Team-BHP - Pune to Ganpatipule : Route Queries

Agree with @Simhi. The Kokrud - Malkapur - Amba road is in the worst condition that I have seen in last 14 years. Especially Malkapur - Amba road is really bad in patches, and one has to be really careful on this road, because remaining parts of the road are quite good. So you build up some speed and suddenly there is a rough patch. It took me almost 30 min to cover this 16km distance.

The road improves once the descent of Amba ghat starts. From that point till Hatkhamba, there are no major concerns about the road conditions.

Guys in the last week of Dec-2016 I did a trip to Ganapati Pule and other attractions of coastal Ratnagiri (Guhagar, Velneshwar, Hedavi, Arrey-Warrey, Pawas etc). We had booked our PG accommodation in Guhagar and the below mentioned three routes were our disposal to reach Guhagar from Chinchwad (home):

Tamhini ghat (via NH66) - Chinchwad --> Mangaon -->Mahad --> Khed --> Chiplun --> Guhagar
Varandha ghat (via MH SH 70 and NH660) - Chinchwad --> Bhor --> Mahad --> Khed --> Chiplun --> Guhagar
Kumbharli ghat (via NH48 and Umbraj - Chiplun Rd) - Chinchwad --> Satara --> Umbraj --> Patan --> Chiplun --> Guhagar

Family was very reluctant to take the Tamhini ghat route (as the road condition is not that good with some rough patches in between). Also Varandha ghat road is full of twisties (to the tune of 60 kms), which was a sure shot recipe to induce motion sickness. So everyone chose the safest route via Kumbharli ghat, though it would add up 30 extra kms to our journey. I didn't have a choice.

In case you are interested you can go through my detailed travelogue over here --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...g-holiday.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanmd (Post 4115341)

Hi
Need some opinion on the following route..
A pleasant weekday drive is the idea here.. provided the roads / traffic are good.
Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoIndian (Post 4121821)

Kumbharli ghat (via NH48 and Umbraj - Chiplun Rd) - Chinchwad --> Satara --> Umbraj --> Patan --> Chiplun --> Guhagar

So everyone chose the safest route via Kumbharli ghat, though it would add up 30 extra kms to our journey. I didn't have a choice.

Completely agree with AutoIndia. Kubharli is the best option to get you to Ratnagiri. The ghat is wide for 2 vehicles to pass without slowing down and in good condition.

Once you hit Chiplun, remember to bypass the city by going around the periphery. Ask for directions once you start seeing typical city like outskirts.

Roads inside Chiplun are in poor state and very narrow. Plus random No-entry/No-Right/No-left boards are irritating.

Quote:

Originally Posted by freedom (Post 4121844)

Once you hit Chiplun, remember to bypass the city by going around the periphery. Ask for directions once you start seeing typical city like outskirts.

Directions for bypassing Chiplun town given here:

If you are coming from Mumbai --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post2797741

If you are coming via Kumbharli ghat --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post2798111

Cheers,
Vikram

Friends, I completed a Pune - Ratnagiri - Pune drive during the 26th Jan extended weekend. I took Pune - Karad - Kokrud - Malkapur - Hatkhamba route (as always), and I am pleased to report that Amba ghat road conditions have improved significantly. Especially the Malkapur - Amba road is silken smooth (it was really bad when I traveled just after Diwali). Overall, this road is in a good-to-very good shape, absolutely recommended for Ratnagiri and close-by places.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sschivate (Post 4138610)

Hi sschivate, I am travelling to Ganapatipule on 01 April. Would you recommend this route over Umbraj-Patan-Chiplun-Ganpatipule route via Kumbharli ghat?

Regards,
Vikram

Quote:

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb (Post 4167982)

Would you recommend this route over Umbraj-Patan-Chiplun-Ganpatipule route via Kumbharli ghat?

Definitely. The ghat section is shorter and easier, and road conditions in Kumbharli were far from smooth the last time I traveled.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sschivate (Post 4168765)

Definitely. The ghat section is shorter and easier, and road conditions in Kumbharli were far from smooth the last time I traveled.

Thanks a lot! Just need to confirm 1 more thing - For Kokrud - Malkapur, I need to take the NH4 exit which is marked as "Kale - Ratnagiri Phata" (a few kms after Karad), right?

Cheers,
Vikram

Quote:

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb (Post 4168825)

Thanks a lot! Just need to confirm 1 more thing - For Kokrud - Malkapur, I need to take the NH4 exit which is marked as "Kale - Ratnagiri Phata" (a few kms after Karad), right?

Cheers,
Vikram

That's right. It is about 7km from Karad flyover. It is not well-marked, so you need to be careful. It has a board for श्री क्षेत्र नाणीज right at the exit.

An update on road conditions based on a round-trip in last 4 days:

The road is not-so-great between Kale phata and Malkapur - expect average speeds of 40kmph.

The road from Malkapur to Amba is in extremely poor shape - 35-40 min for 16km stretch.

Amba ghat is very poor for the first 4-5km from Amba, improves towards Sakharpa. The road gets really smooth from Sakharpa onwards, but watch out for a few bad patches till Dabhole.

Road re-surfacing work was going on near Sakharpa, but the road conditions are so bad that a mere re-surfacing will not be enough.

Overall, add about 45 min of extra travel time from Karad to Ratnagiri.

Another road conditions update - Kale Phata to Malkapur is quite okay, easily negotiated at 40kmph. I could do 60km in 70 min while going, in 65 min while coming back. Malkapur - Pail is in pristine condition, a real pleasure to drive. Pali - Hatkhamba is NH66, lot of road widening work is in progress.