[shandilyapiyush]

This is my first travelogue/long post on team-bhp. Suggestions, if any are most welcome!

Car- Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, it's a 2013 petrol model with 80k+ kms on the odo now.

Route: Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Salem - Dindigul - Theni - Bodi - Munnar. The return route was the same.



Overall distance covered ≈ 1400km.

Day 1
Started off towards Munnar by around 4am in the morning. 6 of us along with luggage for 4 days. Encountered a bit of early morning trucking traffic near Hosur, apart from that the roads are in excellent condition.











First refuel stop at Theni.




Reached Poopara by 1pm after driving up the Bodimettu ghats. We were stopped at the Bodimettu checkpoint and all the luggage was searched by the cops, probably cause it was 6 boys all of us in our early 20's and the KA registration.


Entering into Kerala after the Bodimettu ghats.

The ghat roads of Munnar are a treat to the driver, every curve you take will put a wide grin on your face. The KSRTC (Kerala) bus drivers from what I observed don't really care about oncoming vehicles and try to bully their way through always.


We decided to visit Ripple Falls on the way to our homestay and stopped at a few places places where the views were amazing. Since we reached pretty early to our homestay and had time to spare, we drove up to the Karadiparra viewpoint and experienced the magical mist slowly creeping down as the sunlight went out.





The view from Karadiparra.





Homestay - The Kalt, Munnar.
Excellent property and would definitely recommend.





Day 2
Eravikulam National Park.


Early morning.


Somehwere on the way to ENP

Passed by Kannan Devan Hills plantations on the way to ENP. Was in awe of the sheer beauty of these plantations throughout.



There was a huge queue at Eravikulam National Park. I'd suggest anyone going here to prebook your tickets online. Also the ENP safari is not like one would expect if you're a regular visitor to the tiger reserves or national parks within Karnataka. At ENP, a bus ferries you up to a certain point from where one can hike a small distance and get breathtaking views of the sanctuary and plantations around it. ENP is also a sanctuary for Nilgiri Tahrs.



Going up to the sanctuary gate in the safari bus.






View from ENP top.

On the way back to the homestay, one stretch had loads of mist.



.

Day 3
Trek to Chokramudi Peak.

Started off early in the morning.









Driving along the Lockhart Gap Road is just amazing. Mesmerizing views all around with loads of mist.

[shandilyapiyush]

Day 3 continued

It took us a while to get to the exact starting point for the trek up to the Chokramudi Peak. If one wants to do the Chokramudi Peak, don't trust google maps as it puts you onto the wrong starting point, asking a local for "BISON TRAIL" on the Lockhart Gap View Road will get you to the correct point to begin your trek. You'll even find a board outside that reads "Bison Trail" and a forest gate. Do note that a guide is compulsory for this trek and the entry fee is inclusive of the guide charges. Although the distance isn't all that much, a few parts of this trek can be challenging. Good footwear with adequate grip is a must.

The view from the top is simply good! We couldn't enjoy the view for very long owing to the mist that creeped in. The descent is very tricky if it rains as it can get super slippery.

The starting point of the trek.


The views are breathtaking as one ascends.









Day 4
Visit to Vattavada town via Pampadum Shola National Park and return to Bangalore.

We left post breakfast after having checked out of the homestay towards Vattavada. Little did we know that we'd spend almost 1 hour in bumper to bumper traffic. The route to Vattavada goes via Matupetty Dam and Top Station. Both of which are spots with heavy tourist footfall. The day being a Saturday did not help one bit either.



Bangalore reminiscence



As we approached the forest gate of Pampadum Shola National Park, the forest officials noted down the vehicle number and told us to return before 6pm as the forest gate remains closed between 6pm and 6am. We were also requested not to litter.

The drive through Pampadum Shola National Park was amazing, nilgiri trees on either side of the road and due to the sparse traffic, one can't hear much apart from the engine and dry rustling leaves.





Vattavada is a very small town. One can hire a jeep to go to the Vattavada viewpoint. The roads are bad and a 4x4 is needed to make it to the viewpoint I've heard. We did not go to the view point due to a time crunch.



Vattavada town.



