Belgaum To Cochin and Back in My Ecosport!


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Hello TAI'ns,

I am planning for a road trip from Belgaum to Cochin in my Urbano Bestia(Ecosport) on 7th of February 2014. The tour is to visit and explore Cochin, Munnar, Thekaddy, Alleppy and have taken a package of the same. I will be the sole driver accompanied by my wife and my 12 months old daughter :)

I would like to know what is the best and fastest route to take. As per my research I think the below route is the best one, but any one who has recently traveled to Cochin or any local Cochin members, please do shed some light and please do suggest me the best route.

Also Mods, I will continue this thread with a detail travelogue with tons of pics once I complete the tour.
 

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Thread Starter #3
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vjroadie didn't you consider NH 17 ? ( belgaum - hubli - yellapur - ankola - mangalore - kannur - kozhikode - kochi )
Thank you Smooth Rider for your inputs.

My requirements are:
1. Low traffic, 4 lane Highways for comfort and safe driving.
2. Good cruising ability say at about 110 to 120kmph all along.
3. Availability of good restaurants/hotels on the way.

Please let me know if the route suggested above does seem to tick all the points above, if not please let me know if the NH4 route will be the only suitable one?

I heard that the stretch between Salem and Thrissur is not in that good shape. Please advise.
 
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Hello TAI'ns,

I am planning for a road trip from Belgaum to Cochin in my Urbano Bestia(Ecosport) on 7th of February 2014. The tour is to visit and explore Cochin, Munnar, Thekaddy, Alleppy and have taken a package of the same. I will be the sole driver accompanied by my wife and my 12 months old daughter :)

I would like to know what is the best and fastest route to take. As per my research I think the below route is the best one, but any one who has recently traveled to Cochin or any local Cochin members, please do shed some light and please do suggest me the best route.

Also Mods, I will continue this thread with a detail travelogue with tons of pics once I complete the tour.
The first question that came to my mind was what smooth rider asked.Then I saw your answer.That explains it.
But if you are on the mangalore-calicut road you can see so many other places.Throughout the west coast you have so many beaches and forts.
Positive is that need not worry about security/refreshments as the area is highly populated .
On the other side ,you will be driving at 60-80 kmph on NH and crawling in some cities.
 
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in the route i suggested
1) heavy traffic in sections, 2 laned till trissur
2) cruising speed only 40 - 50 kmph avg
3)good hotels and restaurants available throughout NH17
the advantage being the other places that can be visited.
 
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Thread Starter #6
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The first question that came to my mind was what smooth rider asked.Then I saw your answer.That explains it.
But if you are on the mangalore-calicut road you can see so many other places.Throughout the west coast you have so many beaches and forts.
Positive is that need not worry about security/refreshments as the area is highly populated .
On the other side ,you will be driving at 60-80 kmph on NH and crawling in some cities.
Yes I agree with you. I did speak with one of my Friend in Cochin and he too says the same about NH 17. So probably I will take the NH4 route and try the NH17 while returning as I do not have any deadlines while returning back.

in the route i suggested
1) heavy traffic in sections, 2 laned till trissur
2) cruising speed only 40 - 50 kmph avg
3)good hotels and restaurants available throughout NH17
the advantage being the other places that can be visited.
Exactly! The NH17 has some beautiful and breath taking places to see and good number of hotels too en-route, but since my package in Cochin starts on 8th morning, we have to reach comfortably by 7th late evening by around 8pm, so probably will take the NH4 route. Also this route has some narrow stretch near around Palakkad, but its manageable and can still do 60 to 70kmph.

Thank you Smooth Rider and Generalmax for your inputs and this made my plan better :) I will keep this thread active with logs and pics as I move along!

On other note, I have visited Smooth Riders travelogue of Leh-Ladakh, and I must admit you are an avid traveler and explorer who loves to ride! I wish we all hook up sometime for a long drive together
 
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Yes I agree with you. I did speak with one of my Friend in Cochin and he too says the same about NH 17. So probably I will take the NH4 route and try the NH17 while returning as I do not have any deadlines while returning back.



Exactly! The NH17 has some beautiful and breath taking places to see and good number of hotels too en-route, but since my package in Cochin starts on 8th morning, we have to reach comfortably by 7th late evening by around 8pm, so probably will take the NH4 route. Also this route has some narrow stretch near around Palakkad, but its manageable and can still do 60 to 70kmph.

