[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by LeisurelyTrvlr

So, what would the Saxtiikars refer Margoa to being in? Northern South Goa? (by the way, who are these Saxtiikars?)

Its a Konkani word "Saxti" (pronounced sash-ti) and spelled as Salcete in English. Its a Taluka in South Goa. Margao is part of Salcete so citizens of Margao are lovingly called saxti-kars, folks from saxti.

Do you want me to go to Karwar and then come up north on the Edapally-Panvel highway to Margoa? Can you elaborate/confirm/verify please?

Yes.

So, which do you recommend? Karwar-Concona-Margoa or Ponda route? How is the road condition up to Karwar and then up to Margoa?
I prefer driving on good roads even if it is going to be some 50 odd km more.

The former - Karwar up Canacona to Margao. Its a much better road then the Anmod - Mollem - Ponda Route. <sarcasm>The Karnataka side of this road is pathetic. Apparently all the money earned by the highest road tax in the country is going to fix roads in Whitefield area presently. So the condition of this road</sarcasm>

Point well taken. Will respect the law of the land to the best of my abilities.

Thanks, appreciate that.

What's your advise for me for Central (Panjim) Goa and North Goa?

There is enough and more on this thread and just a search on google "What should I do in North Goa" throws up a lot of suggestions.

My advice, relax and chill out with good food and drinks. Don't try to cover too many places. You are surely coming back if this is your first time. Next time, just don't plan around Christmas and New Year. From stay to food is exorbitantly priced due to the season. You might not get the best of hospitality due to the rush. But nothing too bad too.

So day time, visit churches, temples, shopping. Afternoon take rest. Evening post 5 PM head out to a beach and do nothing. Let the kids enjoy the sand and the water. Pick some food and watch the marvellous sunset. Pick the beach of your choice for this.

If you are a clubbing kinds - stay away from TITO during this time. Head out to Sin-Q. Much better place. This is near Taj in North Goa.

Sure will. Between Benaulim and Colva which is better (prefer less crowd)?

Benaulim, one of the most beautiful beaches. South Goa beaches generally have lesser and much better behaved crowds. Though in New Years there would be a bigger crowd then normal.

Thanks for this advise. Will certainly attend the midnight mass and the evening party.

Have fun.

Originally Posted by p06rakeshb

Google suggests the route below but I do not see mention of the Gokarna section in the previous posts.

Because you don't get to Gokarna. Magnify the map and check again. At that scale some of the road is inside Arabian Sea.

Gokarna is South to the fork after Ankola. Karwar is up North.

Don't get too worried, its a safe road for careful drivers. Be reckless and pay the price.

Bio/food breaks are mentioned umpteenth time on this thread. Look for one guy called paragsachania's posts here.

[micrographics]

I'm travelling to Mollem, Goa on 25. from Bangalore.

Would like to know the current road condition between Dharwad and Mollem.

Any other alternate route to reach Mollem ?

[LeisurelyTrvlr]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

The former - Karwar up Canacona to Margao. Its a much better road then the Anmod - Mollem - Ponda Route. <sarcasm>The Karnataka side of this road is pathetic. Apparently all the money earned by the highest road tax in the country is going to fix roads in Whitefield area presently. So the condition of this road</sarcasm>

If have to go via Karwar how about reaching Karwar via the below route scheme:
(a) Bengaluru – Kunigal – Channarayapatna SH-48 - This is a new four lane, split carriage road.
(b) Channarayapatna – Arsikere – Highway 7
(c) Arsikere – Bhadravati – Sagar – Honnavar – SH 206
(d) Honnavar – Kumta – Ankola – Karwar – Cancona – Margoa.:- Edapally-Panvel Highway

Dear BHPians I need your input on the road conditions for the above sections.
Also, comment on the time taken for travel, please.
If I depart BLR at 4:00 AM what time will I reach Margoa?

Thanks in advance.