On the way back towards Munnar, traffic was worse than what I'd come across on the way to Vattavada. It was nothing less than frustrating being stuck on the ghats in bumper to bumper traffic for over 2.5 hours.



Traffic woes did not end

It was around 7pm by the time we left Munnar. All the roads after dark are extremely misty and one needs drive with caution. I found the stock fogs on my car to be useless.
Driving down Bodimettu ghat in the darkness with little to no traffic was mighty fun though!

Bodimettu was the last ghat section of the journey back to Bangalore. The roads till Dindigul are mostly 2 lane but are in excellent condition. Post Dindigul, the roads have a divider and are 4 to 6 lanes. One can comfortably cruise ate speeds of 90-110kmph.

After a quick stop for dinner, drove non stop to Bangalore and reached by 315am.

Mileage

All through the trip, the car was with 6 of us and ac running almost always. The car rides on Michelin Energy XM2+ stock size (185/65 R15) inflated to 32psi on all 4 tyres.
All calculations are by tank to tank method.

Overall efficiency figure stood at 12.4 kmpl.

Bangalore to Munnar, with speeds of 80-90 I got 14.65 kmpl.

Munnar ghats, 9.27 kmpl

Munnar to Bangalore, with speeds of 100-110 kmph I got 13.28 kmpl.

Other thoughts

The drive throughout was comfortable and enjoyable. I love manual transmissions, I personally feel driving in the ghats with a stick shift is mega fun.

P.S - I'd switched to Bosch Clearview Advantage and can vouch that they are much much better than the oem wiper blades.

Ending with a photo of my trusty old Ertiga with morning dew all over her!



Thanks for reading along,
Piyush.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by shandilyapiyush

All through the trip, the car was with 6 of us and ac running almost always. The car rides on Michelin Energy XM2+ stock size (185/65 R15) inflated to 32psi on all 4 tyres.

Lovely travelogue Piyush, thank you! But a little depressing to hear of the traffic woes - I guess Ooty/Coonoor/Kotagiri belt is swamped now and more and more folks are heading out to the Munnar/Valparai area now.

I noted your tyre pressures were set to 32 psiall around. Seemed too low for a full load of 6 passengers and luggage. I casually Googled and found the recommendation to be 35/38. Any thoughts behind your choice of 32 psi?

[Kkumar]

A wonderful travelogue. Next time you can try the Munnar-Kumily-Cumbum-Theni route. This is again a wonderful drive through Cardamom plantations and you will be touching the outskirts of Periyar Tiger Reserve. And if interested, you can include Thekkady which near Kumily.

[shandilyapiyush]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Lovely travelogue Piyush, thank you!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by itwasntme

But a little depressing to hear of the traffic woes - I guess Ooty/Coonoor/Kotagiri belt is swamped now and more and more folks are heading out to the Munnar/Valparai area now.

Definitely, I'd say weekends would be the worst of all with so many people visiting and the crazy traffic on the ghats, mainly owing to a few impatient drivers who spoil everyone's party.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I noted your tyre pressures were set to 32 psiall around. Seemed too low for a full load of 6 passengers and luggage. I casually Googled and found the recommendation to be 35/38. Any thoughts behind your choice of 32 psi?

I've personally felt 38psi was pretty bumpy for my liking with respect to ride quality. With 32psi I've never felt the tyres to be under inflated, the car was stable and I'd say grip was excellent. It did pour on the way back somewhere around Krishnagiri - Hosur and wet weather grip of these Michelin's are excellent.
All in all 32psi seems to be doing good for me, the overall fuel efficiency too for this trip seemed to be good for an Ertiga petrol. 32psi for all 4 tyres seems to be sweet spot for me personally.

Originally Posted by Kkumar

A wonderful travelogue. Next time you can try the Munnar-Kumily-Cumbum-Theni route. This is again a wonderful drive through Cardamom plantations and you will be touching the outskirts of Periyar Tiger Reserve. And if interested, you can include Thekkady which near Kumily.

Thank you!

Will definitely want to drive this route the next time I'm in the vicinity. Driving through the lush green plantations on either side along twisty roads is such an amazing feeling.


Piyush.

[chandrda]

Congrats on your 1st Travelogue, Crisp and to the point.

