[Darryl.Burke]

Note that if you happen to be driving down on a Sunday, there are hardly any mining trucks to be seen.

db

[CANPUSH]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Just go on NH 4 till Belgaum and it is a blast except for Pune - Satara stretch where you will encounter bit of traffic both from two wheelers and those going towards mahabaleshwar.

After Belgaum take the road to Panjim via Amboli - Sawantvadi. The road condition is decent and hardly any traffic. You will have added bonus of driving through picturesque Amboli ghat with couple of waterfalls.

No need to go till Belgaum. Actually, There are two more ways -

1. After Nipani you have a small Ghat section called Tavandi ghat. As you reach the top on right hand side there is Hotel Kaveri. Next to that is an exit that will take you to Amboli Ghat via Uttur-Ajra. Road is little narrow and rough at some points. But not very bad.

2. Little better option.. Travel further and near Sankeshwar you have a exit (This time you have to get out on left and go below the flyover to take right) going to 'Gadhinglaj'. This will join near Ajra. Except for small section of broken surface till Gadhinglaj road is good.

Eventually, you join Belgaum Amboli road. You save at least 40 kms this way.

[godeepdive]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

NH4A has been reported to be in good condition,so going via Belgaum-Khanapur-Londa-Mollem-Ponda is a good option as well.

I just did Belgaum to Goa on Sunday 1st of May through NH4A - as part of a longer Pune - Goa - Mangalore - Kerala trip.

I did Belgaum - Khanapur - Ramnagar - Anmod - Mollem - Ponda on NH 4A and then Ponda- Margao - Varca Beach on NH 17 B. NH4A is good and driveable though there are stretches where the tar is chipped off.

I did not encounter a single mining truck. Some locals told me that there is a court order to stop mining from Saturday evening till Monday morning - which explains the absence of trucks on Sunday. However on either side of the road (before Mollem) one can see thick layers of red dust piled up and with lots of truck tracks. Clearly on other days, it would be quite hellish to drive through this stretch.

First two photos were taken between Khanapur and Ramnagar
The next two between Ramnagar and Anmod
5th photo is a railway crossing before Anmod.
the last photo was taken on theAnmod - Mollem ghats section

[ranjitp1]

Wow NH4A in this shape is refreshing to see because one hardly gets to see any semblance of tar on this road!Yes you are right on the court order,there would be no trucks from Saturday night till Sunday 12am on this stretch.

[suniladhiya]

This is my first post on the forum and a big hello to all the fantastic members out there whose posts and travelogues I have been following as a guest for the last several months.

I shall be driving from Pune to Panaji, Goa towards the end of May and have decided, based on all the earlier posts to choose between the following two routes:

(a) Pune-Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Panaji (I prefer driving the extra kms till Belgaum on the superb NH4 rather than turning off at Nipani or Sankeshwar and encountering bad patches) OR

(b) Pune-Belgaum-Ramnagar-Londa-Mollem-Ponda-Panaji on NH4A

I will be driving on Sunday and I understand that the mining trucks are off on Sundays due to a court order. Nevertheless, I am reluctant to take option (b) because of delays in Belgaum traffic, 3-4 railway crossings (all of which were closed the last time I drove in December, 2010) and bad patches on NH4A.

I would greatly appreciate if anyone, especially Belgaum residents like Sahir could give their view on option (a) i.e. Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Panaji. In this case also, I read in one of the earlier posts, that NH17 between Sawantwadi and Banda is still in a bad shape.

So overall, which one of the two options would the experts suggest.

Thanks in advance.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by suniladhiya

This is my first post on the forum and a big hello to all the fantastic members out there whose posts and travelogues I have been following as a guest for the last several months.

I shall be driving from Pune to Panaji, Goa towards the end of May and have decided, based on all the earlier posts to choose between the following two routes:

(a) Pune-Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Panaji (I prefer driving the extra kms till Belgaum on the superb NH4 rather than turning off at Nipani or Sankeshwar and encountering bad patches) OR

(b) Pune-Belgaum-Ramnagar-Londa-Mollem-Ponda-Panaji on NH4A

I will be driving on Sunday and I understand that the mining trucks are off on Sundays due to a court order. Nevertheless, I am reluctant to take option (b) because of delays in Belgaum traffic, 3-4 railway crossings (all of which were closed the last time I drove in December, 2010) and bad patches on NH4A.

I would greatly appreciate if anyone, especially Belgaum residents like Sahir could give their view on option (a) i.e. Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Panaji. In this case also, I read in one of the earlier posts, that NH17 between Sawantwadi and Banda is still in a bad shape.

So overall, which one of the two options would the experts suggest.

Thanks in advance.

I would also reccomend that you consider the Kolhapur-Radhanagari-Phondaghat-Kankavli-NH17-Sawantwadi-Panjim route.The route is very scenic and roads are pretty good as well.This is my favourite route apart from the NH4A(Khanapur-Londa-Mollem route)This passes through India's only Bison sanctuary as well-The Dajipur Bison S'ctuary.The only downside to this route would be that you need to drive through Kolhapur town,but it isnt too much of a hassle and the roads are pretty straight forward.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by suniladhiya

I shall be driving from Pune to Panaji, Goa towards the end of May and have decided, based on all the earlier posts to choose between the following two routes................So overall, which one of the two options would the experts suggest.

