[Marcus Brutus]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

If you are looking for GPS co-ordinates,my post isnt going to help you.If its directions,then just follow the steps given in this post by Sahir

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3416835

I have read all the posts pertaining to the topic in question, but I feel that the easier way out is to use co-ordinates. We should try to obtain co-ordinates where we know that the markings are not clear and are critical. As a nation our signage is extremely poor, may they be Road Signs/Motorway Signs et al. we can never depend on them. Frankly thank God that we have an alternative option today and we should encourage their use.

[bigwheelz]

Originally Posted by Marcus Brutus

I have read all the posts pertaining to the topic in question, but I feel that the easier way out is to use co-ordinates.

NH4 exit toward Belgaum - 15.908354, 74.524037 (exit the NH4 on the left)
Peeranwadi cross - 15.804054, 74.482863 (take right road at the fork)
Chorla Ghat - 15.654409, 74.147594

[amyth78]

Hi Team,

Happy New Year to all!

Last evening finished my Pune - Goa - Pune road trip through Chorla Ghat. I left from Pune on 31st morning and returned yesterday (3rd) evening.

My detailed route from Pune to Goa was:

PUNE - SATARA - KOLHAPUR - BELGAUM - JAMBOOTI - CHORLA - SANQUELIM - MAPUSA - CANDOLIM

My observations on road conditions of this route are as follows:

1. Pune to Satara - Ok. Diversions and few rough patches but manageable. 2 Toll gates;

2. Satara to Kolhapur - Excellent. Three digit speed easily maintainable. 2 Toll gates;

3. Kolhapur to Belgaum - Super Excellent. Easy three digit. 2 Toll gates;

4. Inside Belgaum - Take Ambedkar Road - Club Road and then Congress Road to take Jambooti road that is Chorla Ghat road. City traffic is okay. No major traffic halt but takes sometime to cross the city.

5. Belgaum to Sanquelim - Excellent road condition. Bit narrow but two cars easily pass through. Fewer heavy vehicle movement but still some trucks and buses ply on this route, one have to be little careful on curves and bends. Less but sudden traffic on bends.

6. Sanquelim to Mapusa to Candolim - Okay road condition. Not too broad roads but easily manageable. One needs to be careful from tourist driven two wheeler's running on beer, etc.

Returned via same route. Enjoyed doing Chorla so, didnt opted for other alternate routes.

Detailed travelogue herein below:

1. As suggested by many members in the Forum, I choose to take Chorla Ghat route to reach Goa and trust me this was a wise decision. After going through the travelogue of other members on the same route, I think at present this is the best and smooth day-drive for anybody driving to Goa during this time.

2. Started from Pune on 31st December morning sharp at 6 a.m. along with my wifi and twin boys of 7 years old. As everybody was excited for Goa, it got easier to start early in spite of cold winter morning.

3. I had done several trips between Pune and Kolhapur, so road information and route till Kolhapur was in my finger trips. Agree, that there are several diversions between Pune and Satara but still in some places, one can easily cruise in three digit speed except diversions reduces speed in several places. No major potholes etc. some rough patches but manageable in decent speed.

4. 8:30 am finished morning breakfast at Milestone, Satara and reached Kolhapur around 10. After short tea break at Kolhapur, started towards Belgaum. Road between Kolhapur and Belgaum is excellent, specially Karnataka side road. Service road running along with Highway, keeps two wheelers and local traffic away from Highway. Attached picture of this Highway.



5. Around 11:30 reached Belgaum. At Belgaum city, take an entry from Ambedkar Road, then take club road for a while and then stick with Congress Road to reach Jambooti Road / Chorla Ghat Route. If available, start GPS. As Chorla is the shortest route to Goa from Belgaum, it shows this route. Otherwise, you have to ask for "Jambooti Road" to the localities to get into Chorla Route.

6. Road from Belgaum to Goa through Chorla Ghats are in excellent condition. Road width is bit narrow but two cars passes easily. Driving during the day through this route is excellent but night driving is strict "no" as this route is thinly populated and almost deserted. During day driving also one need to be extra careful with the opposite incoming traffic, which suddenly appears in the bends. Somebody from the Team, mentioned in one of the post about this route "Excellent Road with Idiot Drivers", I completely agree with that.

