[RandomExplorer]

Would love to hear from both 4wheeldrive and TaurusAI on their respective drives to Goa on Aug 11th and 13th esp. on the final route taken and the condition of the roads, any specific guidance on routes to be avoided and any particular likeable pit stop(s).

[aa1997]

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

Just a suggestion in addition to what @TROOPER has mentioned; take the alternative route to Mangaon i.e. Mumbai-Khalapur(Khopoli Exit on expressway)-Pali-Nizampur-Mangaon. Road conditions are excellent throughout this stretch.

Thanks for the recent suggestions.

Took this road on the 11th of August and the drive was very enjoyable. One of the best drives I have had with a little of everything, winding cement highways, multiple curvy ghats with smooth tarmac, some ugly construction bits as well but overall it’s an excellent road trip. Trip Time was 11:15 hrs from Dahisar to Candolim.

1.Mumbai - Imagica - Pali -> Excellent
2.Pali - Nagothane- Mangaon -> The worst bit with lot of diversions and craters. Missed the Pali-Nizampur-Mangaon turn.
3. Mangaon-Mahad-Khed-Chiplun-Sanghameshwar -> Slightly slow, smooth roads and scenic. Also Kashedi tunnel entry was closed so took the ghat section.
4. Sanghameshwar-Devrukh-Sakharpa-Watul -> Mostly double roads with ghats, smooth Tarmac
5. Watul-Oni-Goa -> Last 180kms stretch is excellent, can carry good average speeds. Scenic, Yes!

With Kashedi ghat open and taking the Nizampur road till Mangaon, estimate atleast 30mins could be saved. Thinking to try the BLR-PUN highway on return, any suggestions?

Mileage -Kushaq 1.0 TSI MT ~17KMPL

[4wheeldrive]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

Cant really predict these things. Ill suggest keep a watch on news especially Marathi news channels for any updates that they may mention with regards to flooding, landslide etc before leaving a day in advance. As of today, both roads are fine.

Amenities persepective wise, both roads have decent stopping options along the way if you plan your stops well and know where to halt.

Try and avoid Panvel to Nagothane and you will be fine. Try the Imagica road till Pali to NH 66. Even the Fortuner will be a pain to drive as the road is in pathetic condition.

Chiplun to Goa is fairly good except for a bad patch closer to Sangameshwar. This is about 30 to 45 kms Approximately. The patch is such that there are giant potholes which can be avoided in some cases if you carefully and slowly navigate around them.

Do update on Sunday evening sipping your poison as ill be leaving from Mumbai on the 13th and your message will help me to gear up for the drive, Cheers in advance

Sorry for the delayed post. Goa got to me!

I left Parel at 0410 and Google showed an ETA of 1530 at Benaulim. I pulled in at 1356 😈

Route and comments by segment:

1. Atal Setu - Kharpada
Road is ok from the end of Atal Setu to Kharpada but has a lot of unmarked speed breakers so annoying.

2. kharpada to Nagothane
Crap road. Forgettable.

3 Nagothane to Mahad
Slightly better but still forgettable

4 Mahad to Chiplun via Kashedi tunnel
Good road and easy to hold 90-100kph

5 Chiplun to Sangameshwar
Brought back memories of driving on this road 20 years ago! Hit great weather here too - overcast but no rain and did good time.

6 Sangameshwar - Devrukh - Sakharpa- Rajapur
Single carriageway but not a single pothole except for a brief construction zone. I wished I had my GT TSI on this stretch! Best of all - the speed breakers are these tiny singles that you can roll over doing 60 (if you have 255 size tyres like I did!) I would say this was the best segment of the drive from a driver’s standpoint. It has curves, some inclines and some quick stretches.

7 Rajapur to Banda
Go baby go!

8 Banda to Porvorim
2-3 km is uneven but the rest is smooth. Watch for Smokey as you cross the border. They catch you for going over 50 kph and will threaten you with a 2000 fine and a 6 month license suspension.