[drhoneycake]

Originally Posted by LeisurelyTrvlr

If have to go via Karwar how about reaching Karwar via the below route scheme:

(a) Bengaluru – Kunigal – Channarayapatna SH-48 - This is a new four lane, split carriage road.

(b) Channarayapatna – Arsikere – Highway 7

(c) Arsikere – Bhadravati – Sagar – Honnavar – SH 206

(d) Honnavar – Kumta – Ankola – Karwar – Cancona – Margoa.:- Edapally-Panvel Highway



Dear BHPians I need your input on the road conditions for the above sections.

Also, comment on the time taken for travel, please.

If I depart BLR at 4:00 AM what time will I reach Margoa?



Thanks in advance.

If you must go via Karwar, stick to NH4 - Bankapur, Mundgod, Yellapur, Ankola, Karwar

The route you mentioned is 4 lane upto Channarayapatna only. From then on its 2 lane all the way. The road conditions are mixed. Some sections are good, others severely patchy and broken. Also by taking this route, you will be passing through every town which will slow you down considerably. Traffic is also very high on NH206. Talgappa Honnavar can seem never ending and doing Honnavar to Karwar after such a tiring journey can be a test of endurance.

It should take you upto 12 hours with two breaks to Karwar on this route. Plus an hour from there to Madgaon.

I would advise you to stick to Nh4-Davangere-Haveri-Bankapur-Mundgod-Yellapur-Ankola-Karwar. This should take you 8 hrs. Road conditions are much better. Route is shorter and your journey will be much more pleasant.

Have a safe trip.

Regards,
Aniketh


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[LeisurelyTrvlr]

Oh Boy! You seem to really have gone through it. Thanks, I will take your advise and stick to NH4.

BHPians, need advise on road conditions, Bankapur to Yellapur and onward to Karwar.

[drhoneycake]

Originally Posted by LeisurelyTrvlr

Oh Boy! You seem to really have gone through it. Thanks, I will take your advise and stick to NH4.



BHPians, need advise on road conditions, Bankapur to Yellapur and onward to Karwar.

Haha, glad to be of help. I'm from the UK district and I keep travelling there frequently, hence the familiarity of routes and road conditions there.

Bankapur (take left immediately after the toll, there's a Delhi Durbar hotel on the left side)

Bankapur-Mundgod is slightly narrow, but a great state highway. Excellent tarmac, hardly any traffic, winding roads, beautiful landscape on either side. Watch out for steep humps before and after villages.

Mundgod Yellapur is the same too. A little rough (uneven roads) in some sections but nothing much to worry about.

Yellapur to Idgundi is a great 2-lane NH - loads of truck traffic. Watchout for NWKRTC f1 drivers.Arebail ghat post Idgundi has become a little rough after the rains, but easily doable.

Ankola to Karwar is the excellent 2-lane NH17. You do get a small ghat section as you're nearing Karwar but roads are great throughout. 4-laning hasn't started on this section yet.

These are updates from Nov16 when I last visited Sadashivgad.


NH17 b/w Ankola and Karwar


NH17 b/w Karwar and Canacona


Exiting Karwar, distance chart of various places from Karwar.

P.s: that's my Verna in the pic (me in blue shirt) 😁





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[indecisivebuyer]

I had done a Bangalore - Goa roadtrip on 12/Dec; and it was a fantastic experience.

Wanted to thank everybody on this thread for sharing your experiences - as I had gone through lot of posts on this thread before deciding the route.

My destination was North Goa - and finally ended up taking:
Bangalore > M.K.Hubli (via NH4)
Took a left at M.K Hubli to the statehighway
Khanapur > Jamboti > Chorla > North Goa (Candolim)
Took me 10 hours (including 1 hour break)
Great roads - both NH4 and state highway.
The ghat section is super well maintained both on the Karnataka and Goa sides.

Return route was a carbon copy of the above route. Didn't feel adventurousin trying out a new route since I was travelling with family/kids.

