Requesting Urgent Advice From Experienced Members on Mumbai - Kolkata

[Nilav]

Hello all

I request urgent guidance in helping me plan out a trip scheduled on the 24th Sep 2014 from Mumbai to Kol. My route plan is like below:

Route A

Day 1: Mumbai - Nashik - Nagpur (start at 7am and intend to reach by 7pm)
Day 2: Nagpur - Raipur - sambalpur (start at 7am and intend to reach by 7pm)
Day 3: Sambalpur - Kharagpur - Kolkata (start at 7am and intend to reach by 7pm)

Route B

Day 1: Mumbai - Solapur - Hyderabad (start at 7am and intend to reach by 7pm)
Day 2: Hyderabad - Rajahmundry - Vizag (start at 7am and intend to reach by 7pm)
Day 3: Vizag - Bhubaneswar - Kol (start at 7am and intend to reach by 7pm)

Please suggest which is the best route. I will be with my parents and in a Wagon R. We want to do the trip since our last trip Mumbai - Udaipur - Delhi - Agra - Gwalior -Indore - Nashik - Mumbai was memorable (barring the horrible road stretch between Gwalior and Indore). I would request a route which according to you has:

1) Good road tarmac quality
2) Not very isolated and deep interiors
3) Having facilities.

Thanks in advance. Will keep posted with photos and videos.
Nilav

 

[subrata]

Dear Nilav,

I did Mumbai - Kolkata - Mumbai trip recently.

Your 1st option is good.
Mumbai - Nagpur in 12 hrs with various breaks will be difficult. You may land in Nagpur quite late in the evening. Suggest start by 0530 hrs. Road all the way is good to Excellent.
Nagpur - Sambalpur is OK. You will have broken roads after Raipur. Also in the Chatisgarh - Orissa border the trucks wait for checking and thus blocks the road. You will loose some time there.

Samabalpur - Kolkata leg you will have broken roads as soon you enter Jharkhand and the road continue to be pathetic till Kharagpur.

You need to start as early as possible and please keep a buffer day in between.

 

[Nilav]

Dear Subrata

Thank you for the suggestion. I am sure about the Mumbai-Nagpur stretch. Good tarmac. What worries me is the stretch beyond. And mine being a smaller car (and one that I love :), I just hope she doesnt get bruised bad.

But yes I guess, this is a route which is being looked at too. Just hoping road tarmac aint very bad. Also any issues with safety that you feel should be of concern to me? I wouldnt be travelling post 7:30 pm for sure. So I just hope safety should not be a concern.

Thanks again!

 

[subrata]

It is safe all the way as long you are not driving in the night. Roads in Jharkhand was quite bad. Now after monsoon it can only worsen.

I took a diversion via Baripada to Fekoghat. The road in the West Bengal ,Lodhasuli area was also very bad.

 

[Nilav]

Thank you for the info Subrata. I am gearing up for it. Will keep posted with photos and conditions.