I travelled this route on the 7th of September. I was travelling with my parents and a family friend, all fully vaccinated (except for me). I had taken my second dose just a week earlier, so I was a week short.
However, after extensively reading the posts on this thread, I insisted that all of us get our RT-PCR tests done, despite the others having been double dosed months ago.
Just before the Kognoli toll plaza, there's a bridge across the Dudhganga River, which is the official border between Maharashtra and Karnataka. On the 7th, all passenger cars were stopped in a single file, on this bridge, and there were cops asking where the cars were heading to and vaccination status. I could see that the checking was not uniform, some were waved through quickly but for other cars they were closely inspecting documents/phones etc. Some were cursory and others were more detailed.
When we pulled up, the cop asked me for my destination. When he heard we were going to Goa, he waved us through. Didn't ask for vaccination certifications or RT-PCR, or anything. I had to quietly listen for the next 10 minutes, from my fellow passengers on how I subjected all of them to RT-PCRs for no reason ...LOL, but regardless of how things turned out, I still think it was the right decision. It seemed pretty clear that for other cars, something was being asked and some documents were being checked - maybe they were heading to Bangalore or elsewhere in Karnataka - who knows?
So you never know. My recommendation is just get it done. With Murphy's Law, if you don't have it, chances are you'll be asked for it.
Few additional thoughts on this drive-
- We left Powai at 6:15 AM and were aiming to hit Kothrud, Pune around 9:00 for breakfast. The Expressway is as good a drive as I remember, with a few excellent rest areas and large petrol pumps. The Ghats are stunning as ever and look like a carpet of green was rolled over the hills with the hill tops lost in the clouds. Drives like these just make you happy. Ended up reaching Kothrud around 9:15.
- After Kothrud, we drove straight down NH48, past Satara and Karad. The initial plan was to stop at Karad for lunch, but nothing seemed great and the ones that I had shortlisted on Google Maps, including a Kamat, turned out to be shut. So finally ended up having a meal at a random place about 30 mins before Kolhapur.
- This stretch is really beautiful. Carpets of greens on both sides and lovely hills in the distance.
- There are lots of restaurants as you enter Kolhapur, and through the city. So if you can push it till Kolhapur, this is a good place for a meal.
- Final destination was Mandrem, but after all the posts earlier warning against crappy roads on the Amboli Ghat, decided to take Chorla Ghat route instead. Did not regret it
- The Chorla Ghat road has no issues, barring a few potholes here and there, because of the incessant rains. I was very thankful for the advice shared by others on this forum earlier. Despite the few potholes, this drive was one of the most beautiful I have ever done, anywhere in the country. It was magical. It's like driving through a dense tunnel of green, with trees tightly overlapping above, creating a canopy for kilometres at a stretch.
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*Important Advice* Please time your drive so you
complete the Chorla Ghat section of this journey (i.e the section from Belagavi to Goa border)
before sunset. I got a little late, and sunset happened mid-way through this section. First of all, driving in the light before dark really ensures you appreciate this stunning drive as well as the view from a few spots. Second, in this season, it is raining heavily, and just after sunset with the dense foliage it got dark really really quick. And then a dense cloud rolled in, and I was driving through dense fog for the next 15 KM. While, this did make the drive super interesting, but it was admittedly a little nerve wracking as well, as visibility dropped to barely 5 - 10 metres and my speed dropped to 10-15 Kmph, as I was doing sharp bends down the hill. While the drive itself was uneventful, it had to be done very carefully and it's unnecessary tension that can be avoided if you just time this section properly. Maybe in a different season it wouldn't have mattered.
- At the foothill of the ghat, just as you get off the hill road, there's a Goa police check-post asking for vaccination status and RT-PCRs. They checked for a few of us, but looking at all the elderly people in the car, took me on the honor system and waved me through.
- Goa has the worst roads of any state. So this last section of your journey, till you reach your final destination will take forever. But atleast you can enjoy having pulled off a super long drive, and recall some of the stunning views from earlier in the day, as you gingerly navigate these atrocious roads.
Cheers! Hope this helps. Drive safe.