[Mnjdnght]

Originally Posted by Mnjdnght

... drive to Goa on Friday (March 8) ...

Originally Posted by rustyg

... you can take alternate of taking left turn and then 90 degree further away - I think it goes through Modi farm ...

A quick update from my March 8 - 10 Bangalore - Goa - Bangalore drive.

March 8: Bangalore - Goa. Left home at 04:00. Reached Hotel in South Goa at 13:30.
Bannerghatta Road - NICE - Nelamangala - Tumkur - Kalaghatgi (via Tadas) - Yellapur - Ankola - South Goa (Benaulim).

• NICE road: White-topping looks to be complete. Didn't find any work-in-progress sections. Some small stretches were still black top though. Overall good drive.
• NICE exit - Nelamangala - Tumkur: This used to be very patchy a few years back but has been done up and ride was smooth. There is a flyover work under construction in Tumkur.
• Tumkur - Tadas turn off: Smooth ride. A few flyovers being built with consequent detours. The detours were smooth. I don't recollect any bad patches of concern.
• Tadas turn off: There is a clear signage on the highway showing a left turn to Tadas. Take the service road immediately after this sign and the first left from the service road to turn towards Tadas via Modi farm (refer post by @rustyg). The road is slow with a small work-in-progress section but otherwise decent until it hits the Tadas main road. Tadas main road is 2-way but wide and smooth enough. The turn off from this road towards Kalaghatgi is a bit tricky. It looks like one of those roads that Google asks you to take and has a good laugh after. But this one is the correct turn and leads to Kalaghatgi through a scenic rural road that is narrower but still comfortable for 2-way traffic. I felt overall it took quite a while to reach Kalaghatgi and join the Yellapur road. It may have taken similar time to go up to Gabbur and join the Yellapur road but that is my speculation since I didn't try that.
• Kalaghatgi - Yellapur: Smooth road.
• Yellapur - Ankola: Patchy at places, but overall ride quality is good. The ghat section is longer and gentler. Overall the Gabbur - Ankola stretch sees quite a lot of truck/ tanker traffic which can slow down the journey.
• Ankola - Karwar - Pollem (Goa border): Mostly 4 lane with short work-in-progress narrow 2-way sections.
• Pollem (Goa border) - Benaulim (South Goa): Mostly narrow 2-way roads with some 4-lane sections. This is a painful section to handle at the end of a long drive. Strict speed limit enforcement via interceptors and slow local traffic with most of them sticking below posted speed limits. There are some sections that will not allow any overtake possiblity. Long queue of vehicles stuck behind a hapless tanker or truck seems to be a common occurrence. There are of course a few who dare to challenge fate teasing others to emulate but one would be wiser and safer to stay put and take it easy.

March 10: Goa - Bangalore. Left Hotel in Goa at 09:00. Reached Home at 18:45.
South Goa (Benaulim) - Ponda - Mollem - Anmod - Ramnagar - Dharwad/Hubli bypass - Tumkur - Nelamangala - NICE - Bannerghatta Road.

• Benaulim (South Goa) - Mollem: Mix of narrow 2-way sections, wider 2-way sections, 4-lane sections etc. Road surface is good. Interceptors are common on the Ponda - Mollem section. Traffic and speed limit slow you down which otherwise could be a bit quicker ... but all for everyone's good I guess.
• Mollem - Anmod: Ghat section is good. Steeper, narrower and quicker compared to the Yellapur option. Lesser truck/ tanker traffic. The inevitable and now common border check to quiz/ hunt for bottles will give you a short pause after the ghat section.
• Anmod - Ramnagar: Like many posts before have already mentioned, for about 20 - 30 KMs after Anmod, there are several places where the white-top abruptly ends and after some short and some long work-incomplete-dirt-ditchy sections it resumes again. With some care and caution it is possible to negotiate these. I am sure these conditions are ever changing with deterioration being more probable than improvement. Once this section is done with, rest of the ride till the bypass is good, but still, do watch for the usual speed breakers/ railway crossing etc. that needs care.
• Dharwad - Hubli bypass (Gabbur): The worst section of the whole journey. Insane traffic density made up mostly of slow moving trucks and long trails of impatient other vehicles. If you happen to feel good that you have passed slow moving traffic to get a clear stretch in front, be prepared to have some heart in the mouth moments with oncoming overtaking traffic coming straight at you. The only positive I found was the brisk widening work that is happening over the entire stretch. So maybe in another 2-3 years, this section will transform.
• Gabbur - NICE: Nothing much to add. Stays consistent and predictable including the crazy Tumkur - Dobbaspet - Nelamangala - NICE road section.
• NICE - Bannerghatta Road: Another candidate for the worst stretch. You don't have to contend with oncoming traffic, but it calls for your shoulder driving skills which now seem almost like a third lane with even trucks overtaking other trucks using the shoulder!! What a mess of a road. There are overhead displays indicating your speed as you go under some over bridges on NICE road. I don't know if they are just displays or speed cameras that'll send challans. Have to wait for a few days and check my status since I know I was above 80 at a few places.

