[red.devil_19]

Did a Bangalore - Goa - Bangalore trip between 14-Jun and 18-Jun, with my family. Have been to Goa thrice before but this is the first time I drove down from Bangalore. Took the Anmod route. I must say the roads are fabulous and it was a delightful trip! The rain gods were generous as it always magically stop raining whenever we were to get down from the car to visit a place in Goa. I suppose when you love a place so much, it eventually loves you back too!

**Bangalore - Goa**

• Left home at 3.30 PM on 14-Jun-2018
• Took a break at Cafe Coffee Day, Nijagal (Location). The usual fare. Location is scenic. Beware of monkeys though!
• Reached Sankama Boutique Hotel (Location) by 9 PM & stayed overnight. Excellent stay & good food. Highly recommended as mentioned by other BHPians.
• Following day started at 6.15 AM from the hotel and stopped to refuel at Bharat Petroleum, Haveri (Location)
• Had initially planned to have breakfast at Indian Paratha Company. However, the place was closed when we reached (8.15 AM). We were told it opens only at 10.30 AM.
• So we carried on till we reached an eatery called Hill View at Mugad (Location). The place has average food and cleanliness. However, we were very hungry at this point of time and ate whatever was on offer. The tea and coffee were good though.
• Reached Club Mahindra Acacia Palms, Colva at 1.10 PM

**In Goa**

• Had a casual stroll on Colva beach in the evening of 15-Jun and relaxed at the resort for the rest of the day.
• Visited Cabo de Rama, Agonda & Palolem on 16-Jun. Have posted some details here.
• Had lunch at Palolem Beach Resort (Location). While the food was good, the service was poor.
• Headed back to Colva after lunch
• Drove to Calangute on 17-Jun. It was excessively crowded even in June, with lots of unruly drunk people! I'll probably avoid going there in future.
• Had lunch at Souza Lobo (Location). The ambiance is ok but the food is amazing. Highly recommended if you're around Calangute.
• On the way back visited Immaculate Conception Church (Location) in Panaji (from the outside).
• Also refueled from the BP Pump nearby (Location)
• For dinner, we headed to Martin's Corner, Betalbatim (Location). Wonderful ambiance and food. A must visit place!

**Goa-Bangalore**

• Started from Acacia Palms at 8.45 AM on 18-Jun
• Faced heavy rain on the ghat section which slowed us down a bit
• Took a tea break at Hill View, Mugad. Like I said, the tea was good here
• Stopped at Hotel New Delhi Darbar, Haveri (Location) for lunch. Decent place and we found the food to be tasty (Indian & Chinese).
• Re-fueled at Veerabhadreshwar BP Pump (Location)
• Stopped at Upadhya Veg, Chitradurga (Location) for some evening tea. Good clean place for a quick break. Beautiful views of the windmills from here as well!
• Had to make a quick stop at HBR layout to pick up my pet cats from the pet boarding
• Finally Reached home (Kadugodi) at 10 PM

Stats from the Trip:
Vehicle: Chevrolet Beat (Petrol)
No. of Travelers = 4
Total Distance Covered = 1442 kms
Total Petrol Consumed = 93.5 litres
Fuel Efficiency = 15.4 kmpl (with AC on approx. 75% of the time)

Road Conditions:
Its already been very well detailed by rajivtelang. The only thing I would like to add is there were many trucks that had met with accidents. So its better to be extra cautious when overtaking big vehicles on this route, especially on the ghats during the moonsoon. However, I still had a blast driving on this route, especially the 6 lanes stretch between Tumkur & Chitradurga!

Some snaps of my car at a couple of picturesque locations:

At Hill View Restaurant


At Cabo de Rama

[rajivtelang]

Any updates on Amboli ghat condition this year? I will need to visit Goa via Amboli in September. Last year it was very good throughout.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Any updates on Amboli ghat condition this year? I will need to visit Goa via Amboli in September. Last year it was very good throughout.

