[Ketan T]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

I rather found the cottages to be good! Rustic and simple, yet clean. And the surroundings give you a lazy ambiance.

I have stayed in those cottages three times. Each time they were not cleaned properly and had stinky blankets. But I don't mind staying there as the location is awesome!

[SDK]

Hello folks

We are planning for a long weekend getaway to Dapoli/Harnai from Hyderabad.
We plan to start on 25th Dec early morning around 4:00 AM and plan to return back to Hyderabad on 28th night.

Cars: SX4 and Santro.

As of now thinking of taking the following route :
Hyderabad - Zaheerabad - Solapur - Mohol - Pandharpur - Umbraj - Chiplun - Khed - Dapoli.

The two most important criteria are decent roads and safety since will be travelling with our families.
Please suggest me the best possible route and any other suggestions with respect to stay and places to visit in & around Dapoli.

Also need suggestions on the route to take from Dapoli to Pune on 27th. Should we go via Tamhini Ghat/Mulshi or Varandha Ghat/Bhor ?

Thanks in advance.

[SDK]

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[USJ]

Hi fellow BHPians,

I am in a dilemma about choosing the correct route from Pune to Dapoli for the 24th to 26th January Long weekend. I am travelling as a part of two families with 9 adults and one 3 year old kid. The cars would be a Duster 85PS Diesel and a Figo 1.4 Diesel. Many of the family members have concerns about the Ghat sections and it would really help to know which of the two routes suggested by Google Maps is better in terms of Ghats, Road Quality and Safety.

The first route is the Chandni Chowk - Paud - Tamhini - Mangaon - Mandangadh - Dapoli
The second one is Chandni Chowk - Bhor - Mahad - Dapoli

Any idea what should be the better of the two? Also would a detour via Mahabaleshwar be more of an inconvenience considering the traffic over the long weekend?

Cheers,
Utkarsh

[bigwheelz]

Originally Posted by USJ

Hi fellow BHPians,

I am in a dilemma about choosing the correct route from Pune to Dapoli for the 24th to 26th January Long weekend. I am travelling as a part of two families with 9 adults and one 3 year old kid. The cars would be a Duster 85PS Diesel and a Figo 1.4 Diesel. Many of the family members have concerns about the Ghat sections and it would really help to know which of the two routes suggested by Google Maps is better in terms of Ghats, Road Quality and Safety.

The first route is the Chandni Chowk - Paud - Tamhini - Mangaon - Mandangadh - Dapoli
The second one is Chandni Chowk - Bhor - Mahad - Dapoli

Any idea what should be the better of the two? Also would a detour via Mahabaleshwar be more of an inconvenience considering the traffic over the long weekend?

Cheers,
Utkarsh

I did both the routes during my last visit. But that was 1 year back. The lesser time you spend on NH 17 the better.
I prefer route 1. Start early to beat traffic between chandni chowk and mulshi.

[chinmaybaikar]

Originally Posted by USJ

Hi fellow BHPians,

I am in a dilemma about choosing the correct route from Pune to Dapoli for the 24th to 26th January Long weekend.

Dapoli being my hometown we visit there almost every two or 3 months. The latest one was on 31st December. The Mandangad route has very bad patches right after you leave the NH17. Lately there has been an increase in sand carrying trucks which has ruined the roads. The road from Mahad is comparatively better from what I heard. I'll suggest you take that route henceforth.

Originally Posted by bigwheelz

I did both the routes during my last visit. But that was 1 year back. The lesser time you spend on NH 17 the better.
I prefer route 1. Start early to beat traffic between chandni chowk and mulshi.

So true. I do my best to avoid NH17, but the road from Mangaon till Mahad or Tol is good. While driving from Mumbai I just take the expressway and get off through the Khopoli exit which is right after the first toll booth. Then take the Adlabs Imagica road which is in very bad condition from the exit till the park and later on its just fun with the smooth winding roads. There's a bottleneck at Pali and some traffic but it took around 5.30 hours to reach Dapoli (incudling TP breaks and a dinner break). NH17 is in a bad condition right from Panvel upto Vadkhal and a lot of diversions where some clueless people just keep on driving ignoring the diversion and then return back after they meet a dead end. Not their fault too cause the roads on the both sides are done except that the other lane isn't opened yet.

[Musaafir]

My personal favorite Pune to Dapoli route is via Mulshi - Tamhini - Mangaon - Goregaon - Left turn a little before Mandangad - Kumbale - Sondeghar - Dapoli. Yes, there are some bad patches on this route, but it is very scenic and touches NH-17 only for about 10 kilometers.

Travel via Bhor is slow, particularly due to the road between Bhor and Varandh ghat, which is very narrow and winding.

[Aston Singh]

Originally Posted by USJ

The first route is the Chandni Chowk - Paud - Tamhini - Mangaon - Mandangadh - Dapoli
The second one is Chandni Chowk - Bhor - Mahad - Dapoli

Any idea what should be the better of the two? Also would a detour via Mahabaleshwar be more of an inconvenience considering the traffic over the long weekend?

Hi Utkarsh,

I think I can provide you with the latest update on the first route since I did a quick trip to Mahad yesterday.

