Road trip from Hyderabad to Bastar in end August 2023 by Supratik Bose.
Car driven: Maruti Alto K10
Here is an update on the route and road condition.
Hyderabad - Narketpally - Suryapet - Khammam: Excellent with a special mention for the 6 lane expressway leading out to Khammam.
Khammam - Yellandu - Tekulapally - Kothagudem - Bhadrachalam: Mostly 2 lane undivided, smooth surface. Was charmed by the rustic beauty of Andhra villages by the hills awash with monsoon greenery. Could give Coorg a run for its money.
Dornapal - Sukma: The infamous stretch. Concrete road with good surface. You will see CRPF camps every 1 km. No fuel pumps or eateries on this stretch with little mostly local traffic. Didn't feel any safety issues. We crossed at noon.
Sukma town: We ate a veg thali at a decent eatery with a AC family section. You can also tank up at Sukma. Looked like any other small town in India, perhaps a little less busy.
Sukma - Jheerang ghati - Darbha - Kanger valley National Park - Narayanpal (Bastar): The road deteriorates around 20 kms after Sukma as you reach the base of the ghat climb. Progress is slow, difficult to exceed 30 kmph but nature is breathtaking. Bigger vehicles should not find it too difficult. Spent some time at the memorial at Darbha where a convoy was ambushed in 2013 and 25 people were killed. The last stretch of Chitrakote road is narrow but excellent. We made it to our stay (STF camp resort) at 8 PM driving in blinding rain.
RETURN LEG
Farsapal - Bhairamgarh (Dantewada Geedam road) - Bijapur - Bhopalpatnam: Excellent SH with little traffic.
Bhopalpatnam - Tarlaguda - TS border (NH 163): You will be floored if you love driving. Excellent freshly laid undivided 2 way with banking and almost no traffic. Best 2 lane highway stretch I have seen so far and my car has been to 19 states + a neghbouring country. They have used the bitumen which gives the surface a pink hue, so you can imagine the quality of construction. Forgot to take pictures as I was so absorbed in the drive. Would love to come back on a bike. Beware of local livestock though.
Bogotha waterfalls - Eturanagram - Tadvai - Mulugu: Excellent 2 lane passing through the reserve forest.
Post this the road surface really deteriorates and I was tested as it was after 7 PM when we hit this stretch. There is also a small bridge with the river flowing over it, so you get a taste of Ladakh style water crossing also. Road improves with 20 odd kms to go before Warangal. Tolled 4 lane roads after that all the way to Hyderabad.
Bastar is beautiful, beyond my imagination. Rolling green hills with sleepy hamlets here and there. All the waterfalls that you would want to see with many accessible. Perhaps one of the last regions which has not been exploited yet, as we saw mostly local tourists. Saw many checkposts and security personnel with automatic weapons. Didn't sense any safety issues but use your discretion as the region still sees conflict. Local drivers drive fast as roads, even internal ones are good and hardly have speedbreakers, even when you come across villages. Watch out for livestock.
Distances:
Hyderabad (Peddaamberpet Toll Plaza, Outer Ring Road Exit 11) to Suryapet via NH65 = 115 kms.
Suryapet to Khammam via NH365BB = 65 kms.
Khammam to Yellandu = 47 kms.
Yellandu to Kothagudem = 35 kms.
Kothagudem to Bhadrachalam =
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