[ihrishi]

Originally Posted by Ertigiat

Where exactly in South Goa?

It really must have been a long time. There is a smooth 6 lane tarmac between Belgaum and Khanapur now. Barring 6 to 8 kms of bad (almost non-existent) road inside the wildlife sanctuary most of the road is in good condition till Anmod (and thereafter all the way till Goa).

Belgaum - Khanapur was the exact patch I was referring to. It was under construction with quite a few diversions in Feb 2021. Glad to hear that it is completed now.
Not worried about the roads in side the sanctuary, that is expected. Atleast there is minimal traffic which makes the drive easier

Thank you!

[Ertigiat]

Originally Posted by ihrishi

Belgaum - Khanapur was the exact patch I was referring to. It was under construction with quite a few diversions in Feb 2021. Glad to hear that it is completed now.

A lot has changed within the period of one year. All thanks to NHAI.

It isn't completely ready but 95% of Belgaum Kanpur road is well laid 6 lane road now.

Enjoy the drive.

[vik87]

Completed Pune-Goa last week (18th-22nd March 2022), took the Pune -> Satara -> Kolhapur -> Nipani -> Ajara -> Amboli -> Sawantwadi -> Via NH66 -> Calangute route.
Roads were fantastic overall , some bad patches between Nipani and Ajara but drivable.
After crossing Goa border continued on NH66 and found it to be good and quick , 95% work is done on this patch till you take right to enter Calangute.
Was not stopped anywhere for COVID related formalities.
With car packed with kids with their impromptu bio breaks , it took longer than expected , both ways more or less 10 hours.



Took following stops :
Pune to Goa ->
Shivneri Misal for Breakfast
Minerva Paradise for Lunch

Goa to Pune ->
Hotel Saaj , Nipani Ajra Link Rd for Lunch
Hotel Sai International , after crossing Kolhapur for Tea-Snacks.

Reaching Goa is one thing and finding a place to park your car safely is another. My car has been dinged with a lot of souvenirs to remember this trip every time I open my doors

[Irwin]

Originally Posted by Aloneatma

I have taken this route thrice in the last 15 months, Pune to South Goa. According to me the best route. Leaving Pune by 0600 hours is a must. Halting at Belagavi for an early lunch works. You should be in Goa proper by 4pm latest.

The ghat is reasonably winding and the only way to combat the sickness is skipping a meal. Possibly have a very light lunch before you hit the ghat. My cousin suffers from motion sickness and travelling on an empty to a very light tummy worked like a charm for him.

I am travelling to Goa again, first week of June. Will take the same route via Anmod.

At the Kognoli border no checking is happening even for vax certificates. Mollem check post may ask for a cursory glance.

Enjoy.

Hi

I came to GOA in Feb 2022 and took the Nipani >> Amboli >> South GOA route.

Now Planning to return back to MUMBAI from South Goa/Benaulim heading towards Borivali West.

Can you please confirm that it is safe & comfortable to take the route as follows? or an alternate route via Chorla or Ramnagar?

Following is the route suggested by Google Maps.

Leaving at 6 AM South Goa/Benaulim >> Margaon Belgaum Bypass SH566 >> Ponda NH748 >> Mollem >> Anmod >> Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary >> Shiroli >> Khanapur >> Belgaum NH748 >> NH48 onwards to Mumbai.

As mentioned repeatedly on this forum the only bad stretch is the road that passes through Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, don't know what to expect.
Hopefully, it would not be bad for a CRETA which has decent ground clearance.

Barring this particular stretch, I suppose the rest of the road section is pretty decent.

Is there heavy truck traffic on this Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary section? apparently, this section is pretty narrow & heavy traffic/trucks are not allowed.

Appreciate it if you can give me your feedback on the queries above.

[Aloneatma]

The roads within Goa are always smoother. From Benaulim all the way till Mollem check post I don't recall any bad patches. Most of the bad patches are on the Karnataka side of the ghat. Collectively around 10 kms of the road will be tricky. Nothing that a Creta can't handle. I have done this stretch on a Skoda Rapid atleast half a dozen times in the last 2 years.

