[Ketan T]

Originally Posted by ampere

There is no way you can bypass Belgaum city. You will have to go through it.

Originally Posted by jogidada

There is a route via Khanapur - Gharli - Mollem - Ponda. The last I heard, this route did not have good roads and the Chorla ghat route (which can be accesed only via Belgaum) is preferred. Frequent travellers may be able to throw more light on this.

Thank you, ampere and jogidada.

Looks like going through Belgaum is the best option.

[sanstorm]

I am travelling with family from Pune to South Goa , thats Cavelossim in next week. Please suggest a better route.

Many Thanks

[Ketan T]

If you are planning to come To South Goa, Chorla Ghat is the best route. I came by that route two days back and the road is smooth. It took me about 8 hours from Pune.

[livetodrive]

Completed four day road trip with my wife and better half, my DZire .

Thursday Day 1: Pune to Panjim, had lunch at Hyderabadi Spice, Karve Road and started around 1 PM, reached Panaji at 10:30 PM. Break at Sai International near Kohlapur, its a good snacks junction. Another halt @ Belgaum city near Channamma circle. Took Chorla ghat to reach Panjim which was smooth.

Friday day 2: Panaji to Ashvem beach, no troubles at all. Had lunch @Curlies near Anjuna, great food and a must try.

Saturday Day 3: Ashvem to Malvan via Sawantwadi and Mumbai - Goa road. Good road with no complaints. Distance: around 80 KM, time: 2 hours.

Sunday Day 4: Return to Pune from Malvan after a unique experience of a 20 min scuba diving in Sindhudurg. After having lunch at Coconut restaurant at Kudal, we started around 2 PM and reached Bavdhan, Pune at 10:30PM. Took Amboli ghat road (as suggested by HVK earlier) and reached NH4 at 4:30 PM and took a tea break at White House (not DC !!) on NH4. Moved to the copassenger seat as wife was getting bored. She drove till Vittal Kamath Restaurant near Satara till dusk. It took 3 hours for me to reach Bavdhan after Vittal Kamath due to heavy traffic, diversions and long queues at toll gates.

All over a pleasant drive with no surprises. If the roads are good, you can stick to your plans.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by livetodrive

Completed four day road trip with my wife and better half, my DZire .

Wow you almost mirrored my trip except that I started early on Thursday and returned directly from Goa instead of via Malvan. Took Amboli ghat both ways and it was pretty good except for a small stretch where the landslides frequently happen (that bit is a royal mess). But traffic was light so we were able to make good time. 7.5 hours drive time onward, about 9 hours return thanks to the horrible Satara-Katraj stretch.

For North Goa, I would recommend Amboli route anyday. Chorla means passing through Belgaum town which is OK if you're taking a break there but otherwise slows you down considerably. Plus as reported on this thread some posts back, people drive like maniacs and the road doesn't have all safeguards in place at some points. For South Goa, it's definitely a faster option.

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by livetodrive

Completed four day road trip with my wife and better half, my DZire .
Sunday Day 4: Return to Pune from Malvan after a unique experience of a 20 min scuba diving in Sindhudurg.

Same here, thoroughly enjoyed the scuba diving experience,we did that on Thursday!

Originally Posted by noopster

Wow you almost mirrored my trip except that I started early on Thursday and returned directly from Goa instead of via Malvan.
For North Goa, I would recommend Amboli route anyday. Plus as reported on this thread some posts back, people drive like maniacs and the road doesn't have all safeguards in place at some points. For South Goa, it's definitely a faster option.

Will try Amboli next time! But if you can plan your trip on a non-peak day, Chorla is best!

Day 1 - Wednesday, Kolhapur
So, as per 'plan' we left 2 hours late on wednesday evening and to add to that, in my eagerness I forgot about the traffic jam from Bhumkar Chowk to Wakad bridge and that ate up 1hr more. Anyways we reached Kolhapur post a sumptuous Mutton Bhakri (only Tambda rassa) at Pranjali near Satara.

Day 2 - Thursday, Malvan - Tarkarli - Goa
We took the Radhanagari route, a pleasant drive without too much traffic, though Phonda ghat can get a bit too much for those with motion sickness.

We stopped to visit our friends uncle at Phonda village and enjoyed some lip smacking Konkani food before finally reaching Malvan at 430pm.

A very rewarding experience with Scuba diving left us enthralled but we were soon brought back to earth by some super shitty service and food at Malvan at Parijat restaurant.

Post dinner we left for Goa through the NH-17 and Sawantwadi bypass where friendly mod Moralfibre overtook us after exchanging some flashes and blinkers.

Day 3 - Friday, Goa
Lazed around at home enjoying delicious surmai and tiger prawns.

Day 4 - Saturday, Goa - Kolhapur
After shopping at Mapuca, and a super delicious dinner at [ Amancio Classic - Siolim ] (must visit, one of the few authentic Goan cuisine restaurants in the North) left for Kolhapur at 11pm using Chorla ghat.

Now being Saturday, most of the people were busy partying in Goa, leaving us to be the only travelers on the ghat eventually reaching Kolhapur at 215am.

Day 5 - Sunday, Kolhapur - Pune
Woke up very late, had some home cooked Misal for lunch and left at 330pm to be greeted by the departing Goan traffic (mostly) after a couple of breaks finally reached home at 9pm dot.

Overall had an awesome time, driving as well as exploring some new places, some good experiences and some things to learn.

Cheers!
Trojan

[livetodrive]

Originally Posted by noopster

For North Goa, I would recommend Amboli route anyday. For South Goa, it's definitely a faster option.

