Road trip: Bombay to Mangalore
I am going on my first long road trip by car on 21 October. I will be driving from Bombay to Mangalore.
It is going to be a family trip, so we will have another driver - my uncle - along with us. The journey is 1,100 km and will probably take 15 hours including stops.
The route we will be taking is the fastest, but not the shortest. This is slightly crazy - though both Bombay and Mangalore are on the coast, the road goes through the interior, crossing the Western Ghats. There is no reasonable equivalent of the East Coast Road that you can take if you are going from Chennai to Pondicherry, which is a pity as the Konkan coast is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
The route I will be taking is not bad either. I will be taking the Mumbai-Pune expressway which is a pleasure to drive. I will then be bypassing Pune and taking the Mumbai-Bangalore highway, the NH4, which has been 4-laned as part of the Golden Quadrilateral project. I will need to exit the highway near Belgaum and join the NH17 which will take me to Mangalore. The last leg is the bad part and this is the part which I will be driving. We will start very early, around 4 in the morning, and as I am not a morning person, I plan to take the wheel second. The day we are starting is the first day of Diwali - we have a ceremonial hot water bath that day - it will be one of the earliest baths I have ever taken.
The route will be nice and green with some great sights, including Lonavala and Khandala, which will fall on the way to Pune. The plan is to stop for an hour at Belgaum, where we will have lunch. There will be other stops of course, for photographs and such. Expect a report and photos once we are back.
maj
Wow!
That is an excellent roadtrip! I'm totally jealous... I can't wait to see photos and hear more about your adventures on the road (driving in India always seems to be an adventure!)
Nameless Traveler
All the best
1100 KM in 15 hrs...very wishful thinking. Since u r going with family so the stoppage wud be more than what u hv anticipated. All the best...!!!
rajeev
ravi, how was your travel in
ravi, how was your travel in oct? especially the road from belgaum to karwar? i plan to travel this nov/dec.
this time on my vacation i plan to take the route from mumbai to calicut via m'lore (planning to halt at kollur/mookambika - 40 km diversion from kundapur). i'm going with my fly with me driving all the way. if i cross Pune at 7 am, can i target kollur by the same day evening.
few years ago i drove in a CITY from calicut to coorg then to b'lore. then from there to mumbai. the last leg took around 15 hrs on NH4.
Drive to Bangalore from Mumbai
Rajeev,
Pls. let me know the route to drive down to bangalore from mumbai. Im also planning to use my City Vtec. I will be travelling alone as Im planning to take my car from Mumbai to Bangalore. Let me know hom many hours it will take and the road condition and safety [to drive alone] etc..
thanks in advance...
regards, ashok
BOMBAY TO MANGALORE
I have done this route during my visits to COORG(Oeange county,mahindras Kodugu resort-Munar etc.The road(NH17) which was a dream is now a Car breaker.This starts off from Gokarna right up to Mangalore.
lovely
hey ravi do let me know how the trip was. m close to finalising my trip and would like to hear from you about this lovely journey.
need suggestions
Hi guys, I too am planning to travel from Bombay to Mangalore in Dec 07. Can someone suggest should i take the Mumbai - panvel - Goa- Mangalore route(NH-17) or Mumbai-Pune-Belgaum (NH-4)-Karwar -Mangalore route? I am looking for the fastest possible route. Heard that the road after Goa is really bad. Is it really a car breaker? Please advise.
Also, I have done the Mumbai-Bangalore-Mumbai trip. the road is good. took me around 17 hrs (one way). I am sure those who are planning for this stretch would enjoy it.
Bangalore-Mangalore-Karwar-Hubli-Bangalore family trip
Folks, I have five days for this trip, during this 2007 Christmas holidays. How is Bangalore-Mangalore route and how long does it take? How is Mangalore-Karwar route? I want to visit all seeable places along the coast and get to Karwar. I want to include Kollur, as well. Karwar - Hubli sector: How is the road and what is there to see? Hubli-Bangalore: I learn from this blog that it is a breeze.
Thanks ahead to all the folks who can respond to my above queries.
Unlike Ravikiran, I will report back on my trip experience, here.
Thanks Puttanna
Wish I can drive one day in that route
I am crazy of driving to new locations. I used to drive on many routes in India, but still the Konkan route eluded me. Now I live in New York and occasionally drive to far off places. Trip to Atlanta takes me 14-15 hrs for 900 miles (1450 Km) and New Orleans some 23 hours. The roads are cool here and we can really go fast if you are able to endure such long drives. I wished to go to India in June 08 and hire a van and go to Goa from Cochin, Kerala using the Konkan routes. I really don't know the driving conditions in India now. Hope I can re-live my past experiences and enjoy the beauties of the Konkan
Mumbai-Gokarna-Kollur-Sringeri-Dharmastala-Subramanya-Manglor
Hi Ravi, I am driving mid-May 08, with family & intend stopping for short halts at Satara (Balaji), Belgaum (Fort), Hubli (Night), Gokarna (Beach next morning), Kollur, Sringeri, Dharmasthala, Subramnaya and halt over at Mangalore the second night. I intend turning towards NH 17 from NH 4 from Hubli the 2nd day early morning. Do you have any idea about the present road condition and driving advisability on the stretch starting from Hubli. I will be grateful for a response. Suresh
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