I read on Mumbai/Pune Goa thread about its deteriorating condition, not specifically the ghat itself but around around it.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I read on Mumbai/Pune Goa thread about its deteriorating condition, not specifically the ghat itself but around around it.

Just waiting for vivek95 to comment since he is from that area

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Just waiting for vivek95 to comment since he is from that area

Due to the nature of profile, he is less active these days.

However, here is some recent input that should help you:

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Sad to say that this road has deteriorated in the last month. The ghat section itself is fine but the road between Sawantwadi and Amboli and again between Amboli and Ajra is now pockmarked and rough with some very deep potholes which could catch you unawares. Still driveable but be aware of puddles on the road which could be concealing a large pothole. Also be aware of the unmarked speed breakers between Uttur and Nipani.
The main highway is still in good condition. A couple of potholes on the service roads at the diversions but so far they are still manageable.
Got stopped by Police outside Kolhapur for a "Document" check. Very thorough check. No worries.

Originally Posted by devyaaniverma

Road conditions are good, but due to rain in the area, parts of the road are beginning to fall apart. Watch out for speed breakers which appear suddenly, and yes no markings, better to drive at a lower speed.

We are heading this side on this weekend but we will touch the coast North of Goa through some other less taken ghats. Our earlier plan was to return either via Amba or Amboli but since we have done that few times now, we decided to try something else this time.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

We are heading this side on this weekend but we will touch the coast North of Goa through some other less taken ghats. Our earlier plan was to return either via Amba or Amboli but since we have done that few times now, we decided to try something else this time.

How about Chorla condition? I have never taken that but since I have some work in north Goa (almost MH border), would prefer not to cross Goa way from south to north (including Anmod or Karwar routes) to avoid all the traffic.

[vivek95]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Any updates on Amboli ghat condition this year? I will need to visit Goa via Amboli in September. Last year it was very good throughout.

Hi Rajiv Sorry for late reply. The last I drove via Amboli ghat was in the month of May, hence I do not have latest monsoon updates. However, I don't think so the Belgaum--Amboli road would have gone that bad with these rains. Amboli ghat itself remains in good shape as per reports from Mumbai-Pune-Goa thread. By the way, Chorla route remains a bliss.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Due to the nature of profile, he is less active these days.

We are heading this side on this weekend but we will touch the coast North of Goa through some other less taken ghats.

Hi Parag I guess you are contemplating taking the Tilari ghat from Belgaum to North Goa since it has been recently relaid ??

Off topic - Yes, I am generally very busy in Mumbai here. But I did drive to Bhandardara recently and shared pics in this thread - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post4432242

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by vivek95

Hi Parag I guess you are contemplating taking the Tilari ghat from Belgaum to North Goa since it has been recently relaid ??

Nope. Tilari we did drive once back in 2014 via bauxite road and it was indeed mesmerizing. Not for the regular travelers and hence we don't generally mention that here.

I would be taking some options closer to Kolhapur (not Amba or Gaganbawda) but will let you know once we return .

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by vivek95

By the way, Chorla route remains a bliss.

At a final moment I will make a call between Amboli and Chorla assuming Amboli route condition will only deteriorate after two more months. Plus I will have my parents and family with me, so need to pick a good (better) road
What is the best route to hit Chorla from Bangalore? Do I have to go via Belgaum or reach Ramnagar-Khanapur-Jamboti via Kittur or so?

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

What is the best route to hit Chorla from Bangalore? Do I have to go via Belgaum or reach Ramnagar-Khanapur-Jamboti via Kittur or so?

Paragbhai,
Any recommended road via Chorla from Bangalore? A decade ago I had tried the Ramnagar-Nandgad/Bidi-Kittur while returning from Goa and it was horrible. Not sure if it still remains in ruins.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Paragbhai,
Any recommended road via Chorla from Bangalore? A decade ago I had tried the Ramnagar-Nandgad/Bidi-Kittur while returning from Goa and it was horrible. Not sure if it still remains in ruins.