For that matter even Chorla ghat is less crowded if tackled early in the morning. If one gets a little late then the buses and trucks hog the road forcing one to overtake them repeatedly. Have taken the Chorla ghat while returning, a few times. Make sure to leave early. Your plan to leave at 0600 hours works as you may hit Chorla around 0700 which is way too early for buses and tankers. Not sure of the condition of the roads on Chorla because I haven't traversed it in the last one year.

[baby_driver999]

Went to Goa in November 2021. Karnataka side of the roads are a bit worse to be honest, and Goa's internal roads are pretty smooth. As for the particular route being taken, my family and I had gone via Amboli back in 2014 in a Petrol SX4 and as beautiful as it was, the road was literally stones

[straight6]

Can anyone suggest best route for Mumbai to kudal and back. I will be leaving on Saturday.

[s4ch]

Thank you everyone for the wonderful suggestions to take Anmod ghat into South Goa. The ghat section is pretty wide and I took it slow, my wife didn't feel sick at all.

Originally Posted by Irwin

Hi
Following is the route suggested by Google Maps.

Leaving at 6 AM South Goa/Benaulim >> Margaon Belgaum Bypass SH566 >> Ponda NH748 >> Mollem >> Anmod >> Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary >> Shiroli >> Khanapur >> Belgaum NH748 >> NH48 onwards to Mumbai.

As mentioned repeatedly on this forum the only bad stretch is the road that passes through Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, don't know what to expect.
Hopefully, it would not be bad for a CRETA which has decent ground clearance.

Barring this particular stretch, I suppose the rest of the road section is pretty decent.

Is there heavy truck traffic on this Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary section? apparently, this section is pretty narrow & heavy traffic/trucks are not allowed.

Appreciate it if you can give me your feedback on the queries above.

As mentioned, I took this route going into Goa on Monday this week. The only bad stretch is about 5km in the wildlife sanctuary where the road is pretty non-existent. I was in a Scorpio and besides being a little bumpy and driving at crawling speed it was fine. You should be fine in a Creta as the car in front was a Sonet and they seemed fine too.

The road is quite narrow at stretches but take it slow and you'll be fine. The road leading up to the sanctuary had quite a few trucks but in the sanctuary itself there was hardly any traffic.

[Irwin]

Originally Posted by s4ch

Thank you everyone for the wonderful suggestions to take Anmod ghat into South Goa. The ghat section is pretty wide and I took it slow, my wife didn't feel sick at all.



As mentioned, I took this route going into Goa on Monday this week. The only bad stretch is about 5km in the wildlife sanctuary where the road is pretty non-existent. I was in a Scorpio and besides being a little bumpy and driving at crawling speed it was fine. You should be fine in a Creta as the car in front was a Sonet and they seemed fine too.

The road is quite narrow at stretches but take it slow and you'll be fine. The road leading up to the sanctuary had quite a few trucks but in the sanctuary itself there was hardly any traffic.

After reading your comments, ignoring that 5+ km stretch inside BWS, I am more inclined to take the Mollem>>Anmod>>BWS>>Khanapur>>Belgaum & onwards.

Just returned from making a round trip from Goa to Chikmangalore via Agumbe & Charmady Ghats, Mullyangiri-Baba Budangiri ghats which are quite steep with sharp hairpin bends & narrow roads.

One requires superb driving skills to negotiate the above, saw quite a few inexperienced private car drivers & careless transport vehicle drivers, unable to control their cars veering into the right side of the road while negotiating the hairpin bends & sharp curves giving me a scare/anxious moments.

Looking at the reviews/comments, don't think Anmod & Chorla are as bad as the ones mentioned above.

[s4ch]

Originally Posted by Irwin

After reading your comments, ignoring that 5+ km stretch inside BWS, I am more inclined to take the Mollem>>Anmod>>BWS>>Khanapur>>Belgaum & onwards.