I did Thekkady & Munnar with family in February this year. I planned to spend time during the weekdays to avoid crowd. I have been visiting Thekkady/Munnar since 1998 and from last 8-10 years, Munnar gets pretty crowded during the weekend starting January and summer is the busiest time to visit.

Haven't visited Eravikulam National Park for some time as I personally don't think its worth the visit. There are several other view points and one very rarely spots the Nilgiri tahr.

Regards

[raptor_diwan]

Great pictures and a nice travelogue! Nowadays, all the hill stations seem to be very crowded after the lockdown. Many people are flocking to various places, and it feels like before the lockdown, most of the hill stations were not this crowded, except during summer holidays.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I noted your tyre pressures were set to 32 psiall around. Seemed too low for a full load of 6 passengers and luggage. I casually Googled and found the recommendation to be 35/38. Any thoughts behind your choice of 32 psi?

This is true. Recommended PSI for 5 passengers is 35 and 38 for front and rear. 32 is too low if you are driving with passengers and luggage for the Ertiga.



When I alone or with a co-passenger, I inflate all 4 tires to 33 PSI. This is default. However, on long trips with family and 2nd (and 3rd) row in use, it inflate the rear to at least 35 and front to 34-35. This is ideal for such use case.

[Raghu M]

That's a cool travelogue. I visited Munnar right before the pandemic and thought that the crowd was a little too much. The beauty is breathtaking and a trip there with family is fun. The Ervikulam national park has insane waiting times, good that you advised people to book online. The parking all over is not good during peak seasons. I had to drop my family at the sight seeing points and then go looking for parking space.

[kedar_GT]

Lovely travelogue. Munnar is truly the Scotland of India. I visited it some 20yrs back after my marriage and hold fond memories of the picturesque settings and postcard backdrops.

I own a similar Ertiga albeit of 2014 vintage and in ZXi guise and can relate to your comments about the comfort. It's compact enough yet supremely comfortable and reliable. We have even traveled with 3 families onboard when the kids were small :-) - one heck of trip it was, to Yercaud.
The only little downside is lack of absolute top-end punch and the lack of space with the 3rd row up in the absence of 50-50 split (my use case was always with 3rd row down so the latter did not bother me). Apart from that it is a gem of a car. In my case though it has been relegated to in-town work as the highway duties have been taken over by an XUV700 P AT.

The tyre pressure, as others have pointed out, appears to be on the lower side. I normally used to maintain 33 in front and 35 back when I travel with a full load - this used to return a FE of 14+ over 600km+ long drives (70% highway and 30% ghat/narrow SH roads) - as I have external TPMS, it is very easy to check the pressure and monitor how the same and the temperatures increase/decrease over the course of the journey.

Cheers!

[innocity]

Indeed crisp and clear travelogue, looking for more such

[shandilyapiyush]

Originally Posted by chandrda

Congrats on your 1st Travelogue, Crisp and to the point.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by chandrda

I did Thekkady & Munnar with family in February this year. I planned to spend time during the weekdays to avoid crowd. I have been visiting Thekkady/Munnar since 1998 and from last 8-10 years, Munnar gets pretty crowded during the weekend starting January and summer is the busiest time to visit.

True, weekends do get really busy. My first 3 days in Munnar were Wednesday, Thursday & Friday respectively and they were so much better with much lesser tourists around.

Originally Posted by chandrda

Haven't visited Eravikulam National Park for some time as I personally don't think its worth the visit. There are several other view points and one very rarely spots the Nilgiri tahr.

True, Eravikulam National Park was quite a downer for us. Personally, I feel I'm used to the safaris in the tiger reserves of Karnataka and other national parks where one goes into the forests in either a canter or a Gypsy and roams around hoping to spot the big cats or a pack of wild dogs and experience what the forest has to offer both in terms of sighting and nature's splendour. ENP on the other hand was a bit of a hit or miss specially because I had a completely different idea of what a safari would be in my head.

If I were ever asked about ENP I'd ask them to skip the destination and probably head elsewhere.

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

Great pictures and a nice travelogue! Nowadays, all the hill stations seem to be very crowded after the lockdown. Many people are flocking to various places, and it feels like before the lockdown, most of the hill stations were not this crowded, except during summer holidays.

