[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I just came to Hisar from Gurgaon using the Jhajjar route. The roads are very good with the only need to slow down at just villages, which do not have speed breakers unlike NH10.

Now latest and best suggestion by me:

Take Gurgaon-Sutanpur-Farrukhnagar-Jhajjar route, Just before entering Jhajjar ask for Jhajjar bypass and proceed to Beri road, Cross Beri and take left from major road intersection after Beri for Charkhi dadri, Take Charkhi dadri-Loharu-Pilani.

How many kms and how long did you take? Are the towns very messy since they do not have bypasses (except Jhajjiar)? Any impact from recent rains?

[lejhoom]

Jhajjar route is shortest because of the newly constructed road from Jhajjar to Kalanaur. No need to go to Rohtak. So route will be Gurgaon - Jhajjar - Kalanaur - Bhiwani - Loharu.

Happy driving.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

How many kms and how long did you take? Are the towns very messy since they do not have bypasses (except Jhajjiar)? Any impact from recent rains?

There are no towns expect Jhajjar in route. The newly constructed roads at places are excellent with no traffic, at a point i hit 160kph in my Punto to check how much max she can do?(Though for a very short distance).

I did not check the distance, but i used the route till the intersection after Beri, where right takes you to Charkhi dadri-Bhiwani and Straight goes to Meham and merges onto NH-10.

I will return using the same route, will click some pics this time.

[.anshuman]

Posting promised pictures. Most of the Gurgaon- Kalanaur stretch has roads as good as seen in these pictures.

[AlokSriva]

Thanks Anshuman for your advise, it did come in extremely handy for my trip.

Had started around 2.30 p.m. from Gurgaon on 19th Aug and reached Pilani at about 7.10 p.m. At 5.30 p.m. I was only at Farrukhnagar - blame it to me missing a turn and taking a terribly pothole infested Pataudi Road in rains rather than sticking to Basai road which would have taken me straight to Farrukhnagar

This messup resulted in me covering a mere 32 kms in first 3 hours of my journey. However, after this, it was a cakewalk - 150 kms in 1 hour and 40 mins. Despite the fact that I passed through Jhajjhar and Charkhi Dadri towns where traffic was extremely slow on account of water logging on roads.

On my return trip last morning, I started at 6 a.m. and ensured I take Gurgaon road from Farrukhnagar. Reached home around 10 a.m. Since I had a company (offered a drop to colleague till Gurgaon), the drive was more relaxed. Usually one happens to speed if travelling alone since the entire focus is on driving. However, with a companion, one's focus gets diverted on the talks

Thanks again to all who helped with their inputs and guidance!

[MX6]

Seeing the report and the photos, I feel like going back to college again!

[AlokSriva]

@MX6 - LOL

Well, BITS surely was a great place. We were made to put up at VFAST. Food was good there (though a bit too bland for my personal taste). Gave a shot to ANC too for non-veg but was thoroughly disappointed..

But yes, what really impressed me (other than the bright students) was the courteous service in the dining hall of VFAST

[MX6]

VFast is good. I stayed in Vfast the last time I went there (In 2005). I'm surprised to note that the ANC food disappointed you. Anyway, I never had anything other than Maggi in ANC. Best time to go to BITS would be during Oasis. The weather is terrific, the place transforms to wonderland. Some of us are planning on a trip to BITS again in near future.

[AlokSriva]

Well.. my travel time would be governed more by the campus season. Probably would be travelling again in Jan again..

But yes, incessant rains since last few days sure made the place absolutely green and beautiful.

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

Well.. my travel time would be governed more by the campus season. Probably would be travelling again in Jan again

Originally Posted by MX6

Some of us are planning on a trip to BITS again in near future.

Just came across this thread.

Well, the 1st BGM (BITSAA Global Meet | 7-9 January 2011) is scheduled at Epicentre in Gurgaon. The plans also include a visit to Pilani and one can choose between 5/6/7 or 9/10/11.

Why not all of us include a "Team-BHP Pilani Edition Drive Meet" concurrently with the BGM and we all can drive down from Gurgaon to Pilani and back as part of our meet.

Cheers to Budh, Malviya, RBM, C'not, ShivGanga Lawns, Nutan, BhootNath Temple, Pedas, Sams, Shikanji, ... (I am excluding Maggi Noodles from the list since it was not yet introduced in India and in Pilani during my time there).