9 Porvorim to Benaulim
Kick back, let the Goa air in and cruise at 60. Not much else you can do with all the traffic.

My timing for those interested. Did 2 stops of 10 mins each for my dog and me to take bio breaks and a 20 min meal stop before Sangameshwar. Also a 15 min Smokey meeting after Banda:

4:10 am departure
6:00 Kolad
7:00 Mahad
7:30 Natunagar
8:10 Chiplun
9:05 Sangameshwar
10:49 Rajapur
11:26 Kankavli
11:49 Kudal
12:10 Banda
13:56 Benaulim

[Roan J]

Hi guys, looking for some advice for a solo car drive I plan to Goa (from Delhi) and back in early September. I had done the Konkan coastal road in October 2023 and this time, I want to use some different routes. On the route, I am tentatively planning to first reach Nashik, then Atal Setu-NH66- a brief diversion from Oni to Anuskura Ghat and getting back to NH 66 through Pachal, Nanivade, Tithavle and Kharepatan. For the return from Goa, I would like to go through Amboli Ghat and then straight to Pune (and then onto Indore, Agra and Delhi). How would the weather be in these parts of Maharashtra and any good places to this route which should not be missed. Also would like to soak in the local Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. Welcome any feedback and thoughts. Thank you.

[Gizmowizard]

Hi 4wheeldrive.

Thanks for the update. I plan to take this route early Sept - To avoid being in Mumbai during the noise of the Ganesh festival.

What doe you rate "forgettable" as? is it that the road is bad to forget this route or passable?

Did you get back the same route?

[Gizmowizard]

Hi. Have you decided which route to take? I plan to do the same trip around 4 th Sept. with a stopover at Goa.

[Exile]

During the 15th Aug long weekend we travelled to Candolim from Powai and back. We decided to try the below route from suggestions in above posts and also since we wanted to avoid any potential traffic due to the long weekend rush near the Lonavala ghat sections.

Route taken:
Mumbai-Satara highway > Mum-Pune > Exit towards Pali after Khalapur toll > Pali > Nizampur > Mangaon > NH66 > SH107 after Sangameswar > Devrukh > Right turn on NH166 from Sakharpa > Left onto Dabhole-Vilawade-Oni Road > NH66 till Goa.

Distance:568 kms
Travel time: 10.5 hrs including breakfast and stretch/washroom breaks.

Return route was the same with a detour via Trans Harbour Link to enter Mumbai. Distance was 580kms with the same travel time including breakfast and lunch breaks.

Onwards journey


Return journey - when I knew the pothole and speed breaker locations, also took a detour using Trans Harbour link to avoid Vashi toll traffic.


The connecting highways from Khalapur toll exit to Mangaon are dreamy to drive on. Specially when it rains. Bear in mind these are single lane roads and just enough for a 2 buses to pass, so not very wide with run offs. Also there are cows chilling on the roads, hence, please be careful. The roads tempt you to take the corners hard, but only if visibility and the vehicle permits.

Some pictures from this section







Enjoyed these roads way too much to stop for photos.

As you progress, some under construction patches with stone chips layered on the road come up on NH66 after Mangaon and remain till a little after Indapur. There are some iffy diversions on and off, and speed breakers on the service roads under the unfinished flyovers. Similar story on the approach and exit from the Kashedi ghat tunnel.

NH66 nearing Sangameswar also sees many diversions and the state highway is a god send at this point. The SH roads are beautiful, twisting and turning with good surfacing. There are some speed breakers in the town areas, so please be alert and careful.

Leaving you with pictures from this section











Oni onwards the roads are more or less great, with some diversions and single lane areas. Again, in the ghat sections there are sudden speed breakers, some are hard to spot.

