[RogueRobot]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

How was the overall route? In terms of road condition. Would you recommend this vs Agra-Gwalior-Guna-Indore?

Hello @sinharishi!

If you have the time to make the Agra >> Gwalior >> Guna route, I would say go for it over this one. I should add here that I haven't driven on that route, so my recommendation is based partly on experience, partly on what I have read. But my first preference would have been to take that route. I didn't have the time, as you can see from my posts above .. so took the shortest-time route recommended by GMaps. Maybe others can comment.

Cheers

[RogueRobot]

Now on to Day 2

Day 2 - Monday, 24 July 2023 >> Indore to Pune
Distance travelled >> nearabout 670 km.
Route taken :: Indore (Hare Krishna Vihar Colony) >> NH 52 all the way till Dhule >> NH 60 / AH 47 through Malegaon all the way till Nashik (Adgaon) >> Nashik - Pune highway through Sinnar, Sangamner, Alephata, Chakan >> through Alandi till Hadapsar

Drove solo.

This was a straightforward enough route, but still a few things to note.

Started around 5:30 am.

Just after leaving Indore town and crossing the first toll booth, there are many good (looking) petrol pumps where you can refuel.

Road throughout is great, interspersed with ghat sections that are even more picturesque in the monsoon.



However, note that throughout, the ghats are dotted with rumblers every 200 metres, with accident-zone warnings, and I got to see plenty of examples why. You have to be careful on the downward slopes, else you risk a good shakeup inside your car



That said, this whole stretch was a joy to drive on.

I stopped at Sai Car Family Dhaba . This was recommended by BHP-ian @NA_Agrawal, and it's truly a delightful place. Great food, very reasonable rates, and there are a couple of temples inside the complex which are a peace haven a short walk away from the highway.

Google maps advises you to divert away from NH 60 near Chandwad, taking the Lasalgaon route to Sinnnar. However, after some research, and thanks to the advice of BHPian @antz.bin, I had decided instead to drive on till Nashik, then take the Nashik Pune highway. Against good advice, I diverted away at Adgaon thinking this'll be a short cut connector to the highway. However this road is not good. In hindsight I'd say taking the long flyover called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Udanpul all the way till Dwarka (Nashik), and then taking the Nashik-Pune highway from its beginning would probably be a more hassle-free, if slightly longer route.



Nashik to Alephata roads are great. From Alephata you can divert away towards Belhe - Shikrapur. However my friend in Pune enquired in his groups and the advice was to 'take the Shikrapur route only in daylight, avoid it after sundown. This coming from someone who takes the route on a weekly basis.

So through Chakan - Alandi - Yerawada - Koregaon Park I went, until I finally reached my destination in Hadapsar. Got a taste of weekday evening traffic in Pune.


1470 km, and I was ready to hit the bed!



_________________________________
Just signing off with a couple of my favorite pics from the journey, hoping this gives others the joy and encouragement that I experienced throughout.

This is somewhere in Rajasthan on the Tonk-Deoli route. Absolutely breathtaking views.



And this rains in the Ghats.




And finally, THANK YOU to NA_Agrawal, Antz.Bin, Chinkara and Caged_Nomad for all the advice and guidance to this first time driver!

Cheerios all!

-Rogue Robot

[Moto$apien]

Originally Posted by RogueRobot

Now on to Day 2

..guidance to this first time driver!

Cheerios all!

-Rogue Robot

Amazing journey Rogue! i so envy you to be in Pune during its monsoon - green glory.

Can you help us with the Toll cost along your route? will plan a similar run around Diwali this year.

Drive Safe.

[RogueRobot]

Originally Posted by Moto$apien

Can you help us with the Toll cost along your route? will plan a similar run around Diwali this year.

Drive Safe.

Thank you @Moto$sapien !

Gurgaon to Indore Toll paid Rs 1445.
Indore to Pune Toll paid Rs 1025.
Total Toll paid Rs 2470.

