[sary]

Update -
Did BLR-Goa (Margao) today.
Left 12AM from HAL Old Airport Road and arrived destination by 8:45AM ( door to door).
Route : BLR - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Davangere - Dharwad - Ramnagar - Anmod - Mollem - Margao. Took 8:45hrs with one break for incar breakfast.
Road conditions - Till Dharwad there are diversions and mostly managable , won't go in detail here since many have already described.

Here is my take post traveling earlier last month via Mungod versus Anmod option I took today:

Anmod pros:
1. Tried n tested known NH road
2. Mostly double lane
3. Good amount of traffic movement (secured feeling)
4. A small section of Tinai ghat in bad shape on contrary Anmod Ghat section is fully white topped (cemented)
5. Overall journey time was 15min less compared to Mungod (could have saved another 15mins if it had to do away with diversion at Anmod check post)
6. Not so isolated (you spend more time on NH4 i.e. abt 6hrs till Dharwad and 3 hrs post exiting NH into Goa)

Anmod cons:
1. Railway crossings exists
2. Likelihood of bottom scraping at atleast 2/3 places if driving sedan or low GC machine
3. Too much traffic leading to often gear shift and frequent breaking
4. Almost 12-14kms diversion thru forest area near Anmod check post. This road is shown in Gmaps but no Road signs. The road is tarred but narrow and rough with handful pot holes. Believe they close this forest road between 6pm to 6am.
5. Watch out for a slushy trench at Goa - KA border, where cement meets tar. Once in Goa, do watch out for cows and employees of companies / factories randomly crossing putting everyone at risk.
6. This route has too many speed breakers as compared to mungod but most are scientific and easily motorable.

Conclusion-
Anmod is your preferred choice if driving at odd hours and have a good GC �� and also if your destination is Margao and above. Otherwise, choose Mungod option!

[katsumoto]

Got stung by JellyFish in Harmal beach a week back. Didn't see the fish and got sudden pain in hand during swimming. Went to check lifeguard there and they checked and mentioned it is indeed JellyFish.

[Neel]

Are there any COVID restrictions/regulations that one needs to keep in mind for over 3 days of stay in Goa.

Also, what are the best pit-stop options enroute : BLR-CHITRADURGA-HAVERI route to South Goa.

[ccnarayanan]

Neither Karnataka nor Goa has any quarantine or testing requirements.

Some of the pitstops I had looked at when I travelled in Oct-2020 were:
Kamat Sira, CCD Sira, CCD IOC Gollarahatti / Davangere, Apoorva Resorts Davangere, Dominos / KFC Davangere, CCD / Kamat, Chattra. You can search for the above in Google maps to find their locations.

Originally Posted by Neel

Are there any COVID restrictions/regulations that one needs to keep in mind for over 3 days of stay in Goa.

Also, what are the best pit-stop options enroute : BLR-CHITRADURGA-HAVERI route to South Goa.

[petroheadd]

Planning to leave for Goa (Morjim) on 27th Morning around 6 AM from Bangalore (Sarjapur), which is the best route to take . Also which all places can we stop over for food and nature's call.

Till now after reading all the discussions I have decided to start 6 am, take a 10 min break at Sira where we should reach by 9am or Devangere by 11AM. Can't figure out after that. Some tips would be really helpful as I am not from Karnataka.

[ccnarayanan]

When I went to South Goa with family, I had taken a 1.5-day drive with an overnight stay at Belgaum. I left Bangalore at around 06:15, had a breakfast stop at Kamat Sira, a brunch / rest stop at CCD IOC Gollarahatti, a lunch stop at McDonalds Hubli at around 14:30, and reached Fairfield Marriott, Belgaum at around 17:00. The next day was about a 4-hour non-stop drive from Belgaum to Goa.

When I had investigated the routes and planned the itinerary, I had felt that there is not much of an acceptable option for food or rest stop in Bankapur-Yellapur-Ankola (there is a Kamat and CCD a bit south of Ankola on NH-66) or Hubli-Londa-Goa section.

Originally Posted by petroheadd

Planning to leave for Goa (Morjim) on 27th Morning around 6 AM from Bangalore (Sarjapur), which is the best route to take . Also which all places can we stop over for food and nature's call.
Till now after reading all the discussions I have decided to start 6 am, take a 10 min break at Sira where we should reach by 9am or Devangere by 11AM. Can't figure out after that. Some tips would be really helpful as I am not from Karnataka.

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by petroheadd

Planning to leave for Goa (Morjim) on 27th Morning around 6 AM from Bangalore (Sarjapur), which is the best route to take . Also which all places can we stop over for food and nature's call.
Till now after reading all the discussions I have decided to start 6 am, take a 10 min break at Sira where we should reach by 9am or Devangere by 11AM. Can't figure out after that. Some tips would be really helpful as I am not from Karnataka.

