[ampere]

Originally Posted by sabret00the

Further to the above the locals at Palani suggested that instead of returning to Palani I should have come straight to Ezhuvanampatti junction through Kodai Ghat Road (SH 156) - then take the NH and eventually take the SH 152 onwards from Dindigul.

Can anyone confirm on this route?

As they said the fastest route is via NH7.
Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Dindigul-Batlagundu-Kodai.

Earlier both NH7 and NH47 were being 4-laned and hence every one tried to avoid them.
Hence the Thoppur-Mecheri-Bhavani option was also very popular.

Now that all the 4-Lanes are up and roaring, it makes sense to take these options.
From that option, Dindigul is the shortest and also very swift. But if one needs to goto Palani, the Dharapuram Option makes sense.
But even for that, one can go via Salem-Perundurai-Kangeyam instead of Mecheri/Mettur.

[sabret00the]

Originally Posted by ampere

As they said the fastest route is via NH7.
Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Dindigul-Batlagundu-Kodai.

Earlier both NH7 and NH47 were being 4-laned and hence every one tried to avoid them.
Hence the Thoppur-Mecheri-Bhavani option was also very popular.

Now that all the 4-Lanes are up and roaring, it makes sense to take these options.
From that option, Dindigul is the shortest and also very swift. But if one needs to goto Palani, the Dharapuram Option makes sense.
But even for that, one can go via Salem-Perundurai-Kangeyam instead of Mecheri/Mettur.

Thanks for confirming that. I shouldn't have tried tweaking the route and let Google Maps/aGPS take that decision. As you said even I feel the route Via Dindigul is what I should have taken in the 1st place. This would have helped me avoid the narrow winding roads down the Palani especially while returning last evening.

[KarthikK]

bumping up a really old thread!

Anyone who did Bangalore to Kodaikanal via Dindigul recently?
Could you brief me about the recent road conditions, any changes to the route required? I might be doing a monsoon drive this weekend with 3 of my friends in a honda city. Hopefully it will manage the GC issues well.

Also, what are the good eateries I should look out for?
I will be stopping at Salem for breakfast, but for lunchtime maybe I will be in Dindigul or thereabouts. Do suggest good places for lunch in/around Dindigul

Awaiting updates from route gurus Ampere, Fauji or others

[Tempelhof]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

bumping up a really old thread!

I will be stopping at Salem for breakfast, but for lunchtime maybe I will be in Dindigul or thereabouts.

Hotel Sarathy in Salem for breakfast.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Tempelhof

Hotel Sarathy in Salem for breakfast.

Last time we'd stopped at a place called Hotel Annapoorna in Salem. Was nothing great though, so we'll try this Sarathy this time. Thanks!

any suggestions on lunch stop places in Dindigul?

[Tempelhof]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

any suggestions on lunch stop places in Dindigul?

Just past Kodai road junction, but before Madurai (near a tractor factory), there's a decent Hotel (unfortunately I don't remember its name) on the left side of the road. You can have lunch there and proceed to Kodai.

Last time I went to Thekkady, I visited this place.

But, if you are having BF at Salem, then this place (near the tractor factory) will arrive well before lunch....

[ampere]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Awaiting updates from route gurus

If you start by 4AM I think you can be in Kodai for lunch! Salem is good stop for breakfast. Splurge at GRT!
Breakfast starts at 7AM.

If you start by 4 / 4:30, you would be there in time. Its on the left before you turn from the GQ for the five roads junction.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Also, what are the good eateries I should look out for?
I will be stopping at Salem for breakfast, but for lunchtime maybe I will be in Dindigul or thereabouts. Do suggest good places for lunch in/around Dindigul

When traveling from Bangalore, some options for food stops & approx. distances are:
1.McDonalds and Krishna Inn (HP petrol pump campus) on LHS about 60-65Km from Blr
2.A2B, Shoolagiri (BP petrol pump campus) on LHS about 65-70Km from Blr
3.A2B, Thoppur (BP petrol pump campus) on RHS about 150 Km from Blr
4.GRT, Salem on LHS about 200 Km from Blr
5.Arya Bhavan on LHS, outskirts of Salem on the way to Namakkal about 215 Km from Blr
NOTE: all these are on the NH7 itself and do not need deviation into the town/local roads (#1/2/3 are our usual stops).

There are some more on the stretch between Namakkal and Dindigul that I'd mentioned in my Madurai/Kanyakumari/Rameshwaram travelogue, Nov 2011, but I've not stopped at any of them.
EDIT:Found the post - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2628295

Hope this helps.
As @Ampere mentioned with a 4 or 5am start you should be able to make it to Kodaikanal for lunch.

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

bumping up a really old thread!

Anyone who did Bangalore to Kodaikanal via Dindigul recently?
Could you brief me about the recent road conditions, any changes to the route required? I might be doing a monsoon drive this weekend with 3 of my friends in a honda city. Hopefully it will manage the GC issues well.

Also, what are the good eateries I should look out for?
I will be stopping at Salem for breakfast, but for lunchtime maybe I will be in Dindigul or thereabouts. Do suggest good places for lunch in/around Dindigul

Awaiting updates from route gurus Ampere, Fauji or others

I think you have got enough update on the food stops. Let me give you some update on the road condition.

