[champ27]

Originally Posted by BlrGuy

Avoid going via Mundgod. Though the route is scenic, the roads are bad. You can drive via Kalgathgi and Yellapur to South Goa. Or you can take the route towards Alnawar and Ramnagara and proceed towards Goa. This route is after Dharwad and you will have to watch out for a sign board that indicates the route to Panaji. This route too has decent roads (broken at a few places, but perfectly motorable). It is raining in Goa and drive safely. Have a nice trip.

Thanks for the heads up on the rains in Goa.

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

I took the Mundgod route to Goa and back during the Independence Weekend in my Honda City. I reached Goa in 8.5 hrs including a breakfast break at Apoorva Resorts and fuel stop at the BP COCO after it. The road was great throughout though very narrow, so you would need to go off the road on the left in case a bus comes, two cars can pass through side by side. Saying that it is totally empty, rarely would there be any traffic on either side. Incase you take it, make sure you fill up your tank before exiting NH4 and take your break. There wouldn't be anything available till Karwar. Saves a lot of time though.

Originally Posted by luvurride

I second this. I travelled in July. Both onward and return took this route. Onward was with a break though since we started quite late in the evening. But the return was done in 10 hours including 30 mins break at a temple, a good 60 mins for lunch at Amrut, Karwar, a dinner break at Chitradurga for 45 mins, fuel and a few convenience breaks. So the actual travel time from Varca to Whitefield was around 7- 7.5 hours.

Thanks a lot guys. Since both of you have travelled recently and confirm that road condition is good with thin traffic, although a bit narrow, guess will try this route.

[shuchi05]

Hello everyone,

First of all thanks for all your help. I think I should reciprocate with some detailed information. We went to south Goa last week. Despite the fact that everyone here suggested we take the karwar-yellapur route, my husband insisted on trying the Google Maps route while going and took the karwar route while returning. Here is our experience of both.

Route when leaving from Bangalore (CV Raman Nagar)
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/1s...15.1573147!3e0

We left at 6 AM from here, unfortunately got stuck at Yeshwantpur for a while (30 mins ). But after that it was all good. Had another slightly annoying patch at the neelamangala toll booth. Its very crowded here and the toll lanes are not clearly marked. A lot of folks ended up forming incorrect lanes and then merging with the main lines . Anyways after that it was all smooth sailing till the ghats. Tinai Ghat section was still fine but Anmod was a little scary. The ghats are quite sharp and the roads are steep and narrow. And probably on a good day they will not be that bad. But in our case it was raining quite a bit and there were some overturned trucks on the way which slowed down the traffic quite a bit. There was a lot of commercial traffic on this route, and in ghats if you get stuck behind a slow moving truck it will just kill your speed. There were many places where the roads were broken from the side but if there is a big truck coming up from the opposite direction you have no choice but to go off road. Overall road quality was pretty good, and the route was beautiful with falls all around and lots of jungle. We were carrying our own food so cannot say about any pit stops. We did however make 1 mistake that we didnt refuel before exiting AH47 at Dharwad. There were no petrol pumps on the ghats but the car did pull through and there werent any mishaps. With all this, we reached south goa (Mobor Beach) at around 6.30 PM. We were travelling with a baby so had to make a couple of pit stops on the way.

Route when returning from Goa

Route taken : https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Mo...12.9784214!3e0

We were a little apprehensive of taking the Anmod ghats again so decided to go ahead and take this route on the return journey. We left the hotel at around 11 AM and reached home at 12 AM with a 1 hour dinner break in between.
This route was pretty good too, there was hardly any commercial traffic. And since we were returning on a Monday we didnt get much holiday traffic either. In Yellapur and Mundgod we had to slow down a bit because of the village traffic. There were a lot of small villages on the way which killed our speed. One more thing to note here is that when you exit from Bankapur onto NH48, you have to pay the toll for the road you did not use. The amount is small so it doesnt matter, but I saw a few folks arguing with the booth guys for this so thought I should mention it. .

