[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by Sportsmind

return will be leaving Goa by 6a.m.

I had travelled to Goa (Candolim) couple of weeks back taking Belgaum - Jamboti - Chorla - Mapusa route for onward and Candolim - Panaji - NH4A - Chorla - Jamboti - Belgaum route for return.

Road conditions are good through out, though inside Goa (Candolim / Baga etc) roads are bit patchy.

It took us around 3.30 hours for Belgaum - Candolim. So with a 6.00 AM start you can reach Belgaum by 09.30 AM.

Food options :
Belgaum - Sankam residency
Dharwad bye-pass end : Kamat along with IOC COCO
Rannebannur Kamat along with Reliance A1 plaza, it is on the right side when returning from Goa. Wrongly mapped in Google Maps as on left side.
Sira Kamat along with BP COCO

There was report few posts back that old Goa - NH 4A route may be blocked due to festival at Basilica. Not sure of the current condition, however it may be better to take Mapusa route from Chorla if that is the case still.

[asinghal]

Any recent update on the condition of Bankapur-Yellapur section. I understand around 5-10 Km is bad and rest is 1-1.5 lane forest road. I have taken the usual Hubli-Yellapur-Ankola road earlier and understand the time taken is the same. This time, I am traveling in Pajero sport so slightly bad roads is not much of an issue.

[manasm]

Hi all,

I plan to drive to Goa (stay at Candolim) from Bangalore on the 24th of Dec. The plan is to leave Bangalore and stay somewhere on the way and reach our destination on 25th Dec.

With the St Francis event going on would like to avoid as much traffic as possible.

Please suggest the most scenic route to follow with choices of overnight stay along the way. Would like something soon so we can book our on-route stay asap. Somewhere in the wilderness or on the beach would be good.

Thanks in advance.

Manas

[GOTJ]

We did a recent trip from Bangalore to Goa. Providing a latest update.

Route taken was ITPL Road - Outer Ring Road - Nelmangala - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Hubli - Belgaum - Amboli - Sawantwadi - Mapusa.

Total distance about 675 kms covered in about 10 hrs include a 2-3 breaks for breakfast, lunch & fuelling.

The highway till Belgaum is a breeze, can be covered in 6 hrs (excluding breaks). Belgaum to Mapusa took about 3 hrs ( excluding breaks)
Belgaum to Amboli road has a few potholes towards the Amboli end. But travel is literally zero.
Amboli to Sawantwadi road is potholed and takes a little longer, but again traffic is literally nil.
Sawantwadi to Mapusa is perfect.

Eatery update - There is a new coffee day at Shiggaon (40kms before Hubli) on the highway that's perfect for breakfast stopover. Sankum Residency at Belgaum is perfect for early lunch.

Maharastra police stop vehicles to check for documents, especially Pollution certificate. You will be fined 200-300/- if you don't have a pollution certificate.

[subbu567]

Friends

Driving on 18th from Bangalore and returning on 23 rd.Return journey will essentially be via Karwar ankola hubli as I will be starting from Utorda in South Goa.Need advice for onward journey between,as I will need to reach candolim

1.......Dharward bypass-Alnavar-ramnagar-molem-ponda

2.Belgaum-khanapur-ramnagar.....

3.Belgaum-Sawantwadi-Amboli-mapusa....

I have taken the Karwar-Hubli, first and second routes several times while have not driven through amboli-(chorla ghats-is it same as amboli ghats?)

Kind of a mental block against the third one as I read about some land slides etc there.(Of Course during monsoon times)...Kindly advise on the current road conditions+any other tips and also update about the festival in Old Goa stretch.
Thanks
Subbu

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by manasm

With the St Francis event going on would like to avoid as much traffic as possible.
Somewhere in the wilderness or on the beach would be good.

The Basilica function related traffic restriction is around Old Goa area as per earlier posts. This should not be an issue if you are taking Belgaum - Mapusa route as in Google map link shared below.

Regarding overnight stay, unless you take Karwar route you will not be anywhere near the beach. I have seen suggestions of Clarks hotel at Hubli as overnight stay options, not stayed hence can not comment on other aspects.

