Mumbai - Delhi - Kolkata Road Trip in CNG

[Nilav]

Hello all. A very quick update which might be of help for those who might be contemplating a drive in this stretch during this season. I just completed my drive from Mumbai - Delhi - Kolkata yesterday.

1. Road conditions are fantastic all along. Mostly 4 lanes with divider. Undivided two lane road only between Udaipur and Nathdwara. Though v good tarmac.

2. Work in progress (flyovers) in few parts after Varanasi till Gaya. However no jams. Diversions well planned. Tarmac OK with negligible potholes.

3. Safety is no issue. Drove with my wife along (as usual). However, we stop by 6:30pm. Trucks and specially buses in the Eastern belt are a nuisance at times. Have to be v careful negotiating them after 5pm.

4. Hotels in halts booked via apps just 2 hours before arriving destination depending on where we would reach. Decent hotels within INR 1500.

5. Popular halts/attractions, Mumbai - Delhi belt: Baroda, Shyamlaji, Udaipur, Nathdwara, Ajmer, Pushkar, Jaipur, Neemrana.

6. Popular halts/attractions, Delhi - Kolkata belt : Agra, Vrindavan, Mathura, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Bodh gaya, Dhanbad, Asansol, Shaktigarh.

7. Those who drive CNG vehicles, this entire route is full of CNG pumps. Pl note, last pump in Gujarat is at Shyamlaji. No pumps in Udaipur. Jaipur has a pump in kookas. Again, last pump in the eastern belt is at Asansol bang on the highway. Lot of travellers asked me on Varanasi CNG availability. Varanasi has a CNG pump near DLW, where I got my CNG.

8. Plenty of options on the return route. Have already driven earlier via vizag/hyd, also via chitrakoot / Indore and also via Sambalpur/ Nagpur. Will share once finalized.

Working on the entire detailed vlog. Will update shortly on:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_b8kG1ocwFkKoG-PLk_hsA


Take care and happy road tripping!

Nilav.

 

[Nanofreak]

Congrats Nilav on this extensive road-trip, how many days did you take to complete this.

Regards
Vinod

 

[GrandRk]

Very useful info you have provided. I am in planning phase for road trip in those areas. Your halt locations will definitely help me.

In entire golden quadrilateral there are only two sections which has undivided two lane roads, one is Udaipur bypass and second between Dharwad - Hubli section

 

[rahul4640]

In case you have lately taken the Kolkata-Bhilai-Nagpur-Amravati route, please mention the road condition.

 

[kukku_k]

Waiting for your vlogs

 

[Chandranath]

Hello all. A very quick update which might be of help for those who might be contemplating a drive in this stretch during this season. I just completed my drive from Mumbai - Delhi - Kolkata yesterday.

1. Road conditions are fantastic all along. Mostly 4 lanes with divider. Undivided two lane road only between Udaipur and Nathdwara. Though v good tarmac.

2. Work in progress (flyovers) in few parts after Varanasi till Gaya. However no jams. Diversions well planned. Tarmac OK with negligible potholes.

3. Safety is no issue. Drove with my wife along (as usual). However, we stop by 6:30pm. Trucks and specially buses in the Eastern belt are a nuisance at times. Have to be v careful negotiating them after 5pm.

4. Hotels in halts booked via apps just 2 hours before arriving destination depending on where we would reach. Decent hotels within INR 1500.

5. Popular halts/attractions, Mumbai - Delhi belt: Baroda, Shyamlaji, Udaipur, Nathdwara, Ajmer, Pushkar, Jaipur, Neemrana.

6. Popular halts/attractions, Delhi - Kolkata belt : Agra, Vrindavan, Mathura, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Bodh gaya, Dhanbad, Asansol, Shaktigarh.

7. Those who drive CNG vehicles, this entire route is full of CNG pumps. Pl note, last pump in Gujarat is at Shyamlaji. No pumps in Udaipur. Jaipur has a pump in kookas. Again, last pump in the eastern belt is at Asansol bang on the highway. Lot of travellers asked me on Varanasi CNG availability. Varanasi has a CNG pump near DLW, where I got my CNG.

8. Plenty of options on the return route. Have already driven earlier via vizag/hyd, also via chitrakoot / Indore and also via Sambalpur/ Nagpur. Will share once finalized.

Working on the entire detailed vlog. Will update shortly on:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_b8kG1ocwFkKoG-PLk_hsA


Take care and happy road tripping!

Nilav.

Welcome to Kolkata. Congrats for the drive so far and best wishes for the drive back to Mumbai

 

[SilverEyez]

Hello all. A very quick update which might be of help for those who might be contemplating a drive in this stretch during this season. I just completed my drive from Mumbai - Delhi - Kolkata yesterday.

