Bangalore - Goa - Mumbai - Shirdi

anujmishra · 14th July 2008, 16:08

Dear friends,

I am planning for a trip with my wife and my 3 year old son. The trip is very long but I have 9 days with me. The expected date for my travel is from 9th August, 2008 to 17th August, 2008. Car is Maruti 800 AC.

My Initial plan is as follows:

Bangalore to Goa
1. Start early on 9th August (4 AM) and follow akroy's travelogue to reach Goa. Appx Distance: 640 Kms. Any suggestions here ?

2. 10th - 11th will be in Goa and sightseeing and relaxing. (Thanks to many travelogues to Goa in Team-BHP)

Goa to Mumbai
3. 12th morning start early (5AM) to Mumbai for relative visit. My relative stays in Nerul Area of New Mumbai. Reach by evening. Appx Distance: 600 Kms. Any suggestion on this route?

4. 13th - 14th will be in Mumbai.

Mumbai to Shirdi
5. 15th Morning: Start for Shirdi. Have darshan by afternoon. Appx Distance: 260 Kms.

Optional Inclusion (only if time permits):
6(a) 15th afternoon: If time permits visit Ellora and Grishneshwar temple. Appx distance: 100kms??? Not sure (yahoo map shows 100 kms). Come to Aurangabad and stay in hotel.

Otherwise
6(b) Stay in Shirdi itself.

Either of 6(a) or 6(b) possible depends upon how quick we get darshan at Shirdi.

Now, from here I am having problem. Since, Shirdi(Aurangabad) to Bangalore is more than 1000 Kms. I want rest in night. For Bangalore, I want to start on early in the morning of 16th August. I have 2 days to reach Bangalore. Not in hurry.

Where shall I halt in between Shirdi (Aurangabad) and Bangalore? Bijapur? Please suggest. Which is the best route available between Shirdi(Aurangabad) and Bangalore?

Also, please help me to arrange my itenarary on 15th August (The day I visit Shirdi temple).

lapsi · 14th July 2008, 21:34

Anuj,

Just a thought. August 15 will be extremely crowded in Shirdi and hence avoidable.

An off the cuff suggestion. From Goa go to Shirdi first and then go to Bombay. You can crossover from NH17 to NH4 upto Poona and reach Shirdi most probably via the Ahmednagar road.

From Shirdi you can come to Bombay and then take the NH4 back to Bangalore.

Hope this helps.

hvkumar · 14th July 2008, 23:40

Goa-Bombay - the real pleasure is in the NH17 road, which is scenic and a great drive, with over 50% of its being ghat roads. Except for some stretches between Mahad and Pen, the road is in good condition. Distance is around 525 kms to Nerul from Panaji, but you can do it in 9 hours non-stop and 12 hours with breaks. Ideal breaks is at Chiplun for lunch.

In case you do not want to take Nh17, and want a faster drive, take NH17 till Savantwadi, then climb up the ghats through Amboli and reach NH4 (Bangalore road) at Nippani. From there, it is a fast drive via Kolhapur, Karad, Satara and Pune to Nerul.

Ellora and Grishneshwar are within 20 km of Aurangabad. Leave on 16th morning and come to Aurangabad, visiting Ellora and Grishneshwar. Stay at Aurangabad that night - I prefer MTDC.

From Aurangabad, you have 3 route options:

R 1: Aurangabad-Osmanabad-Tuljapur-Solapur-Bijapur-Hospet-Chitradurga-Bangalore
You could stay at Bijapur or Hospet, but let me caution you that NH13 after Solapur is not in good shape.

R 2: Aurangabad-Ahmedanagar-Pune-Satara-Karad-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Hubli-Davangere-Chitradurga-Bangalore
Advantage is that you are on great roads all the way, joining NH4 at Pune and taking 4-lane road all the way. Disadvantage is that you have to navigate Pune town. Ideal overnight halt could be Belgaum

R 3: Aurangabad-Ahmednagar-Karmala-Tembhurni-Pandarpur-Miraj-Sangli-Kolhapur, and rest along R 2. Shorter than R 2, but road between Tembhurni and Miraj is lonely. Belgaum is again an ideal overnight halt.

anujmishra · 15th July 2008, 09:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapsi

Just a thought. August 15 will be extremely crowded in Shirdi and hence avoidable.

Yes, your observation is correct. It may be crowded on 15th August. Lets see how far I can change this plan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Goa-Bombay - the real pleasure is in the NH17 road, which is scenic and a great drive, with over 50% of its being ghat roads.