Cheers
-Rogue Robot

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by RogueRobot

Hello @sinharishi!

If you have the time to make the Agra >> Gwalior >> Guna route, I would say go for it over this one. I should add here that I haven't driven on that route, so my recommendation is based partly on experience, partly on what I have read.

Thank you! I have taken the Guna-Indore-Nasik route to Mumbai once. However it was during covid when one required special permissions to travel on NH. We covered distances fairly quick. Since you started from Gurgaon, the DME route made more sense. I stay in G.Noida, so I think I am going to stick to Agra-Gwalior-Guna route unless there are some improvements on NH48.

[kari0388]

This was a great read @RogueRobot! Thanks for sharing!

I wanted to ask you and the other members if anyone has any experience or any advice on doing the same drive (Gurgaon to Pune) BUT, via Rajasthan and Gujarat instead?

I will be driving down to Pune with my wife and dog and have the luxury/flexibility of doing it over 2 stops as well. My initial route map for Day 1 was Gurgaon to Udaipur (via NE4 till Sawai Madhopur interchange, from there till Bundi and then to Udaipur via Chittorgarh). For Day 2 I had planned Udaipur to Surat (via Ahmedabad and Vadodara). And finally for Day 3, a straight shot to Pune through Mumbai (Thane).

Does anyone have any experience on the above mentioned roads? Any idea if there is a way to rejoin the NE4 at some point? I have read multiple articles that quite a bit of the NE4 work has been done and only a few patches remain to be finished.

Any advice/feedback on this will be deeply appreciated.

Thank you!

P.S The stops and no. of days has been mostly determined by the fact that we are traveling with our dog and ease in finding pet friendly places.

[RogueRobot]

Originally Posted by kari0388

This was a great read @RogueRobot! Thanks for sharing!

Hello Kari,
Sorry for the late reply, hadn't checked the site in a few days. Thank you for the compliment!

I don't know if you have already made the trip, but Gurgaon - Udaipur - Vadodara - Pune sounds like a great idea, especially given you have nights to spend. NE4 afaik goes only till Sawai Madhopur, after that it's not the same 8-lane expanse of bliss, is what I know.

To go to Udaipur, it'd probably make more sense to take the Jaipur-Ajmer-Bhilwara route. You can even pass by Chittorgarh on the way. If you want to really take the NE4 then Sawai Madhopur - Kota - Bhilwara would be the way to go. Given my experience, I expect the roads to be good all along. Even the Tonk-Deoli-Bundi detour that I took, as evident from the pics I posted above, was quite good, so long as you are OK to drive at reduced speeds (still close to 90 kmph) on two-lane highways.

Vadodara - Surat - Mumbai - Pune, by all accounts I have read, should be a breeze, oft taken and well treaded.

That's the best I can do I'm afraid, and maybe others with more experience can comment.

Good luck !

-RR

[kari0388]

Originally Posted by RogueRobot

Sorry for the late reply, hadn't checked the site in a few days. Thank you for the compliment!

Thanks RR, and sincere apologies for the massive delay. I had to go off network for quite some time due to work.

I ended up taking the Gurgaon to Udaipur route (NE4 till Lalsot and then the regular highways). Then from Udaipur to Surat and the next day to Pune.

I also ended up driving from Pune to Chennai and back a couple of times doing different routes on the way back. Was fun!

One thing I have noticed is that the highways in Maharashtra are far behind in terms of quality as compared to other states. They are doing some work now, yes, but compare it to Karnataka and its hilarious to see, hear, FEEL the massive difference of the tarmac.

[petengr]

Dear @kari0388,

Thanks for updating the thread on your Gurgaon to Pune trip. Could you please share details of the pet friendly hotels you used in Udaipur and Surat ?

I'm planning to make a Noida to Pune road trip with my dog in a few months so would appreciate having this information.

Thanks and regards,
Sameer Joshi