[Roomy]

Originally Posted by Paleo

If u going to South (Palolem, Agonda, Patnem) - take the Khanapur->Shiroli->Anmod->Bandoli route

Originally Posted by Ertigiat

Sir,

I second your opinion about route to Madgaon and further down.

Anyone travelling to Madgaon or South is advised to take Khanapur - Anmod - Margao route.

Reason, Not only it is shortest route, it is also widest route among options available. (Barring narrow roads between Anmod Check post till Khanapur through Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary).

Also while travelling towards Palolem, I would recommend to take Margao route and take bypass towards Canacona after reaching Margao. Honestly I have never traveled through Bandoli towards Canacona or vice versa but definitely the roads will be narrower compared to NH-4A (Belgaum-Goa highway) and NH66 (Panvel - Goa- Kanyakumari highway).

Thanks guys, I was riding from Mumbai to Palolem and this guide really helped me get there. I started around 6 30 AM and reached Palolem by 7PM.
After Khanapur, the roads and the scenery keeps the rider immersed in the experience and you lose all track of time unlike the boring NH's. I was actually welcomed by a gentle shower which made me feel good. The roads were fantastic throughout barring a short patch of around 2 Km's which were a little run down. I should also warn people about the clog near Codli both in terms of traffic and air quality due to the huge queue of trucks ferrying loads from the Vedanta Mine in Codli. This ate away a good 30mins as it was a deadlock situation and some friendly truckers managed to squeeze enough gap for my bike to inch through, cars will have a bad time there. An alternative would be to come through Ponda-Madgaon by skipping the left that takes you to Codli-Bandoli-Quepem.

[airforce1]

I took a trip to Goa and Back just 2 days back. The Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur road. Thereafter, since I was planning to go to southern part of Goa, i.e. Varca side, I took the Belgavi route instead of the Azra route which is much shorter but better , if planning towards the Northern side of Goa. The route from Pune to Kolhapur is a bit of tiring stretch as There is a lot of work going on for the 4lane highway, but once you enter Karnataka, it a beautiful drive...ride....the way you'd like to go. From Belgavi, the shortest route as per Google map was via Khanapur- Anmod route to south Goa. Roads are good all the way to Belgaum. But from Khanapur to Anmod and then Goa, it's not so great and is really time consuming. The locals at Belgavi did suggest us not to take that route but we paid heed to the Google Map, which stated us to take that route.... and we were delayed , quite a bit. On the way back, we paid attention to the locals traveling up and down from Belgavi to Goa and Vice-versa and took Chorla Ghat route which was an excellent drive.... an excellent experience, as the roads were perfect , the weather was perfect and of course... the company was Perfect :-) Enjoy your Goa Journey!

[prateekvidya]

Weekdays : Take the Sawantwadi road, its above averagish once you exit the Pune-Bangalore highway, but much shorter and you reach Panaji in no time. Especially good after long hauls since the road and terrain is pretty straightforward.

Weekends : Take the Belgavi route via Chorla ghat, 9/10 times it will be faster except the day when any major accident on the ghat blocks out the traffic. It is the more scenic of the routes too. Besides, you only realise how good Pune-Bangalore highway is after entering Karnataka.

[ar.abc]

Hello everyone. I want to get some advice/suggestion on the latest 'road conditions' for a road trip that I have planned from Mumbai to Kolhapur. I will be visiting Panhala which is some 25 odd kms before kolhapur (while traveling from Mumbai) on this coming weekend, i.e. 10th to 12th December.

I have jotted down the following rough schedule. we are 2 of us (me and my wife) traveling in our Celerio vxi CNG car. Its a leisure trip and I will not be in a big hurry to reach my destination. I am a sedate driver (I usually dont cross 100 kmph mark even on expressways).

I plan to leave Navi Mumbai at around 7:30am and reach Panhala by 2:30pm or 3pm. On the return journey I plan to leave at 11am and reach Navi Mumbai by 6:30-7pm. I will be covering 360 kms till my destination near Panhala.

