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I drove from Hyderabad to Prayagraj for Mahakumbh 2025: My Experience

20th February 2025, 14:30 by R Patil

The bikers navigated through Prayagraj’s narrow alleys, which I am sure, Google Maps likely picks up as shortcuts. However, I advise sticking to main roads if traveling by car, as these shortcuts are unmanaged

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After much deliberation over the travel date, I finally travelled for the Kumbh on February 16th from Hyderabad, and returned on February 18th. Initially, as per my first post, I had planned to travel in the last week of January, but the over-crowd reports made me reconsider. I then planned for the second week of February, but wife and myself couldnt get common leaves and over crowded news and traffic made us reconsider. With time running out and the closing dates approaching, I decided to take the plunge and traveled on February 16th.

Our journey began early, with my wife, two daughters, and I departing Hyderabad at 5 AM. We reached Rewa by 8 PM, carrying lunch from home and stopping for dinner at a midway restaurant before Rewa. Finding a hotel room took over an hour, and we finally secured a decent one for ₹2,500 per night—almost double the usual rate of ₹1,200.

On February 17th, we resumed our journey at 3:30 AM and got struck at the last toll before Prayagraj for 30 minutes and then to cross the MP-UP check post it took almost an hour. Post entering UP, thought of filling in the tank, but couple of petrol bunks displayed “no stock” board, and eventually filled my tank.

Around 7AM got struck on the Bundwan flyover, which was around 25Km before Arail ghat. It took around 6hours to travel ~10KM (we literally stood still for 1 hour without moving forward), and google estimated another 3 hours for the rest of the ~10 Km. Elders, especially ladies had tough time managing nature calls. Vendors were making quick bucks selling essential necessities. Couple of cars and trucks broke down due to heating issues, which made matters worse.

Once we reached Dadupur(around 10KM before Arail ghat), I found a parking (Godown converted to makeshift parking place), took a quick decision to park the car. Took an e-rickshaw to Arail, after covering some 7KM, police were didn't e-rickshaws to Arail because of the heavy crowd. Took two bike rides (one for me and elder daughter and one for wife and younger daughter) and covered the last stretch of 5M. The e-rickshaw cost ₹200 per person, while the bike ride cost ₹250 per person. Bikes would take you though the narrow lanes of the Prayagraj. The bikers navigated through Prayagraj’s narrow alleys, which I am sure, Google Maps likely picks up as shortcuts. However, I advise sticking to main roads if traveling by car, as these shortcuts are unmanaged and will lead to longer delays.

We reached the ghat around 230PM, took a boat ride(1000 per person) to Sangam, completed our holy dip and was back to Arail ghat around 5PM. The boat person did not push us for completing with in certain amount of time and he did not charge for my younger daughter.

Took a bike ride (400 Per person) to return to our parked car and started our journey back around 7PM. Many locals were serving hot meals (Kichidi) to travelers which paused the traffic at multiple locations in Prayagraj. Again the UP-MP border check post took another hour to cross. Reached Rewa around 1130 and we could not get any rooms this time. Reached the first toll after Rewa around 1230AM and took a break for the day and started back to Hyd around 530AM in the morning.

Originally we had planned to cover Varanasi as well, however, seeing at the traffic and crowd, we decided to skip and travel back to Hyderabad.

Some important observations from my end:

The roads were excellent throughout, except for some rough patches between Adilabad and Nagpur.
Limited food options are available between Nagpur and Katni. However, Madhya Pradesh’s Midway Treats, found every 60 km, were a lifesaver.
The number of vehicles heading to Kumbh was overwhelming, with travelers in a rush to reach their destination.
The last toll before Prayagraj took 30 minutes, and the MP-UP checkpoint took nearly an hour—plan for these delays.
Prayagraj’s traffic conditions are highly volatile; expect to be stuck for 5-6 hours.
Never take the google suggested routes for saving time and stick yourself to the main road leading to the Arail ghat. Bikers use narrow lanes that Google suggests as shortcuts, but these roads are in bad shape, poorly managed and can lead to further delays
Pre-book hotels in Rewa by paying in full and confirm in advance before going. When I was searching for hotels rooms, a person came with pre-booking from Agoda, and the hotelier did not accept the booking, saying he didn’t receive the booking. Hotel room prices are exorbitant in Rewa.
UPI is not accepted at Rewa hotels or among Prayagraj’s bike taxis or vendors—carry sufficient cash
I found bikers and rickshwalas courteous enough, although they were charging loads of money. Police were also generally very helpful.
Make sure you confirm the cost before taking the ride on the bike or rickshaw. They would say ride would cost Rs.X and once you get down, they would charge for kids (or two people) as well. The ride cost is always per person.
Govt prescribed rates for boating are 200 per person, and 50 for bike ride. No one follows the official rates. We were also told that if any police asks how much are we being charged, we should inform the Govt rates to police.
Ensure at least a three-fourths tank of fuel before entering Prayagraj or immediately after crossing the UP checkpost.
Mark and save parking locations on your mobile and drop-off points to avoid confusion in the dense crowd.
Surprisingly, the portable toilets and changing rooms in Sector 23 were well-maintained despite the crowd.
Keep food and water handy in your vehicle—you never know when you’ll need them.
Expect delays, be prepared for the unexpected, and stay patient throughout the journey.
People from Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh were traveling in large numbers. Interestingly, I hardly saw any vehicles from Uttar Pradesh during the trip.

Despite the challenges, the Kumbh was definitely a unique and spiritual experience for me.

Some pics of the traffic:

Traffic on Bundwan flyover, on which we were struck for 5 hours