I suggest doing either, Dindigul-Kodai Road-Batlagundu-Kodai or Dindigul-Palani-Kodai. I recommend the later. You should avoid Dindigul-Batlagundu as the road widening work is on and there is almost no roads now. The monsoon will make the condition even worse.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by ampere

If you start by 4AM I think you can be in Kodai for lunch! Salem is good stop for breakfast. Splurge at GRT!
Breakfast starts at 7AM.

If you start by 4 / 4:30, you would be there in time. Its on the left before you turn from the GQ for the five roads junction.

Bumping up an old thread.

What would be the best route for the following trip:

Bangalore - Munnar - Kodaikanal - Bangalore

Day 1 - Bangalore - Munnar
Day 3 - Munnar - Kodaikanal
Day 5 - Back to Bangalore

Next week, starting on a Monday (to avoid the crowd) me and my wife would be traveling. I will be driving my WagonR.

Any pointers or suggestions would be helpful. Suggestions for lunch breaks and refueling are also welcome.

PS: I am from Hyderabad and would be driving to Bangalore over the weekend. So any tips to avoid Bangalore traffic on Day 1 & 5 will be appreciated. Starting point would be near Cessna Business park, Bangalore.

Thanks in advance.
Ashis

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ashis89

te for the following trip:
Bangalore - Munnar - Kodaikanal - Bangalore
Day 1 - Bangalore - Munnar

Standard route either via Avinashi/Palladam/Udumalpet or via Dindigul/Theni depending on the location of resort in Munnar

Day 3 - Munnar - Kodaikanal

Munnar - Bodi - Theni - Batlagundu - Kodai

Day 5 - Back to Bangalore

Batlagundu-Dindigul-Salem-Bangalore

Any pointers or suggestions would be helpful. Suggestions for lunch breaks and refueling are also welcome.

Bangalore-Munnar : All the way till Avinashi there are enough places. Look at BLR-Coimbattore or Kerala thread.

Munnar-Kodai : 4-5 hours max. You can use Theni as a break point if you want one.

Kodai-Bangalore: Look at Salem as a place to break. There are others places on the 4-lane as well.

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by ashis89

PS: I am from Hyderabad and would be driving to Bangalore over the weekend. So any tips to avoid Bangalore traffic on Day 1 & 5 will be appreciated. Starting point would be near Cessna Business park, Bangalore.

Ashis

Well, I'm assuming you are staying with a friend/relative and hence coming inside city. So you will be traveling all along the Outer Ring Road from Hebbal. The only piece of advice is to reach at late hours and start out early. That way you can beat the maddening traffic on the ORR around Cessna Business Park.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by ampere

Standard route either via Avinashi/Palladam/Udumalpet or via Dindigul/Theni depending on the location of resort in Munnar

Thanks!
Our stay is booked at Camp Noel which is away from the city. I plan to take the Avinashi - Udumalpet route as the other one will be covered on the return from Kodaikanal. That will ensure that we get to see both the routes. I hope I am not making a mistake here.

Another query. Which would be the best place to refuel before I climb the hills? Or is there no concern regarding fuel quality in these areas? My car has a range of 400 kms. I was thinking about Avinashi and Theni.

Originally Posted by luvurride

Well, I'm assuming you are staying with a friend/relative and hence coming inside city. So you will be traveling all along the Outer Ring Road from Hebbal. The only piece of advice is to reach at late hours and start out early. That way you can beat the maddening traffic on the ORR around Cessna Business Park.

Thanks!
Yes our relatives stay just behind Cessna. I will be driving into Bangalore on a Saturday and driving out to Hyderabad on Sunday. My assumption is that if I cross the Cessna area between 12-4 PM on a weekend, I will be safe. Am I wrong here?

[yatin]

I came back from Munnar yesterday. This is fresh off the mountain press

I drove both routes; actually, Bangalore-(Mysore-Bandipura-Masinagudi-)Udhagamandalam-(Mettupalayam-Udulmapet-Chinnar-Marayoor-)Munnar-(Poopaara-Bodinayakanur-Theni-Salem-)Bangalore.

No challenging roads on your route (really, not because I drove my petrol Etios), just some narrow roads in the hills & footlands. A Wagon R should manage just fine, in under 10 hours.

You may have a real problem with Munnar-Devikulam-Chinnakanal-Periakanal-Poopaara; the road is closed till Chinnakanal from 7 AM to 7 PM, for hacking the mountain to widen the road. Localites get through, but I don't know if they will let you through at your own risk; the alternate seems to take 1.5 hours more.

If you haven't fixed your itinerary yet, I'd suggest stretching for a day at Thekkady; you go that far, it is close by & apparently is a good visit.

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Another query. Which would be the best place to refuel before I climb the hills? Or is there no concern regarding fuel quality in these areas? My car has a range of 400 kms. I was thinking about Avinashi and Theni.


Thanks!
Yes our relatives stay just behind Cessna. I will be driving into Bangalore on a Saturday and driving out to Hyderabad on Sunday. My assumption is that if I cross the Cessna area between 12-4 PM on a weekend, I will be safe. Am I wrong here?

Avinashi and Then are better fuel stops. You have plenty of pumps enroute the divided highway and mostly all are pretty decent. In Then, you will find a pump just when you exit the town where you can refuel. That way, you are covered for most of the hills.

And yes, weekends are fairly free in ORR, so you are good. i thought you were coming in on a weekday, hence the advice.