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Brothers Explore Forts of Rajasthan
Route:
Mumbai-Vapi-Vadodara-Halol-Godhra-Modasa-Samlaji-Udaipur-Nathdwara-Rajsamand-Bhilwara.
Bhilwara-Chittorgarh-Udaipur-Himmatnagar-Ahmedabad-NE1-Vadodara-Vapi-Mumbai.
IMP Points:
1. Always take Halol- Godhra-Modasa road while going towards Udaipur or beyond. The roads are smooth and picturesque with moderate traffic and less travel time.
2. Till Gujrat there are lots of huge restaurants and food malls at close distances on the highway, once you enter Rajasthan the scenario changes to smaller/average restaurants at little longer distances.
3. If travelling beyond Udaipur towards Ajmer or Delhi then use the Nathdwara-Rajsamand route, its silky smooth 4 lane freshly laid highway with moderate traffic.
4. Beware of stray Cattle and Dogs on the highways in Rajasthan.
5. The ETC tag lanes worked smoothly all along with a few tolls in Rajasthan barricaded to let only FASTAG vehicles enter.
6. Construction work of 4 laning is in full progress between Bicchiwara and Udaipur.
The travelogue begins…
It was a casual Hookah night with my brother where our topics turned towards taking a short break from the daily routine and stress. I suggested him to let’s go on a roadtrip to Rajasthan where we have our cousins and explore the nearby forts. Only the 2 of us in our Baleno Alpha Petrol.
Next day he applied for the leaves and we were ready to go on 2200km long trip.
Itinerary:
Day1: Plan was to leave in the night and reach Bhilwara by next day afternoon.
Day2: Explore Chittaugarh Fort
Day3: Kumbhalgarh Fort
Day4: Return back to Mumbai.
So we left as per our schedule at 11.30pm from Chembur,Mumbai. Got stuck in a bad traffic over the Ghodbunder hills and Vasai Bridge. Crossed Kinara dhaba on NH8 at 12.50am.
The traffic was dense and full of Trucks on NH8 but we could still manage good average speeds due to the smooth road conditions. The traffic sense was really not there on the NH8 with truck drivers occupying all the lanes.
The Golden Bridge was brightly lit in white lamps, it was an amazing sight with little foggy conditions adding charm to the beautiful bridge.
Took the right towards Halol-Godhra and was greeted with a smooth 4 laned highway with beautiful landscapes bordering the roads.
The roads have got few Speed Breakers due to the villages but still is a very well laid highway, we were able to maintain good speeds and cover our lost miles on this stretch.
Chai Cheers
Took a breakfast break after joining NH8. Reached Udaipur at 10.30am
We got slowed down again as the map guided us through the Udaipur city with lots of 2 wheelers and Rickshaws, got out on the highways by 11.30am.
Driving through the city in peak traffic was stressful with 2wheelers coming from any and every direction.
The Udaipur-Bhilwara road via Rajsamand is one of the smoothest highways in India.
But you have to be very alert of stray cattle on this highway. Had 3 emergency braking on this highway due to cows.
Reached Cousins home by 2.00pm and relaxed for the day.
Next day we went to explore Chittaurgarh Fort.
The work was in full swing on the Bhilwara- Chittaurgarh highway for 4 laning. Reached the place and spent a good 4 hours exploring the fort with lots of pictures.
Chittaur Fort:
View of the Chittaur city from the Fort
The fort is really worth seeing with lots of ancient history connected to each structure in the fort. It’s a must-see destination if visiting Udaipur or going to Ajmer/Jaipur.
Vijay Stambh:
Beautiful structure, but the entry to the top was restricted. The view of the city from top is wonderful, as told by my cousin who visited when the entry to top was open.
Padmini Palace:
Lots of history behind the palace and magnified by the recent events surrounding “Padmavat”.
Such a historical and important palace but is not looked after properly by the management. Ample parking space available with a beautiful maintained small Garden. That’s it, the rest of the palace is in faded condition.
Kalika Mata Temple:
Beautiful temple with a beautiful Moorti of Kalika Mata
The premises is huge with lots Monkeys around but harmless.
Rana Kumbha Palace:
This is the 1st attraction when you enter the fort, there is an entry ticket for this palace.
The palace is spread over a large area and is a big palace. The palace is clean and takes some time to cover the place. The light and sound show is held here in the evening.