Thanks once again, cheers all!

[LeisurelyTrvlr]

drhoneycake (aniketh), The photos are yummy. I am sold. Will do the route and post my experience. You are one lucky soul to be from the UK ghats and the beaches. Well, I have one concern though - traffic congestion on the Ankola - Margoa stretch. Departing at 4 AM I may hit Ankola about 12ish. What do you think the traffic congestion maybe like - will it slow me down reaching Margao?


Google Map says: Bengaluru to Margoa
via NH4 & SH34 --> typically 8 h 20 min - 9 h, & 577 km
via NH4 & NH63 --> typically 12 hr & 642 km

Travel time: a serious dilemma.
Folks, how is the SH34 road conditions (Dharwar to Ponda), please?

[drhoneycake]

Originally Posted by LeisurelyTrvlr

drhoneycake (aniketh), The photos are yummy. I am sold. Will do the route and post my experience. You are one lucky soul to be from the UK ghats and the beaches. Well, I have one concern though - traffic congestion on the Ankola - Margoa stretch. Departing at 4 AM I may hit Ankola about 12ish. What do you think the traffic congestion maybe like - will it slow me down reaching Margao?





Google Map says: Bengaluru to Margoa

via NH4 & SH34 --> typically 8 h 20 min - 9 h, & 577 km

via NH4 & NH63 --> typically 12 hr & 642 km



Travel time: a serious dilemma.

Folks, how is the SH34 road conditions (Dharwar to Ponda), please?

Originally Posted by LeisurelyTrvlr

drhoneycake (aniketh), The photos are yummy. I am sold. Will do the route and post my experience. You are one lucky soul to be from the UK ghats and the beaches. Well, I have one concern though - traffic congestion on the Ankola - Margoa stretch. Departing at 4 AM I may hit Ankola about 12ish. What do you think the traffic congestion maybe like - will it slow me down reaching Margao?





Google Map says: Bengaluru to Margoa

via NH4 & SH34 --> typically 8 h 20 min - 9 h, & 577 km

via NH4 & NH63 --> typically 12 hr & 642 km



Travel time: a serious dilemma.

Folks, how is the SH34 road conditions (Dharwar to Ponda), please?

Traffic will be high b/w Ankola and Margao at that time. NH17 is a very busy highway.

Also if Margao is your primary destination, I would not go via Karwar at all. Stick to Hubli-Dharwad-Goa Road.

Dharwad to Ramnagara is excellent. Post Ramnagar till Goa border is terrible. Lots of bumps, potholes. Your car will be taking off at certain spots if your in speed. The ghat section is good and post Goa border, the roads are again excellent. Just before entering Ponda, look for hotel Rahi on the right hand side. Immediately at this Y-junction, take the left turn and get into bye pass road to touch Margao. Still the fastest route from Bengaluru to Margao.

Regards,
Aniketh





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[devyaaniverma]

Hello Guys,
A friend is traveling to Goa, specifically to Madgaon on the 30th of this month. Busiest time to travel for sure. He has traveled via Bangalore--Karwar--Madgaon route. He seems to think this route is well known and although distance might be more its worth, as he goes with a family.

Someone was advising him a shorter route via Ramanagar, but road condition unknown. And ofcourse road not tried. So can anyone provide valuable opinions? I have read the earlier responses, yet a latest update will help.

Total travel time and Kms will also differ i guess.

Regards,
Devyaani.

[foxtrot]

Originally Posted by foxtrot

Hi Folks,

I found three options for Bangalore to Goa road trip.
Request regular travelers in this route to comment on the BEST route to follow?
Have attached the google directions map.

Regds

B/w I went to Goa n back.
From B'lore to Candolim reached in 9.5 hrs took two breaks one 45 mins, and another 15 mins. Road after crossing a few kms(after taking left from Hubli), is very bad. But, my Dusty flattened all the bumps and potholes

From Goa to Bangalore took Chorla route and took similar two breaks and reached in 10.5 hrs. Roads were good, but was more time consuming.