No route from Pune to Goa has carpet like tarmac all the way through. There will be the odd bad patch on all roads, once you leave NH4. So, I would suggest you choose a route that is at least easy on the eyes, just to relieve the boredom and for some nice photo opportunities

Cheers,
Vikram

[suniladhiya]

Thanks ranjit1p and comfortablynumb for your responses.

Ranjit, I drove up from Goa via the Radhanagari-Dajipur-Phondaghat-Kolhapur a year ago and found the road to be in pretty poor shape. I agree that its very scenic, but thats for the family members to enjoy from the back seat, my poor tailbone was crushed by the time we reached Kolhapur.

Vikram, I heartily agree with you that no road between Belgaum and Goa can be classified as excellent as of now. I guess we will have to wait for the four laning of NH4A to be completed.

I would still appreciate if anyone who has travelled recently can opine on the condition of the Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Panaji route.

Thanks and regards.

[SAHIR.KITTUR]

I would still appreciate if anyone who has travelled recently can opine on the condition of the Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Panaji route.

Thanks and regards.[/quote]

Belgaum - amboli - sawantwadi - Panjim would be a good choice.

[suniladhiya]

Originally Posted by SAHIR.KITTUR

I would still appreciate if anyone who has travelled recently can opine on the condition of the Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Panaji route.

Thanks and regards.

Belgaum - amboli - sawantwadi - Panjim would be a good choice.[/quote]


Thaks a ton Sahir. Can you please give your opinion on which would be better as between Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Panjim and NH4A in terms of the following:

(a) Road surface quality
(b) Ease of exiting from Belgaum City, the starting point for both options being Rani Chenamma Circle, for comparison purposes.

Also, the last time I travelled to Goa from Belgaum I entered the city via the first exit point from NH4 and then went under the flyover and on to Hotel Sankam before exiting the city. Is there any earlier exit which you can take from NH4 while coming from Kolhapur side, and which would take you straight on to the Amboli Road. Google maps does show this road diverging from NH4 on the right hand side while coming from Kolhapur and passing by JNMC, KLE Hospital, Peter England, CCD and reaching Rani Chennama Circle and Milan Hotel Petrol Pump, but I dont know if this can be accessed while coming from the Kolhapur side via underpass or flyover. Can you please throw some light on this aspect also.

Also, can you please tell me which would be a good petrol pump to tank up in Belgaum - would the Milan Pump serve the purpose ?

Thanks again for all your assistance

[SAHIR.KITTUR]

Sunil,
Road surface quality :- I would term both as equal. please read this http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-vacation.html I am sure you will figure out that I am the wrong person to ask about road surface quality.

Ease of exiting Bgm :- After a place called kakti, take the exit to bgm. On you right you will see the aluminium factory. You will then come below a flyover. A left at this point will take you towards bgm city. But if you take a straight here, you go towards amboli. check the " Bauxite road " on google maps.
On this road you will find a bunk on your left side just adjacent to a junction.
Hope this helps.

[suniladhiya]

Originally Posted by SAHIR.KITTUR

Sunil,
Road surface quality :- I would term both as equal. please read this http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-vacation.html I am sure you will figure out that I am the wrong person to ask about road surface quality.

Ease of exiting Bgm :- After a place called kakti, take the exit to bgm. On you right you will see the aluminium factory. You will then come below a flyover. A left at this point will take you towards bgm city. But if you take a straight here, you go towards amboli. check the " Bauxite road " on google maps.
On this road you will find a bunk on your left side just adjacent to a junction.
Hope this helps.

Thanks again Sahir, I will check out google maps for the Bauxite Road. I did go through your travelogue mentioned above - really good photos and the tailgator sunshade is truly awesome - however, since I too drive a Wagon R, I am really amazed that you use the same vehicle for off-roading ! Yes, I can appreciate that road surface quality would not matter too much to you !

[suniladhiya]

Originally Posted by SAHIR.KITTUR

Sunil,
Road surface quality :- I would term both as equal. please read this http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-vacation.html I am sure you will figure out that I am the wrong person to ask about road surface quality.

Ease of exiting Bgm :- After a place called kakti, take the exit to bgm. On you right you will see the aluminium factory. You will then come below a flyover. A left at this point will take you towards bgm city. But if you take a straight here, you go towards amboli. check the " Bauxite road " on google maps.
On this road you will find a bunk on your left side just adjacent to a junction.
Hope this helps.

Sahir, reached Goa yesterday and took the Bauxite Road after leaving NH4 at the first exit for Belgaum City.

I have posted the detailed report on this route on the following thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...hapur-goa.html

Excellent drive all the way from Belgaum to Goa - thanks a million for your advice and recommendation.

[Figopian]

Amboli ghat closed again due to heavy landslide. Will remain closed at least for a week.

[ajman28]

Hi,

We did a Tirupur - Bangalore - Goa - Bangalore recently (June 1st week). The route taken is as shown below:

http://maps.google.co.in/maps?f=d&so...8,9.876709&z=7

The whole stretch had lovely roads except for the stretches from Dharwad to NH-4A at Anmod and during the return leg from Yelapur on NH-63 to Bankapur on NH-4.

Dharwad to NH-4A through Ramnagar should be avoided completely. It's better to bye-pass the national park area as there are literally no roads in this stretch!! We opted it just to satisfy our hunger for adventure and we sure had a horrific experience on this stretch. From some scary dirt road driving to having a cracked side wall of both front and rear right wheels, we had all the fun.

The Yelapur to Bankapur stretch had bad roads but I guess this could be compensated with the scenic drive which you could have.