[mentalmaxout]

HI,
This is my first driving trip out of Mumbai - Planning to do Mumbai - Tarkarli - North Goa - South Goa - Mumbai trip in mid March. Travelling with wife & 2 kids aged 7 and 1 year.Dont want to do too much long stretch drivings Hence need suggestions for route with halts. Planning to halt at Tarkarli (2 nights) and on return from goa at Amboli (1 night)
My questions

1. Best route to reach Tarkarli from Mumbai - travelling with family
2. Stay suggestions at Tarkarli close to beach or ON the beach
3. IS snorkelling good at Tarkarli ?
4. On return from Goa to Mumbai - which would be agood place to stay overnight?

[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by mentalmaxout

HI,

1. Best route to reach Tarkarli from Mumbai - travelling with family
2. Stay suggestions at Tarkarli close to beach or ON the beach
3. IS snorkelling good at Tarkarli ?
4. On return from Goa to Mumbai - which would be agood place to stay overnight?

1. Best route to reach Tarkarli from Mumbai - travelling with family - Panvel - Pune - Nipani - Radhanagari - Kankavli would be good and safe option with good roads & lesser traffic.
2. Stay suggestions at Tarkarli close to beach or ON the beach - I had stayed at Zantye resorts which was 2-3 minutes off from the beach. Else, MTDC is best rated there.
3. IS snorkelling good at Tarkarli ? - I personally haven't done it but people have reviewed it to be good. Maybe MTDC guys there can help you.
4. On return from Goa to Mumbai - which would be a good place to stay overnight? - You can stay at Kolhapur which is mid-way and a good city to eat, stay and rest.

Just for your information, if are a Non-veg lover and looking out for a local good fish khanaval, you can visit Atithi Bamboo which has a wide and good quality of fish dishes.

Cheers,
Amey

[an_and]

Originally Posted by Ertigiat

Hi Anand, no offence but if you would have planned this trip, you could have easily beaten google. I am very regular on this route and every time I was able to supersede gmap's time.

None taken. I got beaten by Google, because it pushed me into a road that was shut after 9. Lack of proper information is what did me in. And to my defense, this was my first trip to Goa.

Our route went something like this

11.15 AM - Start From Thane
12:30-1245 - Stop at McDonalds, Panvel - took a takeaway (Lunch,Refuel & Refresh)
2:45 PM - Fueled up at Pune - Start after lunch
6.00 PM - Stopped somewhere post Satara.
8:00 PM - Crossed Kolhapur
8.30 PM - Crossed Belgaum
9:00 - 10:30 - Took a 30+30 Km trip through dense forest - thanks to google
1.15 AM - South Goa (Ponda).

I do think that your timings are a bit aggressive - but doable definitely, as I hardly took any breaks, and could just about match the timings at a steady speed between 80-100 kmph.

[Ertigiat]

Originally Posted by an_and

9:00 - 10:30 - Took a 30+30 Km trip through dense forest - thanks to google

I am still wondering which route did you take? Because the distance between Khanapur & Anmod check post through Hemmadaga (or Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary) is merely 35 Kms. Also the route is open only between 6 AM to 6 PM. I can't recall any route which is closed after 9 PM & that too one has to travel 30 Kms to reach check post.

I do think that your timings are a bit aggressive - but doable definitely, as I hardly took any breaks, and could just about match the timings at a steady speed between 80-100 kmph.

Trust me Sir, the timings aren't aggressive. I still believe if one plans his/her breaks properly, the timing is very much possible with sedate driving. But then vacations aren't simply about driving with meticulous planning .

Well had another trip through Anmod this weekend and here are the updates,

Date - 06-01-17
Vehicle - Ertiga ZDi
Start Time - 4.30 PM
From - Fatorda, Margao
To - Nipani, Karnataka
End time - 8.00 PM
Route - Margao-Anmod Check post-Hemmadaga-Khanapur-Belgaum-Nipani.
Pax - Only me
Breaks - 0

Surprisingly there wasn't much traffic on the route. In fact this is the first time that I was cruising through Anmod ghats (without dropping below 60 Kmph barring at few curves). Also I don't roll down my car windows but the climate was so pleasant (plus no traffic) I drove between Hemmadaga and Khanapur with windows rolled down completely.

Road Condition - Couple of kms before Hemmadaga needs quick attention. Not only rough patches but also craters. Once your enter Municipal limits of Belgaum, the road isn't smooth as NH4A till Piranwadi. Piranwadi to Third gate is smooth 6 lane wide road. Congress road is in tattered condition. Pristine NH4 roads till destination.

Date - 07-01-17
Vehicle - Ertiga ZDi
Start Time - 6.20 PM
From - Nipani, Karnataka
To - Fatorda, Margao
End time - 10.00 PM
Route - Nipani-Belgaum-Khanapur-Ramanagar-Anmod-Margoa
Pax - Only me

Road Condition - Pristine NH4. Roads inside the Belgaum city are good barring tattered congress Road. May be because it was dawn I enjoyed drive between Belgaum & Khanapur. Neatly lit cat-eyes along the curves. They were super bright. Road between Khanapur & Ramanagar is bit narrower compared to road between Belgaum and Khanapur. But the condition of the road is very good. Traffic was equal to nil till Ramanagar. vivek95 Next time to catch breadth of fresh air, try stretch till Ramanagar after dawn But the pleasure of driving vanished post Ramanagar. Loads of travel buses with high beam all the time. I got so tired that I took a break of 15 mins just before start of ghat. Somehow didn't enjoy driving thereafter till Ponda because of constant high beam glare of oncoming vehicles.

