana Bhavan here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/754SjKXgT8MkofVR9 at around 8:00 for breakfast. Clean and hygienic toilets and decent food.

We had kept some sandwiches to save time with us that we had after stopping on the side of the road on our way at around 11:30 AM.

[ayankm]

Hello Folks,
I am planning a trip to Kochi from Bangalore on the 4th of July.
A couple of my colleagues were saying that due to heavy rains, the condition of roads to Kochi is not good.
Can someone who has travelled by this route recently let me know if it will be ok to proceed?

Also what kind of food options do we have on the way?

Thanks,
Ayan.

[binand]

Originally Posted by ayankm

I am planning a trip to Kochi from Bangalore on the 4th of July.
A couple of my colleagues were saying that due to heavy rains, the condition of roads to Kochi is not good.

I have not seen any problems reported in the straightforward NH44-NH544 route. Apparently Google routes you through NH844 for part of the way with consequent time advantages.

I will be taking it till Palakkad next weekend (22-23 June), can give somewhat more accurate info after that. You should monitor the "All Roads to Kerala" thread which is updated a lot more frequently.

One tunnel (eastbound) is closed at Kuthiran so all traffic shares the other; this leads to some pileup around that area during peak hours. Be aware.

Originally Posted by ayankm

Also what kind of food options do we have on the way?

Generally - predominantly to exclusively south Indian vegetarian food in TN. It swings to the opposite extreme once you enter Kerala. Specific restaurant recommendations are too numerous to mention.

[fangface]

Is the NH44/544 route open and in good condition to drive from Bangalore to Kochi? I plan on starting at around 4am from Bangalore.

Google maps is showing that the road is closed and that is confusing me.

Also is going via Maddur-Kollegal-Chamrajnagar to Coimbatore better than the Hosur-Salem-Coimbatore route here?

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by fangface

Is the NH44/544 route open and in good condition to drive from Bangalore to Kochi? I plan on starting at around 4am from Bangalore.

Google maps is showing that the road is closed and that is confusing me.

Also is going via Maddur-Kollegal-Chamrajnagar to Coimbatore better than the Hosur-Salem-Coimbatore route here?

Once you get on the E-City elevated highway - Just keep going straight till Salem and make sure you take the exit to Coimbatore and continue, no deviations.

Mysore - Satyamangalam - Coimbatore route is a lot slower in reality because of the Dhimbham ghat road.

[binand]

Originally Posted by fangface

Is the NH44/544 route open and in good condition to drive from Bangalore to Kochi? I plan on starting at around 4am from Bangalore.

Yes, though there are dozens of flyover constructions with detours that will slow you down. Google will try to route you through NH 844 but from what I've heard - it is incomplete in several places and hence not safe to drive during the dark hours.

Note: Once you descend the Thoppur ghat, there is one place where a signboard says you have to exit NH 44 and turn right to go to Erode & Palakkad. Don't pay any heed to that.

Originally Posted by fangface

Also is going via Maddur-Kollegal-Chamrajnagar to Coimbatore better than the Hosur-Salem-Coimbatore route here?

Nope. That route is naturally slower once you exit the BMEW, and further on - the Dhimbam ghat sees heavy traffic. Joining NH 544 after your descend is also a conundrum.

[NPV]

Kochi query:
-are visitors to the Kumbalangi model tourist village allowed to walk in without prior package booked? Is there an entry fee to be paid?
-what is the best route/mode of transport to get to Kumbalangi from Pallimukku, Kochi?

[siliconscorpion]

Originally Posted by NPV

Kochi query:
-are visitors to the Kumbalangi model tourist village allowed to walk in without prior package booked? Is there an entry fee to be paid?
-what is the best route/mode of transport to get to Kumbalangi from Pallimukku, Kochi?

From what I know the tours ( half-day/one-day) are organized by private parties. You would get to see local activities, fishing , etc

Best way to travel is cab/auto ( Uber/Ola)

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by fangface

Also is going via Maddur-Kollegal-Chamrajnagar to Coimbatore better than the Hosur-Salem-Coimbatore route here?

Originally Posted by binand

Joining NH 544 after your descend is also a conundrum.

Add to that, if you follow Google Maps, you will be routed to a point just a couple of kms before a toll gate (Karumathampatti) - you pay 120 INR for a stretch of about 10 km of 6 lane highway.

To sum up:

Originally Posted by fangface

Is the NH44/544 route open and in good condition to drive from Bangalore to Kochi? I plan on starting at around 4am from Bangalore.

Yes, the NH44/544 route is open. Stick to the highway from Silk Board flyover / E-City flyover / E-City exit toll-booth (depending on where you hit the Hosur Road) until Salem, where you have to take an exit to the left at a signboard that says Coimbatore. Then, keep following the same highway all the way to Kochi.

For a 4 AM start, the NH844 can also be used for a more peaceful and cheaper drive till Dharmapuri, but there are diversions aplenty and not many options for refreshment.