Between the 2 routes, in both cases the roads are very good (even the internal ones). I am not sure which would be a "better" route. I think both are good in their own ways. In case of Anmod if there are no blockages on the road, it would be pretty smooth till the end. In case of the Karwar route, the villages do break your speed. In route 1, the ghats are pretty steep whereas in route 2, the ghat road was wide and gentle. Yes, in case of route 1, on entering Goa, there were some really bad patches of the road but I think that is because the roads were under construction. We did not face any such issues on exiting Goa from Cancona.

I hope the above information helps someone get a clear understanding of the roads.

[Kartik Kumar]

Hello everyone, I'm planning to visit South Goa towards the end of September from Bangalore and was wondering about the route to use. I found there are many

1. Bangalore - Hubli - Dharwad bypass - Mollem - South Goa
2. Bangalore - Hubli - Dandeli - Joida - north of Karwar - Polem - South Goa
3. Via Chorla
4. Via Amboli
5. Bangalore - Mundgod - Yellapur - Karwar - South Goa

3 and 4 are ruled out as I'm going to South Goa and they would be too long. 1 is the best or so I have read here but am interested in route conditions for route 2 listed above. Are the roads good on that route? I could try route 5 also but would love to travel through the Kali Tiger Reserve due to scenic beauty.

Any thoughts on route 2? This is only for the onward journey. On the return I'm planning to stay near Joida so I may need to use 2 anyway or travel via route 1 to get to Joida if route 2 is not good.

[SAPVEN]

Hi Friends,

Am also planning to drive down to Goa with family, by the end of this month. Since this is
the first time to Goa for me, would like some feedback as to the most
convenient route to take , in terms of :

1. Transit speed (from North Bangalore )- approximate driving time.
OR
2. Best road conditions
OR
3. Scenic alternative

I am planning to start early morning , so Option-3 also is a factor to be
considered.

Would also like to know if there is a good route via Castle Rock (or the
point of detour ) .

Thanks ,

[meetbadri]

I have plans to visit North Goa on 21st of this month. I am currently planning to take the Chorla Route to reach Vagator where my stay has been booked. I just wanted to know if there is anything to worry on this route. I am planning to leave Bangalore by 4:00 AM and reach Hubli by 10:00 so that I can visit one of my relatives house and start from Hubli by 3:00 PM. Is there anything to worry about on the road safety as I will be driving with 2 kids.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by shuchi05

Hello everyone,

First of all thanks for all your help. I think I should reciprocate with some detailed information. We went to south Goa last week. Despite the fact that everyone here suggested we take the karwar-yellapur route, my husband insisted on trying the Google Maps route while going and took the karwar route while returning. Here is our experience of both

Thanks a lot for sharing the details. Looks like the Dharwad-Londa stretch is done up now - used to be a nightmare earlier in terms of road quality.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by SAPVEN

Am also planning to drive down to Goa with family, by the end of this month.

1. I would always prefer Anmod as the default choice since it is the fastest, has best roads and moderately scenic. Since I have nothing to "enjoy" at Goa (being a Goan ) this is the best route for me. This is the only road where you spend maximum time on NH. Tumkur-Hubli-Dharwad Bypass-Anmod-Mollem(drive time 9-10 hours)

2. Coming to your point 3, the most scenic route is I think via Tumkur, Shimoga, Jog Falls, Honnavar, Karwar and then entry into south Goa. I found this to be very nice with Sharavati river view and very less traffic on ghat road. Only concern I have is on the time it takes. I took this route 4-5 years ago and that time roads were not very good adding to more time. This is the road where you spend minimum time on NH. (drive time 12-13 hours)

3. Another option is via Tumkur-Haveri-Sirsi-Kumta-Karwar and in south Goa, not so scenic via Devimane ghat but ghat is good with a lot of concrete sections. Again have not tried this route for last 2 years. (drive time 11-12 hours)

4. Next option is via Tumkur-Hubli-Ankola-Karwar and entry in south Goa. This is again moderately scenic. (drive time 10-11 hours), traveled 2 week ago in a VRL bus

5. And the Chorla ghat for north Goa, never tried.

I hope this information helps.