Gaumukh Reservoir:
Looks beautiful from the top. The water is little green in shade with lots fishes inside. People feed the fishes with Chana, also the reason for littering around the reservoir. There is a very nice Shiv Mandir which has to be visited.
We had lots of Lemon Soda and Cucumber at every spot we visited which brought some relief from the scorching heat. We finished exploring the fort and returned back in the late afternoon.
Next day we headed towards Fort Kumbhalgarh.
Fort Kumbhalgarh:
Its was a long drive with not so great roads once you take the turn away from the highway.
Traffic at Parking
The place was super crowded and though they have a huge parking area, it took some time to search for the parking.
This a fort where you have to walk a lot to explore every corner of the HUGE fort.
The Indian Great wall of China looks majestic from top of the Fort. There are many points to explore inside the fort, but unfortunately, we covered only the main palace at the top, the mandir and walked on the huge walls. The weather was very hot and no Lemon soda seller like Chittaur here to chill from the heat. There are lots of resorts and hotels on the way to the fort.
We were done with the exploring within 3 hours and headed back home. Spent the rest of the day relaxing with my cousins.
The next day we left Bhilwara after the breakfast at 10.30am for Mumbai.
This time the route we took was actually a long route. The roads were under construction for 4 laning from Chittaur till Udaipur. The traffic was also on the heavier side with little jams due blasting on the Ghats.
We took the Udaipur bypass road, it was full of heavy vehicles with not so great roads. After crossing Udaipur, the road condition improved but the traffic stayed. We took the Ahmedabad NE1 route which is a long route with heavy traffic.
The NE1 was full of traffic and maintaining speeds was a task. Maybe we got heavy traffic due to a Sunday and long weekend.
After breaks for lunch & breakfast and many 15min halts for tea, we reached home by 1.am
Baleno was effortless and very fuel efficient in the complete trip. We spent 40 hrs travelling in 4 days in the Baleno and were not tired or had any back or body pain at all.
The overall mileage was 19.2km/l for the 2200kms long trip. The car was driven with a heavy right foot and speeds of 120-140 regularly.
Total Toll Charges : 1200/-
We spent 40hrs travelling in 4 days,the max i have achieved
Morning Cutting
Sunset at Bhilwara
more pictures
Route:
Mumbai-Vapi-Vadodara-Halol-Godhra-Modasa-Samlaji-Udaipur-Nathdwara-Rajsamand-Bhilwara.
Bhilwara-Chittorgarh-Udaipur-Himmatnagar-Ahmedabad-NE1-Vadodara-Vapi-Mumbai.
IMP Points:
1. Always take Halol- Godhra-Modasa road while going towards Udaipur or beyond. The roads are smooth and picturesque with moderate traffic and less travel time.
2. Till Gujrat there are lots of huge restaurants and food malls at close distances on the highway, once you enter Rajasthan the scenario changes to smaller/average restaurants at little longer distances.
3. If travelling beyond Udaipur towards Ajmer or Delhi then use the Nathdwara-Rajsamand route, its silky smooth 4 lane freshly laid highway with moderate traffic.
4. Beware of stray Cattle and Dogs on the highways in Rajasthan.
5. The ETC tag lanes worked smoothly all along with a few tolls in Rajasthan barricaded to let only FASTAG vehicles enter.
6. Construction work of 4 laning is in full progress between Bicchiwara and Udaipur.
The travelogue begins…
It was a casual Hookah night with my brother where our topics turned towards taking a short break from the daily routine and stress. I suggested him to let’s go on a roadtrip to Rajasthan where we have our cousins and explore the nearby forts. Only the 2 of us in our Baleno Alpha Petrol.
Next day he applied for the leaves and we were ready to go on 2200km long trip.
Itinerary:
Day1: Plan was to leave in the night and reach Bhilwara by next day afternoon.
Day2: Explore Chittaugarh Fort
Day3: Kumbhalgarh Fort
Day4: Return back to Mumbai.
So we left as per our schedule at 11.30pm from Chembur,Mumbai. Got stuck in a bad traffic over the Ghodbunder hills and Vasai Bridge. Crossed Kinara dhaba on NH8 at 12.50am.
The traffic was dense and full of Trucks on NH8 but we could still manage good average speeds due to the smooth road conditions. The traffic sense was really not there on the NH8 with truck drivers occupying all the lanes.
