[GTO]

Originally Posted by DKW

Are there any specific things to lookout for?

Firstly, the drive will BLOW you away, if you leave early that is. Low traffic, perfectly paved roads, fast straights & curves, and a wonderful Igatpuri ghat. This is my favourite driving road close to Mumbai, and infinitely more fun than the yawn-inducing expressway.

Go straight all the way (about 170 kms from Dadar) and you will hit a large roundabout just after entering Nasik city. You will see a Dwaraka Hotel (very famous landmark) on the RHS of this roundabout. Make a right here and then drive straight. About 7ish kms (maybe a little more), you will see the Infant Jesus Shrine on the right hand side. It's a very famous Shrine and you won't have any trouble finding it.

Also need information on decent family joints for Breakfast

Several places on the way. My favourite is Dhingra Hotel, on the RHS when you are driving to Nasik. Will come in about 30 minutes after the Bhiwandi bypass route. Very clean food..we always stop here.

for lunch within Nasik City.

Wholesome food? Go to Purohit Thali, which is about 15 minutes ahead of the Infant Jesus Shrine. ~150 bucks will get you the best Gujarati food in the city. There's also Woodlands restaurant @ the Nasiklub if you prefer South Indian / Indian grub.

[PGNarain]

Bumping up this old thread!

We are planning to have a friends+family outing with about 4 families with kids (varying ages) and bachelors to Saputara in the coming month.

Need guidance on road conditions for the following sections:

Mumbai to Nashik - believe the roads as still as good as ever

Nashik to Saputara - ??

Saputara to Gira Falls - ??

Anyone been on the above sections recently, please do update this thread.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

Bumping up this old thread!

We are planning to have a friends+family outing with about 4 families with kids (varying ages) and bachelors to Saputara in the coming month.

Need guidance on road conditions for the following sections:

Mumbai to Nashik - believe the roads as still as good as ever

Nashik to Saputara - ??

Saputara to Gira Falls - ??

Anyone been on the above sections recently, please do update this thread.

Take the NH8 till Atak Pardi (Dharampur Chowkdi)-Dharampur-Vansda-Saputara.The roads via Nasik are in bad shape.

https://goo.gl/maps/A4gRK

Any day GJ roads over MH roads.

[PGNarain]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

The roads via Nasik are in bad shape.

Just a clarification. When you say that roads via Nasik are in a bad shape, you mean the Nasik to Saputara stretch is bad - right??

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by danny25

Thanks for the advice kalpeshc. Every bit of advice helps. Have you been to Igatpuri ? Anyidea if igatpuri is worth ?Thanks.

Went to Igatpuri on Sunday.
Just a casual drive from my place in Thane.

Post monsoons, the road looks fantastic. Stopped y a roadside dhaba for a cup of steaming tea and bhajias between light drizzles.

Felt divine.

Kasara/Igatpuri ghats is a simple ghat with minimal hair bend turns. Its a 01 way traffic so no worries about on coming traffic.

Manas resorts looks a complete mess. Having known this project/hotel since inception, feel sad to see it crumbling the way it is!!

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

Just a clarification. When you say that roads via Nasik are in a bad shape, you mean the Nasik to Saputara stretch is bad - right??

Yes the Nasik Saputara stretch is what I meant.

[PGNarain]

Returned from a Mumbai - Saputara Trip over the weekend.

On the upwards journey took the Mumbai - Vapi - Atak Pardi - Dharampur - Vansda - Saputara route.
Needless to say that the roads throughout were great.
A very special mention must be made of the Dharampur to Vansda road! About 5kms after crossing Dharampur, the roads became super smooth. The surface is as if it has been laid just the night before, blackest of black and smooth tar - with fresh white lane and corner neon markings!! Had a ball of a time driving on this stretch, especially since the traffic was exceedingly sparse. Roads remained this way till Vansda, after which roads deteriorated but only a bit, with the gravel bit exposed. Driving through the Vansda Park was fun as it is full of twisties but the roads did not allow us to keep good speeds. Roads here were good to bad to broken in some patches, usually in the troughs where the road would be broken/potholed!!

We encountered light traffic exiting Mumbai (even though we started early) and then a nightmare of truck jam on the Gujarat Border RTO Post!! Luckily, one lane was free and the cops were letting private car traffic through that lane.