Ellora and Grishneshwar are within 20 km of Aurangabad. Leave on 16th morning and come to Aurangabad, visiting Ellora and Grishneshwar. Stay at Aurangabad that night - I prefer MTDC.

From Aurangabad, you have 3 route options:

R 1: Aurangabad-Osmanabad-Tuljapur-Solapur-Bijapur-Hospet-Chitradurga-Bangalore
You could stay at Bijapur or Hospet, but let me caution you that NH13 after Solapur is not in good shape.

R 2: Aurangabad-Ahmedanagar-Pune-Satara-Karad-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Hubli-Davangere-Chitradurga-Bangalore
Advantage is that you are on great roads all the way, joining NH4 at Pune and taking 4-lane road all the way. Disadvantage is that you have to navigate Pune town. Ideal overnight halt could be Belgaum

R 3: Aurangabad-Ahmednagar-Karmala-Tembhurni-Pandarpur-Miraj-Sangli-Kolhapur, and rest along R 2. Shorter than R 2, but road between Tembhurni and Miraj is lonely. Belgaum is again an ideal overnight halt.

Its been great sir, I got now options for three routes. I am now doing feasibility study of all three routes. I think R2 is more appropriate. I prefer little bit more distance than bad road stretch. As per your suggestions Belgaum would be ideal night halt. How much NH4 is crowded ? I have never been to this highway.

In R-3 you suggested that road between Tembhurni and Miraj is lonely. Is this is state highway? What kind of lonely it is? Is it safe to drive in daylight?

ASHISHPALLOD · 15th July 2008, 11:16

I will add option4 to Hvkumar's route from Aurangabad to Benglore.

r4: Aurangabad-Ahmednagar-leftturn to Baramati 115 km-Baramati-Nira-Satara-Kolhapur-Banglore.

This is good road. You will avoid all traffic from a'nagar-pune-satara section. you will bypass Pune city.
In this route, ahmadnagar-baramati-satara is 210 km.
While ahmadnagar-pune-satara is 230 km.

VJ_MAVRICK · 15th July 2008, 11:31

Anuj ! with aug 15th a holiday and also the 16th which is a hoilday too (though saturday) on the ocassion of Rakhee i believe, so that is a weekend which does have more crowd and since you are traveling with your kiddy son, try to plan accordingly.

anujmishra · 15th July 2008, 11:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

r4: Aurangabad-Ahmednagar-leftturn to Baramati 115 km-Baramati-Nira-Satara-Kolhapur-Banglore.

This is again one option. I will consider this road also. So, this road is fine for driving ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by VJ_MAVRICK

Anuj ! with aug 15th a holiday and also the 16th which is a hoilday too (though saturday) on the ocassion of Rakhee i believe, so that is a weekend which does have more crowd and since you are traveling with your kiddy son, try to plan accordingly.

So many of you warning me of holidays on my Shirdi visit. I think I have to give it a thought.

But How can I change my plan ?

Shall I plan on the reverse route? Bangalore - Shirdi - Mumbai - Goa - Bangalore ??? Help...

hvkumar · 15th July 2008, 12:26

Tembhurni-Miraj route has poor facilities and not too many villages or towns. Not heard of any safety issues by dayttime but would avoid after dark.

Reversing the order of travel would be best, so that you first come to Shirdi and return via Goa.

ASHISHPALLOD · 15th July 2008, 12:31

HVKUMAR is right. On 15 aug, too much rush in Shirdi. Avoid that day. Also avoid Tembhurni- Miraj route. No hotels, bad roads, small roads.

VJ_MAVRICK · 15th July 2008, 12:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by anujmishra

This is again one option. I will consider this road also. So, this road is fine for driving ?

So many of you warning me of holidays on my Shirdi visit. I think I have to give it a thought.

But How can I change my plan ?

Shall I plan on the reverse route? Bangalore - Shirdi - Mumbai - Goa - Bangalore ??? Help...

Anuj! I think visiting Shirdi before the holiday weekend will be a good idea as you are traveling with family especially a 3 year old it does make sense to visit before that holiday weekend as you can expect some crowd for very obvious reasons. Stick to your dates and the above route with Goa @ the end of the journey being a good idea. So plan accordingly so that you have a good trip ahead.

lapsi · 15th July 2008, 13:07

Keep in mind that Shirdi is crowded on Sundays upto 4-5pm and hotel rates are maximum for Saturdays nights. You will also need to confirm your hotel bookings for Goa since it is a long week-end.

By reversing the route you will be able to enjoy NH17 from Bombay to Goa. A word of caution though. NH17 is a single track highway and you can expect heavy traffic.

