Ever since we returned from our Bangalore to MP trip, we have been writing about the places we visited. But this post is going to stitch it all together. And give you our complete Madhya Pradesh road trip itinerary. Do note that we worked from Madhya Pradesh during weekdays on this trip. So, after our Goa Workcation in March, it was our second major workcation trip. However, if you are just interested in a road trip and not working from Madhya Pradesh, you can simply jump through those days of the itinerary.
Also, we had already visited Indore and surrounding places on an earlier trip to Madhya Pradesh. This trip included visit to Indore, Ujjain and a day trip to Mandu. So, we didn’t cover those places on our current Madhya Pradesh road trip Itinerary. However, if you want to explore all the major places in Madhya Pradesh worth visiting, there is an alternate Madhya Pradesh road trip itinerary towards the end. Feel free to jump over to that. Without further delay, let’s get started on our Madhya Pradesh road trip itinerary.
Summary of our Madhya Pradesh road trip itinerary
Bangalore -> Hyderabad -> Nagpur -> Jabalpur (and Bhedaghat) -> Bandhavgarh National Park -> Khajuraho -> Orchha -> Bhopal (via Sanchi, Vidisha and Udayagiri) -> Pachmarhi -> Nagpur -> Hyderabad -> Bangalore
Total distance covered : ~5000 km
On our Madhya Pradesh Road trip itinerary, we drove all the way from Bangalore to MP and back. On this trip to Madhya Pradesh, we took some of the best road trips of India like Bangalore to Hyderabad, Pachmarhi to Nagpur, Bhopal to Pachmarhi. Also, we drove through some very scenic stretches of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana while on the road trip from Hyderabad to Nagpur. We stayed in some of the finest accommodations and enjoyed sumptuous meals at some places. While at others, we stayed in economic accommodations. Also, we crossed some of the mightiest rivers of India, visited valleys and waterfalls, reserve forests and tiger reserves. We visited several UNESCO World heritage monuments, renowned temples, forts and palaces of uttermost historical significance. And brought back home endless memories. Overall, it was one trip with every kind of experience packed in it!!
Day 1: Bangalore – Hyderabad
Since we drove all the way from Bangalore, we had to halt in between for two nights. First we drove from Bangalore to Hyderabad. We stayed in Hotel Oakwood Residence Kapil in Hyderabad. It was an excellent accommodation at a very reasonable price, a total steal I would say. And it was an apart hotel with fully equipped kitchen. I will highly recommend it for a stay at Hyderabad. it was very near to NH44 on which we drove through out, so, we completely avoided the city traffic by staying here.
We started from home around 5:00am and reached Hyderabad by 3:30pm in the evening. Also, for today, we had packed our lunch from home. So, we just stopped over at a nice stretch to have our lunch on the way, which saved us a lot of time.
Day 2: Hyderabad – Nagpur
On the next day we drove from Hyderabad to Nagpur. The whole stretch of drive through Telangana and Andhra was so scenic and beautiful that it is difficult to capture in words. We booked Le Meridian Nagpur for an overnight stay, again near the highway. There are ample dhabas and restaurants on this stretch which you cross around lunch time, so, you can conveniently stop at one of those for food. We started from Hyderabad around 7 am in the morning. We had toasted bread in our apart-hotel and made peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast. While for lunch, we stopped at a dhaba. To be honest, the stretch of the road once we entered Maharashtra, was pathetic. It slowed us down a lot. And we reached our hotel in Nagpur by 5:00pm in the evening.
Day 3: Nagpur – Jabalpur
Finally, on the third day of our Madhya Pradesh road trip itinerary we actually reached Madhya Pradesh 🙂 . And the first city in Madhya Pradesh that we visited was Jabalpur. Post breakfast, we started from Nagpur around 9:30am. After entering Madhya Pradesh, the road condition was again much better. It kept improving as we covered the distance and got closer to Jabalpur. Around 2:30 pm, we reached Jabalpur. But, instead of going to our hotel, Hotel Shawn Elizy, we decided to first explore Bhedaghat. Which is located right on the opposite side on highway. Here, we visited the Dhuandhar Waterfalls, one of the most massive waterfalls of Madhya Pradesh. And then visited the Narmada Valley, witnessing the famous marble rocks. Later, we proceeded to Chausath Yogini Temple and few other landmarks before heading to our hotel.
Our stay in Jabalpur was one of the best. Once again, highly recommend the hotel Shawn Elizy. You can book it from here.
Day 4 & 5 : Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh National Park, Tiger Safari
On the fourth day of our Madhya Pradesh road trip itinerary, we drove from Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh National Park via Pench National Park & Umaria. And I must say, it was one of the most scenic road trips in Madhya Pradesh that we took. The green ghats of Pench National Park and beyond and the excellent road around these ghats made the drive an absolute pleasure. We spent the last 1 hour of our drive covering the last 30km between Umaria and Bandhavgarh since it was a narrow one way road, with numerous deliberate speed bumps pertaining to the national park zone.