Following is the tentative driving schedule:

Navi Mumbai to Panhala (Kolhapur)
List of stops/breaks
1. Expressway HP Pump & Food Court (just after Khalapur toll) - Fuel (petrol) & Washroom break - 53 kms.
2. CCD, Pune Bypass (after tunnel & before Khedshivpur toll) - washroom break - 101 kms.
3. Parth food mall, Wai - washroom break - 53 kms.
4. Hotel Annapurna or Hotel Sangam - Lunch break - 87 kms.
5. DESTINATION - 65 kms.

Panhala (Kolhapur) to Navi Mumbai
List of stops/breaks
1. Vithal Kamat (after Karad & before Umraj flyover) - Washroom break - 80 kms.
2. Parth food mall, Wai (other side of highway) - Lunch break - 72 kms.
3. HP CNG Pump, Pune Bypass Road after Wakad Junction - CNG Fuel break - 90 kms.
4. Expressway Food court - Washroom break - 64 kms.
5. DESTINATION - 53 kms.

Any suggestions on the above schedule is most welcome and any information on latest road condition of Mumbai - Kolhapur stretch will be valuable. Thanks in advance.

[t18]

"2. CCD, Pune Bypass (after tunnel & before Khedshivpur toll) - washroom break - 101 kms."

It happened to me in October when I was travelling to Goa. It was me and my wife in our car. Just after paying the toll at Khedshivpur two guys riding a bike started waving at us. And they were pointing towards my rear tyre as if to suggest it had a puncture. I remembered reading somewhere about gangs doing such things to make you stop and maybe rob you. I did not stop and kept driving. This happened in broad daylight.

So please do not stop and keep going. They do follow a fair bit but don't stop.

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by t18

"2. CCD, Pune Bypass (after tunnel & before Khedshivpur toll) - washroom break - 101 kms."

It happened to me in October when I was travelling to Goa. It was me and my wife in our car. Just after paying the toll at Khedshivpur two guys riding a bike started waving at us. And they were pointing towards my rear tyre as if to suggest it had a puncture. I remembered reading somewhere about gangs doing such things to make you stop and maybe rob you. I did not stop and kept driving. This happened in broad daylight.

So please do not stop and keep going. They do follow a fair bit but don't stop.

So, did you have a flat? Were they genuine or a gang?

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by ar.abc

Any suggestions.

Road conditions are good overall. Just 3 weekends ago mom and dad went to Panhala. They left Navi Mumbai by 8am and took around 7 hrs to reach with breaks. They have also been traveling to Kolhapur every weekend since then and have reported overall good conditions.

Just one suggestion from dad, try to stop only when required as at every stop you'll end up spending minimum 30 mins. It'll add up almost 2hrs time to your trip. There's no need to stop on the Eway. You can take first stop after Pune and then at Hotel Annapurna.

Also, there's some diversions with bad stretches which'll cause you to slow down.

Happy journey !

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by airforce1

From Belgavi, the shortest route as per Google map was via Khanapur- Anmod route to south Goa. Roads are good all the way to Belgaum. But from Khanapur to Anmod and then Goa, it's not so great and is really time consuming. The locals at Belgavi did suggest us not to take that route but we paid heed to the Google Map, which stated us to take that route.... and we were delayed , quite a bit. On the way back, we paid attention to the locals traveling up and down from Belgavi to Goa and Vice-versa and took Chorla Ghat route which was an excellent drive.... an excellent experience, as the roads were perfect , the weather was perfect and of course... the company was Perfect :-) Enjoy your Goa Journey!

I am planning to drive to Varca in January and proposing to use the Belgavi-Chorla Ghat-Sanquelim-Ponda-Margao-Varca route. Was this the route recommended by the local who regularly travel to and fro?

Originally Posted by prateekvidya

Weekdays : Take the Sawantwadi road, its above averagish once you exit the Pune-Bangalore highway, but much shorter and you reach Panaji in no time. Especially good after long hauls since the road and terrain is pretty straightforward.

Weekends : Take the Belgavi route via Chorla ghat, 9/10 times it will be faster except the day when any major accident on the ghat blocks out the traffic. It is the more scenic of the routes too. Besides, you only realise how good Pune-Bangalore highway is after entering Karnataka.

