[Musaafir]

I passed thru Varandha ghat last month. Road condition is not good beyond Bhor. The road is narrow and there are bad stretches throughout upto almost the end of the ghat section. The road is pretty hilly and full of zig-zags which reduces the speed. I would still prefer this route due to the scenery alongside. But please check if the baby would be comfortable with the road conditions.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by linuxtechie

I am planing to take the Pune - Dapoli route this saturday.

i hope, by now, you are on your way to dapoli.
considering the road condition, baby and facilities on the way, i will suggest to go by mahabaleshwar route.

[linuxtechie]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

i hope, by now, you are on your way to dapoli.
considering the road condition, baby and facilities on the way, i will suggest to go by mahabaleshwar route.

Thanks for the reply Aashish.

Well I actually did that, cause I missed the Bhor phata while speeding on the good road. Nevertheless, the ghat past Mahabaleshwar proved too much for my wife and my kid, they puked anyways many times. So while coming back, I took NH17, pali -khalapur, pune expressway. Time taken was about same 5-5.5 hours.

While coming back, they both were fine and were ok through out the journey.

+LT

[sschivate]

I completed a Pune-Dapoli-Pune trip today, in my friend's santro. We took the Tamhini ghat road while going, and came back via Varandha ghat. None of the roads are in great condition, with bad patches thrown in at multiple places.

We took a lot of detours while going, so a comparison of times and distances is tough to present. However, the return route was shorter (180km). We took the Palgad - Latghar - Mahad road, and it was in a very bad shape - please avoid. Varandha ghat is beautiful and scenic, but too many twists and turns till Bhor. Best avoided if traveling with folks suffering from motion sickness.

Tamhini ghat road and Lonere- Mandangad road are also bad in places, and are not conducive to high speeds.

We completed the return journey (Dapoli to Kothrud, Pune) in 4 hours, with a 15-min tea break in the middle of Varandha ghat.

[sschivate]

Originally Posted by sschivate

We took the Palgad - Latghar - Mahad road, and it was in a very bad shape - please avoid.

It was not Latghar, but Latvan :-(

[dev_kudle]

Hello Guyz,

I'm also planning to visit dhapoli this Thursday till Sunday.
As mentioned in few posts below by Ashish, is the route via Madangadh really unsafe for a lone driver ? (I will be travelling wth my wife and 3 year old kid). Is it a ghat section?? I never travelled on this route previously.
I also contacted our fellow TBHPian from Thane Sinner. He suggested that, madangadh route will be shorter and in good condition.

Can anybody please suggest on this. I was anaware that, such situation may arise

Which route should I take?

[bj96]

Bumping the old thread.

I am planning a drive to Dapoli in the weekend with family. A four month old on board. Considering recent rains, what is the recommended route. I have shortlisted following three options:

1) Pune -> exp way -> Khopoli ->Pali -> NH17 -> Khed-> Dapoli ->Murud

2) Pune -> Mulshi -> Tamhini ->NH17 -> Khed - Dapoli ->Murud

3) Pune -> NH4 -> Mahabaleshwar -> Poladpur -> NH17-> Khed -> Dapoli-> Murud

I think ghats in route# 2 and 3 will be too much for the little one considering, it will be his first outstation trip?

Thanks for suggestions in advance.
-BJ

[MX6]

There's also the Varandha ghat route.
If you want the scenic route, take the Tamhini route. Else, you can consider Mahab route as well.
As per expert Pallod, Varandha and Tamhini are prone to landslides.
The e-way is a longer route and I wouldn't prefer that.

So my suggestion would be in this order.
1. Tamhini
2. Mahab
3. Varandha

[bj96]

Thanks @MX6.

Are Tamhini ghat and Poladpur sections motor-able (with 4months old on board) after rains?

-BJ

[Abhay]

Tamhini would probably have more issues with road quality as it is prone to that than Ambenali (Mahabaleshwar) ghat. Varandha is beautiful but has bad patches just before you reach the "tapris" at the midpoint.
Expressway is boring but least problematic as regards to roads so if you are unsure take that one and try out Poladpur while coming back.
bj96 - everything is motorable just with different levels of comfort!
I personally would pick the Mahab route - as roads are pretty good in this area usually.