Take care

anujmishra · 16th July 2008, 09:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapsi

Keep in mind that Shirdi is crowded on Sundays upto 4-5pm and hotel rates are maximum for Saturdays nights. You will also need to confirm your hotel bookings for Goa since it is a long week-end.

By reversing the route you will be able to enjoy NH17 from Bombay to Goa. A word of caution though. NH17 is a single track highway and you can expect heavy traffic.

Take care

Even if Shirdi is crowded, How long do you think it will take for Darshan?

The route I neglected in Mumbai to Shirdi route. Now in Map I can see there are two main routes to Shirdi from Mumbai.

1. New Mumbai - Kalyan Dombivali - Murbad - Otur - Sangamner - Shiridi
2. New Mumbai - Nashik - Shirdi

I can see couple of State Highways criss crossing each other. Please suggest which one is the best route even if there is a new option ?

hvkumar must be having knowledge of best Mumbai - Shirdi route

ASHISHPALLOD · 16th July 2008, 11:17

FOR MUMBAI TO SHIRDI,
Your option1 will be ok. This kalyan - murbad- otur-sangamner route has malshej ghat. I think on 14th and 15 th aug, this ghat will have traffic jam.
I will suggest go by nasik-sinnar-shirdi route.

lapsi · 16th July 2008, 12:32

No idea how long it will take for Darshan. An estimate could be anywhere from 2 to 6 hours.

Normally the Bombay - Nashik - Shirdi route is taken.

hvkumar · 16th July 2008, 13:46

Here is a log book of the Bombay-Shirdi route.

H V Kumar - Driving Log Books - KUMAR'S DRIVING LOG BOOKS Bombay to Shirdi & Bhandardara, Jun 2001

The Route 1 is a longer route with bad roads during rainy season.

Route 2 is the preferred route - you can do it in 5-6 hours from New Bombay.

One more alternative roue is to avoid Nashik by turning off NH3 at Ghoti (after Igatpuri) and go directly to Shirdi via Sinnar

14th July 2008, 16:08	#1
anujmishra Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,290 Thanked: 492 Times View My Garage	Bangalore - Goa - Mumbai - Shirdi Dear friends, I am planning for a trip with my wife and my 3 year old son. The trip is very long but I have 9 days with me. The expected date for my travel is from 9th August, 2008 to 17th August, 2008. Car is Maruti 800 AC. My Initial plan is as follows: Bangalore to Goa 1. Start early on 9th August (4 AM) and follow akroy's travelogue to reach Goa. Appx Distance: 640 Kms. Any suggestions here ? 2. 10th - 11th will be in Goa and sightseeing and relaxing. (Thanks to many travelogues to Goa in Team-BHP) Goa to Mumbai 3. 12th morning start early (5AM) to Mumbai for relative visit. My relative stays in Nerul Area of New Mumbai. Reach by evening. Appx Distance: 600 Kms. Any suggestion on this route? 4. 13th - 14th will be in Mumbai. Mumbai to Shirdi 5. 15th Morning: Start for Shirdi. Have darshan by afternoon. Appx Distance: 260 Kms. Optional Inclusion (only if time permits): 6(a) 15th afternoon: If time permits visit Ellora and Grishneshwar temple. Appx distance: 100kms??? Not sure (yahoo map shows 100 kms). Come to Aurangabad and stay in hotel. Otherwise 6(b) Stay in Shirdi itself. Either of 6(a) or 6(b) possible depends upon how quick we get darshan at Shirdi. Now, from here I am having problem. Since, Shirdi(Aurangabad) to Bangalore is more than 1000 Kms. I want rest in night. For Bangalore, I want to start on early in the morning of 16th August. I have 2 days to reach Bangalore. Not in hurry. Where shall I halt in between Shirdi (Aurangabad) and Bangalore? Bijapur? Please suggest. Which is the best route available between Shirdi(Aurangabad) and Bangalore? Also, please help me to arrange my itenarary on 15th August (The day I visit Shirdi temple).
	() Thanks

14th July 2008, 21:34	#2
lapsi BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bombay Posts: 177 Thanked: 105 Times	Anuj, Just a thought. August 15 will be extremely crowded in Shirdi and hence avoidable. An off the cuff suggestion. From Goa go to Shirdi first and then go to Bombay. You can crossover from NH17 to NH4 upto Poona and reach Shirdi most probably via the Ahmednagar road. From Shirdi you can come to Bombay and then take the NH4 back to Bangalore. Hope this helps.
	() Thanks

