Day trips from Chennai

Nick-H

"All India Permit" --- ?

I can't imagine a Chennai travels company not having permits for its cars to enter Pondy; must be one of the major destinations.

I never heard of this as a problem before.

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Tourist

Thank you all for your helpful responses.

1) I have made note of the two car services mentioned. To request the obvious: if these do not work out for some reason, how do I go about finding, on my own, a car service with an English speaking driver who will drive me for the day?

2) On my trip I expect to be in Chennai, Dakshin Chitra, Mamallapuram, Pondicherry, Delhi, Agra, Rishikesh, and Haridwar. Is there a malaria risk in these places in February? (I am trying to determine the necessity for malaria pills.)

Nick-H

1. Just look for 'travels' or tour companies and ask. Your hotel will help you too.

2. Yes, there is an all-year malaria risk throughout India at altitudes of less than 2,000 feet (or is that metres? ).

I can't speak for up-North, but you'll meet with plenty of mosquitoes in this area in February; they just never stop.

Tourist

Do all mosquitoes cause malaria or only certain kinds?

Nick-H

Only certain kinds.

Of the disease-carrying mossies, different mossies carry different diseases.

Given the economic impact of mosquito-carried disease, there is heaps of information on the net (not in my memory ) and I suspect google will help you best on this one.

backpakker

ECR toll if my memory is right is about Rs 45 to Mahabalipuram and Rs 100 To Pondicherry ..Its a great drive..do enjoy your trip and visit Alambara Fort enroute to Pondy if you can

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peuks

Dakshina Citra was really beautiful, i liked it a lot, spend a long time there. stone-carvings in mamallapuram and the sea shore temple are also worth the trip - and a relaxing dinner in mamallapuram. check out the gecko-cafe, homemade veg.indian + seafood.

peuks

@backpakker : Where is Alambara Fort, which is on the beach enroute to Pondy ? Cant find it in the books.

backpakker

The alambara or alamparai fort ruins are near Pondy. When you are driving from Mahabalipuram to Pondy, you will find it just 50kms before Pondy .You will see a small board there as well..If I am not wrong, its in a hamlet called kadapakkam. there is a fishing village as well.. you may need to google it..Ive got a couple of pics on my blog ..
http://backpakker.blogspot.com/search/label/Pondicherry

safari vala

I could not believe how touristy mahabalipuram was.

peuks

dont scare me, i am going back there next month, first time in season time.
i always tried to avoid it in the season .
and touristy...well, this will go on, i promise. i ve heard, that they plan to build even higher buildings in some roads, which now are only 2-floor high, it will grow with no end.

mprakas

We had a day trip to Kailashkona in AP this past weekend. It was a neat place for a day trip with calm environs and a nice little falls to bathe in.
Directions:-
Start from Kathipara towards Koyambedu and go on till you reach Red hills flyover (approx. 16-18 KMs)
Do not go on top of the flyover but take a left turn below it to reach NH-5. Good 4-6 lanes road where driving is fun. (About 30 KMs)
You will hit the L&T toll plaza now in NH5 and pay the toll (10Rs for a car) and proceed immediately left to take the SH-51(though Google Earth shows this is NH-205, I couldn't locate one sign that said NH 205).
This is state highway and the Tamilnadu side of it is narrow with villagers and livestocks crossing at regular intervals. Once you cross AP border, the roads are wider, no villagers/villages and fantastic sceneries.
After about 50Kms you should see an arch on your left (saying Kailash Kona) and you need to take this road. If you miss this (as I did) you will reach Puttur (about 7Kms from this arch). If you are at the raiway crossing into Puttur, you've definitely missed it. Turn back and now look for the green Kailashkona marker and take a right there.
The last 2-3 Kms is not the best of the roads but if you manage to reach the parking, climb up abt 50 steps and you are seeing the Kone Falls.
The falls itself is not big but is not crowded and our entire family was in the falls for 20-30 minutes before we found another tripper there. It was fun and there is a small Kailasha temple near the falls and there are hawkers in the steps. And a lot of monkeys.
We packed lunch and drove back a little into the highway to have the food near some paddy fields and it was fun. You can also combine the suratampalli Shiva temple (which is on the way). If you are inclined, both Tirupati and Tirutani are about 30 Kms from this place so you can carry on to your kindda place. Of like we did, return back and reach home by 5PM and had some pizza and dozed off..

Nick-H

Welcome to the site, mprakas

That's a nice trip description: how long did the journey take you? Did you have to start very very early to avoid getting snarled up in the traffic before getting clear of Chennai?

mprakas

well I travel with a 6 year old and a 1.5year old. So starting early is out of question. By the time, we packed everything into the car and get the kids ready, it was about 9.15AM and reached there by 11.30AM-12Noon (about 120 KMs including getting lost into Puttur).
Return we started about 3.15PM and reached home (Velachery) by 5PM.

But then the actual distance is 100KMs and good roads means, you can reach faster. Also, I tend to stop a little (either for the kids or because I liked the views!). In fact, while going we stopped quite a while to give my son a lesson on how rice grows in the paddy field itself and not sure how much time we spent there in the middle of the field. ;-)

Thats why I said, its better to combine this trip as part of a trip to Tirupathi or Thirutani. But if you are like me, then you can do a relaxed drive and fun and come back.

Nick-H

To me that's early although I did sort-of expect you might say you left by 5.30am or something!

Sounds like a good day out. I stop regularly too, usually for tea, from flask or tea stall. I cannot drive for more than an hour or two without a break.