Thank you Smooth Rider and Generalmax for your inputs and this made my plan better :) I will keep this thread active with logs and pics as I move along!

On other note, I have visited Smooth Riders travelogue of Leh-Ladakh, and I must admit you are an avid traveler and explorer who loves to ride! I wish we all hook up sometime for a long drive together

If you are taking Palakkad/Thrissur route, avoid Walayar route as it is in a very bad shape, instead from Coimbatore L&T bypass, take a left to Pollachi. And from Pollachi to Govindapuram-Kollengode-Nemmara-Vadakkenchery, join the NH and to Thrissur. Though its a single lane, the roads are good.
 
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If you are taking Palakkad/Thrissur route, avoid Walayar route as it is in a very bad shape, instead from Coimbatore L&T bypass, take a left to Pollachi. And from Pollachi to Govindapuram-Kollengode-Nemmara-Vadakkenchery, join the NH and to Thrissur. Though its a single lane, the roads are good.
I totally agree. A slight variation to that will be to take the Avanashi > Pollachi road which will bypass Coimbatore and the somewhat dangerous Coimbatore > Pollachi route. Though the road is single lane there is hardly any traffic and the road was in top condition when we traveled last March. Google maps/navigation will help you to find the place where you have to take the left.

While climbing up to Munnar be careful as you will be driving on the cliff side of the mountain with no road barriers/walls on the left.

Enjoy your trip. Waiting for the tons and tons of photos of your travel.
 
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If you are taking Palakkad/Thrissur route, avoid Walayar route as it is in a very bad shape, instead from Coimbatore L&T bypass, take a left to Pollachi. And from Pollachi to Govindapuram-Kollengode-Nemmara-Vadakkenchery, join the NH and to Thrissur. Though its a single lane, the roads are good.
I totally agree. A slight variation to that will be to take the Avanashi > Pollachi road which will bypass Coimbatore and the somewhat dangerous Coimbatore > Pollachi route. Though the road is single lane there is hardly any traffic and the road was in top condition when we traveled last March. Google maps/navigation will help you to find the place where you have to take the left.

While climbing up to Munnar be careful as you will be driving on the cliff side of the mountain with no road barriers/walls on the left.

Enjoy your trip. Waiting for the tons and tons of photos of your travel.
Thank you A R Ram Sir and Highway Ranger for your valuable inputs. So according to the routes suggested, please check the below route map and confirm if we all are on the same page :)
 

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yes vjroadie thats the fastest route possible.good luck mate for a safe and enjoyable trip. if need any assistance on return trip do pm me.
Thank you Smooth Rider! Well, I must say, the help and information you guys have provided me is of immense value and highly appreciated! This is the major advantage of this Forum, each and every member is active to their maximum extent and thus creates a virtual family environment[clap]Love you all!
 
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Thank you Smooth Rider! Well, I must say, the help and information you guys have provided me is of immense value and highly appreciated! This is the major advantage of this Forum, each and every member is active to their maximum extent and thus creates a virtual family environment[clap]Love you all!
Hi,
Sorry for late comment,
If you like to visit thekkady and munnar, you can take another route- from salem-namakkal-karur-dindigul-theni cumbum-thekkady-munnar
This route is very less traffic you can travel in yoour maximum speed- you can drive always above 100km/hr- even my Ritz pass 160km mark in this route
Last month I visited tirupati through this route
Again sorry for the late replay...
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=...rTJcBauOzHgT35R6MPf-A&oq=banga&t=h&mra=ls&z=7
 