[p06rakeshb]

Originally Posted by drhoneycake

Bankapur (take left immediately after the toll, there's a Delhi Durbar hotel on the left side)

Bankapur-Mundgod is slightly narrow, but a great state highway. Excellent tarmac, hardly any traffic, winding roads, beautiful landscape on either side. Watch out for steep humps before and after villages.

Mundgod Yellapur is the same too. A little rough (uneven roads) in some sections but nothing much to worry about.

These are updates from Nov16 when I last visited Sadashivgad.

Thanks for the update . This helps us first time travellers a lot.

Had a question. Enroute to Goa from Bangalore, the other option is to go till Dharwad on NH4 and take a left onto NH 63 towards Karwar. While you have given detailed description of the Bankapur-Bellapur stretch, is the NH4-NH63 via Dharwad route preferred for road conditions?

Planning on driving to Goa on the 24th starting at 4 from Bangalore.

Thanks

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by p06rakeshb

Had a question. Enroute to Goa from Bangalore, the other option is to go till Dharwad on NH4 and take a left onto NH 63 towards Karwar. While you have given detailed description of the Bankapur-Bellapur stretch, is the NH4-NH63 via Dharwad route preferred for road conditions?

Planning on driving to Goa on the 24th starting at 4 from Bangalore.

Thanks

Yellapura-Mungod-Bankapura is only an alternate against Yellapura-Kalhatgi-Dharwad-NH4-Bankapura.

As you can see, both Yellapura and Bankapura are common start and end points between these two routes.

The advantage is on kms and time savings as well. Many might agree while a few might not. The Dharwad option takes you all the way North and then starts coming down till you hit Yellapura. On the other hand, with Mungod option you only fork out from NH4 and steadily climb north till Yellapura.

It saves few kms (say 40), and also 2 tolls (Bankapura and Hubli Bypass).

Now the main point - Dharwad Kalhatgi Yellapura Ankola stretch has been deteriorating since a while now.

With Bankapura Mungod option, you are basically avoiding this bad stretch partially (but you still drive Yellapura Ankola on both routes anyway).

Bankapura Mungod Yellapura is mostly good, narrow and usually traffic free too.

Hope this helps.

[drhoneycake]

Originally Posted by p06rakeshb

Thanks for the update . This helps us first time travellers a lot.



Had a question. Enroute to Goa from Bangalore, the other option is to go till Dharwad on NH4 and take a left onto NH 63 towards Karwar. While you have given detailed description of the Bankapur-Bellapur stretch, is the NH4-NH63 via Dharwad route preferred for road conditions?



Planning on driving to Goa on the 24th starting at 4 from Bangalore.



Thanks

Just to clear the confusion:-


Going all the way UP to Hubli and driving DOWN again towards Karwar doesn't make sense at all. You get two additional tolls here. This route is now degraded all the way from Hubli to Yellapur and even near the beginning of the Arebail Ghat. Quite bumpy because of the small potholes and patched sections. Heavy truck traffic throughout.



This is the route me and Parag sir have been mentioning. Shorter by a significant margin - about 50 Kms. Good through and through till Yellapur, ghat mentioned above, post ghats, road is excellent again. Less traffic till Yellapur.

Cheers,
Aniketh


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[Acelerar]

I am planning to trip to hotel in Anjuna, Bardez in Goa (North Goa) in January 1st week.

Please suggest the best route in terms of being quickest? Going through the posts, I think that it is:
Bangalore > M.K.Hubli (via NH4)
Take a left at M.K Hubli to the state highway
Khanapur > Jamboti > North Goa

But it is also the same route that google map shows by default.
Question - Are there are any adjustments necessary for this default suggested google map route or can I follow the google map route as is?

Also, please suggest good places for breakfast and lunch in this route.