Few pictures of this route is attached.





7. Through Chorla Ghat, entered Goa after paying entry fee of Rs. 250/-. From Senquelin, take a route towards Mapusa. Best to use GPS navigation once you enter Goa. There are lots of inner local roads and link roads, which guided only through GPS navigation. Otherwise, ask people about Mapusa. Once in Mapusa, there are various signs leading to different beaches. I used GPS navigation from Senquelin around 1 and had my lunch at Candolim around 2:30. Lots of traffic at Goa due to new year eve.

8. In Goa, as already suggested by few members, best to use GPS navigation to travel from one place to another. Locals are helpful but still best to use GPS as it takes through shorter local routes.

9. While returning, started at 9:30 am on 3rd Jan through the same route and reached Pune around 6 pm after taking 4 stops. Encountered heavy traffic rush while returning.

Overall, it was a pleasant drive on this route, specially through Chorla. Just little caution in Ghat section and some control in pedal, will makes the driving pleasant and memorable.

Let me know for any query / clarification on this.

Cheers!

Amyth78

[amyth78]

Originally Posted by Marcus Brutus

Can anybody please give me the co-ordinates for the Chorla Ghat turn-off from NH 4 via Belgaum coming from Pune and also the co-ordinates for Chorla Ghat? I would be much obliged. Thank you.

Dont have exact coordinates from Belgaum to Chorla but once you are in Belgaum, take Ambedkar Road and then Club Road for a while and then stick to Congress Road. Congress Road will take to the Jambooti Road which is Chorla Ghat road.

At Belgaum, ask for "Jambooti Road" and you will get the direction.

Regards,

Amyth78

[amyth78]

Originally Posted by girish.purswani

Thanks for the update 300KMPH. Will keep these points in mind ! I hope I don't miss the belgaum exit towards chorla (Ive heard many people tend to miss this and go ahead instead!). Thanks once again !

Just enter Belgaum from any exit and ask for "Jambooti Road" that will lead to Chorla ghat. Once you touch Belgaum, before getting into a flyover, you will see one small board at left hand indicating "Goa Exit". Take that exit and take right below the flyover and take first left, it will take you to Ambedkar road and then take Club Road and finally drive through Congress road. At Congress Road, after crossing 2 - 3 circles, you will see a split and there is a board which shows Chorla route on right.

Regards,

Amyth78

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

Girish.Purswani : Apologies for the belated report.

Road conditions between Bombay and Goa are pretty much the same as a month ago.
Nothing new to report.
Poor surface between Poona and Satara/Karad and excellent after that.
Seems to be some work going on at the "under construction" flyovers on NH4.
Chorla ghat road as good as ever.
The road from the Goa entry point to Sanquelim has deteriorated further but still very driveable.
Total trip time was 9 hrs and 30 mins.

Regards,
SS

[1lokesh]

Hi Guys,
This is my first post on Team BHP and this HAD to be a road trip report, one that I undertook last week
Trip metadata: Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai, trip start date 28-December-2014 and return on 03-Jan-2015. Total mileage 1,512 Kms (including travel within Goa for this period) on Honda Civic 1.8S MT. Passengers: 2 Adults (Self + Wife) and 1 child (my 5 year old son).

Started on 28-Dec-2014 from Navi Mumbai (Nerul, to be precise) at 0930Hrs for Goa with pre-decided route of Pune-Kolhpur-Belgaum-Chorla-Sanquelim-Mapusa-Siolim-Morjim. Google maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/nCdgK