[Rigid Rotor]

The latest on the route to Pilani from Delhi-

The route earlier recommended (2008) by Team-BHP members, in another thread-(Delhi- Gurgaon-Daruheda on NH-8 , turn off for Rewari and onwards to Narnaul-Singhana-Chirawa-Pilani) is best avoided! The stretch of road between Singhana & Chirawa is non-existent and our car took a severe pounding. There were hardly any cars on that stretch - just trucks and Jeeps. In fact, its curious that that road's been so badly damaged in just 3 years- in most portions, even its gravel bed foundations is missing.

On the return, after reading .anshuman's posts, I tried the following route, which is in good state, barring a 5 km stretch between Rajasthan border and Loharu:
Pilani-Chirawa-Surajgarh-Loharu-Dadri-Jajjhar-Farukhnagar-Gurgaon, intercepting NH8 at Hero Honda Chowk (all State Highways). A point of caution- There are a whole heap of unmarked turns on this route and I managed to get through without stopping and asking for directions, because of my GPS-enabled phone with updated Navteq map. If you do not have a GPS enabled device, then make sure you at least have a good map and ask for directions, whenever necessary.

Also- there's a level crossing short of Loharu station- a sleepy little railway station where absolutely no one, especially the engine drivers are in any sort of hurry. Had to wait 25 minutes while four trains all hauled by smoky diesel locos, slowly pulled in or out of the station, .

Onward journey took 6.5 hours. Return (excluding the level crossing delay) and without any meal stops took only 5 hours.

It appears that its safer to stick to at least State Highways and avoid even MDRs (Major District Roads) or anything lesser in the pecking order, unless one has current information on its state of repair (or disrepair!). Hence the longer option of Pilani-Chirawa-Surajgarh (I was not sure of the present condition of the direct Surajgarh-Pilani stretch).

There is a 5-7 km stretch between Rajasthan state border and Loharu which is under repair and has presently has only its gravel bed. However, its in a far, far better state than that dreaded Singhana-Chirawa stretch. And it appears that work is in progress on that stretch.

-
In the event anyone does venture onto the Singhana-Chirawa route, an eating-place that is recommended to be avoided is "Midway Aravali Resorts". (pic attached). Reason?- Our driver went to the kitchen and asked for some four rotsi & dal - the chap was served and we were charged Rs 220/- for a "veg thali" eaten by the driver! Absolute rip-off and a must avoid!!

[soul-on-4wheels]

Good folks - I have to drop my kiddo off at BITS, Pilani (I did notice a few alumni in this thread!) for his undergrad this weekend and like all intense souls on 4 wheels, am exploring a drive down (in a self-drive rental car - maybe the Toyota Glanza) from Gurgaon (after flying in from Mumbai) - more specifically the Central Park Flower Valley society in Gurgaon. Need some advice in terms of:
1. The best route
2. The condition of roads in general
3. The realistic time taken (say I start at 7am from GGN) - am not a ripper and am generally at peace in the 90-100 range!

Thanks a ton in advance for the help!

NB: The BSOM will be on during the coming weekend so did not get a place within the campus or even nearby....had to settle for a hotel in Surajgarh.

Cheers!

[amikacin]

Originally Posted by soul-on-4wheels

Good folks - I have to drop my kiddo off at BITS, Pilani (I did notice a few alumni in this thread!) for his undergrad this weekend and like all intense souls on 4 wheels, am exploring a drive down (in a self-drive rental car - maybe the Toyota Glanza) from Gurgaon (after flying in from Mumbai) - more specifically the Central Park Flower Valley society in Gurgaon. Need some advice in terms of:
1. The best route
2. The condition of roads in general
3. The realistic time taken (say I start at 7am from GGN) - am not a ripper and am generally at peace in the 90-100 range!

Thanks a ton in advance for the help!

NB: The BSOM will be on during the coming weekend so did not get a place within the campus or even nearby....had to settle for a hotel in Surajgarh.

Cheers!