[Highh5]

Multiple route suggestions on this forum for Goa. Will be visiting North Goa(Arpora) on 29 Sept weekend.

What I processed through all the available info is the below mentioned route:

Indiranagar(Bangalore) - Yeshwanthpur - Tumkur - Davangere - Hubballi - Dharwad - Mollem - Ponda - Panjim - Arpora.

Another naive question: Which section of the road is referred as Chorla Ghat section

As I googled the ghat section falls on a different route but many has suggested to go through the Chorla Ghat section in order to reach North Goa fast IIRC.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Highh5

but many has suggested to go through the Chorla Ghat section in order to reach North Goa fast IIRC.

In reality, ever since Chorla ghats were repaired and roads became fully good to drive (2013-14), It has been the primary choice to reach any North Goan destinations.

At the same time, the Mollem (Anmod Ghat) route was in bad shape on consistent basis and hence this was never recommended till this also became ready to drive somewhere in the year 2015.

While these 2 routes existed, the usual favorite was still Hubli - Kalhatgi - Yellapura - Ankola - Karwar mainly because out of these 3, this one remained in good shape most of the times.

Now to answer your question -

• Chorla ideally makes senses to reach North Goa
  
• The usual route also takes you through Belgaum which is a good location to take a break
  
• You need not negotiate too much local traffic to reach North Goa through Chorla as opposed to any other routes
  
• Traffic in general in the ghats itself is less but the ghats here are narrower and more twisty compared to Anmod or Yellapura route

The Anmod option will take you to North Goa via Ponda. This route is also good and helps you avoid navigating through Belgaum city from east to west in case of Chorla. Although options do exist to avoid Belgaum completely by taking other alternatives and still take Chorla, it may confuse first timers and then the lack of facilities enroute.

Bottomline - Take Chorla

[samm]

Originally Posted by shuchi05

Tinai Ghat section was still fine but Anmod was a little scary. The ghats are quite sharp and the roads are steep and narrow. And probably on a good day they will not be that bad. But in our case it was raining quite a bit and there were some overturned trucks on the way which slowed down the traffic quite a bit. There was a lot of commercial traffic on this route, and in ghats if you get stuck behind a slow moving truck it will just kill your speed. There were many places where the roads were broken from the side but if there is a big truck coming up from the opposite direction you have no choice but to go off road. Overall road quality was pretty good, and the route was beautiful with falls all around and lots of jungle.

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

1. I would always prefer Anmod as the default choice since it is the fastest, has best roads and moderately scenic. Since I have nothing to "enjoy" at Goa (being a Goan ) this is the best route for me. This is the only road where you spend maximum time on NH. Tumkur-Hubli-Dharwad Bypass-Anmod-Mollem(drive time 9-10 hours)

Thanks a ton! We've been scratching our heads to figure out what will be the fastest way to reach Goa. We will be starting from Domlur, Bangalore around 9AM, so we don't have the early morning advantage. I guess the suggestion is to take Tumkur-Hubli-Dharwad-Anmod-Mollem, correct? And the road conditions are good, except for some narrow stretches and patchy sections? Any other road conditions or diversions to keep in mind? Or just follow Google? Just to add, we are aiming to stay near Vagator/Baga beaches.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

In reality, ever since Chorla ghats were repaired and roads became fully good to drive (2013-14), It has been the primary choice to reach any North Goan destinations.

At the same time, the Mollem (Anmod Ghat) route was in bad shape on consistent basis and hence this was never recommended till this also became ready to drive somewhere in the year 2015.

The Anmod option will take you to North Goa via Ponda. This route is also good and helps you avoid navigating through Belgaum city from east to west in case of Chorla. Although options do exist to avoid Belgaum completely by taking other alternatives and still take Chorla, it may confuse first timers and then the lack of facilities enroute.

