Road
Trips
from your
City
Road trips – the very word conjures up images of long and scenic drives in the comfort of your car,
an adventure that is not so much about the destination, but the journey itself! So run your eye over
some of the road trips that we recommend for the next time you have a family vacation and want
to get behind the wheel of your car.
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January - February 2013
Bangalore to Kanyakumari (650 km)
A visit to Kanyakumari, the southern-most
point of India, where the Bay of Bengal,
Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean meet, is
well worth the drive from Bangalore to
get here. A drive on NH7 can make for
an interesting history lesson as well. En
route, make a quick stop in the temple
city of Madurai, and stretch your legs
in the vast Meenakshi temple complex
there. Rameshwaram, an important Hindu
pilgrimage centre, is another small islandtown that merits a visit. The town boasts
of a famous Jyotirlinga Shiva temple and
is also the scene of an important passage
from the Ramayana.
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destination. Ghum is famous for Tiger’s
Hill, a spot that provides a spectacular
view of Kanchenjunga and Mt Everest. The
monasteries in Ghum are also well worth
a visit.
Delhi to Amritsar (460 km)
While the beach in Kanyakumari may be
nothing to write home about, be sure to
visit the Vivekananda Rock and check out
the Kanyakumari temple with its glittering
goddess. A must-visit gem is the famous
Suchindram temple about 11kms away,
dedicated to the Hindu Triumvirate.
Apart from the attraction of culture-filled
Amritsar, this drive also introduces you to
a host of other delightful towns such as
Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Panipat, Karnal and
Kurukshetra. Use this opportunity to visit
the land of the Mahabharata and make
a quick stop at Kurukshetra to visit its
museums of mythology. In Amritsar itself,
shed a tear for the innocents massacred
at the Jallianwala Bagh, and then take in
the breathtaking vision that is the Golden
Temple. This temple draws in thousands of
visitors, tourists and devotees of varying
faiths each day and binds them together
with a communal lunch. Round off your trip
by driving another 30 minutes to visit the
Indo-Pak Wagah border.
Kolkata to Darjeeling (630 km)
Chennai to Kochi (680 km)
A character in a book by Satyajit Ray
once said, “It may only be an accident
of geography, but can you think of any
other state that has lush green farmland,
dry and arid areas, a forest like the
Sunderbans, huge rivers like the Ganga,
Padma and Meghna, an ocean at its
bottom and the Himalayas at its top?”
Discover elements of this wondrous state
on a drive from Kolkata to Darjeeling. The
most direct route for the car journey is
straight north on NH34/31; the route will
take you along the border of India and
Bangladesh, allowing you glimpses of the
landscape in both countries. Be sure to
visit Ghum, about 6kms away from your
While you’re spending some long hours on
the road for this trip, you are traversing
the whole of South India between the
eastern and western coasts. Kochi is not
only famous for its stunning beaches
but also for its backwaters, the famous
Jew Town with its historical artifacts
and curios, and delicious food! Places
of interest en route include Salem,
Coimbatore, Kanchipuram and Palakkad.
Visit landmark temples in Kanchipuram,
a region that has endured the Cholas,
Pallavas, Carnatic Rulers and even the
British rulers. Palakkad, the ‘Gateway to
Kerala’, has a rich heritage of carnatic
music and good food.
Hyderabad to Pondicherry (780 km)
Beaches, temples, pilgrimage and good
food. And that’s not the destination we’re talking about the drive to get there!
To get to Pondicherry, you drive through
Tamil Nadu, a state that’s bursting with
life – drive through Chennai and stop
over at Mahabalipuram. Resuming your
drive with the beach for company, enter
Pondicherry. And you will feel that you
have entered a completely different
country! Explore the warren of cobbled
streets and winding roads á la France
and try to pronounce the names of all
the ‘Rues’ there. The cuisine is delectable
and the place retains its old world charm.
Also visit the Mother’s Shrine, Auroville
and the myriad of handmade paper shops.
Finally, unwind on the golden beaches
before heading back.
Mumbai to Goa (600kms)
This surely has to be the one of the
most scenic and romantic drives in
India – stretching all the way along the
beautiful and lush Konkan coast. The
condition of the road is not very good,
but once you take in the beauty en
route, rest assured that no one will gripe
about the potholes! Stop over at the
Karnala Bird Sanctuary, boasting over
150 species of birds that migrate here
for the winter. Forts in Ratnagiri and
the Koyna Dam in Chiplun, surrounded
by rich greenery – all this and more as
you wend your way to Goa. When you
finally reach your destination, you will
like nothing better than to relax and
unwind on the beautiful white beaches,
eat good food and enjoy the old-world
charm of the city.
January - February 2013