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Thread Starter #13
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Hi,
Sorry for late comment,
If you like to visit thekkady and munnar, you can take another route- from salem-namakkal-karur-dindigul-theni cumbum-thekkady-munnar
This route is very less traffic you can travel in yoour maximum speed- you can drive always above 100km/hr- even my Ritz pass 160km mark in this route
Last month I visited tirupati through this route
Again sorry for the late replay...
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Kumili,+Kerala,+India&daddr=Cumbum,+Tamil+Nadu,+India+to:Theni,+Tamil+Nadu,+India+to:Krishnagiri,+Tamil+Nadu,+India+to:Bangalore,+Karnataka,+India&hl=en&ll=11.156845,77.739258&spn=7.152588,8.470459&sll=11.113727,77.860107&sspn=3.578499,4.235229&geocode=FYzDkgAd2VaZBCmVjipLBlUGOzHk_OlSxipYig%3BFSOPlAAdp0ibBCkdSVt-WQEHOzHhHG2MHPT6HQ%3BFbeQlwAd9RmeBCn52hpovRQHOzEHwvhUC1fqfA%3BFaMewAAdv_apBCk70m1qVtGtOzGSZpjhfbv9rg%3BFU_uxQAdw_-fBCltTrTJcBauOzHgT35R6MPf-A&oq=banga&t=h&mra=ls&z=7
Hello Sbtrajesh, Thank you so much for your valuable route suggestion, much much appreciated. Actually I have taken a package from one of the tour operators in Cochin, so all I have to do is, drive to Cochin, park my car in a secure place and then the operator will take us to Munnar, Thekaddy, Allepy etc in a indigo cab. I choose to take this package as I can relax and enjoy all the places without worrying about traffic, parking, local routes, etc...All the hotel bookings, sight seeing , boat house etc is arranged by the tour operator itself.
 
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Actually I have taken a package from one of the tour operators in Cochin, so all I have to do is, drive to Cochin, park my car in a secure place and then the operator will take us to Munnar, Thekaddy, Allepy etc in a indigo cab.
Can you share details of the itinerary provided by the tour operator for the whole tour and also the cost if possible?
 
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Can you share details of the itinerary provided by the tour operator for the whole tour and also the cost if possible?
Sure, Below are the details:

Package Name: 5Days Cochin - Munnar - Thekkady - Alleppey Houseboat - Cochin
Tour Start Date: 08-02-2014
Places of Visit: Cochin to Munnar,Munnar,Munnar to Thekkady,Thekkady to
Alleppey Houseboat,Alleppey to Cochin drop.

08-02-2014
Place: Cochin to Munnar(135km/4.5hrs), Hotel: Tea Valley, Roomtype: Executive cottage, Mealplan: CP
1. Start from Cochin and reaches Munnar by afternoon.
2. On the way visit Cheyyara waterfalls, Valara waterfalls, Attukadu waterfalls, Spice plantations etc
3. Munnar sightseeing and stay at Munnar

09-02-2014
Place: Munnar(60 to 80km), Hotel: Tea Valley, Roomtype: Executive cottage, Mealplan: CP
1. Sightseeing destinations includes eravikulam national park (Raja Malai), mattupetty dam, tea estates, eco point, spice plantation, rose garden, photo point, honey bee tree, tea museum, blossom park, kundale dam and top station
2. Overnight stay at Munnar

10-02-2014
Place: Munnar to Thekkady, Hotel: Silver Crest, Roomtype: Deluxe, Mealplan: CP
1. Sightseeing destinations include Periyar wild life sanctuary where you can see wild elephant, boar, deer, the great Indian tiger and more, mullaperiyar dam (you can watch all these only while doing boating in the Lake)
2. You can watch martial arts, kathakali, elephant ride, elephant bath, tribal dance, musical fountain and can go for ayurveda massages (all are optional activities with separate entrance fees)
3. Overnight stay at Thekkady.

11-02-2014
Place: Thekkady to Alleppey Houseboat(150km/3.5hrs), Hotel: Alleppey house boat lakes & lagoons, Roomtype: Deluxe A/C, Mealplan: CP
1. Drive to Alleppey in the morning
2. Check in to houseboat and enjoy the backwaters, scenery and different places for 21hrs in Kerala Style House boats from 12Noon
3. In the houseboat you will be greeted with welcome drink, tea, snacks, mineral water,lunch, dinner and breakfast
4. Overnight stay in the houseboat

12-02-2014
Place: Alleppey to Cochin drop(80km/1.5hrs)
1. Visit Alleppey beach and drive to Cochin for sightseeing
2. Cochin sighteeing includes fort cochin, navy museum, St Francis church, Chinese fishing net, Santa clause basilica, Mattanchery palace, Jewish synagogue, Marian drive, Marine walk way, boating, Tripunitura hill palace
3. You can find some time for shopping at Cochin
4. Our representative will leave you at Cochin Airport/Railway station/Bus stand and will do necessary support there.
5. Drive back to your hometown with the sweet memories of Kerala trip with Paradise Holidays Cochin

Total Tour Cost Rs. 31848/-

The above cost also includes the 7th night stay in Cochin as I am leaving on 7th Morning from Belgaum to Cochin.
 

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