1. Road conditions are fantastic all along. Mostly 4 lanes with divider. Undivided two lane road only between Udaipur and Nathdwara. Though v good tarmac.

2. Work in progress (flyovers) in few parts after Varanasi till Gaya. However no jams. Diversions well planned. Tarmac OK with negligible potholes.

3. Safety is no issue. Drove with my wife along (as usual). However, we stop by 6:30pm. Trucks and specially buses in the Eastern belt are a nuisance at times. Have to be v careful negotiating them after 5pm.

4. Hotels in halts booked via apps just 2 hours before arriving destination depending on where we would reach. Decent hotels within INR 1500.

5. Popular halts/attractions, Mumbai - Delhi belt: Baroda, Shyamlaji, Udaipur, Nathdwara, Ajmer, Pushkar, Jaipur, Neemrana.

6. Popular halts/attractions, Delhi - Kolkata belt : Agra, Vrindavan, Mathura, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Bodh gaya, Dhanbad, Asansol, Shaktigarh.

7. Those who drive CNG vehicles, this entire route is full of CNG pumps. Pl note, last pump in Gujarat is at Shyamlaji. No pumps in Udaipur. Jaipur has a pump in kookas. Again, last pump in the eastern belt is at Asansol bang on the highway. Lot of travellers asked me on Varanasi CNG availability. Varanasi has a CNG pump near DLW, where I got my CNG.

8. Plenty of options on the return route. Have already driven earlier via vizag/hyd, also via chitrakoot / Indore and also via Sambalpur/ Nagpur. Will share once finalized.

Working on the entire detailed vlog. Will update shortly on:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_b8kG1ocwFkKoG-PLk_hsA


Take care and happy road tripping!

Nilav.

Very useful inputs provided regarding the road conditions and the availability of CNG pumps.
Thanks

 

[Nilav]

Congrats Nilav on this extensive road-trip, how many days did you take to complete this.

Regards
Vinod

Thank you. We drove at leisure so took our time. Again don't push it beyond 90kph and halt by 7ish. So our trip was as below:

Mumbai - Modasa (halt)- Ajmer (halt)- Delhi.few days stay. This stretch can however be done by only one night halt at Udaipur.

Delhi- Vrindavan(2nights halt)- Varanasi (halt) - gaya - (halt)- Kolkata. This stretch can also be done by just 1 night halt at Varanasi.

Tc.

Very useful info you have provided. I am in planning phase for road trip in those areas. Your halt locations will definitely help me.

In entire golden quadrilateral there are only two sections which has undivided two lane roads, one is Udaipur bypass and second between Dharwad - Hubli section

Thank you. For a v quick trip below halts could do :

Mumbai - Delhi belt, halt at Udaipur.
Delhi - kol belt, halt at Varanasi.

Else plenty of options in both belts. western belt could see Baroda, Modasa, Udaipur, Ajmer,Pushkar, Jaipur as stopover options. Eastern belt could see Vrindavan,Mathura,Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Gaya, Dhanbad, Asansol as stopovers depending on your interest/situations.

Tc.

In case you have lately taken the Kolkata-Bhilai-Nagpur-Amravati route, please mention the road condition.

Hi Rahul. That I am contemplating to take on my return. Last I did that was in 2014 with my parents along. Though fantastic sceneries, roads after jalgaon were not in great shape. Widening and construction were on. Few places had potholes resembling lunar caters. In fact if anyone has any info on current situation would also be of help to me.


Tc.

Waiting for your vlogs

Thanks. On it :)

Welcome to Kolkata. Congrats for the drive so far and best wishes for the drive back to Mumbai

Thank you!

Tc.

Very useful inputs provided regarding the road conditions and the availability of CNG pumps.
Thanks

Thanks! The Varanasi pump was a Savior. Iam told Udaipur will have its share shortly. However CNG prices as high as 60 in many places in the Del- kol belt

Tc.

Thank you. We drove at leisure so took our time. Again don't push it beyond 90kph and halt by 7ish. So our trip was as below:

Mumbai - Modasa (halt)- Ajmer (halt)- Delhi.few days stay. This stretch can however be done by only one night halt at Udaipur.

Delhi- Vrindavan(2nights halt)- Varanasi (halt) - gaya - (halt)- Kolkata. This stretch can also be done by just 1 night halt at Varanasi.

Tc.

I misspelt it as don't push it beyond 90kph. I meant I didn't push it beyond 90Kph and halted by 7ish. Tnx.

 

[Nilav]

Hello friends.

As promised I am ready with the vlog series of this entire road trip from Mumbai - Delhi - Kolkata - Indore - Mumbai.

Almost 3500km of sheer driving fun.

Mumbai.Delhi.Kolkata.Mumbai I Road trip vlog - YouTube