We reached our resort, Bandhavgarh Nature Heritage Resort, by 4:00pm. And after checking-in, made a prompt reservation for the tiger safari the next morning. We did get to see a tiger the next day! And lots of other wild animals greeted us as well. The complete detail of Bandhavgarh Tiger Safari and other places to visit in Bandhavgarh are covered in this post on our complete guide to Bandhavgarh National Park and tiger safari in it. Post the safari, we just relaxed in the resort for the rest of the day.
Day 6: Bandhavgarh to Khajuraho
The sixth day of our Madhya Pradesh road trip itinerary was one of the most challenging ones. When we drove from Bandhavgarh to Khajuraho today, for the most part of the journey, we drove through state highways. The road condition was still ok. But we met herds of cattle on the way, which made it really challenging to drive through them. Finally on the last 100km stretch, we drove on NH39, which was a pleasure. And finally, we reached our hotel in Khajuraho, hotel Clarks Khajuraho, around 2:00pm.
After a quick lunch, we headed out to explore the Eastern Group of Temples and Southern Group of Temples in Khajuraho. If you are wondering how to explore the temples of Khajuraho or which itinerary to follow, check out our detailed writing on the same ;
A complete guide to visiting Khajuraho – things you should know before you go
The must visit temples of Khajuraho and how best to cover them all in a day’s span
Day 7: Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho and Khajuraho to Orchha
Today, we reserved the early morning hours to visit the Western Group of Temples in Khajuraho. Since, these are the most famous and get very crowded as the day progresses. Luckily, our plan did work out. After starting from our hotel around 6:00am in the morning, we were back by 9:00am. Post which, we had our breakfast. And then we headed to the next stop on our MP Road Trip Itinerary – Orchha. The drive from Khajuraho to Orchha was completely on NH39. But, it was a bitter sweet one. Since, some parts of the NH have been upgraded to 4 or even 6 lane highway . And we drove so smoothly at these stretches. The other stretches near villages and towns are still under construction. And the diversions were painful. Hopefully the work completes soon.
Nevertheless, we reached Orchha comfortably by 1:00pm. After checking in and having lunch, we just relaxed for the day. The hotel that we had booked had an access to Betwa River via it’s back gate. So, we went and sat on the rocks by the river bank in the evening. However, due to certain hygiene issues, we will not recommend this hotel to you. You can book your accommodation in Orchha using this link.
Day 8 : Exploring Orchha
We spent the next day exploring Orchha. Today, we explored the Orchha Fort, the Chattris, some temples of Orchha etc. Here’s our detailed post on exploring the Orchha Fort and rest of the places in Orchha :
Orchha Fort and other places to explore in Orchha
Day 9: Orchha to Gwalior day trip
One can easily do a day trip to the Gwalior Fort from Orchha. The driving distance from Gwalior to Orchha is 2 hours. And you can visit the famous Gwalior Fort, perhaps the largest and most massive of all forts in this area.
Day 10: Orchha to Bhopal via Sanchi and Udayagiri
We worked from Orchha for one week. But, we are skipping that part for you. The next day, we started on a road trip to Bhopal. Visiting the great stupa of Sanchi and the Udayagiri Caves on the way. Also, we caught a glimpse of the Raisen Fort before reaching Bhopal. However, we didn’t have time to stop by it. I have reserved it for the next time. On this road trip, we started really early from our hotel in Orchha, by 8:00am. And by noon, we had reached the town of Vidisha. It took us some time to navigate through the traffic here. And then we stopped at Udayagiri caves around 3:00pm.
After visiting Udayagiri caves, we went on to visit the Great Stupa of Sanchi. And then from there, we started for our hotel in Bhopal by 6:00pm. We reached our hotel, MPT Kerwa Bhopal, by 8:00pm at night. And after a quick checkin we ordered our dinner at the room, got fresh and slept off.
Day 11 : Bhopal to Pachmarhi road trip
Today, post breakfast, around 9:00am, we embarked further on our MP road trip, from Bhopal to Pachmarhi. It was a nice trip. For, the roads were excellent and some of the valleys and ghats that we drove through were the most beautiful so far. We took a lunch break at a cafe-restaurant right before starting our ascent to the Pachmarhi hill. Actually, the ghat road to Pachmarhi is narrow and almost single lane. With lots of blind turns. So, we drove at an average of 20-30km per hour on this route. And reached our hotel, Welcome Heritage Golf View Pachmarhi, around 3:00pm.
After checking-in , we settled down in our rooms and relaxed for the rest of the day. We also worked from Pachmarhi for a week. And really enjoyed our stay at Welcome Heritage Golf View.
Day 12: Exploring Pachmarhi
There are so many natural places to explore around Pachmarhi that seriously, one day is not at all sufficient. We visited a few places like the Panch Pandava Caves and the Apsara Vihar during weekdays after office or early in the morning. Since, these were at walking distance from where we stayed. If you have just one day, we recommend visiting these places in Pachmarhi :-
- Bee Falls
- Jata Shankar Caves
- Mahadev Hill
- Panch Pandava Caves
- Apsara Vihar
- Duchess Falls
But again, you will not be able to stay for too long on any of these places. So, we highly recommend make it a 2 days trip of exploring around when in Pachmarhi.