Since we are driving to Varca, I guess going via Sawantwadi does not make sense, even though we will be driving on a weekday, since we will need to drive across Goa through peak time traffic. Right?

[Ketan T]

Originally Posted by Zezé

I am planning to drive to Varca in January and proposing to use the Belgavi-Chorla Ghat-Sanquelim-Ponda-Margao-Varca route. Was this the route recommended by the local who regularly travel to and fro?



Since we are driving to Varca, I guess going via Sawantwadi does not make sense, even though we will be driving on a weekday, since we will need to drive across Goa through peak time traffic. Right?

Makes sense to take the Chorla route. If you take the Sawantwadi route you will have to go through a lot of traffic.

[airforce1]

Originally Posted by Zezé

Since we are driving to Varca, I guess going via Sawantwadi does not make sense, even though we will be driving on a weekday, since we will need to drive across Goa through peak time traffic. Right?

In my opinion, that is the best route in terms of time as well as road condition.

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by airforce1

In my opinion, that is the best route in terms of time as well as road condition.

Thanks for the response, but I am a little confused on reading it. Am I correct in surmising that the "best route'' you are referring to in terms of time as well as road conditions, is the Belgavi-Chorla-Ponda-Margao-Varca route?

[ptushar]

Originally Posted by airforce1

From Belgavi, the shortest route as per Google map was via Khanapur- Anmod route to south Goa. Roads are good all the way to Belgaum. But from Khanapur to Anmod and then Goa, it's not so great and is really time consuming.

Airforce1. Did you take the route from Khanapur -Shiroli - Hemmadaga - Anmod - Mollem? Or did you take the route from Khanapur - Ramnagar - Anmod - Mollem?

Also, what was the issue with this route? Was it bad roads or heavy traffic or both?

[airforce1]

Originally Posted by ptushar

Airforce1. Did you take the route from Khanapur -Shiroli - Hemmadaga - Anmod - Mollem? Or did you take the route from Khanapur - Ramnagar - Anmod - Mollem?

Also, what was the issue with this route? Was it bad roads or heavy traffic or both?

Sorry for the late reply. I took the first route i.e Khanapur-Shiroli-Anmod route. The road here is scenic no doubt. Got some rough patches in between and morever the road is narrow. You will have to slowdown for opposite direction traffic. This somewhat increased our driving time to Goa.

[ar.abc]

Hi all. I have completed the Mumbai - Panhala (Kolhapur) - Mumbai trip over the weekend. Went on 10th and returned on 12th Dec. Here are some updates on the trip/road and my experience. Thanks to

blackwasp

and

t18

for their comments/suggestions.

10th Dec Saturday
- Started from Navi Mumbai at 7:30 am (I know it was a late start and I got rewarded equally for it)!!
- Got stuck in a long queue at the first khalapur toll on Mum-Pune expressway (currency shortage due to demonetisation)! Lost around 15-20 mins there.
- Stopped at food court just after khalapur toll for breakfast. There was a mad rush at the food court and HP petrol pump since it was a second saturday (and I had started late). spent around 30 mins there. Queue in petrol pump. skipped refuelling.
- Next had to make a quick stop at the next food court after the second toll. Refuelled at BP pump. Spent 15 mins there.
- Encountered slow moving traffic in Pune on the highway and got stuck in a jam due to construction work on highway just after Baner phata. Lost another 15 mins there.
- The drive from Pune to Satara was full of diversions which was slowing us down. The overall road conditions on this stretch is OK but there are a few occasional potholes (some are really deep) that crop up and will surprise you!
- Stuck in slow moving traffic on Khandala ghat (after Pune going towards satara). Road widening/construction work happening on the ghat section.
- 12:30 pm - Just after khandala ghat, stopped for lunch at Parth food mall near Wai (just before the right turn towards Mahabaleshwar. My original plan was to have lunch at Karad !! (how ambitious of me!!)
- Roads after Satara were pretty good, especially after Karad. Basically after Satara it was an easy sail but it was already too late to be able to make up any time that was lost.
- Reached Nisarg resort at 4:00 pm. This resort is 8 kms from the Pune - Bangalore highway. Around 7 kms after Kini toll at a village called Toap (11 kms before Kolhapur), you need to take a right turn (theres a crossing on the highway at this section). Drive 8 kms on a ghat which goes uphill. There are 4 bends out of which 2 are blind turns and steep but manageable on 2nd gear.
Total distance covered - 370 kms. Total travel time (including traffic and breaks) - 8 hrs 30 mins!! I think I may have made a new record here!