Special mention: The road from South Goa to North Goa that we took while doing some local excursions on March 9th. What an amazing stretch! Wide 6 lane roads with clear signages, entry/ exit points etc. Gives an international feel with the vistas en route and ride quality. Kudos to NHAI.

Hope this helps others travelling during the next month or so, after which I expect the conditions to have changed that would need further updates from others.

[rajivtelang]

Is there any update on the Anmod section repairs? I was a frequent traveler of that road a decade ago but not anymore. I keep on hearing the work will resume but is it really the truth?

[chorispao]

Rajiv bab....Just drove by Anmod on Mar 30. Nothing has moved in the last 6 months. And with the monsoons 3 months away, that 10km stretch will be a repeat of last years episode! Classic example of how no engine, single engine & double engine govts fail the common man.

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

Is there any update on the Anmod section repairs? I was a frequent traveler of that road a decade ago but not anymore. I keep on hearing the work will resume but is it really the truth?

[varunait2003]

I did Bangalore Goa 2 weeks ago.

Destination was Palolem and I took Bangalore > Hubli > Ankola > Palolem route. Road condition was good after Hubli and some 50 Kms before Ankola the road surface became uneven/worn out but very few potholes. Speed limit in Goa was 70 Kmph on NH66.

My return was from Candolim starting at 11 am, so I had to choose between the Ankola route and the Anmod ghat route. Driving on NH66 during the day traffic could be a pain as it is single lane in South Goa(While going I saw people stopping and parking right on the road and fully blocking the left side). So I chose the Anmod route taking the Tinai ghat diversion. However the road quality after Ponda was not good with a lot of potholes and the anxiety on the narrow second half of tinai ghat route.

In the hindsight I should have taken the Ankola route even if it took more time(personal preference).

[impala]

Originally Posted by shuchi05

We got back from south Goa yesterday. Left from Goa at 4 AM and reached Bangalore by 2 PM. The route we took was
Ponda -> Mollem —> Anmod ghat —> castlerock —> kalghagi —> tadas . Joined NH48 at Tadas.

Thanks for the update, shuchi05.

Does anyone know how is the road between Tadas and Castle Rock? Also, how is Tinai ghat road if anyone know both these roads? I saw some posts mentioning how narrow is Tinai ghat road and presence of gravel. Trying to choose between these two roads.

I am driving to around Vasco this week.

[HighOnSpeed]

Originally Posted by impala

Thanks for the update, shuchi05.

Does anyone know how is the road between Tadas and Castle Rock?
I am driving to around Vasco this week.

I did a Bangalore-Nerul-Bangalore in the last week of March. Did the onward Journey from Blr though Tadas-Kalaghati-Castlerock-Mollem and found that the route was pretty good for the most part, but there were a few bad stretches, but it's manageable. On the return leg, took the Karwar-Ankola-Yellapur stretch(my usual) and it was pretty much smooth sailing throughout. I tend to always do the Karwar route irrespective of my departure/destination being north/south Goa as the roads through this route are way better and I like to stop at Amrut's for lunch.

[varunait2003]

Originally Posted by impala

Thanks for the update, shuchi05.

Does anyone know how is the road between Tadas and Castle Rock? Also, how is Tinai ghat road if anyone know both these roads? I saw some posts mentioning how narrow is Tinai ghat road and presence of gravel. Trying to choose between these two roads.

I am driving to around Vasco this week.

From Dharwad side to Tinai, the road is narrow but is freshly laid. You will have to drive slow, there is not enough space to give pass. At the T-point towards Anmod the road is wide enough with some gravel and potholes but manageable.

[scorpian]

The road at anmod is pathetic. On top of it the entire section had no mobile network. Google maps kept giving random directions,I got fed up and turned back to home as I got a call for some official issues.

I need to go to Whitefield in banglore and need to know what's the best route I can take even if it's a bit longer.

Also is there any particular time i should enter banglore city when there is least traffic?

Is anmod ghat the only way to go to banglore? I want to hit the highway as fast as I can do that I can complete the drive safely as i would be traveling alone.

[Raskolnikov]

Hi All, I have a route query for the seasoned Bangalore-Goa travelers. My friends and I are planning a road trip to Goa from Bangalore (E city) next Sat. Due to some constraints we can only start at 11 am. I'm thinking of taking Nice Road-Tumakuru-Davanagare-Hubli Bypass-Yellapur-Karwar-Panjim route with overnight stay at Karwar. My question being, is the Hubli-Yellapur-Karwar tough to to negotiate at evening to night time? I'm traveling in a packed Honda City 5th Gen.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

Hi All, I have a route query for the seasoned Bangalore-Goa travelers. My friends and I are planning a road trip to Goa from Bangalore (E city) next Sat. Due to some constraints we can only start at 11 am. I'm thinking of taking Nice Road-Tumakuru-Davanagare-Hubli Bypass-Yellapur-Karwar-Panjim route with overnight stay at Karwar. My question being, is the Hubli-Yellapur-Karwar tough to to negotiate at evening to night time? I'm traveling in a packed Honda City 5th Gen.

Yellapur-Ankola is the tricky section. It's not that it cannot be done. I would suggest stay in Dharwad and start early.