Reached destination at 21:35Hrs, which is exactly 12.05 hours. This included 5 breaks - 2 for fuel (about 7 minutes each), 2 for food & refreshments (of 30 mins each) and 1 for 'after the ghats' fresh air (10 mins). Average speeds at various stretches on this route:
- MPEW average speed 100-120 KMPH
- Pune Bypass average speed 50KMPH with lot of diversions and traffic
- Between Pune-Satara speed varies between 40KMPH and 100KMPH due to countless diversions. Toll booths on this particular stretch take more than 10 minutes each due to lousy staff and errant drivers who never bother to queue up
- Satara-Kolhapur stretch is excellent and average speed here was about 90+KMPH. Could have been better but I was unlucky to have got stuck each time, behind set of heavily loaded trucks who loved to overtake each other at 40KMPH, atleast on 4 occasions for this whole stretch. What are the odds?
Kolhapur-Belgaum is just plain fantastic. Average speed 120KMPH.
- Crossing Belgaum will take atleast 45 mins and then it’s an enchanting drive through the choral ghats. Excellent road condition but the narrow width slows you down. Your own driving skills are heavily dependent on the driver coming in from the opposite side. More often than not, the odds will be against you. One has to be extra careful on this road. By the time I started this stretch, it was already dark, but those beautiful reflectors on both sides of the road help you a lot with an excellent driving experience. Just beautiful. There are a couple of places where you can stop for a break but 1) it’s difficult to spot and 2)they are very few in number, located very far away from each other. This ghat section took about 1.5 Hrs for me.
- After entering Goa, the stretch between where you pay Goa entry Tax (Rs 250!) upto sanquelim is potholes ridden, otherwise all good and fun.


This route to Goa is definitely a better one compared to others when it comes to the road quality. However, I feel that it might not be the shortest route in terms of driving time. According to me, if your destination is anywhere north of Candolim in Goa, this particular route will pull you down by atleast an hour.


While coming back, took to Google maps' advice and came through Morjim-Pervem-Sawantwadi-Amboli-Ajra-Gadhinglaj-Mattiwade-Nipani-Kolhapur-Pune route (google maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/wvuuI ). It took me exactly 10 hours, with 3 breaks ( 2 food and refreshments and 1 for refuelling). The whole ghat section from Sawantwadi right upto Amboli is in very bad shape. I did see a lot of road-rollers and men at work repairing the potholes who had reached upto that waterfall on the ghat where a lot of people stop to take pictures. Remember, I did drive through the Chorla ghat section in dark but wouldn't have dared to do the same on this ghat. Even after Amboli, the road is nowhere close to as good as Belgaum-Chorla-Goa stretch but just motorable. Saw a lot of traffic of Trucks/Tractor trolleys carrying sugarcane to a sugar mill which falls somewhere near Ajra, so expect a lot of slow and heavy vehicle movement from both the sides.
Right in the middle of Gadhinglaj town, google (maps) forced me to take a sharp left which could be easily missed by anyone, just like another alley. This route put me onto Nipani through "Shendri road" and was literally a "single lane" carriageway. No traffic at all but broken at some places. You will have to take your car off the road to let pass a vehicle coming from opposite direction or to overtake a painfully slow sugarcane loaded truck. This route goes right through many small hamlets of Karnataka. Somewhere in the middle of this route, about half an hour before you hit Nipani, there is a beautiful lake onto your right. This was such a pleasant sight that I was forced to stop my car and stare at this scene for about 5 minutes :-)
Next, within about 30 minutes, you will be on the Kolhapur-Belgaum road, right next to the junction that has 3 food joints on the bay of Nipani-Gadhinglaj road near Tavandi.


Overall a fantastic experience driving to Goa and back. This was my first long drive after shifting from Gurgaon in October last year.

Some tips that might be useful for fellow BHPians:
- Keep ample change ready (Rs 5 and Rs 10) for toll booths. May help in reducing frustration and stress.
- If traveling through Chorla route, be sure to 1) stock up on water/consumables and 2) have bio breaks before the ghats start. There will not be ample amount of space to stop in between plus trust me you will not want to stop even if you find one.
- Avoid driving on Chorla ghat after dark and don’t drive on sawantwadi-amboli ghats in night unless it’s completely unavoidable – In my humble opinion.
- Once you enter Belgaum city, the very first road stretch is comparatively empty which might make you drive fast since you are just off a wonderful road – avoid this temptation – there will be cops waiting with a speed gun a little ahead!
- As much as possible, fill up your tank only to safely reach Goa. Petrol is still cheaper compared to MH/KA even after the recent hike on sales tax by the state. On 1-Jan-2014 it was Rs 55.84/Ltr.