12th Dec Monday - Time to head back to Navi Mumbai.
- Started at 10:30 am from the resort.
- I thought it would be a good idea to check tyre pressure. stopped at Reliance pump at Islampur (41 kms from the resort/starting point).
- Traffic was thin maybe because it was a weekday!
- Crossed Karad and just after that we witnessed AN ACCIDENT right in front of us. We were on the right lane and behind a truck. There was plenty of distance between my car and the truck (I like to maintain a good distance from any vehicle in front of me as it gives me sufficient time to react during emergencies). I saw the truck braking and I too started applying brakes. I noticed we were approaching a crossing. I also saw a tractor with 2 trolleys attached behind it (I saw a lot of them transporting wood) approaching from the other side and taking a right turn onto our side of the road to cross over to a village road. The truck had stopped completely and the tractor trolley was crossing in front of it. A white colour swift hatchback passed my car from my left side and was overtaking the truck ahead of me from the left! BAD MOVE - Neither the swift saw the tractor trolley crossing (in front of the truck) and nor the tractor driver could see the swift overtaking the truck! In the very next moment the tractor crashed into the swift from sideways and went over the car and the 2 trolley/trailers attached to it too went over the car and tumbled upside down. The car got completely smashed by the tractor did not overturn. Only the trolleys disengaged from the tractor and were thrown off the road and mangled. I thought the swift driver must have been dead! I switched on the hazard light and parked my car along the road. Many more cars behind me parked alongside the road. There was only the driver in the swift. He was pulled out of the mangled remains of the car. Luckily he was alive but injured. People called an ambulance. Surprisingly an ambulance arrived in almost no time. just 5 mins maybe. I left from there as there were a lot of people who had gathered. Thank God no fatalities. And surprisingly the truck driver who was a spectator and a culprit (as he was driving on the right lane which is what blocked the view of both the swift and the tractor) simply went away from the scene as if nothing had happened. Or maybe he was high?!! I think all 3 of them were at fault - the truck driver for driving on right lane and thus blocking view, the tractor for not slowing down to check whether someone is coming/overtaking from the left side of the truck and the swift for not slowing down on seeing the truck stopping and check whether someone is crossing the road or not.
- Next had to make a stop at 12:30 pm at Vitthal Kamat just after Umbraj flyover as wifey was hungry. Theres an Idli Kamat before Umbraj flyover. I missed that so I stopped at this one. The uthappa was half cooked and the masala dosa wasn’t great too. Highly disappointed with the food. Unfortunately couldn’t finish the food and some food got wasted. Felt really bad. Spent 25-30 mins here.
- I decided not to stop until I cross Pune. I knew I would be hungry later in the afternoon and had a good restaurant in mind.
- Crossed Pune and just before the expressway starts, theres Sentosa Resort on the left. Stopped for lunch at 3:45pm!
- Started the last leg of the journey from the restaurant at 4:30 pm and reached home in Navi Mumbai at 6:15pm.
Total distance covered - 370 kms. Total travel time (including breaks and accident drama) - 7 hrs 30 mins.

Since I was on a leisure trip, and had plenty of time in hand, I dint feel the need to hurry. I anyways am a sedate driver. The car I was driving is a Celerio manual transmission (cng+petrol). Did not cross 100 kmph even on expressway! A few ST buses overtook me! I am fine with that as long as we enjoy the trip. Definitely look forward for longer trips from now on. But I think I should start early.

[sarinkumar]

Any update on the toll collection methodologies on this highway? Do they accept card? Also what are the options for using PAYTM or any other similar aps? Thanks