PS: Nice handle. Didn't realise we still have fan following of Dostoevsky!

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

Hi All, I have a route query for the seasoned Bangalore-Goa travelers. My friends and I are planning a road trip to Goa from Bangalore (E city) next Sat. Due to some constraints we can only start at 11 am. I'm thinking of taking Nice Road-Tumakuru-Davanagare-Hubli Bypass-Yellapur-Karwar-Panjim route with overnight stay at Karwar. My question being, is the Hubli-Yellapur-Karwar tough to to negotiate at evening to night time? I'm traveling in a packed Honda City 5th Gen.

As of last week, the road conditions between Hubli bypass and Karwar is good throughout. Those random craters appearing on the road have been fixed. I wouldn't mind driving this stretch in the evening. Also Karwar to Bellandur took me 9 hours with relaxed driving and one food break.

[jaganm]

We did our second Goa trip of the year last week. On both legs of the journey, we took the Hubli-Dharwad-Ramnagar-Mollem stretch.

Onward : Left home in Sarjapur Road at 4:30 am. Stopped for breakfast at Apoorva Resorts near Davangere. It was smooth sailing until Gabbur when we hit the infamous bypass. My daughter was driving from the breakfast point and the bypass left her so frustrated that she gave up the car after we turned off the bypass. As others have mentioned, the stretch to Anmod is generally good but there are patches where the concrete ends abruptly and needs to be negotiated carefully. Once we reached Mollem, she took over again and we reached our resort in Varca by around 3:30 pm.

On the return, we were debating about taking the Karwar route and making a trip to Yana Caves. But we needed to leave the resort by 730-800 for that, which did not happen. So, we decided to take it easy, have a leisurely breakfast and left the resort at 11:00 am. Of late, my philosophy has been to reach Bangalore outskirts after 8 pm so that the bulk of the evening traffic is avoided.

We reached Dharwad by around 2:30 and stopped at Ananth, the Grand hotel for a nice lunch. On the way between Dharwad and Sira, we got to enjoy some light rain for the first time in almost 5 months. A break at Paakshaala Sira for coffee and chaat at twilight and we set off to Bangalore.

It was smooth sailing until Tumkur and then we hit the dreaded section. I keep to speeds of 90-100 during the day time and at night, was content with speeds of 70-80. There were enough speed demons around and I hastily got out of their way. We reached the Parle G toll around 10:45 pm and had to make a decision on whether to take Nice road. The prospect of truck traffic, a heavy toll and an extra 20 km pushed us towards the city route and we finally reached home by 12:00 am.

I had taken the Chorla ghat road to Belgaum on my previous trip in January. I found that to be in really bad shape, so will recommend the Anmod ghat as long as it makes sense on the Goa side.

[Raskolnikov]

Originally Posted by jaganm

We did our second Goa trip of the year last week. On both legs of the journey, we took the Hubli-Dharwad-Ramnagar-Mollem stretch.

Thanks for the detailed log. Does anyone have the latest update on Belgaum-Chorla Ghat route?

[gautom]

Originally Posted by jaganm

We did our second Goa trip of the year last week. On both legs of the journey, we took the Hubli-Dharwad-Ramnagar-Mollem stretch.

Onward : Left home in Sarjapur Road at 4:30 am. Stopped for breakfast at Apoorva Resorts near Davangere. It was smooth sailing until Gabbur when we hit the infamous bypass. My daughter was driving from the breakfast point and the bypass left her so frustrated that she gave up the car after we turned off the bypass. As others have mentioned, the stretch to Anmod is generally good but there are patches where the concrete ends abruptly and needs to be negotiated carefully. Once we reached Mollem, she took over again and we reached our resort in Varca by around 3:30 pm.

On the return, we were debating about taking the Karwar route and making a trip to Yana Caves. But we needed to leave the resort by 730-800 for that, which did not happen. So, we decided to take it easy, have a leisurely breakfast and left the resort at 11:00 am. Of late, my philosophy has been to reach Bangalore outskirts after 8 pm so that the bulk of the evening traffic is avoided.

We reached Dharwad by around 2:30 and stopped at Ananth, the Grand hotel for a nice lunch. On the way between Dharwad and Sira, we got to enjoy some light rain for the first time in almost 5 months. A break at Paakshaala Sira for coffee and chaat at twilight and we set off to Bangalore.

It was smooth sailing until Tumkur and then we hit the dreaded section. I keep to speeds of 90-100 during the day time and at night, was content with speeds of 70-80. There were enough speed demons around and I hastily got out of their way. We reached the Parle G toll around 10:45 pm and had to make a decision on whether to take Nice road. The prospect of truck traffic, a heavy toll and an extra 20 km pushed us towards the city route and we finally reached home by 12:00 am.

I had taken the Chorla ghat road to Belgaum on my previous trip in January. I found that to be in really bad shape, so will recommend the Anmod ghat as long as it makes sense on the Goa side.

Thank you for the details about the road!

I did not get a chance to drive to goa for 7-8 years. Famikiar with the road till Hubli as we took a road trip to Pune a couple of months ago.

Anyway, will post some details and differences of the roads after returning.