Originally Posted by subbu567

2.Belgaum-khanapur-ramnagar.....

3.Belgaum-Sawantwadi-Amboli-mapusa....

Kind of a mental block against the third one as I read about some land slides etc there.(Of Course during monsoon times)...Kindly advise on the current road conditions+any other tips and also update about the festival in Old Goa

Chorla Ghat and Amboli Ghat routes are different ones, when driving from Bangalore - Candolim Chrolaroute will be the easier.

Once you reach Goa for the last leg you from Sanquelim - Candolim you can take the route as mentioned in link above or take this route. However due to festival at Basilica in Old Goa traffic restriction was reported in that strech.

[Arka]

Originally Posted by subbu567

Friends

Driving on 18th from Bangalore and returning on 23 rd.Return journey will essentially be via Karwar ankola hubli as I will be starting from Utorda in South Goa.Need advice for onward journey between,as I will need to reach candolim

1.......Dharward bypass-Alnavar-ramnagar-molem-ponda

2.Belgaum-khanapur-ramnagar.....

3.Belgaum-Sawantwadi-Amboli-mapusa....

I have taken the Karwar-Hubli, first and second routes several times while have not driven through amboli-(chorla ghats-is it same as amboli ghats?)

Kind of a mental block against the third one as I read about some land slides etc there.(Of Course during monsoon times)...Kindly advise on the current road conditions+any other tips and also update about the festival in Old Goa stretch.
Thanks
Subbu

Subbu, here are some recollections from a trip in May 14. I went thru the Chorla route on my way to Calangute primarily because I was coming from Pune. The route I took is Belgaum-Piranwadi-Jamboti-Kankumbi-Chorla-Sanquelim-Bicholim-Tivim-Mapusa-Calangute. On my way back to Bangalore I took the Karwar-Yellapur route. If you ask me to choose between these two routes, to and from Bangalore, I would always choose the Hubli-Yellapur route over the Belgaum-Chorla route, primarily due to the condition of road. I remember that the downhill stretch after Chorla (as one gets closer to the Wildernest Nature Resort) degrades and there is a quite a significant stretch of broken tarmac until you reach the plains near Querim. Also, the road becomes quite narrow when it meanders thru some of the villages like Querim and Poriem and slows one down. No such issues with the Karwar route. I have not done the other routes that you mentioned. So can't comment on them. Hope this helps.

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

My cousins would like to drive from Goa to Hampi.
Any suggestions for the best route would be most welcome.
From what I have seen on Google maps the shortest route is Goa - Londa - Dharwar (NH4a/SH34) - Annigeri - Hulkoti - Koppal - Hospete - Hampi (all on NH63).
Please advise on the road conditions and how long this trip is likely to take.
Google Maps say 6 hrs 30 mins but I doubt that.
Any suggestions for restaurants? Good hotel in Hampi?

Thanks a lot.

Regards,
SS

[deadguy25]

Hi Team,

Please suggest the best route to "Thondwaddo, Betalbatim Salcete, Goa" from Bangalore.

The plan is to leave on 22nd (December) from Bangalore, spend a night at Hubli\Dharwad and then leave for Goa the next morning - only because the check-in time is at noon on the 23rd.

Starting back from Goa on the 25th and drive straight to Bangalore.

I will be driving the fluidic Verna - 2011 - yes, the one with very delicate suspension. :(

Please suggest a route with the best possible roads.

Thanks a ton.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by deadguy25

Please suggest a route with the best possible roads.

Thondwaddo, Betalbatim Salcete - South Goa it is. So you are better of with the following 2 options.

1. Bangalore-Hubli-Yellapura-Karwar-Thondwaddo, Betalbatim Salcete
   
2. Bangalore-Shivamogga-Sagara-Siddapura-Yellapura-Ankola-Karwar-Thondwaddo, Betalbatim Salcete

The benefit of the first route is that it will touch Hubli-Dharwad where you have good options for halting for the night and it is a dual carriageway road with a median, all the way, barring 25+ kms of Hubli-Dharwad Bypass.