If you leave at 6 am from Sarjapur, you should be at Davangere by 9.45am-10.00 am. I generally take my first break at Davangere. Preferred breakfast is at Guru Koteshwara Benne Dosa, its inside Davangere, but not a big deviation from the highway.

The rest of the posts above does give you details of the route and on the pit stops places.

[Bhodrolok]

Originally Posted by sary

Update -

Route : BLR - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Davangere - Dharwad - Ramnagar - Anmod - Mollem - Margao. Took 8:45hrs with one break for incar breakfast.
Road conditions - Till Dharwad there are diversions and mostly managable , won't go in detail here since many have already described.

Here is my take post traveling earlier last month via Mungod versus Anmod option I took today:

How are things in Goa? I plan to travel post Christmas, are there any COVID protocols being followed even in 4-5 star resorts?

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

How are things in Goa? I plan to travel post Christmas, are there any COVID protocols being followed even in 4-5 star resorts?

The few places I've been to in and around South Goa over the past 2 months, seems like no one is bothered about Covid anymore. Don't know about the star resorts, but outside, no one, neither tourists nor locals, seem worried about Covid. Very few masks, hardly any social distancing. Might be different in the bigger towns because apparently there the cops are fining people for not wearing masks.

Only good thing is that right now, it's not crowded. But there are definite signs that crowds are expected between Christmas and New Years.

[ArjunVS]

Good Morning,

We did a drive to Goa in January last and the section before Anmod took us an hour and a half, and I read and re-read the various posts here with some trepidation.

I need not have been concerned.

The section till the exit on the Hubli-Dharwad bypass is by and large excellent. There are some roadworks on the overpasses, but the deviations are not bad at all.

The Tinai ghat section is narrow, and a slow speed road, and bad in a 100 Mts stretch. Cautions 1) the turn-off to the right from the main highway is unmarked - so if you go in to large roadworks, you have overshot it 2) you loose signal in this section, so remember, when you come to the junction, you need to do a HARD left to head to Anmod Ghat check post.

The return via Ankola - Yellapur - Mundgod - Bankapur is excellent. The road widening has progressed very well, and there are only a few pending aspects. The forest section is relatively slower - but enjoy nature.

WE stopped at a Kamath (with a Coffee Day) on the way back and beat a hasty retreat as it was crowded, no masks, and not a care in the world.

Traffic builds up a LOT after Chitradurg, and from Tumkur, it is 2 hours to get to Cunningham Road.

But Goa was just wonderful. We stayed at a place called Beleza by the Beach in Betalbatim and I would recommend it to anyone going. From the resort, the people, the quality of rooms, the food, and an uncluttered clean beach.

[shamanth]

I am planning for Goa trip on 26th from my hometown, with a 1 day stop at Jog Mayura hotel

(26th Dec) Hassan - Jog Falls [ Haleebedu-Kadur-Shimoga-Gersoppa]

(27th Dec) Jog - Palolem [Honnavar-Karwar-Paolem]

(2nd Jan) Palolem - Bangalore [Palolem - Yellapura - Haveri- Bengaluru]

I guess Road from Jog to Honnavar is not good i guess, hope remaining routes are all good.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by raghukodali

Did Jog falls to Bangalore three times in the last two months. The drive is excellent.
The best route is Jog falls-> Sagar-> Shimoga->Chitradurga->Hiriyur-> Tumkur->Bangalore. When coming from Honavar to Jogfalls, There is around 20km of pretty winding roads and around 50km of reasonable winding roads. But road condition is excellent though.

Starting for south Goa on 25th early morning and plan is to take above road to-fro to avoid the treacherous 27 diversions between Chitradurga and Hubli.
Any idea about the ghat section condition between Jog and Honnawar?

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Starting for south Goa on 25th early morning and plan is to take above road to-fro to avoid the treacherous 27 diversions between Chitradurga and Hubli.
Any idea about the ghat section condition between Jog and Honnawar?

Rajiv - The # of diversions onward to Hubli is very less and you can easily do good speeds. Many road sections and fly overs are opened. Its the other way that is still a bit of a pain.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Starting for south Goa on 25th early morning and plan is to take above road to-fro to avoid the treacherous 27 diversions between Chitradurga and Hubli.
Any idea about the ghat section condition between Jog and Honnawar?

I drove to Hubli and back last weekend and the noticed that the diversions have reduced significantly and the stretches that are completed are excellent that you will easily make up for any lost time.

[raghukodali]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Starting for south Goa on 25th early morning and plan is to take above road to-fro to avoid the treacherous 27 diversions between Chitradurga and Hubli.
Any idea about the ghat section condition between Jog and Honnawar?

Road condition between Jog and Honavar is beautiful. The road is winding between Jog and Gersoppa (~20km) then it eases out a bit. Beautiful views and smooth roads. Don't miss out the Sheravati river valley view point.

I drove on this road two weeks back and I am driving again on 28th of this month.