[arjithin]

Originally Posted by mykal shoemaker

Here is the update from my drive.

I did Bangalore-Kanakapura- Malavalli- Kollegal- Chamaraj Nagar -Gundlupet route.

This road is amazingly good for 85% of it. There are few patches where road widening works are in progress. Other than that, the drive was so peaceful and no traffic at all.

How is the Chamaraj nagar to Gundlupet section? There were multiple WIP sections in that 35 km when i traveled last time ( an year bak probably)

[treadmark]

Originally Posted by vinucv

Planning to drive from Mankara(near Shornur) to Ettumanoor.
If I take option 1, is there a way to avoid Paliyekkara toll ?

It is no-brainer to avoid Paliyekkara toll, all the detour options around the toll will take considerably more time than the one through toll. Even if it is crowded stick to left as the last booth will be left free at times.

Cheers!

[rahulb22]

Hello Folks,

I request an update on the latest status of road conditions from Mangalore to Ernakulam. What would be the approximate driving time with a 2 PM start from Mangalore?

Cheers
Rahulb22

[SajiNSalin]

Rahul,

Avoid this drive if you can. It is a frustrating and never ending drive which will stress you to the limit. The road is narrow and populated by maniac drivers, the most dangerous being the private bus drivers. Starting at 2pm from Mangalore ensures that you have maximum traffic of all sorts in all the towns you have to pass through.

If you still have to drive, I would suggest a night drive when most of Kerala sleeps and you have relatively less traffic on the road. The private busses will also be taking rest. The driving time will not be less than 9 to 10 hours.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by rahulb22

Hello Folks,

I request an update on the latest status of road conditions from Mangalore to Ernakulam. What would be the approximate driving time with a 2 PM start from Mangalore?

Cheers
Rahulb22

I think it would be closer to 11-12 hours driving time with a 2PM start. Not sure of the exact road conditions of the full stretch, but the monsoon rains seemed to have taken a toll on the roads in the sections I drove last week (Calicut-Kuttipuram) with several pot holes.

As mentioned in the post above, not a good idea to start at 2PM. The last leg would be late in the night and you would be terribly fatigued by then.

[SajiNSalin]

Out of all my drives in North, West and South India, I would easily rate the Mangalore-Kochin as the worst nightmare. I recently took the train from Trivandrum to Goa, while in the previous trip I had taken two days of very stressful driving to reach the destination. Goa- Mangalore route is an enjoyable drive.

[sansvk]

I am travelling from Bangalore to SultanBathery next week, the last time I entered Kerala through Waynad was in Dec 2012. Can I get some updates on the road condition of Mysore-Gundulpet-SultanBathery? Any Recommended eateries on this stretch? Hotel Nijaguna etc.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by sansvk

I am travelling from Bangalore to SultanBathery next week, the last time I entered Kerala through Waynad was in Dec 2012. Can I get some updates on the road condition of Mysore-Gundulpet-SultanBathery? Any Recommended eateries on this stretch? Hotel Nijaguna etc.

discussed in detail in Bangalore - Kozhikode thread

[naveen.raju]

Some updates on Cochin - Wayanad-Coorg route.

1) Roads in and around Chavakad and Thriprayar are pretty bad. Will have a tough time during night. You will find a good stretch where you can gain speed and then you find a small section filled with huge craters. This is after Chavakad when driving from Cochin. Be careful with that. I had to slam my brakes there.
2) Churam is in good condition and only the hairpin sections are bad. It's a temp fix.

This photo was circulated across the social media. This was the old state. (Source - FB Page)



This is the present condition. It's a temp fix and wont last long.



GPS took me through many inner roads. No idea if this is the actual route. Roads are relatively empty but with rough sections. Not a smooth drive. It's around 380 kms.

Coorg-Mysore-Walayar - Cochin

1) Coorg to Mysure is a breeze with pretty wide roads, very less traffic. But the KA police loves the barricades and speed breakers.
2) Traffic on the ring road (think it was Hunsur, where the flyover work is in progress) was bad.
3) Dimbam ghat was surprisingly empty and could cover in quick time. Few sections are bad here.



4) After this section, I completely lost my way as the GPS signal was lost and some good amount of time was wasted here. Also, I made a mistake of not bypassing Coimbatore (GPS had selected the route via Coimbatore). So traffic was bad, got stuck in heavy traffic and then had to find a road that bypassed Coimbatore. Lost a lot of time here. So people relying solely on GPS, please do note this. 5) Walayar-Cochin: This is getting better and the work is progressing well. Kuthiran section is now motorable and I passed this section at around 6PM (Saturday). Was able to cover this section quickly. I guess another BHPian also had a similar experience. 6) The section where it's still a single lane is bad, filled with potholes. Guess they are not going to waste the effort of resurfacing this as it's going to be a 4 lane section soon. So this section can slow you down. 3) Thrissur to Cochin is still a nightmare with heavy traffic and signals. They made one huge blunder by sticking to a 4 lane highway. Odo reading shows 504 kms.

[arjithin]

What is the best route to reach Pamba from Chalakudy for a Sabarimala trip on 20th?? (Saw many videos of waterlogging in highrange area after recent rains)

[vinucv]

Originally Posted by arjithin

What is the best route to reach Pamba from Chalakudy for a Sabarimala trip on 20th?? (Saw many videos of waterlogging in highrange area after recent rains)

Suggest to try this route

https://goo.gl/maps/NEFW3nXmkhE2

[gadadhar]

My friend is travelling this week from Bangalore to Kottaya. After the heavy rains, is it better to stick Salem, Palakkad, Thrussur NH? He is also considering Dindigal Kumily route, it will be helpful if someone can update on the road condition here. Is there any time restrictions on the Kumily route?

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

My friend is travelling this week from Bangalore to Kottaya. After the heavy rains, is it better to stick Salem, Palakkad, Thrussur NH? He is also considering Dindigal Kumily route, it will be helpful if someone can update on the road condition here. Is there any time restrictions on the Kumily route?

I think the Palakkad route might be faster. The broken sections are repaired on NH 47. Not sure of the Angamali - Kottayam route. Kumily to Kottayam will be a slow drive even if roads are good due to ghat section. There are no time restrictions in the Kumily route.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by vinucv

Suggest to try this route

https://goo.gl/maps/NEFW3nXmkhE2

This map is pointing to pampa, not Pamba and is a simple point A to B map with 3 options; Did you create a custom route ? if yes, please share the towns along the route?

I am aware of the normal route and asked this question to know the road conditions post the last month rains.

[majumon]

PLanning to drive from Evoor near Haripad to Valamboor near Muvattupuzha, which would be the best route , dread to cross Alappuzha on a saturday afternoon. The thaneermukam route appears to be a scenic route I have heard.