[deadguy25]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Thondwaddo, Betalbatim Salcete - South Goa it is. So you are better of with the following 2 options.

1. Bangalore-Hubli-Yellapura-Karwar-Thondwaddo, Betalbatim Salcete
   
2. Bangalore-Shivamogga-Sagara-Siddapura-Yellapura-Ankola-Karwar-Thondwaddo, Betalbatim Salcete

The benefit of the first route is that it will touch Hubli-Dharwad where you have good options for halting for the night and it is a dual carriageway road with a median, all the way, barring 25+ kms of Hubli-Dharwad Bypass.

Will take the first option then.
Thank you.

[ManuMacher]

Hi,

Can any one elaborate on the road condition for

1) Bangalore - Tumkur - Arsikere - Simoga - Jog Falls - Karwar - South Goa

2) South Goa - Mollem - Anmod - Dharwad / Hubli - Bangalore

Also important stops in this route , do's and dont's and alternate routes with reasons to reach south Goa from Bangalore.

[alstonlobo]

Back from a South Goa trip two days back. A quick review on the route taken and road condition. For both routes we started driving in the morning, took few breaks and ended up at our destination in average 14hrs. Our ride was a 2004 Indica with 3 adults and my 2 year old daughter, car loaded to the core with luggage including the overhead carrier.

Route taken Bangalore - Goa

Nelamangala - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Ranebennur - Haveri - Hubli - Honnapur - Molem - Colva

• Great for reaching Goa quickly, no twists and turns. Overall butter smooth roads except for a bad patch on the forest/ghat route while approaching Goa border.
• Umpteen tolls - ended up paying a total of Rs. 805 including Goa entry fee.
• Except for the usual Kamat Upachar at petrol pumps, not many good options for food on this stretch. We packed our breakfast, lunch and even tea!
• If you have kids travelling along with you during the day, don't miss the Aadu Malleswara Zoo and children's park on this stretch in Chitradurga. We stumbled across this zoo as we stopped for a quick break right adjacent to its rear gate. Lots of birds, black bucks etc to see here.

Route taken Goa - Bangalore

Colva - Karwar - Ankola - Yellapur - Mundgod - Bankapur - Ranebennur - Chitradurga - Tumkur - Nelamangala

• We took this route to avoid most of the tolls.
• Yellapur - Bankapur stretch is very scenic. Lots of twists and turns here as a major chunk of the road would be in a forest area. You'd get to see primates almost everywhere in this forest area. There is an upcoming road somewhere between Mundgod and Bankapur, avoid it if your car cant handle mud roads.
• Don't miss spotting the Gaden Jangtse Thoesam Norling Monastery in Mundgod. Its huge!
• Again packed meals for this route.

Note: We did not have any issues at the checkpost before Karwar since my wife was driving

[asinghal]

Originally Posted by alstonlobo

Colva - Karwar - Ankola - Yellapur - Mundgod - Bankapur - Ranebennur - Chitradurga - Tumkur - Nelamangala
[*]Yellapur - Bankapur stretch is very scenic. Lots of twists and turns here as a major chunk of the road would be in a forest area. You'd get to see primates almost everywhere in this forest area. There is an upcoming road somewhere between Mundgod and Bankapur, avoid it if your car cant handle mud roads.

How bad was the Yellapur-Bankapur stretch. How much of it bad stretch vs just a narrow forest road?

[alstonlobo]

Originally Posted by asinghal

How bad was the Yellapur-Bankapur stretch. How much of it bad stretch vs just a narrow forest road?

The forest road is smooth enough but is very curvy so you cant drive fast here but the view would compensate for the speed. The 'bad stretch' which I mentioned as the upcoming road in my previous post is a 1-2km of flat/levelled mud road with Jelly stones. It looks like a wide 2 lane road where only one lane is currently motorable. There was a water tanker in front of us curing the entire stretch and settling the loose dust. You do not have to cover this entire mud road, there is a deviation next to it at some point which leads to Bankapur but if you are driving on this mud road, you would need to maintain a speed of 10-20kmph for 5 minutes which went down well with the Indica since the suspension was rugged.