[Anghammarad]

Originally Posted by amyth78

Just enter Belgaum from any exit and ask for "Jambooti Road" that will lead to Chorla ghat. Once you touch Belgaum, before getting into a flyover, you will see one small board at left hand indicating "Goa Exit". Take that exit and take right below the flyover and take first left, it will take you to Ambedkar road and then take Club Road and finally drive through Congress road. At Congress Road, after crossing 2 - 3 circles, you will see a split and there is a board which shows Chorla route on right.

Regards,

Amyth78

Hey Amyth78,
I was planning to make a similar trip from Bombay in the coming week. Could I perhaps bother you in pm for some more details. Will be travelling in a Civic, which is very low as far as ground clearance is concerned, with 4 adults, one of whom has a bad spinal issue.

thanks
Ang.

[amyth78]

Originally Posted by Anghammarad

Hey Amyth78,
I was planning to make a similar trip from Bombay in the coming week. Could I perhaps bother you in pm for some more details. Will be travelling in a Civic, which is very low as far as ground clearance is concerned, with 4 adults, one of whom has a bad spinal issue.

thanks
Ang.

Hi Anghammarad,

You should take Chorla route, which is completely pothole free and bump free. Civic is fantastic car and it will fly through Chorla ghat. No ground clearance issues on this route. You will find few weird speed breakers only on the diversions between Pune and Satara. Rest entire route is smooth. From the posts of various other members, it appears Sawantwadi route is not in good shape and you have to managed through potholes and heavy traffic in certain places, so best is to take Chorla Ghat.

Route is simple, just little confusing once you are crossing Belgaum till Jambooti road. There are three different routes for Goa from Belgaum, so only ask for "Jambooti Road" or "Chorla Ghat" from locals at Belgaum and you will get your route.

Let me know for any further query on this (Chorla ghat) route.

Cheers!

Amyth78

[Anghammarad]

Originally Posted by amyth78

Hi Anghammarad,

You should take Chorla route, which is completely pothole free and bump free. Civic is fantastic car and it will fly through Chorla ghat. No ground clearance issues on this route. You will find few weird speed breakers only on the diversions between Pune and Satara. Rest entire route is smooth. From the posts of various other members, it appears Sawantwadi route is not in good shape and you have to managed through potholes and heavy traffic in certain places, so best is to take Chorla Ghat.

Route is simple, just little confusing once you are crossing Belgaum till Jambooti road. There are three different routes for Goa from Belgaum, so only ask for "Jambooti Road" or "Chorla Ghat" from locals at Belgaum and you will get your route.

Let me know for any further query on this (Chorla ghat) route.

Cheers!

Amyth78

So basically Bombay - Pune - Satara - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Jambooti - CHORLA - Sanquelim - Mapusa (which is where I'm headed)

Planning to leave Bombay around 3.30 am or 4, so I can touch Pune by about 6ish, will also be in accordance with the time frame you outlined in your trip.

Once I hit Satara - to Kolhapur, straight road to Belgaum, and then I should ask people for Jambooti? To head to Chorla?
Will be printing out your travelogue as a guide to help me along the way and will try to map it out on Google tonight.
I will definitely send you a pm if I have any trouble figuring out the direct route. Do not want to take any chances with the family.

Thanks a lot
Ang.

[1lokesh]

Originally Posted by Anghammarad

So basically Bombay - Pune - Satara - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Jambooti - CHORLA - Sanquelim - Mapusa (which is where I'm headed)

Planning to leave Bombay around 3.30 am or 4, so I can touch Pune by about 6ish, will also be in accordance with the time frame you outlined in your trip.

Once I hit Satara - to Kolhapur, straight road to Belgaum, and then I should ask people for Jambooti? To head to Chorla?
Will be printing out your travelogue as a guide to help me along the way and will try to map it out on Google tonight.
I will definitely send you a pm if I have any trouble figuring out the direct route. Do not want to take any chances with the family.