For people wondering if low GC sedans will scrape, in my 330i I took the bad patches with utmost care and the car didn’t scrape once, thankfully .
This route gave me a great mix of fast highways and beautiful narrow twisting state highways and ghats and it kept me engaged. I got a flavour of everything on this route and it was very scenic. Traffic for now is sparse and makes for an enjoyable yet relaxing drive. Stayed within 100 kmph throughout, didn’t want to be caught unawares by some pothole or speed breaker. Could’ve done without the bad patches of course which I feel will cause me to age much faster in this car .
Note: Food joints are very few on this route as of now. Some places after Lonere, and near ONI and some of the other bigger towns.

Also, Goa police really enforce speed limits no matter how unreasonably low(60-70) it might be in some parts of Nh 66 in Goa. Best to respect that, though most vehicles were flying by me, so maybe they only enforce it on the Bangalore side exits.

[blitzkrieg]

Those looking for information about road condition of NH66 - I did the drive at the beginning of July. Before the heavy monsoon rains had arrived. Was finally able to upload the video now.

Here's a link to view the entire drive from Goa to Mumbai via NH66 Goa Panvel highway. Fair warning - it is 8hrs 40min long

https://youtu.be/ej29oTMzE2A

[blackbirdnrd]

Originally Posted by Exile

.

Route taken:
Mumbai-Satara highway > Mum-Pune > Exit towards Pali after Khalapur toll > Pali > Nizampur > Mangaon > NH66 > SH107 after Sangameswar.

[.

How safe is this route. Was planning on doing this route since Anuskura is closed but was advised against it by a friend citing safety issues.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by blackbirdnrd

How safe is this route. Was planning on doing this route since Anuskura is closed but was advised against it by a friend citing safety issues.

Seemed absolutely fine to be honest. Personally I didn’t face any difficulties and there were other cars, buses and trucks on this route too, though traffic was sparse. The too cool for school cows were the only surprise on the route. Also as I mentioned, the route connecting Mum-Satara Hwy and NH66 has many blind turns on the ghats, stick to your lane and take the turns at a reasonable pace, shouldn’t be an issue. Would be good to hear what you’ve heard though.

[RM Motorsports]

Chief minister Eknath Shinde, who reviewed pending work on Mumbai-Goa Highway on Monday, ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, directed the Raigad superintendent of police to file a culpable homicide (not amounting to murder) case against the previous contractors who had left the work unfinished and the highway in a poor state.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../112824178.cms

[Darkcloud]

A friend and I did a Mumbai - Goa - Mumbai run on a BMW R1200 GSA and a Triumph Tiger 1200.

Mumbai to Goa - We took the Mumbai Goa highway throughout and what a disastrous road it is upto Mahad! It was raining and the roads were full of slush and invisible potholes. To add to this there are trucks moving at slow pace and holding up traffic.
Post Mahad the road improves but then we reached Kashedi ghat which is another mess. The tunnel was closed and cops were diverting traffic to the ghat that has potholes and loose gravel all along. It's. Its very slow going especially in the rains.

We avoided the Pali-Lanja stretch and otherwise the road is acceptable beyond Mahad.

As we had some work at Nipani we took the Amboli ghat route to Kolhapur. Roads are ok till Kolhapur.
Before Karad we faced the infamous Karad jam. The usual 45mins - 1hr ride from Kolhapur to Kolkata took 2 hrs as the jam stretched for almost 10 kms before Karad city.
We were unable to use the road shoulder as our bikes were loaded with side panniers and we didn’t want to risk getting stuck on the shoulder and holding up all those local bikers.
The jam was so exhausting we decided to break the journey and stayed at a hotel in Satara.
Next day we returned to Mumbai via Pune.

The mess that both these highways have become is heartbreaking. Going to Goa by car or bike is now an adventure in itself.

[TaurusAl]

Did a Mum-Goa-Mum on 13th August and again doing it on 3rd September.

Lessons from last trip and road updates -

This time will take the Pali > Nizampur > Mangaon route to NH66. But this road is very narrow near the Pali Ganapati Temple and best to be taken at odd hours, like morning 5 or 6 am.

