i would like to know whetherthere is a direct road to mandu on the mumbai indore road NH3. how many hours by road to reach mandu?how are the road conditions currently and are the roads in mp safe?

Hi Praveen,
I presume you are planning to drive.
I was staying in Nashik earlier and we too drove from Nashik to Mandu couple of years back. It was an enjoyable trip. Just make sure you drive in day time only. In the night time, the heavy vehicles make the life miserable and don't pay much attention to smaller vehicles, unless you are driving a SUV/MPV
I can say that the road (Mumbai-Agra Road, National Highway #3 or NH3)in Maharashtra is nice. When you enter MP, initial stretch is bit bumpy in isolated stretches, but overall, the highway is nice. The Mumbai Mandu distance would be around 550 KMs and if you go non-stop, it may take around 16-18 hrs at normal pace. So you can decide how to go. It is not necessary to drive all the way to Indore. Before Indore, there is a detour to SH 31. I will explain below.
The road in MP is safe. No worries.
While driving on NH 3, you will come across a small highway town call Dhamnod (In Dhar Distt of MP). This is roughly 180 KMs from Dhule in Maharashtra. The landmark near Dhamnod is the bridge on river Narmada and you will not miss it. From Dhamnod, keep going along NH-3 and keep watching for this village on NH 3 called Chiktyabad. It is well marked and is roughly 14-15 KMs from Dhamnod. From this junction, take a detour to State Highway #31. From this point onwards, Mandu (or Mandav, as is locally known) is roughly 35 KMs.
Hope this helps
Brajesh

dear brijesh
thanx a million for answering my prayer for information!!!!
well iam planning to visit mandu omkareshwar and maheshwar.even the maheshwar turn is from dhamnod correct me if im wrong.
what i did not understand is why will it take 16-18hrs to reach my destination mandu.well im planning to start early in morning and cover the stretch upto nasik by 10am. thereafter my plan was to reach maheshwar by 5 pm is that difficult?we have driven mumbai goa in 12 hrs.so driving expertise is not an issue.and i have my younger brother who will alternate with the wheel.

what do u say to this idea that i keep maheshwar on day1 omkareshwar day 2 and last 2 days at mandu?

how is the road from chiktyabad to mandu?
recently i spoke to a fellow from mp tourism office who said the roads are in xcellent condition.

how heavy is the traffic? and on what sections?

we do not want to drive at night at all.

there is one more person whom i know who has done mumbai indore by evening.

please enlighten me on all these issues!!!

what about good motels/restaurants on the way how is the situation once u enter mp?

regards

dr praveen

Dear Dr Praveen,
The distance between Nashik and Maheshwar should be in the range of 350 KMs. I think it is possible to complete this stretch in 7-8 hrs. Since two of you are driving, it should not be an issue.
Yes, you are correct to say that the road to Maheshwar and Omkareshwar starts from Dhamnod (if you are coming from Nashik NH-3, take a right turn at Dhamnod. It is well marked). Actually, the Dhamnod-Maheshwar stretch is roughly 15 kms and Omkareshwar is further east, another 50 KMs.
The NH-3 is quite busy in Maharashtra. Traffic dwindles in MP and picks up again at Dhar distt. Motels along the highway is not at all an issue. If u r planning to stop for b/f at Nashik, you may do so at Sai Palace hotel-my favorite. It is right on the highway, after Toyota show room. Lunch can be had at Dhule. But if you are planning to reach Maheshwar on the evening of day-1, better don't waste much time. Just take short breaks.
Omkareshwar to Mandu (via Dhamnod, Chiktlyabad)should be 100 kms. So you should be able to cover this stretch in 2-3 hrs. Road from C'bad to Mandu was not so good 10 years back, but I am sure they must have improved by now.
Enjoy your trip
Brajesh

thanks brijesh

my planned days are from 5-9sep i will keep u posted.
thanx for the info it will be of great use to me.
i will take the liberty of asking u afew questions in the next few days if required.
thanx once again

regards

praveen

Anytime.
Just feel free
BK

would like to know any particular good restaurants hotels u hev been to in mandu maheshwar and omkareshwar.

can you also guide me about what to see and what to skip in these places. can u drive around inside mandu fort?

we are staying at mp tourisms hotels.have u been to dhar since its close is it worth seeing?

regards

praveen