There are 2 but not sure if I can recommend them right now given the fact that it has been raining that side.

1. Hubli Bypass Alnavar Khanapur Jamboti Chorla
2. MK Hubli Khanapur Jamboti Chorla

The usual one is of course via Belgaum city that you can utilise as a good break point.

I have taken the above alternate only once to avoid Belgaum and they had helped save time. However many weren't happy about both the options as the road felt more deserted and unsafe (Klub_class did mention about an incident on Kittur Route).

Hence I would say, Just stick to Belgaum Chorla for now.

[vivek95]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

What is the best route to hit Chorla from Bangalore? Do I have to go via Belgaum or reach Ramnagar-Khanapur-Jamboti via Kittur or so?

Parag has already replied everything in detail and I totally agree with him. Stick to the standard Belgaum--Chorla route. Couple of roads in Belgaum have gone to dogs although it rains only about 30% heavy as much in Mumbai here Nothing much to worry though.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by vivek95

Parag has already replied everything in detail and I totally agree with him. Stick to the standard Belgaum--Chorla route. Couple of roads in Belgaum have gone to dogs although it rains only about 30% heavy as much in Mumbai here Nothing much to worry though.

Since I never took Chorla here is my query. Google shows the route as Belgaum-Kinaye-Jamboti-Chorla. Is this the route to take or is there other route to avoid city traffic? Also which exit you need to take from NH-4 at Belgaum?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Since I never took Chorla here is my query. Google shows the route as Belgaum-Kinaye-Jamboti-Chorla. Is this the route to take or is there other route to avoid city traffic?

Yes Rajiv. This is indeed the route. Basically, Jamboti is a point where the road forks out for Khanapur as well as Chorla.

In short, the road leading to VTU (Technological University) is the road that leads to Chorla and quite popular in terms of seeking directions.

Also which exit you need to take from NH-4 at Belgaum?

It is a well marked exit, that you will get soon after passing a Toyota Show room (I think Shodha Toyota) on the left and this exit comes after around 2.5-3 kms.

You can take this exit.

[vivek95]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Since I never took Chorla here is my query. Google shows the route as Belgaum-Kinaye-Jamboti-Chorla. Is this the route to take or is there other route to avoid city traffic? Also which exit you need to take from NH-4 at Belgaum?

You are better off sticking to the Belgaum city route presently than taking internal roads to get to Chorla ghat. Belgaum traffic is nowhere as bad as Bangalore/Pune/Mumbai. I will put up a map image and a link below indicating which exit is best suited at present.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

It is a well marked exit, that you will get soon after passing a Toyota Show room (I think Shodha Toyota) on the left and this exit comes after around 2.5-3 kms.

You can take this exit.

No Parag, the exit that you get around 3 kms from Shodha Toyota is the first exit route for Belgaum. Please ignore this and keep straight on the bypass for next around 2-3 kms untill you see the second exit from the highway. Now this is the second exit coming from Bangalore side and what one is ideally supposed to take. This was and is still the standard exit coming from Bangalore.

However I would suggest all fellow BHPians to take the third exit to get into the city. It is marked in the below image as ''Exit 3''.




Rajiv,please feed this google map link into your phone once you cross Suvarna Soudha building on the highway coming from Bangalore. It will take you through the correct route within the city.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/15.8...a=!4m2!4m1!3e0

The first exit is an initial 6 lane for about 2 kms, then a 4 lane that goes all the way to Belgaum bus stand via a newly constructed Railway over bridge. But this is a little bit confusing and time consuming as well.

Taking the second and third exit would mean staying on the superfast NH4 for another 2-3 kms and thereby swiftly getting into the city.

Bottomline - Take the third exit if you want to just navigate through the city without stopping and take the Second exit only if you want to pull over at Sankam Hotel.