Based on your starting point, Google suggests you two options:

1. Ggn - Rewari - Narnaul - Pacheri - Buhana - Surajgarh
https://goo.gl/maps/39jb8JxtTKWjJuiG7


2. Ggn - Jajjhar - Charkhi Dadri - Loharu - Surajgarh.
https://goo.gl/maps/tmjy1DdzzvmbKxHNA


Being a frequent traveler on the option 1, I will share my observations:

There are some pain points at Manesar, Bilaspur and Dharuhera which frequently see slow moving traffic. Roads are a mixed bag owing to recent rains and heavy volume of traffic on this stretch.

You will have to take the diversion off from Delhi Jaipur highway for Rewari and crossing Rewai during morning hours takes time and patience. Once done, you get on the newly constructed four lane NH 11 to Narnaul and beyond till Rajasthan border.

You can easily bypass Narnaul city traffic if you take the newly opened bypass, which is little tricky to spot but if you follow Google maps, it will guide you well. There is one railway bridge under construction after Rewari which sometimes take time to cross but otherwise you will not face much issues.

From Pacheri take a right on the road to Buhana after Singhania University and then Surajgarh. You will not encounter much traffic on this stretch. There is a toll plaza after Rewari and charges INR65 besides the one when you cross Gurgaon.

Option 2: It has been some six seven months since I last travelled on route 2 but my observations are it will take similar time for either of the two options. In the past I have seen long jams at one intersection between Jajjhar and Charkhi Dadri.

I expect it will take you anywhere between 4-4.5 hrs to complete the journey whichever route you take.

[soul-on-4wheels]

Thanks a ton! This really helps!

[soul-on-4wheels]

Originally Posted by amikacin

Based on your starting point, Google suggests you two options:

1. Ggn - Rewari - Narnaul - Pacheri - Buhana - Surajgarh
https://goo.gl/maps/39jb8JxtTKWjJuiG7


2. Ggn - Jajjhar - Charkhi Dadri - Loharu - Surajgarh.
https://goo.gl/maps/tmjy1DdzzvmbKxHNA


Being a frequent traveler on the option 1, I will share my observations:

There are some pain points at Manesar, Bilaspur and Dharuhera which frequently see slow moving traffic. Roads are a mixed bag owing to recent rains and heavy volume of traffic on this stretch.

You will have to take the diversion off from Delhi Jaipur highway for Rewari and crossing Rewai during morning hours takes time and patience. Once done, you get on the newly constructed four lane NH 11 to Narnaul and beyond till Rajasthan border.

You can easily bypass Narnaul city traffic if you take the newly opened bypass, which is little tricky to spot but if you follow Google maps, it will guide you well. There is one railway bridge under construction after Rewari which sometimes take time to cross but otherwise you will not face much issues.

From Pacheri take a right on the road to Buhana after Singhania University and then Surajgarh. You will not encounter much traffic on this stretch. There is a toll plaza after Rewari and charges INR65 besides the one when you cross Gurgaon.

Option 2: It has been some six seven months since I last travelled on route 2 but my observations are it will take similar time for either of the two options. In the past I have seen long jams at one intersection between Jajjhar and Charkhi Dadri.

I expect it will take you anywhere between 4-4.5 hrs to complete the journey whichever route you take.

Thanks a ton for the detailed response. Appreciate it!

Now, in case we decide to drive down to BITS Pilani instead of Surajgarh (still awaiting some finer details about the whole admission process), then I see Google suggesting 3 options:

1. GGN-Dhankot-Jhajjar-Chhuchhakwas-Charkhi Dadri-Loharu-BITS Pilani - the suggested route - 169 Kms
https://goo.gl/maps/PP2DfKSgizgZS4qx8

2. GGN-Bhiwadi-Rewari-Kanina-Mahendragarh-Satnali-Loharu-BITS Pilani - this is the longer one by 13 kms but seems to take just 20 mins more. This route is fundamentally the same route you suggested to Surajgarh - 182 Kms
https://goo.gl/maps/izCB9CNYxTdUcmRa6

3. GGN-Jhajjar-Dighal-Kalanaur-Devsar-Jui Khurd-Loharu-BIS Pilani - this is the longest route but same time as #2 - 206 Kms
https://goo.gl/maps/X2XUEYvdgHAcPM1Y6

What would you suggest given these options? The reason why I am a little wary is I will be in a rental car - had I been in my Yeti, I would have not much hesitation in taking on some rough patches!

Look forward!