...

Looking at the reviews/comments, don't think Anmod & Chorla are as bad as the ones mentioned above.

Honestly the Anmod ghat was really easy. The roads are really smooth and the Karnataka side especially are very wide, not many sharp bends at all. Still of course excercise caution but nothing too much to fret about.

One more small issue that I forgot to mention on this route is driving through Belgaum city (going to Goa it is before the beautiful Khanapur>Belgaum highway which is 95% done, or after this stretch if you are heading back towards NH48). Typical city traffic driving through Belgaum, took us about 30 mins to drive through just about 10km. Lots of 2 wheeler and auto traffic, but again nothing compared to Pune/Mumbai. Not sure if there is a bypass for the city if the experts could comment please?

Also a tip: Whichever way you are heading from/to Pune, the Fairfield Marriott Belgaum is a fantastic place to stop to use clean and hygenic toilets and freshen up. It is actually on the highway service road but you do have to drive a km or so extra to go around to the entrance, but 100% worth it, especially if you have ladies traveling with you to use the clean toilets. Driving towards Goa it is about 90 minutes after Kolhapur, heading back from Mollem it is about 2.5 hours or so, so the timings work out very nicely.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by s4ch

Not sure if there is a bypass for the city if the experts could comment please?

Unfortunately, there is no bypass. This is the most optimum route (starts just before entrance to Belgaum city, ends at Khanapur bus stand) if you are travelling from Pune to Goa via Belgaum. Some landmarks on the way are Hotel Ramdev, Rani Kittur Chennamma circle, Bogarves circle, MLI regimental centre, 1st, 2nd, 3rd railway gates on Congress Road, Piranwadi cross (left to Anmod via Khanapur, right to Chorla).

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wApK95JqokGLFV2H7

[Rustom]

Originally Posted by straight6

Can anyone suggest best route for Mumbai to kudal and back. I will be leaving on Saturday.

I traveled from Pune to Vengurla and back last week. (Mar-17 ~ Mar-24) The Nipani - Ajra - Amboli route is really good barring a few bad patches between Ajra and Amboli. This has a lot of good options for food and toilets for families.

I had taken the Kolhapur - Radhanagari - Phondaghat route in December '21. There was some construction due to which traffic was slow near Radhanagari. Maybe somebody else can comment on the latest status.I found Phondaghat easier to drive than Amboli as it doesn't have steep drops. I didn't spot a lot of good food options on this route.

My personal preference is Amboli for now.

[s4ch]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Unfortunately, there is no bypass. This is the most optimum route (starts just before entrance to Belgaum city, ends at Khanapur bus stand) if you are travelling from Pune to Goa via Belgaum. Some landmarks on the way are Hotel Ramdev, Rani Kittur Chennamma circle, Bogarves circle, MLI regimental centre, 1st, 2nd, 3rd railway gates on Congress Road, Piranwadi cross (left to Anmod via Khanapur, right to Chorla).

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wApK95JqokGLFV2H7

Thank you, took this route on our return from Goa to Pune via Mollem>Anmod>Khanapur.

A brief report:

Once you get on the Mollem highway from around Ponda, the roads are tarmac, smooth and comfortable all the way till the Karnataka border. We were not stopped at the Goa exit, no one was interested and I just drove through.

The ghat roads after this are tarmac, nice and smooth, take it slow and your passengers should be fine and not car sick. Did this stretch at around 10am on a Tuesday and almost zero traffic. No real places on the Goa side to stop so do a quick stop before you get on the ghats if you need.

Once you get to the Karnataka side the roads are concrete but still pretty smooth. They are wider here and there are a few sections where you can stop briefly but please be careful as there are sudden drops on the side of the road beyond a few feet that are not really visible due to the treeline. There was zero traffic at the RTO checkpoint after the ghat, but they did pull the barrier down as we approached. Had a bit of a stare off with the chaps seated there for a few seconds, but after seeing my wife sleeping in the seat next to me, they let us through without a word and didn't even approach the car. All they really are interested in is if you are carrying alcohol and just want money, extremely corrupt. I was not carrying any alcohol but was ready to defend myself from any harassment.

