[filcord]

Originally Posted by Taz-On-The-Road

Hi all,

My brother is going to Goa on Saturday and will be leaving around 1AM. He has finalised the Hubli-Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi route while going and plans to return via Mirjan-Sirsi-Haveri. Are these two routes doable in an Indigo. Another query is that he has to checkin to the resort at 12PM on Saturday. Is 11hrs enough for the onward journey and are there any good restaurants for breakfast in/around Belgaum?

@hvkumar sir and @ravibhat waiting for you to shed some light.

From Hubli you don't need to go all the way to Belgaum. Go north up to Kittur, there is an exit from the NH4 there which goes to Bidi, then to Khanapur. About a km before Khanapur you meet a 170 degree turn onto the road to Goa (to Ramnagar actually). Ramnagar to Anmod, enter Goa, Molem, Ponda, Margao (if you're going to South Goa) or after Ponda take the road to Panjim (for North Goa). The road throughout is pretty good except for about 12 km around Bidi which is a bit of a mess. I did this in April this year. It should save you at least 120 km, if you're going to South Goa.

Err, I would hate to drive at night though. It's just too unsafe, what with unknown roads, trucks with full lights or without any lights, and I'm terrified of dozing off.

[Taz-On-The-Road]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Suggest that the departure time be postponed a little to, say, 3 am, since the road conditions after Chitradurga are a little bad (see several posts on this topic), and reaching that area after it is light will make the drive safer.

Another suggestion is that, you can save some distance by turning off NH4 at Belgaum and going via Chandgad (MH) to Amboli and Savantwadi instead of going all the way north to Sankeshwar/ Nippani and going to Amboli via Ajra.

My personal favourite is Hotel Sankam Residency at Belgaum - just off NH4 as you enter Belgaum city. Has good food, ample parking and clean toilets.

Both routes are doable in a Indigo.

Thanks for all that info. I have asked my bro to postpone his departure to 4AM so that he can check-in at around 4 in the evening.
I have gone through most of your posts and logs and must say that I have become somewhat of a fan!!! Wish I could be as organized and orderly someday

[Taz-On-The-Road]

Originally Posted by filcord

From Hubli you don't need to go all the way to Belgaum. Go north up to Kittur, there is an exit from the NH4 there which goes to Bidi, then to Khanapur. About a km before Khanapur you meet a 170 degree turn onto the road to Goa (to Ramnagar actually). Ramnagar to Anmod, enter Goa, Molem, Ponda, Margao (if you're going to South Goa) or after Ponda take the road to Panjim (for North Goa). The road throughout is pretty good except for about 12 km around Bidi which is a bit of a mess. I did this in April this year. It should save you at least 120 km, if you're going to South Goa.

Err, I would hate to drive at night though. It's just too unsafe, what with unknown roads, trucks with full lights or without any lights, and I'm terrified of dozing off.

Thanks for the info @filcord. I did not know about the condition of NH4A, hence suggested my bro to take the Amboli-Sawantwadi road. Strangely, both me and my bro prefer driving in the night.Is the NH4A as good as you say it was even after the rains??Very little information available about this road. Many people also scared me saying that this road is hellish and there is a lot of mining activity which translates to mine trucks and bad roads The resort he is going to stay in is near Mapusa so is the Amboli route gonna be too long?? 120 km is quite a distance so having second thoughts now!!!

[RGP]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Another suggestion is that, you can save some distance by turning off NH4 at Belgaum and going via Chandgad (MH) to Amboli and Savantwadi .....

This is a good suggestion. I took this route while returning from Goa. Only disadvantage is that you have to go through Belgaum city, which can eat up a lot of time - I had started from Goa at 6 and got caught in the morning rush hour.