The Golden Bridge was brightly lit in white lamps, it was an amazing sight with little foggy conditions adding charm to the beautiful bridge.
Took the right towards Halol-Godhra and was greeted with a smooth 4 laned highway with beautiful landscapes bordering the roads.
The roads have got few Speed Breakers due to the villages but still is a very well laid highway, we were able to maintain good speeds and cover our lost miles on this stretch.
Chai Cheers
Took a breakfast break after joining NH8. Reached Udaipur at 10.30am
We got slowed down again as the map guided us through the Udaipur city with lots of 2 wheelers and Rickshaws, got out on the highways by 11.30am.
Driving through the city in peak traffic was stressful with 2wheelers coming from any and every direction.
The Udaipur-Bhilwara road via Rajsamand is one of the smoothest highways in India.
But you have to be very alert of stray cattle on this highway. Had 3 emergency braking on this highway due to cows.
Reached Cousins home by 2.00pm and relaxed for the day.
Next day we went to explore Chittaurgarh Fort.
The work was in full swing on the Bhilwara- Chittaurgarh highway for 4 laning. Reached the place and spent a good 4 hours exploring the fort with lots of pictures.
Chittaur Fort:
View of the Chittaur city from the Fort
The fort is really worth seeing with lots of ancient history connected to each structure in the fort. It’s a must-see destination if visiting Udaipur or going to Ajmer/Jaipur.
Vijay Stambh:
Beautiful structure, but the entry to the top was restricted. The view of the city from top is wonderful, as told by my cousin who visited when the entry to top was open.
Padmini Palace:
Lots of history behind the palace and magnified by the recent events surrounding “Padmavat”.
Such a historical and important palace but is not looked after properly by the management. Ample parking space available with a beautiful maintained small Garden. That’s it, the rest of the palace is in faded condition.
Kalika Mata Temple:
Beautiful temple with a beautiful Moorti of Kalika Mata
The premises is huge with lots Monkeys around but harmless.
Rana Kumbha Palace:
This is the 1st attraction when you enter the fort, there is an entry ticket for this palace.
The palace is spread over a large area and is a big palace. The palace is clean and takes some time to cover the place. The light and sound show is held here in the evening.
Gaumukh Reservoir:
Looks beautiful from the top. The water is little green in shade with lots fishes inside. People feed the fishes with Chana, also the reason for littering around the reservoir. There is a very nice Shiv Mandir which has to be visited.
We had lots of Lemon Soda and Cucumber at every spot we visited which brought some relief from the scorching heat. We finished exploring the fort and returned back in the late afternoon.
Next day we headed towards Fort Kumbhalgarh.
Fort Kumbhalgarh:
Its was a long drive with not so great roads once you take the turn away from the highway.
Traffic at Parking
The place was super crowded and though they have a huge parking area, it took some time to search for the parking.
This a fort where you have to walk a lot to explore every corner of the HUGE fort.
The Indian Great wall of China looks majestic from top of the Fort. There are many points to explore inside the fort, but unfortunately, we covered only the main palace at the top, the mandir and walked on the huge walls. The weather was very hot and no Lemon soda seller like Chittaur here to chill from the heat. There are lots of resorts and hotels on the way to the fort.
We were done with the exploring within 3 hours and headed back home. Spent the rest of the day relaxing with my cousins.
The next day we left Bhilwara after the breakfast at 10.30am for Mumbai.
This time the route we took was actually a long route. The roads were under construction for 4 laning from Chittaur till Udaipur. The traffic was also on the heavier side with little jams due blasting on the Ghats.
We took the Udaipur bypass road, it was full of heavy vehicles with not so great roads. After crossing Udaipur, the road condition improved but the traffic stayed. We took the Ahmedabad NE1 route which is a long route with heavy traffic.
The NE1 was full of traffic and maintaining speeds was a task. Maybe we got heavy traffic due to a Sunday and long weekend.
After breaks for lunch & breakfast and many 15min halts for tea, we reached home by 1.am
Baleno was effortless and very fuel efficient in the complete trip. We spent 40 hrs travelling in 4 days in the Baleno and were not tired or had any back or body pain at all.
The overall mileage was 19.2km/l for the 2200kms long trip. The car was driven with a heavy right foot and speeds of 120-140 regularly.
Total Toll Charges : 1200/-
We spent 40hrs travelling in 4 days,the max i have achieved
Morning Cutting
Sunset at Bhilwara
more pictures
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