Thanks a lot
Ang.

Hi Anghammarad,

I have mentioned the Google maps link in my previous post for mumbai-pune-kolhapur-belgaum-chorla-sanquelim-mapusa route. It goes through jambooti and might help. Also avoid sawantwadi route in case any of the passengers have problems with potholes. There will be a very small section of road with potholes once you enter goa, otherwise all good for a civic. I just did this route last week on my civic and she loved it

[amyth78]

Originally Posted by Anghammarad

So basically Bombay - Pune - Satara - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Jambooti - CHORLA - Sanquelim - Mapusa (which is where I'm headed)

Planning to leave Bombay around 3.30 am or 4, so I can touch Pune by about 6ish, will also be in accordance with the time frame you outlined in your trip.

Once I hit Satara - to Kolhapur, straight road to Belgaum, and then I should ask people for Jambooti? To head to Chorla?
Will be printing out your travelogue as a guide to help me along the way and will try to map it out on Google tonight.
I will definitely send you a pm if I have any trouble figuring out the direct route. Do not want to take any chances with the family.

Thanks a lot
Ang.

Yes its correct. Few more tips:

1. From Pune, after MPEW, stick with NH 4 and you will straight reach to Belgaum;

2. Re-fuel at Kolhapur or Belgaum. No good fuel stations till Mapusa after Belgaum;

3. Carry enough water and snacks or have lunch or heavy refreshment at Kolhapur. Last decent place for refreshment / food is Tawandi Ghat (Goa Restaurent, etc.), 60 Km before Belgaum. From Belgaum till Mapusa, no decent place to eat;

4. Have small halts for co-passengers relaxation while driving through Chorla Ghat. You may enjoy your driving through the Ghats but curvy roads and bends may cause travel sickness or dizziness to co-passengers;

5. Use GPS once you reach Belgaum. I used google map direction in my BB Z10 once I entered Belgaum and till I took Jambooti road. No mobile connectivity while driving through Chorla Ghat;

6. Use GPS once you enter Goa. Trust me I reached Sanquelim to Mapusa by following google map direction in my BB Z10;

7. Be careful from incoming traffic while driving through Chorla Ghat. Incoming traffic comes as a surprise in blind curves without any warning. Keep honking on blind curves to alert the incoming car / traffic. Due to smooth road condition and very less traffic, few vehicles, specially local goa cars and trucks with GA numbers comes in quite high speed.

Rest its a smooth and pleasant drive.

Cheers!

Amyth78

[pratmitt]

Advice to those seeking route for Chorla: Use Google maps. I did not stop in between to ask anyone by doing a neat trick.

Trick 1:
1. Set Belgaum to Chorla on Google Maps on my phone
2. Set Chorla to (your destination in Goa) on wife's phone.

Trick 2:
Once you take road for Chorla from Belgaum (signboard on fork road splits Chorla and other road), select direction from "my location" to (your destination in Goa). This will work since beyond that point there is only one road to Goa.

Once you are voice-navigation mode, Google Maps work like a charm even WITHOUT SIGNAL.

Happy cruising.

[scrooze]

Has someone taken the NH4A route recently and confirm if there are still potholes or has there been an improvement in rode conditions?

[paragsachania]

My 2 cents on Food and Fuel part -

Originally Posted by amyth78

2. Re-fuel at Kolhapur or Belgaum. No good fuel stations till Mapusa after Belgaum;

The one soon after Kognoli toll before Nippani is a BPCL COCO that I have often recommended in Mumbai-Bangalore thread. Cards accepted, Cheaper fuel than Maharashtra is another USP.

3. Carry enough water and snacks or have lunch or heavy refreshment at Kolhapur. Last decent place for refreshment / food is Tawandi Ghat (Goa Restaurent, etc.), 60 Km before Belgaum. From Belgaum till Mapusa, no decent place to eat;

Just before Tawandi Ghat starts, you have "Amar-Only Veg". It is around 35 kms from Konduskar Fuel station (Kolhapur Bypass) and there is a huge(legal) break in the median here right next to the truck lay bye. Would recommend this place for good vegetarian food.