[techn0l0gist]

Originally Posted by filcord

From Hubli you don't need to go all the way to Belgaum. Go north up to Kittur, there is an exit from the NH4 there which goes to Bidi, then to Khanapur. About a km before Khanapur you meet a 170 degree turn onto the road to Goa (to Ramnagar actually). Ramnagar to Anmod, enter Goa, Molem, Ponda, Margao (if you're going to South Goa) or after Ponda take the road to Panjim (for North Goa). The road throughout is pretty good except for about 12 km around Bidi which is a bit of a mess. I did this in April this year. It should save you at least 120 km, if you're going to South Goa.

I and dinar took this route last week while travelling blr-goa. The road is horrible. we were at hubli at 5 am but we managed to reach ponda at 10 am!

It is suggested to take the 50 km longer route - hubli-yellapur-ankola-karwar-cancona-margao this is still faster than anmod

[mclaren1885]

The Khanapur section is not motorable. The 50 km route to Hubli will take you ages to complete. Its better off to go all the way to Belgaum. I took this route last week. The section between Ponda to Londa is bad. Thats around 35 kms. Once you clear that the road is beautiful. If you want a fast drive go to Hubli-Belgaum-Ponda-Goa. Or else try Tumkur-Shimoga-Honnavar-Karwar-Goa. Even in this stretch there is around 45 kms of bad patch.

[harsha.cs1]

Hi friends,
this weekend i took the goa - karwar - honnavar - ankola - jog falls - sagar - shimoga - tiptur - tumkur route from goa to bangalore. the road is bad with potholes every now and then and it seems rather clear from the website that the hubli - haveri route to bangalore is anyday preferable.
this is for the benefit of our friends who may be unsure of which route to take.
regards,
Harsha

[GOTJ]

[COLOR=black]I just returned from Goa yesterday. I took the route suggested by Ravi Bhat which is Bangalore-Tumkur-Sira-Hiriyur-Chitradurga-Davangere-Ranibennur-Haveri-Hubli-Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Mapusa-Calangute. I took this route since my stay was booked in Calangute, I love high-speed driving and I wanted to avoid driving through south goa. The total distance is 674 kms from Brookefields-Bangalore to Calangute by this route.[/COLOR]