Bottomline - Take Chorla

Thank you for the details, but then I'm confused a little. We are planning to stay near Vagator/Baga beaches, so I guess we should take Anmod-Mollem route? Also, I am thoroughly confused on which areas constitute South Goa and North Goa.

[shuchi05]

Originally Posted by samm

Thanks a ton! We've been scratching our heads to figure out what will be the fastest way to reach Goa. We will be starting from Domlur, Bangalore around 9AM, so we don't have the early morning advantage. I guess the suggestion is to take Tumkur-Hubli-Dharwad-Anmod-Mollem, correct? And the road conditions are good, except for some narrow stretches and patchy sections? Any other road conditions or diversions to keep in mind? Or just follow Google? Just to add, we are aiming to stay near Vagator/Baga beaches.



Thank you for the details, but then I'm confused a little. We are planning to stay near Vagator/Baga beaches, so I guess we should take Anmod-Mollem route? Also, I am thoroughly confused on which areas constitute South Goa and North Goa.

You will be going to North Goa. And Chorla route is different than the Anmod-Mollem route. I have not used the Chorla route. You can add Chorla as a stop and then add your final destination and you will get the route map. Looks like everyone is suggesting the Chorla route for North Goa you should go ahead and take that.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by samm

Thank you for the details, but then I'm confused a little. We are planning to stay near Vagator/Baga beaches, so I guess we should take Anmod-Mollem route? Also, I am thoroughly confused on which areas constitute South Goa and North Goa.

Via Chorla: https://goo.gl/maps/bJ5SfrdxT7P2

Via Anmod: https://goo.gl/maps/63cBppF9vEH2

Difference in distance between both routes is hardly 15-20 kms (in favour of Anmod route), so that way not a big deal. However, if you use the Anmod route, you will have to cross Old Goa and Panjim, which increases the probability of getting stuck in traffic. I would recommend the Chorla route just for this single reason.

Cheers,
Vikram

[ankan.m.blr]

I visited South Goa for a 'one night trip' last weekend. Started from Bangalore at 1-00 AM Saturday and reached Palolem beach at 1-00 PM. Route taken: Bangalore - Chitradurga- Bankapur - Yellapur - Ankola - Karwar- Palolem. Enjoyed in a shack till late evening and returned to Karwar for night-stay (and yummy seafood at Amrut Hotel). Sunday morning started from Karwar at 8-00 AM and was at home by 7-00 PM. The Bankapur-Yellapur stretch is in good condition. Lush green forests with sparse vehicular traffic. Spotted a peacock while returning. A few videos from my dashcam while on my way back (excuse the quality please; try to play in 720p):

1. Just before Arbail ghats :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjeAXsJCxNs

2. The beautiful Bankapur - Yellapur road :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq9soG_4VAc

3. Excellent NH48 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoTZBN2wSoc

[NPV]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

Started from Bangalore at 1-00 AM Saturday and reached Palolem beach at 1-00 PM. Route taken: Bangalore - Chitradurga- Bankapur - Yellapur - Ankola - Karwar- Palolem.

Thanks for this update.
Can you share the details of any breaks you took enroute ? Trying to find out how much time to estimate for this drive.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by NPV

Thanks for this update.
Can you share the details of any breaks you took enroute ? Trying to find out how much time to estimate for this drive.

Takes around 10-11 hours to Palolem via Karwar route with sedate driving and breaks. Ideal place to break will be Kamat before Hubli. After this the next option is Kamat at Ankola. I know there is an OK place between Hubli and Ankola but don't recollect that well.

To reach Kamat at Ankola you need to drive 2kms towards Mangalore once you hit the erstwhile NH17. This is also attached to CCD and IOCL.

Another option to reach Yellapura will be via Bankapura Mungod option which is definitely going to be scenic, sans traffic and time saving too. Since I learnt from you that you are not going with family, this is a nice route to explore.

You can find latest details on this route few pages back itself.