On the return leg, decided to take the Saputara - Nasik Road. As soon as you cross over to Maharashtra the potholes begin. But again, the roads were broken only in small and very manageable patches only. The road is single lane all the way till Nasik, but making progress and overtaking was not too much of a bother.

On the whole, it is a faar better and time saving option to drive down Mumbai - Nasik - Saputara. It saves a good 2-2.5 hrs and the distance is shorter by a good 100-110kms!!

[Musaafir]

I recently did Pune - Saputara - Mumbai - Pune trip.

Pune - Nasik highway is like what everyone knows. Nasik to Saputara is single lane road. First 30 KMs is a toll road and good to drive on. The last 35 KMs to Saputara are bad, full of potholes and rough roads. We did Nasik - Saputara in about 2 hrs.

On return, we started at about 7.15 AM and reached Nasik in a couple of hours. Nasik to Mumbai is smooth upto Kalwa bridge. We faced a jam, and heavy traffic from there. We could reach South Mumbai only by 1.00 PM.

Left Mumbai around 2.15 PM and reached Pune home by 5.15 PM via Eastern Free Way and then Mumbai-Pune Express Way.

[cyberwhizs]

Originally Posted by Musaafir

Nasik to Saputara is single lane road. First 30 KMs is a toll road and good to drive on. The last 35 KMs to Saputara are bad, full of potholes and rough roads. We did Nasik - Saputara in about 2 hrs.

Which route did you take from nashik to saputara, google maps throws up 3 options.
1. via NH360 , i.e. you pass ozar on NH3 and then turn left
2. via SH17, i.e. via dindori.
Both routes seem to join at Vani
3. via SH22 , seems to be much longer route.

Any pointers on stay options and in general experience in saputara. Does it offer peace and quiet. Is it worth visiting over a long weekend break?

Thanks

[Musaafir]

cyberwhizs,

I took SH17 via Dindori - Vani - Chausale - Borgaon - Saputrara. Road upto Vani is a toll road and good in condition. 40 KMs beyond Vani upto Saputara were bad.

Saputara is a pretty small place. It has a lake and few tourist attractions. There isn't much to do. I did not find many tourist during Diwali holidays. It was indeed peaceful.

We stayed in Aakar Lords Inn. Good hotel with beautiful views of the lake. Please ask for higher floor rooms.

[Flanker99]

Hello all. I am planning to do Mumbai-Saputara-Mumbai on the Independence Day weekend. Is this (rainy season) a good time to be travelling on this route? What could the road conditions beyond Igatpuri be like this time of the year? To be very honest I am looking forward to this trip more from the journey point of view rather than the destination. And lastly any good/decent hotel recommendations for Saputara?

[The Great]

Update - 2017 roads,

The best highway to drive, superb carpet roads till Nashik, but the Nashik Saputara road is very bad. These 60 odd kms are irritatingly pot hole ridden but you can see a lot of grape farms with lush greenery all round. The wine has revolutionized this entire area.

Nashik Mumbai highway is a paradise to drive. I could use my cars cruise control first time for a longer stretch. Also being 15th August and Janmashtami the roads were very empty with almost nil traffic. It was a driving bliss.

[RandomExplorer]

Originally Posted by The Great

Update - 2017 roads,

The best highway to drive, superb carpet roads till Nashik, but the Nashik Saputara road is very bad. These 60 odd kms are irritatingly pot hole ridden but you can see a lot of grape farms with lush greenery all round. The wine has revolutionized this entire area.

Nashik Mumbai highway is a paradise to drive. I could use my cars cruise control first time for a longer stretch. Also being 15th August and Janmashtami the roads were very empty with almost nil traffic. It was a driving bliss.

Thanks for the inputs The Great.
Would you know how is the Nashik Saputara route these days? Any recommendations for the choice of route? thanks in advance.

[avdhesh15]

Originally Posted by RandomExplorer

Thanks for the inputs The Great.
Would you know how is the Nashik Saputara route these days? Any recommendations for the choice of route? thanks in advance.

Till October it was pathetic from Nashik to Saputara.

Unfortunately there is only one road till Saputara from Nashik.

[abhikb]

Nashik to Saputara stretch till Gujarat border is not good but the roads are good once you enter Gujarat . Try to travel in daylight as Driving after dark is advisable only if you have good Amount of hill driving experience.
Best time to drive there is during Monsoon in August as monsoon starts from mid July in Gujarat.