[COLOR=black]I left Brookefields-Bangalore on 9th Oct morning at 6:25 am and covered the 674km to reach Calangute at 4:00 pm (including a weird 1hr-20min break in Belgaum). Thankfully traffic on this route was very kind on the onward journey. The details of the onward sector are as follows :[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Brookefields-Nelmangala tollgate : 60mins (all of us know how horrible this stretch is)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Nelmangala tollgate-Tumkur : 20mins (perfect road conditions for high-speed driving)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Tumkur-Sira : 31mins(except for the first few kms till you cross Tumkur bypass outskirts, which is bad, the rest is perfect road conditions for high-speed driving)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Sira-Hiriyur : 19mins(perfect road conditions for high-speed driving)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Hiriyur-Chitradurga : 25mins(perfect road conditions for high-speed driving)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Chitradurga-Davangere : 40mins(good road conditions for 100-20kms cruise driving, watch out for the sudden wavy nature of the road)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Davangere-Ranibennur : 32mins(Bad road conditions - watch out for potholes, cracked road and deviations)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Ranibennur-Haveri : 40mins(I did a few stops here to check for premium petrol finally got ultrapremium in one of the bunks. Also the road condition is average. You can't do high-speed on this stretch)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Haveri-Hubli : 38mins(by far the best stretch, suitable for real high-speed driving)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Hubli-Belgaum : 55mins(again a very good stretch for high-speed driving)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Belgaum-Amboli : 138mins(Took a 1hr-20mins break searching for a good hotel for lunch, found one after 20 mins and that waiter took 40 mins to serve lunch and ended up wasting a lot of time) This road is 2-lane and goes through many small villages with speed breakers at each village. Many sharp curves all along the way as well. It was raining on this stretch and road conditions are average)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Amboli-Sawantwadi : 30mins (2-lane Ghat section, good road condition)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Sawantwadi-Mapusa : 35mins(Good road conditions, also given the fact that you have just crossed the ghat section, you will feel you are able to increase speed drastically)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Mapusa-Calangute : 12mins (I was searching for the resort in Calangute, this stretch is actually only 8.5km)[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]I did the return journey on the 12th Oct. I left Calangute at 6:30 am and reached Bangalore at 4:20 pm. The total driving distance was 717 kms. Additional 41kms because of a missed turn at Sawantwadi. Details of the return sector times as follows :[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Calangute-Mapusa : 12mins(Starting of journey, I was feeling the car for any abnormal behavior)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Mapusa-Sawantwadi : 38 mins (Didn't get set into high-speed driving mode)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Sawantwadi-Amboli : 62mins (missed the turn from Sawantwadi to Amboli and drove on Mumbai highway for about 20kms, then had to return back to get back on the right track. Watch out for the turn to Amboli after you cross Sawantwadi)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Amboli-Belgaum : 54mins (by far the best stretch in terms of traffic on the return trip. Watch out for a point in the road a few kms after Amboli where while the road is a straight stretch, there is huge decline in height of the road,. You can’t see it if you are over 100 kms and I didn’t notice it either missed it and had all 4 wheels off the ground for a few seconds)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Belgaum-Hubli : 78mins(wasted time unsuccessfully searching for premium petrol in Belgaum and got the first taste of heavy lorry traffic on the return leg)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Hubli-Haveri : 40mins (average lorry traffic)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Haveri-Ranibennur :35mins(5mins break for petrol and bad traffic as usual)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Ranibennur-Davangere : 40mins(bad lorry traffic)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Davangere-Chitradurga : 42mins (bad lorry traffic)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Chitradurga-Hiriyur : 32mins(very heavy lorry traffic)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Hiriyur-Sira : 15mins (Bad traffic)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Sira-Tumkur : 50mins(had a lunch break for 20mins at kamat and it started raining as we were reaching Tumkur)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Tumkur-Nelmangala tollgate : 34mins (Heavy rain and maddening traffic)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Nelmangala tollgate-Brookefields : 69mins (Horrible traffic as usual)[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Pl. overlook any calculation mistakes in times, if any.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]In summary, this is an excellent route for those who don't mind the extra 30-40 odd km. Perfect road conditions 90+% of the route. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Ravi Bhat & Dirty Harry for suggestions on the route to Goa.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Enjoy Driving...Thomas[/COLOR]

[GOTJ]

I apologise for all the Color=Black. I m not sure how that came into the post. By the way my car is a Cedia Sports.

[RGP]

Thanks for the detailed breakdown, GOTJ.
This is quite close to what I experienced. What vehicle were you in?

[girish.r]

Originally Posted by laluks

Reached RanniBennur(319km) by 8.45AM. Halted for break fast here. Started again at 10.30AM (long halt ) reached Haveri(368km) by 11:15AM and Sirsi (415km) by 12:30PM. Good Roads.

Hi laluks, may I know the name of the Hotel where you had breakfast in Ranebennur, the location, the food quality, parking space etc.?
This could be helpful for my next drive to Hubli as I dont see any good hotels between Chitradurga and Haveri and getting into Davangere-Harihar would be time consuming.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by girish.r

Hi laluks, may I know the name of the Hotel where you had breakfast in Ranebennur, the location, the food quality, parking space etc.?
This could be helpful for my next drive to Hubli as I dont see any good hotels between Chitradurga and Haveri and getting into Davangere-Harihar would be time consuming.

That was a road side hotel, nothing special about it. But once when you cross ranibennur junction and drive ahead you'll get a BP petrol pump. I saw a restaurant there and some play area for kids. did not try it. Hopefully it is operational.

[GOTJ]

Originally Posted by RGP

Thanks for the detailed breakdown, GOTJ.
This is quite close to what I experienced. What vehicle were you in?

RGP : I drive a cedia sports. Bangalore-Goa in 8hrs driving time is possible if traffic is slightly less

[rameshp]

Hi ,

Here is a complete low down on the route update from Bangalore to Goa and back through two different routes:

Bangalore - Tumkur - Chitradurga - Davangere - Hubli - Dharwad - Kittur - Bidi - Khanapur - Londa - Anmod - Molem - Ponda - Madgaon

Route status: Bangalore - Tumkur - Sira is great as it is part of the GQ, is well maintained and a pleasure to drive. We did this stretch in less than 3 hours.