[siddheshb]

I am going to Dapoli from Pune in my Endeavour tomorrow - any suggestions on the route? In the past, I have taken the Tamhini Ghat down into Konkan near Mangaon, then to Mahad, and from there, either through Mandangarh or Khed.

Is it better to take NH4 to Shirwal and then Bhor to Mahad instead of the Mulshi road? I have never been that way before.

Another option is through Wai and Mahabaleshwar, but it will unnecessarily add a lot more ghat to the route.

Any suggestions guys?

PS: Sorry mods, I posted this before I found the other thread - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...e-guide-2.html

But the other thread is pretty dated, and hence some recent suggestions/updates will be really helpful.

[himavanth_m]

Since you have already done route 1(via tamhini), i would suggest you try out route 2(via bhor) or route 3(via mahabaleshwar)
On route 2, there is varandha ghat and its also scenic. one fellow team-bhpian travelogue link shows part of the route 2 (Its a combination of your route 1 and route 2 minus dapoli). Link below
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...mini-pune.html

I have done only upto Mahabaleshwar, so i cannot comment on your route 3. But route 3 seems an interesting options as well.
Since you own and endeavour, you should not bother too much about route condition.

[MX6]

Take Varandha ghat. It's scenic. Bhatgar dam gates are open and water is flowing. Vada pavs and onion bhajias at varanda is yummy.

[rkavthekar]

Varandha Ghat via Bhor is a good drive. Very scenic as MX6 as also said. The road in between is not great, but Endeavor can take it in its stride very easily. Once you reach Mahad, you can drive till Khed Naka on NH17 and then turn right to Dapoli.


I have been through Tamhini ghat a week back and apart from very few patches near Mulshi and the Tamhini Ghat road itself, most of the road it patched up. But the route you mention to Dapoli you travelled earlier is the shortest distance.

takecare and drive safely

[siddheshb]

Thanks for the suggestion guys, just back from an amazing trip Will upload pictures and videos in this thread and in my Endeavour thread once I get down to processing the tonnes of footage I got...

But for now, a quick update on the routes itself.

I took the Pune-Mulshi-Tamhini-Mangaon-Mahad-Khed-Dapoli route on the way down to Dapoli. We were meeting 4 cars coming from Goa at Khed, hence I did not take the Mandangadh shortcut and instead stuck to NH17. Most of the road till Tamhini has lost its top layer, and the vertical curves on the road can give passengers susceptible to road sickness a tough time. The ghat itself is probably the smallest one on any route down into Konkan, and highly recommended if you hate throwing your car on the curves. The road gets much better once you descend into Konkan, but NH17 is bad again. Sad, because at one time, this used to be a dream road. Heavy traffic on the narrow 2 lane highway, huge patches of potholes, and towns and villages along the route can get very frustrating!

On the way back, we took your recommendations and took the Varanda-Bhor route. Most of the road on the ghat section, which is pretty long, is very bad and narrow. The Endy didn't have any problems, but I wouldn't be too happy throwing my Fiesta at it. The scenery, however, is mindblowing. First the very imposing Sahyadris, amazing rock formations, deep valleys and then, as you get over the summit and start climbing down towards Bhor, the green and blue waters of the dam... simply stunning vistas more than make up for all the trouble. Not too many "formal" food options on the way, so plan ahead if you have a weak stomach for road-side stalls.

So in short:

Family, easy drive, good scenery, average road, small ghat, decent food options - take Tamhini

Very beautiful scenery, big ghat, bad roads, low food options, shorter route - take Bhor-Varanda

Big ghat, amazing curves, driver's heaven, longer route, hill station pit stop - take Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar

Side note: Coming down the ghat, I noticed this "gora" rider roaring up the road in his big fat bike, and suddenly, seeing me, veered straight into my path! Obviously American, he must have forgotten Indians drive on the left! Thankfully, I was wide awake...