Last time got on NH 66 at Pali and the road is horrible. Authorities have opted for a temporary solution of laying paver blocks which can be even more hazardous especially to bikers.

While coming I did this stretch after dark and almost drove blind due to rains and zero street lights and headlights from upcoming traffic.

The take away is I shall do this stretch in day light. The stretch I am mentioning here is from Mangaon to Mahad. Even where the roads are better closer to Mahad, it is narrow and headlights blind you and there is a chance of missing a sudden diversion which are plenty and not very well marked.

Sangameswar - Devrukh - Sakharpa is best route to take and avoid Sangmeshwar stretch till Rajapur on NH66. This is for travellers who are going beyond Rajapur - South Konkan and Goa for Ganesh Chathurthi.

While going I reached Goa border in 9 hours. Started at 3.00 Am and was at Goa border at 12.00 Pm. Driving solo with 2 chai breaks in an XUV 500.

While coming I started at 2.30 pm and reached Mumbai at 1 am with a dinner break of half n hour.

[BertieWoosert]

I am planning to drive down to Goa (Uttorda) from Mumbai in a couple of weeks. I intend to take the NH 66 for the onward journey, as we will be spending a day or so near Dapoli to visit a few attractions there. I will be traveling with family and we are planning a relaxed drive, so will need to be realistic about drive times and will definitely look to avoid driving at night on and around NH-66 given everything that members have reported here. I had three questions and would much appreciate any help.

Firstly, we can start only at 1.30 pm or so from Mumbai (western suburbs) on a weekday, so I don’t think I will be able to reach Dapoli in time for our night stay (Google maps estimate is 6 hours, so my estimated duration would be 8 hours or so with stops). So, my plan was to drive down as much as possible towards Dapoli, halt at a basic hotel overnight and pick up sightseeing the next day. Looking at the key towns along the way however, I am unable to see a lot of decent family accommodation options for our stay. Mahad seems to be the most realistic target, so I wanted to check if folks here have any idea of whether I can find some decent options here. I am not looking for fancy resort type places, just looking for a clean and hygienic overnight pit-stop.

Secondly, it seems the preferred route is Mumbai – Imagicaa – Pali rather than Mumbai - Panvel – Vadkhal – Nagothane - Pali, so I intend to take that. Further, I have read a few members recommending the Pali – Nizampur – Mangaon route rather than Pali – NH66 – Kolad – Mangaon route. Is that primarily due to the bad condition of NH66 in these parts? It seems the Nizampur stretch has a few narrow sections – is that a concern from a traffic perspective? I will probably be covering this section late afternoon (around 4-5 pm).

Lastly, while returning from Goa, I am considering returning via Karad/Satara rather than NH-66 again. I am keen to try the Anuskura ghat as I have read plenty of travelogues recommending it. What I also read though is that it is quite steep, narrow and winding. So, from a steep and narrow perspective, is it extraordinarily challenging? (For context, I have 10+ years of driving experience). And from a winding road perspective, would it be so bad for motion sickness (my kids are prone to it), that I should consider skipping it and taking either Amba ghat or Kumbharli ghat? Of course, the likely scenario is that they will get it, whichever ghat i choose

Open to any suggestions here as well.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

[MileCruncher]

I did Panjim - Mumbai (Parel) via NH66 on a Tiger 800 on 31st August. Details here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5834305 (Urge to return to biking after 2 years | Buy or rent a bike? EDIT: A used Tiger 800 comes home)

That is not suitable for sedan / low GC vehicles beyond Oni / Watul on Goa side and Pen on Mumbai side. And the road is nowhere near ready. May be atleast 2-3 years away from completion. I did Kashedi tunnel and the bridge immediately at the exit is not ready. You have to do a detour thru under the bridge which hatchback / sedans will have difficulty in doing. There are many such sections like this.

This road is not for the one in a hurry or the fainthearted!