Thank you! Munnar is so very picturesque. Definitely, as itwasntme said in an above post seems like a lot of people tend to travel to Munnar/Valparai area now.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

This is true. Recommended PSI for 5 passengers is 35 and 38 for front and rear. 32 is too low if you are driving with passengers and luggage for the Ertiga.

When I alone or with a co-passenger, I inflate all 4 tires to 33 PSI. This is default. However, on long trips with family and 2nd (and 3rd) row in use, it inflate the rear to at least 35 and front to 34-35. This is ideal for such use case.

I did refer to the chart with recommended tyre pressures by MSIL. I've not really liked the ride with 38psi, my next long drive with the car full along with luggage will definitely be with the tyres inflated to 35psi.
Seems like the car would fare better and I might be looking at better mileage too with tyres inflated to 35-38psi.
Although while driving, 32psi did not feel under inflated to me.

Originally Posted by Raghu M

That's a cool travelogue. I visited Munnar right before the pandemic and thought that the crowd was a little too much. The beauty is breathtaking and a trip there with family is fun. The Ervikulam national park has insane waiting times, good that you advised people to book online.

Thanks! Waiting in the queue to get tickets itself felt like an eternity, but waiting to get aboard the safari busses at that moment seemed like the longest wait I'd had ever.

Online booking even has a separate queue to board the safari bus. I feel like it would make the whole experience of ENP so much better if one books tickets beforehand online.

Originally Posted by Raghu M

The parking all over is not good during peak seasons. I had to drop my family at the sight seeing points and then go looking for parking space.

I lucked out with parking almost all through this trip. I did not know about the parking ENP had behind their ticket counters. I parked along the road where a lot of other private cars were parked, the parking inside ENP was filled with 90% of the vehicles being taxi's, tempos and a few mini busses.
Looking back, few visuals around Matupetty Dam help me better relate to you having to drop off your family and search for parking. Weekends around Munnar and the very prominent places to visit seemed extremely overcrowded.

Parked outside ENP.

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

Lovely travelogue. Munnar is truly the Scotland of India. I visited it some 20yrs back after my marriage and hold fond memories of the picturesque settings and postcard backdrops.

Thanks! It really is extremely picturesque, the mist makes it all seem magical.

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

I own a similar Ertiga albeit of 2014 vintage and in ZXi guise and can relate to your comments about the comfort. It's compact enough yet supremely comfortable and reliable. We have even traveled with 3 families onboard when the kids were small :-) - one heck of trip it was, to Yercaud.

The front seats are very comfortable. Reliability has always been excellent, I recall no major issues that we've had with the car. Also the widespread service network of Maruti and spares being inexpensive adds to one's peace of mind.

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

The only little downside is lack of absolute top-end punch and the lack of space with the 3rd row up in the absence of 50-50 split (my use case was always with 3rd row down so the latter did not bother me). Apart from that it is a gem of a car. In my case though it has been relegated to in-town work as the highway duties have been taken over by an XUV700 P AT.

True, the top end punch as such is not felt, but the midrange feels super flat. Comparatively, everything feels livelier above 5000rpm on the tachometer.

When I was younger, I'd always spend my time in the 3rd row and would have luggage around me. Smallest of the road's undulations are felt prominently in the last row. Most of us in the family are on the shorter side (None of us are taller than 5'8") legroom is just good enough for us. Upon folding down the 3rd row, the boot size on offer is crazy!

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

The tyre pressure, as others have pointed out, appears to be on the lower side. I normally used to maintain 33 in front and 35 back when I travel with a full load - this used to return a FE of 14+ over 600km+ long drives (70% highway and 30% ghat/narrow SH roads) - as I have external TPMS, it is very easy to check the pressure and monitor how the same and the temperatures increase/decrease over the course of the journey.

I will try out a different pressure setup of maybe 33 & 35 like you and a few other have mentioned.

I hope to get better FE figures too!

Thanks,
Piyush.

[shandilyapiyush]

Originally Posted by innocity

Indeed crisp and clear travelogue, looking for more such

Thank you!
I had been on another road trip last November, covered quite a few places. Will hopefully write another travelogue on it soon.

Piyush.