I left early at 6 AM from Pune since I had to be in Mahad by 9. The road overall is pretty good. There are few bad patches around Paud and some on Tamhini ghat but those are manageable. (Sections lasting for a km or two at max!) Rest of it seems to have been re-done recently so absolutely super smooth sections.
Also hardly any traffic on this route, at least I did not witness any issues but at times there is a bit around Pirangut.

So I would say go with this route, you won't be disappointed!

[ameyawaghmare]

I had a Pune - Dapoli drive recently. In fact, the profile picture (if uploaded correctly) is shot at Karde beach sea touching road!

The route that I took while going towards was:
Pune - katraj Tunnel - Wai - Panchgani - Mahabaleshwar - Pratapgarh - NH17 - Khed - Dapoli. A longer route but far more pleasing to drive (as compared to what I experienced on return). One needs to be careful after Mahabaleshwar as you go down. I did have a feeling that use of excessive brakes while going downhill could lead to heating of brake pads. Downshift of gears highly recommended if you are ever going from Mahabaleshwar towards NH17. Furthermore, static friction caused on extreme downhill roads can cause skidding. I did get lost while in Khed, but Google Maps took through some inner roads of the village and I was back on the 2-laned state highway approaching the beach. The fun was after entering Dapoli. Before entering Dapoli, there is a left that goes slightly uphill and goes towards the Karde Beach. I ignored the signboard there and proceeded as per what Google Maps recommended. I wish I had photos to share the road that I took. An internal road clogged with water at a few points, wide enough to accommodate only one car. Friendly villagers advised that it would help if we go straight on the sand road! Somehow, we reached. There was a point where all 4 tyres were in water and underbelly was experience splash of water. Somehow I did reach.
Conclusion: do not trust Google Maps blindly. Once away from the NHs, it is better to trust the local signboards, especially if you are someone going to the place for the first time.

Return: I took the route:
Dapoli - Mandangad - Mhapral - Lonere (NH17) - Mangaon (NH17) - Nizampur - Tamhini - Mulshi - chandni chowk.
Road condition was outright bad but we only kept following the signboards that showed signboards towards Mumbai after departing from Dapoli. Hardly 10 kms on NH17 and took the route via Tamhini ghats, followed by Tata Power - Mulshi - Paud, etc. It was a purely celestial experience to drive through Tamhini during night hours on a full moon day with negligible traffic. But, I woul not recommend the route this route if you are intending to go towards Dapoli.

Needless to say, dapoli was fantasti experience with unforgettable food!

[sschivate]

Originally Posted by ameyawaghmare

It was a purely celestial experience to drive through Tamhini during night hours on a full moon day with negligible traffic.

I am sure you mean 'full moon night'!!

I drove in Tamhini after dark in November, and while it was peaceful from traffic point of view, it did get somewhat scary for the family members in the car, when there was no other vehicle in sight (ahead or behind) for a long stretch...

[ameyawaghmare]

Originally Posted by sschivate

I am sure you mean 'full moon night'!!

I drove in Tamhini after dark in November, and while it was peaceful from traffic point of view, it did get somewhat scary for the family members in the car, when there was no other vehicle in sight (ahead or behind) for a long stretch...

Oops, yes I did mean full moon night! It is especially beautiful in the mountains.
As a side-note, I have heard stories of NH17 where accidents of trucks takes place on every full moon night due to many illusions that are created while driving. For anyone doing Pune-Dapoli or any destination towards the coast, I would recommend extra caution considering this. I did not experience any illusion or confusion during the drive.

Yes, it does get a little scary. I had stopped for nature's call and those 5 minutes were, really really, terrifying amid the hills.

[Ketan T]

Originally Posted by sschivate

I am sure you mean 'full moon night'!!

I drove in Tamhini after dark in November, and while it was peaceful from traffic point of view, it did get somewhat scary for the family members in the car, when there was no other vehicle in sight (ahead or behind) for a long stretch...

Tamhini ghat is still better in comparison with Varandha ghat. Even during the day Varandha ghat has very less traffic. I would advice anyone traveling at night to completely avoid Varandha ghat.

[cyberwhizs]

Any updates on the road conditions mandangad - dapoli sections either via SH102 (via dattanagar) or SH272 (via kumbale , sondeghar). Contemplating heading to dapoli next week. Is NH17 - via khed the best option? am travelling from mumbai.
Thanks

[karan561]

Need update on Khopoli - Pali road.

What is the best route to reach there ? Google maps show its after Adlabs Imagica.

How is the road / traffic condition ?

Are there any ghat sections ? Can anyone share some pics

Any pointers will be helpful, Thanks !

[cyberwhizs]

Originally Posted by karan561

Need update on Khopoli - Pali road.

What is the best route to reach there ? Google maps show its after Adlabs Imagica.

How is the road / traffic condition ?

Are there any ghat sections ? Can anyone share some pics

Any pointers will be helpful, Thanks !

This was a good road last year - May 2014, a typical 2 lane state highway.
Take the the exit at khalapur and head out towards imagica and then ahead.

Very scenic road, relatively less traffic. It has a lot of winding sections, and you need to be attentive 100% but not much of ghat though.

I too am planning to travel the same road enroute to dapoli in a couple of days. So if anyone knows the road conditions on this section as well as the subsequent one from mandangad to dapoli. It will help a lot.

Thanks.