All in all a good drive.

[Ertigiat]

Originally Posted by Ertigiat

Road Condition - Pristine NH4. Roads inside the Belgaum city are good barring tattered congress Road. May be because it was dawn I enjoyed drive between Belgaum & Khanapur. Neatly lit cat-eyes along the curves. They were super bright. Road between Khanapur & Ramanagar is bit narrower compared to road between Belgaum and Khanapur. But the condition of the road is very good. Traffic was equal to nil till Ramanagar. vivek95 Next time to catch breadth of fresh air, try stretch till Ramanagar after dawn But the pleasure of driving vanished post Ramanagar. Loads of travel buses with high beam all the time. I got so tired that I took a break of 15 mins just before start of ghat. Somehow didn't enjoy driving thereafter till Ponda because of constant high beam glare of oncoming vehicles.

Apologies for error in previous post. It should have been dusk, not dawn.

[Musaafir]

Originally Posted by Ertigiat

Date - 07-01-17
Vehicle - Ertiga ZDi
Start Time - 6.20 PM
From - Nipani, Karnataka
To - Fatorda, Margao
End time - 10.00 PM
Route - Nipani-Belgaum-Khanapur-Ramanagar-Anmod-Margoa
Pax - Only me

.

Ertigiat,

Thank you for the update.

I am going to Colva beach end of January and want to know which is the best route to reach there after descending the Anmod ghat? Would it be via Ponda? In that case, would there be a traffic jam on Khandepaar bridge? Or is there a better and faster route.

Thank you in advance.

[Ertigiat]

Originally Posted by Musaafir

I am going to Colva beach end of January and want to know which is the best route to reach there after descending the Anmod ghat? Would it be via Ponda?

Best route after descending Anmod ghat to Colva is straight through Margao. You need not have to enter Ponda city. Take Ponda bypass to reach Margao.

In that case, would there be a traffic jam on Khandepaar bridge? Or is there a better and faster route.

As such Khandepar Bridge never experiences any traffic jams. Police personnel is deployed during peak hours to ensure the bridge doesn't encounter any jam. Mollem-Ponda (Bypass)-Margao-Colva Beach is by far the best & fastest route.

If you can share you start time, Area in Pune from where you will start, I will try helping you draw tentative itinerary

Happy Driving,

[Musaafir]

Thank you Ertigiat. I plan to leave Kolhapur around 11.00 AM.

[Ertigiat]

Originally Posted by Musaafir

Thank you Ertigiat. I plan to leave Kolhapur around 11.00 AM.

If you are travelling from Kolhapur then I would recommend to take Amboli route instead of Belgaum route. The suggestion is only since you need not have to cover a lot of distance & start time of your journey. Amboli ghat will be lot more pleasant compared to Anmod ghat.

Sample itinerary,

Kolhapur - 11.00 AM
Ajara - 12.30 PM
Amboli - 1.00 PM
Sawantwadi - 1.30 PM (Break for Lunch)
Sawantwadi - 2.30 PM
Panjim - 3.30 PM
Colva - 4.15 PM

May be while returning you can take Belgaum route.

Happy Driving..

[moralfibre]

Guys, any update on the road condition between Uttur and Amboli? Last time I drove in October, the roads were pretty broken between Ajara and Amboli for the most part. Hope things have improved?

[SuperMane]

Drove to north goa on 21st from Kolhapur. Had heard so much about chorla. So started the ride early at 5 in the morning. I went till jamboti from belgaum. Sadly the ghat was closed with barricades and local police. We were directed from Khanapur-Mollem. Roads were narrow and some patches were bad and pretty much isolated. If anyones planning, do take other routes till we have an update.

Cheers!

[maverickxx2006]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Guys, any update on the road condition between Uttur and Amboli? Last time I drove in October, the roads were pretty broken between Ajara and Amboli for the most part. Hope things have improved?

Just returned from Pune-Tarkarli trip on 25th-Jan. Took the Nipanni-Ajra-Uttur-Amboli-Kudal-Tarkarli route. Looks like the Amboli ghat has been recently laid, so it was in pristine condition. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that road from Tavandi ghat-Ajra-Uttur-Amboli was also in top shape. It was a very good driving experience and pleasure.

Only sore point is that the Amboli ghat roads are very narrow so have to be very very careful. Saw two accidents in Amboli ghat. Chorla ghat road are comparatively wide.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by maverickxx2006

Chorla ghat road are comparatively wide.

You sure about this?
I have always used the Amboli ghat, and never used Chorla. But I have always heard that it is the other way around i.e. Chorla route is quite narrow.

[Sawyer]

Now that the Amboli route is restored, for North Goa it is a no brainer. 45 minutes less than Chorla because the route is the hypotenuse to the two legs of a triangle route via Belgaum. Approx speaking.

[maverickxx2006]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

You sure about this?
I have always used the Amboli ghat, and never used Chorla. But I have always heard that it is the other way around i.e. Chorla route is quite narrow.

Till now I have traveled four times via Chorla to reach South Goa. This was my first time through Amboli. I felt Chorla better. In addition to this, since the road is freshly laid out, at some places the shoulder height of the road is quite big. So it becomes bit dangerous to take your car down side ways if any big vehicle is approaching.

Anyways since the road is now pristine, its your personal choice which road you want to opt.