Ananta Tours & Travels · +91 79787 07736 · +91 76098 35466 · https://anantatravelskoraput.com/koraput-road-conditions-what-the-reports-say-about-ghat-roads-and-how-we-plan-family-drives/

Roads around Koraput, Odisha, climb through winding, steep ghat (mountain-pass) stretches. A landslide once blocked the Koraput–Borigumma road, and a separate accident caused an overnight jam at Guma Ghat. Our own rule is to plan long hill drives for daylight and skip late-night ghat driving. If your route uses the Koraput–Borigumma road, we can give you a same-day update on it.

Roads covered
NH-326, Guma Ghat, Koraput–Borigumma
Our rule
Long hill drives in daylight
On request
Same-day Koraput–Borigumma update
Sources read
29 September 2026

This page summarises those reports and our driving rules.

Ghat road kya hota hai?

A ghat road is a road through a mountain pass. It climbs and drops through the hills in a series of bends. The sources below name these steep or ghat stretches on the roads to and around Koraput:

  • NH-326 between Mohana and Koraput (NH means National Highway). A news report describes difficult terrain, poor curves and steep gradients (steep slopes).
  • Guma Ghat, on the Koraput–Rayagada stretch of NH-326.
  • The last 2–3 km up to Deomali: steep, but tarred to the top.

Before you travel: what you can do

  • Ask us for a same-day road update. Message us on WhatsApp and we'll tell you how the Koraput–Borigumma road is on the day. We answer enquiries from 7 am to 9 pm, every day.
  • Put fixed times in your first message. List every train, flight and hotel check-in, so we can plan the day around them.
  • Leave a clear gap between a long hill drive and any train or flight you must catch.
  • Does anyone get car-sick on bends? Tell us — we offer front rows and window seats to anyone who gets car-sick on ghat roads.
  • Keep water, snacks and medicines in a hand bag, not packed away with the luggage.
  • Arriving late? We confirm the meeting point and the driver's number the day before. If your train or flight runs late, message the driver and we wait.

Koraput to Deomali: 53 km, about 1 hour 45 minutes

Google Maps puts the drive from Koraput town to Deomali hilltop at 53 km and about 1 hour 45 minutes, via Semiliguda (checked 10 October 2026). The road:

  • Distance and time: 53 km, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
  • Road and traffic: smooth roads, minimal traffic.
  • Steep part: only the last 2–3 km, tarred to the top.
  • Monsoon: if you aren't used to hill roads, come between October and February instead.

A Koraput–Deomali round trip comes to about 3½ hours of driving, plus time at the top and meal stops.

NH-326: upgrade approved, but plan for the road as it is

Swarajya reported that the Centre has approved Rs 1,526 crore to modernise NH-326 between Mohana and Koraput, a stretch covering Gajapati, Rayagada and Koraput districts. We read the report on 29 September 2026. It says:

  • The road today: difficult terrain, poor curves and steep gradients. Its sub-standard geometry (the layout of its bends and slopes) limits safe passage for heavy vehicles.
  • Timeline: construction is targeted to finish in 24 months, followed by a five-year maintenance phase.

An approval is not a finished road. Until the work is done, plan for the curves and gradients the report describes. The Koraput–Rayagada road is part of NH-326, and Rayagada railway station is one of our pickup points.

Guma Ghat: one reported accident, one overnight jam

Prameya News reported that a trailer loaded with iron had an accident at Guma Ghat, on the Koraput–Rayagada stretch of NH-326. According to the report, hundreds of buses, trucks and other vehicles were stuck on both sides of the highway through the night. We read the report on 29 September 2026.

This was one incident. It doesn't show what the road is like on a normal day, and the report doesn't say how often jams like this happen. It does show that one accident on a ghat section stopped traffic all night. That's why we suggest leaving a clear gap before any train or flight.

Monsoon aur landslides: road band ho sakti hai

Dinalipi reported a landslide near Ghodadara that brought soil and debris down onto the Koraput–Borigumma road. Borigumma lies on NH-26, the Bargarh–Vizianagaram highway. Traffic between Koraput and Borigumma was disrupted, and the authorities were working to clear the road. We read the report on 29 September 2026. This was one reported landslide. It doesn't tell you how often the road closes.

For a monsoon trip:

  • Keep the plan loose. See fewer places each day, so one closed road doesn't break the whole trip.
  • Deomali: if you aren't used to hill roads, avoid the monsoon.
  • If the weather makes you change dates: date changes are usually possible if the vehicle is free, so tell us early. If a change adds days or distance, the price changes. We send the new figure in writing before it applies.

Raat mein ghat drive? Hum avoid karte hain

Our rule: long hill drives happen in daylight. Sunrise starts are fine, but we avoid late-night ghat driving — bends and steep slopes are harder to judge in the dark, and if a road gets blocked at night, waiting it out is harder with children and elders on board.

If your train or flight gets in late in the evening, tell us the arrival time when you enquire.

Station and airport pickups

We pick up from:

  • Koraput: Koraput Junction railway station, the bus stand or your hotel
  • Jeypore: the town, the bus stand, the railway station or Jeypore Airport
  • Semiliguda, our base
  • Damanjodi, Araku and Rayagada railway stations
  • On request: Visakhapatnam (airport and railway station) and Vizianagaram

Two of these roads come up in the sources and our own notes:

  • From Rayagada: the road is the Koraput–Rayagada stretch of NH-326, which includes Guma Ghat.
  • From Visakhapatnam: the road via Araku takes about five hours, more with stops. We plan long hill drives for daylight, so that day goes more easily if you arrive early.

For the other pickups, the timing comes with your quote.

Day plan banate waqt road time pehle jodiye

  • Start with the driving time for each stretch of the day.
  • Add time at each stop, including walking. For example, the Gupteswar cave temple has a climb of about 200 steps.
  • Add meals and rest breaks.
  • Add spare time for slow ghat stretches or a blocked road, and more in the monsoon.
  • Finish long hill drives before dark.

Plan your route on WhatsApp

Our 17-seater AC Force Traveller comes with a local driver and a support contact on WhatsApp, and all 17 passenger seats are for your group. Send these details on WhatsApp to +91 79787 07736:

  • your dates and group size
  • where you arrive
  • the places you want to see
  • any fixed train or flight times

Once you share your dates, group size and route, we send one written price for the whole vehicle the same day, with the route and timings.

Sources

We read these sources on 29 September 2026. Roads change, so ask us for a same-day update on the Koraput–Borigumma road before you travel.