Anyway after this checkpoint, immediately take a left into the wildlife sanctuary. The first 5-10kms are absolutely terrible roads and takes about 30 mins to cross this, the remaining 25kms till Khanapur are relatively smooth, just that the road is a bit narrow so you may have to go off onto the mud slightly for any large oncoming traffic. Be careful as the mud portions are only about 2 feet wide either side of the road and there are ditches after that.

Crossed Khanapur and get on to a nice 4/6 lane highway that brings you to almost Belgaum city. Followed the above route and we were on NH48 within about 25 mins after reaching the city limits.

As you enter Belgaum city from this side there is a Barista coffee shop, didn't stop there but assume they may have decent toilets and good coffee, parking may be an issue though: https://goo.gl/maps/TpDnLXtciKbCvoDc7

Then after driving through Belgaum and just before you hit NH48 there is a Subway, McDonald's and KFC, again didn't stop there but assume good toilets:

Subway: https://goo.gl/maps/BFvtqXrXzsK5UDUi8
KFC: https://goo.gl/maps/gnkxnYLc2RTbg9RS7
McDonald's: https://goo.gl/maps/2zafuu39YHqH48fv5

Else join NH48 and about 3kms later is the Fairfield Marriott, but you do have to go on the service road, go under the highway and enter on the other side of the Highway. 5 star toilets and probably the best place to stop on the entire NH48 between Pune and Bangalore. Their coffee shop is nice too.

From Benaulim, Goa to the Marriott in Belgaum was 3.5 hours on the dot. From here to home in Pune was about 5 hours with a stop at Kolhapur McDonald's. Crossed Kolhapur in no time as it was just after lunch and no traffic.

There is a brand new Shell petrol station on the left after Karad (heading northbound). Fantastic, clean toilets and they have a nice little snack shop too. But do fill up in KA as fuel is considerably cheaper there.

The Satara>Pune stretch is now 3 lanes all the way, nice and smooth and fast.

All in all, if you are going to South Goa then definitely recommend this route via Anmod. I will be taking this route from now onwards and actually prefer it to flying.

Thanks!

[distiller]

Recent route experience - Pune to Goa & Back

Traveled from Pune to Goa (South) on 21 Mar 2022. Route undertaken was Pune - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Khanapur - Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary - Mollem - Dharbandora - Sanvordem - Orlim.
The road, until entry of Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary is excellent including Pune-Satara stretch and the newly laid Belgavi-Khanapur stretch. The road inside Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary is mix of okay and bad stretches and the last 10 odd kilometers were horrible. Also I found few buses and trucks plying on the road. The stretch between Dharbandora and Chandor had heavy traffic of mining trucks, although they all were driving quite safely.


Time taken was approximate 10.5 hours, including breakfast break of about 45 minutes at Hotel Sai International (before Kolhapur) and an hour lunch break at Dudhsagar Spa resort (just after exiting the Mollem ghat). And fuel break near Karad and Kognoli. Petrol was cheaper in KA by around Rs.9

While returning took the Ponda - Mollem - Ramnagar - Khanapur - Belgaum - Kolhapur - Pune route
The Mollem - Ramnagar stretch is good except for few diversions, some of which are not marked. The Ramnagar - Khanapur stretch had very sparse traffic and had quite a number of diversions (in completed flyovers and second lane at few places). But as compared to Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary stretch I'll say this was far better to drive.

[lionell]

I am visiting north Goa (Morjim) this week. Wanted to understand if anyone has taken the Sankeshwar-Ajra-Amboli route in recent times.

Google always shows via Nipani (turn in from Hotel Goa Ves). Via Sankeshwar it's a 12km difference. Is the road better via Sankeshwar? As I always found the road via Nipani very narrow with broken tarmac in many places.