Thanks noopster, next time I will try Amboli route while driving down...actually when I used to drive to Palolem from Bangalore, I used to take the Dharwad route...from Pune this was my second drive, and last time I found Chorla route to be good. But while driving back, I found Amboli route would not be a bad option to reach Panaji.

Few trip snaps:

[Max]

Last month went to goa through Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Nipani Ajra Link Road - Amboli Ajra Road - Sawantwadi - NH17 - Goa. Road condition was good. Saw 4-5 accidents and 2 fresh accidents while coming back. Guys drive slowly on these narrow roads and do not try to overtake unless you have line of sight. Beware of idiot drivers who overtake without line of sight, you may have to give them some space in case they crash.

Here is the picture.


Saw some police jeep and ambulances on the way as well.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Max

Last month went to goa through Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Nipani Ajra Link Road - Amboli Ajra Road - Sawantwadi - NH17 - Goa. Road condition was good.

As long as road conditions are good, this is still the shortest and fastest way to North Goa. Using the Sawantwadi bypass makes it even faster, although that road isn't so good.
Chorla may be scenic, but my experience from 2 drives using both routes is that Chorla takes 45 minutes more. Which isn't a surprise - the Amboli road is the approximate hypotenuse of the Nipani Belgaum Chorla Mapusa triangle.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Chorla may be scenic, but my experience from 2 drives using both routes is that Chorla takes 45 minutes more. Which isn't a surprise - the Amboli road is the approximate hypotenuse of the Nipani Belgaum Chorla Mapusa triangle.

The other reason why I prefer Nipani - Uttur - Ajara - Amboli - Sawantwadi - Goa is that this road is relatively wider as compared to Chorla ghat route. With the rising number of vehicular traffic to Goa and many inexperienced rookie drivers taking to the wheel and driving on the center of the road as well as overtaking on blind turns the risk is far more on Chorla route. There are no run off areas where you could ditch the car if a car comes darting at you or even pull over if you had a flat tyre. Most of the drive is through narrow roads which could barely fit two passing cars.

[madhu33]

Myself alongwith my 3 friends are planning a night drive to Ganpati Phule on 22nd May 2015.

We plan to start by 8-9 Pm from Mumbai

I request your suggestion on the route to be taken.

1)What should be the route taken?
Mumbai - Panvel - kahalpur toll exit - Pali - kolad - mangaon-Kinjalgarh - nagaon-khed - Chiplun-Sawarde- Gp.
I have no previous experience of this route.
I am suggesting this to myself based on google maps route.

2)Which place in the above route will be the better option for food and may be an overnight sleep for say around 5-6 hours ?
We plan to drive for 3-4 hours once we start from Mumbai and rest at an hotel en route and then proceed onward to GP in the morning on 23rd may .

3)Is it advisable to drive at a stretch and plan to reach Ganpati phule without any overnight halt?
We may just stop for a lunch enroute & a power nap when required (once or twice or thrice- All 4 of us can drive)?
if yes , Please suggest route and halt options for this option

Thanks in Advance

[WheelWake]

Hi Guys,

Please suggest route conditions & driving times for the below two option for Mumbai to North Goa drive starting at 3 AM:

via Nippani Ajra Link Road & Amboli
via Chorla Ghat

Regards & tia

[humbleroadster]

Hi wheelwake!
It is best to take the expressway and then continue onto nh4 till belgaum, and then take the belgaum exit for chorla to exit straight into north goa through bicholim. The drive's a tad longer but easier and hassle free nevertheless. Road quality in chorla remains good till date and considering 3 am exit from Mumbai you should be on goa before sundown.

Have a safe and fun filled drive!
HR.

[dmplog]

Planning to visit Goa (Assonora/ Asnoda in North Goa, and Betalbatim, South Goa) from Pune in 1st week of June. I hope monsoon doesn't cause havoc by then.

Below is the plan
Day 1: Pune - Chiplun Have a function at Chiplun hence the detour.
Day 2: Chiplun - Asnoda, Goa. I can leave Chiplun only by 2pm as there's a function to attend.
Day 3/4: Goa - sightseeing / relaxation
Day 5: Leave Betalbatim, South Goa and reach Pune by night.

What I would like to know is:
1) Which are the reliable fuel stations / Petrol Pump along the way? I want to know the Chiplun - Goa and Goa - Kolhapur (Amboli/Chorla route). Are there any COCO outlets there?
2) What food joints are along the way? Especially Chiplun - Goa route?
3) On my return leg, I plan to leave by 10-11 am (weekday). I have option to take Chorla Ghat or Amboli. Last week my friend took Amboli route and he reported that the Uttur till Tavandi Ghat is in excellent condution due to new relaid surface. So, what is the recommandation? Chorla or Amboli? Personally, I am comfortable with Amboli route as I have taken this route umteen number of times. But, never been through Chorla. So, what's the opinion?
4) What should be the precautions for Monsoon weather?

[DevendraG]

Just like dmplog, I too have taken Nipani-Amboli Ghat-Sawantwadi route for Baga Beach in my last 3 onwards & 2 return journeys. On my last return journey, I tried to take Belgaum route but unfortunately not the Chorla Ghat route (SH130 route). It was pleasant but the road was very narrow & just enough wide to accomodate 2 vehicles. Quite low traffic, steep curves & a definite no after sunset.

Can somebody please suggest if I should take the Chorla Ghat route this time around for Baga Beach?

I'll be travelling with my family (including kid) on Wednesday (May 27) Morning 6 AM & would start my return journey on Saturday (May 30) 1 PM.

Thanks in advance!