Chirtradurga - The bye pass is not complete and one must watchout for bad stretches all along the bye pass.

Chitradurga to Davangere - Route is OK with many diversions. Getting out of Davangere can be a little tricky as the bye pass is still being done and there are some very bad stretches near Harihar town.

Davangere - Harihar - Ranebennur stretch is not yet complete and there are many diversions to look out for. As you reach Ranebenuur, the road is very completely out of tar and this will continue all through the town until you hit the highway. From the outskirts, the road is good till Haveri.

Haveri - Hubli is a great road and is a pleasure to drive.

Hubli - Dharwad, we took the bye pass and turned right at Kalghatgi junction into Dharwad. The distance to Dharwad through this route is 19 kms. The road to the town is 4 kms and is not good but motorable.I recommend this route to avoid Hubli city. We took a break at a hotel in Dharwad.

The next day morning, we took the NH4 till Kittur, which is 26 kms from Dharwad. At kittur, get off the highway and go to Kittur under the bridge and turn left to Bidi road. This is a single road with bad stretches for about 13 kms upto Bidi town. The drive will take you atleast 1 hour till Bidi town.

At Bidi town, turn right to Khanapur which is about 19 kms from there. The road is new and is great. As you reach Khanapur, before 2kms to Khanapur town, look out for a left U turn which takes you to Londa. The milestones will read Panaji 115 kms. This is part of the Belgaum Goa highway.

From here, the route takes you through Khanapur forests to Londa. At Londa, turn right to Anmod. Londa to Anmod is not good at all. For almost 18 -20 kms, one has to brave iron ore trucks, bad stretches. Do this stretch in 2 or 3rd gear only. As you reach Anmod, the frustration is bound to increase, but keep your nerves calm as Anmod is the last town in Karnataka.

Anmod to Molem is almost 19 kms of ghat road through forests. The road is excellent but watch out for fast moving empty iron ore trucks. Once you pass Anmod, you enter Goa and there is a sigh of relief as Goa has great roads.

From Molem, take the Ponda Madgaon route to reach Madgaon. The route is being widened to 4 lanes, so lot of levelling work is in progress. This is where you can change to go to Panaji.

On the return, we took the route:

Madgaon - Karwar - Honnavar - Jog Falls - Sagar - Shimoga - Bhadravati - Tumkur - Bangalore

The Madgaon to Karwar route is great and has no major problems.

Karwar to Ankola, look out for some bad potholes. Otherwise the route is fine.

Ankola to Kumta, there are many bad stretches to look out for. Especially near Mirjan town.

After Kumta, the road is great upto Honnavar.

From Honnavar, we took the BH Road or the Bangalore HOnnavar road. The road starts off with some great stretches for about 20 kms and then it becomes a single road right upto Jog falls cutting through dense forests.

After Jog falls, the road is quite good upto Sagar with some small bad stretches. As you reach Shimoga, the route is bad.

The Shimoga Bhadravati Bye pass is also not very good.

Bhadravati - Tarikere and upto Birur town is really very bad and you cannot possibly move beyond the 2nd / 3rd gear.

After Birur, the road is great upto Arsikere. After Ariskere, the road is not so great near Tiptur. Tiptur - Gubbi - Tumkur is neat and should not be a problem.

Once you reach Tumkur, then you agin hit the NH4 and is not an issue at all.

Bye and trust this helps.

Ramesh

[rameshp]

Originally Posted by laluks

That was a road side hotel, nothing special about it. But once when you cross ranibennur junction and drive ahead you'll get a BP petrol pump. I saw a restaurant there and some play area for kids. did not try it. Hopefully it is operational.

I would suggest you go to Hotel Apoorva or Mane Aduge in Davangere. Both these joints serve great food.

Ramesh