Day 13: Pachmarhi
You must spend one day at Pachmarhi doing nothing. Just enjoying the cool vibes of the natural surroundings. Pack a picnic bag or just relax in the lawn of your hotel, like we did in ours – Welcome Heritage Golf View Pachmarhi. Although, we also worked from Pachmarhi for a week when there, we are not counting those days in this Madhya Pradesh Road trip itinerary. WelcomeHeritage Golf View Pachmarhi provided for an excellent wifi network which enabled us to work uninterrupted. In case you visited a few of the places mentioned for day 12, and others are still to be explored, you can explore them as well today.
Day 14: Pachmarhi to Nagpur
This one was the best of all the road trips we took while on our Madhya Pradesh Road trip itinerary! As if nature had saved the best for the last for us. Most of the route is beautiful ghats, with excellent road condition.
And then these picture perfect patches of mustard plants in the hills – just made our day.
We crossed some very scenic, very beautiful ghats today and finally reached Nagpur by 5:00pm in the evening.
Day 15: Nagpur to Hyderabad
Early in the morning around 6:00am, we started from Nagpur. On the way we stopped for breakfast. And then we drove straight to Hyderabad. Reached our hotel, once again, hotel Oakwood Residency Kapil, by 3:30pm. After a swift check-in, we had our lunch in the food court right besides the hotel. And then we just relaxed in the room.
Day 16: Hyderabad to Bangalore
Finally came the day on our Madhya Pradesh road trip itinerary when we reached back to home sweet home. Morning, we had a hefty and delicious breakfast at our hotel in Hyderabad. I must say, their breakfast spread was one of the best we had on this trip. After this, we checked out around 7:30am from our hotel. It was a very smooth, quick and contactless checkout – thanks to the staff for the same. We stopped on our way for lunch break at a dhaba but it was not very great. After this, we drove straight to Bangalore with just a few refreshment breaks now and then. And reached home by 6:00pm!!
We actually completed the above trip in 3 weeks since we worked for a week from Orchha and then for another week we worked from Pachmarhi. So, you can also do the same if you are interested.
Alternate 18 days itinerary covering the complete Madhya Pradesh
- Start with Indore, arriving in Indore via road or flight
- Indore to Ujjain day trip
- Indore to Mandu day trip
- Indore to Maheshwar day trip
- Indore to Omkareshwar day trip
- Indore to Bhopal transfer
- Bhopal to Pachmarhi
- Pachmarhi
- Pachmarhi
- Pachmarhi to Jabalpur
- Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh National Park or Kanha National Park
- Bandhavgarh National Park to Khajuraho
- Khajuraho to Orchha
- Orchha to Gwalior day trip
- Orchha
- Orchha to Bhopal trip via Sanchi and Udayagiri
- Bhopal to Raisen Fort trip
- Exit from Bhopal
Some common observations from our MP Road trip
- Most of the national highways are in good condition. Some like NH34, NH39 and the stretches of highways that pass through National Parks like Pench National Park and Panna National Park are in excellent condition
- Many of the state highways are also in good condition, with intermittent patches of bad road.
- Cattle on the road seems to be a common problem across all NH and SH in MP. You have to be really careful, particularly when driving at night, as there could be cows sitting right in the middle of the highway and you could hit them.
- There are ample restaurants and food outlets on major stretches that the tourists often take. Like Bhopal to Pachmarhi, Orchha to Bhopal, Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh. But on other less frequently used routes like Bandhavgarh to Khajuraho, we hardly found any proper restaurants or food outlets. However, since most of the hops can be completed in about half a day, it’s not a big problem.
- There are ample fuel stations on both National Highways and State Highways.
- People, just like in any other part of India, are very friendly, very helping. If you need directions on the road or any other help, they will go out of their way to help you out.
- Hospitality was excellent at every single accommodation we stayed in. So, I would generously generalise that Madhya Pradesh is very hospitable!!
- Use packaged drinking water as water borne diseases are common, particularly post monsoons.
- Carry mosquito and insect repellant, they are particularly helpful in forest and hill areas.
- October – March will be the best time to explore Madhya Pradesh. Even in October, the temperature in some places like Orchha was almost 34-35 degree celcius during the day. It was pretty hot!
- When visiting Pachmarhi, on the contrast, you will require light woollen in October and March and heavy woollen in between these months.
Hope you find the details of our Madhya Pradesh Road trip itinerary helpful !!
PS: Some of our links are affiliated, this means we will earn a commission when you buy a service or product by clicking those links. However, this will have no extra cost for you.
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Good info about the complete coverage on all basic things required for planning madhya pradesh.we also travel independently,so most useful to calculate time required for transfer from one city to another.
Thank you Suma!