14th July 2008, 23:40	#3
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	Goa-Bombay - the real pleasure is in the NH17 road, which is scenic and a great drive, with over 50% of its being ghat roads. Except for some stretches between Mahad and Pen, the road is in good condition. Distance is around 525 kms to Nerul from Panaji, but you can do it in 9 hours non-stop and 12 hours with breaks. Ideal breaks is at Chiplun for lunch. In case you do not want to take Nh17, and want a faster drive, take NH17 till Savantwadi, then climb up the ghats through Amboli and reach NH4 (Bangalore road) at Nippani. From there, it is a fast drive via Kolhapur, Karad, Satara and Pune to Nerul. Ellora and Grishneshwar are within 20 km of Aurangabad. Leave on 16th morning and come to Aurangabad, visiting Ellora and Grishneshwar. Stay at Aurangabad that night - I prefer MTDC. From Aurangabad, you have 3 route options: R 1: Aurangabad-Osmanabad-Tuljapur-Solapur-Bijapur-Hospet-Chitradurga-Bangalore You could stay at Bijapur or Hospet, but let me caution you that NH13 after Solapur is not in good shape. R 2: Aurangabad-Ahmedanagar-Pune-Satara-Karad-Kolhapur-Belgaum-Hubli-Davangere-Chitradurga-Bangalore Advantage is that you are on great roads all the way, joining NH4 at Pune and taking 4-lane road all the way. Disadvantage is that you have to navigate Pune town. Ideal overnight halt could be Belgaum R 3: Aurangabad-Ahmednagar-Karmala-Tembhurni-Pandarpur-Miraj-Sangli-Kolhapur, and rest along R 2. Shorter than R 2, but road between Tembhurni and Miraj is lonely. Belgaum is again an ideal overnight halt.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 11:16	#5
ASHISHPALLOD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MH42 Posts: 2,006 Thanked: 334 Times	I will add option4 to Hvkumar's route from Aurangabad to Benglore. r4: Aurangabad-Ahmednagar-leftturn to Baramati 115 km-Baramati-Nira-Satara-Kolhapur-Banglore. This is good road. You will avoid all traffic from a'nagar-pune-satara section. you will bypass Pune city. In this route, ahmadnagar-baramati-satara is 210 km. While ahmadnagar-pune-satara is 230 km.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 11:31	#6
VJ_MAVRICK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,239 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	Anuj ! with aug 15th a holiday and also the 16th which is a hoilday too (though saturday) on the ocassion of Rakhee i believe, so that is a weekend which does have more crowd and since you are traveling with your kiddy son, try to plan accordingly.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 12:26	#8
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	Tembhurni-Miraj route has poor facilities and not too many villages or towns. Not heard of any safety issues by dayttime but would avoid after dark. Reversing the order of travel would be best, so that you first come to Shirdi and return via Goa.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 12:31	#9
ASHISHPALLOD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MH42 Posts: 2,006 Thanked: 334 Times	HVKUMAR is right. On 15 aug, too much rush in Shirdi. Avoid that day. Also avoid Tembhurni- Miraj route. No hotels, bad roads, small roads.
	() Thanks

15th July 2008, 13:07	#11
lapsi BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bombay Posts: 177 Thanked: 105 Times	Keep in mind that Shirdi is crowded on Sundays upto 4-5pm and hotel rates are maximum for Saturdays nights. You will also need to confirm your hotel bookings for Goa since it is a long week-end. By reversing the route you will be able to enjoy NH17 from Bombay to Goa. A word of caution though. NH17 is a single track highway and you can expect heavy traffic. Take care
	() Thanks

16th July 2008, 11:17	#13
ASHISHPALLOD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MH42 Posts: 2,006 Thanked: 334 Times	FOR MUMBAI TO SHIRDI, Your option1 will be ok. This kalyan - murbad- otur-sangamner route has malshej ghat. I think on 14th and 15 th aug, this ghat will have traffic jam. I will suggest go by nasik-sinnar-shirdi route.
	() Thanks

16th July 2008, 12:32	#14
lapsi BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bombay Posts: 177 Thanked: 105 Times	No idea how long it will take for Darshan. An estimate could be anywhere from 2 to 6 hours. Normally the Bombay - Nashik - Shirdi route is taken.
	() Thanks

16th July 2008, 13:46	#15
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	Here is a log book of the Bombay-Shirdi route. H V Kumar - Driving Log Books - KUMAR'S DRIVING LOG BOOKS Bombay to Shirdi & Bhandardara, Jun 2001 The Route 1 is a longer route with bad roads during rainy season. Route 2 is the preferred route - you can do it in 5-6 hours from New Bombay. One more alternative roue is to avoid Nashik by turning off NH3 at Ghoti (after Igatpuri) and go directly to Shirdi via Sinnar
	() Thanks