[CANPUSH]

If you treat Kagal-Belgaum Section as Benchmark for Best road, no other road including famed Pune-Mumbai Expressway meets that criteria. I agree with Figopian that Pune-Kolhapur section conditions are fast deteriorating, but still it is good road. You can still travel continuously at the speed limit prescribed.
Toll plazas are another story. I would rate Kini and Karad Toll plazas to be much better than Khed-Shivapur and Tasawade(Before Satara). On both these you are assured 30 minutes rest unless you are lucky on a particular day.
God and Government babus only know what they do with all the toll collected. They must have already collected toll - multiple times the cost incurred in four laning and cost to be incurred in 6 laning, including maintenance (?) cost. This is more believable when you compare Kagal-Belgaum road condition and the Toll charges - only Rs. 40 for 90 kms i.e.less than Rs. 0.50/km. In Maharashtra we pay Rs. 226 for 250 km. i.e. almost Rs 1/km and on expressway Rs.165/94 km i.e. Rs. 1.80/km.
One of us must put as RTI query in this regard.

[deutscheafrikar]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

yes, thats correct route.

Here are the pics of danoli-banda route.[ sorry for poor pic quality]

Fork at 1km after danoli, left goes to banda at 15.6 km, right goes to sawantwadi at 13km.

Ahaa the signboard is still there. Someone mentioned its been removed.

Ashish the road looks good enough to drive. I had wanted to take it the trip after I saw but chickend out when I read on the forum that the underbody will touch the road and also that its too narrow for too vehicles from opposite direction to pass each other.
good job of the pics

[Dr.Sav]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

7] danoli-banda: 15 km, surprise, surprise. As i quoted in last post that i will try this route, i did.
1 km after danoli at foothill of amboli ghat, small road leads to banda avoiding sawantwadi.
As road condition between sawantwadi and banda and particularly after banda checkpost to goa checkpost is not in good condition, i was not expecting anything great about this direct route to banda.
I stopped at the junction near danoli looking for someone to inquire about road condition, suddenly , Goa registered car zipped toward banda by that small road. No guess, i followed that car.
To my surprise, though the road is narrow, too much ups and downs, the tarmac is good with occassional broken road, don't worry, road condition is faaaar better than sawantwadi-banda road. It took 25 min to cross this 15 km stretch and landed at banda touching NH17 just 1km before Goa checkpost.
This stretch passes through countryside, absolutely no facilities, do not travel on this section after sunset.
I reccomend this stretch to travel during daytime, you will save at least 15km extra travel, will save atleast 45min in time, will save from cops at banda checkpost.

Thanks for the update on this road. Have seen this junction as many times as I've driven to Goa but never had the courage to try it due to bad reviews. Will definitely try it this time as both my cars will be going to Goa together (driven by me and my elder brother) this Christmas for a cousin's wedding.

Will try and write up a travelogue with a lot of pics in Jan when I'll be back.

Ashish, what do you mean by broken tarmac/road but no potholes? How fast can you cruise on this description of a road?
Thanks again.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by Dr.Sav

what do you mean by broken tarmac/road but no potholes? How fast can you cruise on this description of a road?

If you observe pic no 5 and 6 in post no 568 in this thread, the tarmac is broken but the broken area is filled, though there is no tarmac at that point, there are no potholes either.

As i was driving on this unknown section for first time, i was driving very cautiously, it took me 25min to cross this 15km from danoli to banda.
But as i posted earlier, goa registered vehicles know this road very well and zipping relatively at faster speed.
I recommend to drive slow on this section as there are too many ups and downs on this curvy road.

[suzuki san]

After reading all the reviews I decided to use this road (from bottom of Amboli Ghat to Banda) yesterday on the way from Bombay to Goa. I have seen this road before but always ignored it in preference to the normal road.

Before I got to that road I should like to report that the Sankeshwar - Gadhinglaj - Ajra road is not in very good condition. Some repairs have been done but not been levelled so one can imagine the ride.

I had a GA registered Dzire in front of me all the way down the Amboli Ghats and I had decided that if he took this road, so would I!!
Needless to say he was on to it without hesitation and I followed.
The first 6 kms are OK. Road is quite driveable though a lot of ups and downs as reported by Ashish. The next 3 Kms are bad. Major potholes and the road narrows down quite a bit to the stage where two cars would find it difficult to pass. We met a Bollero coming the other way and the Dzire just got through but I had to reverse. After these 3 Kms the road improves somewhat but it is rutted leading to a harsh rumbling ride. Also some more potholes but one can swing around most of them.

I agree that the road from Banda to the checkpoint is also bad but I drove that route just 3 weeks ago and don't remember being as bad as reported.
Needless to say the vehicle you are driving also makes a huge difference o your take on the road.

Last time I was in my SX4. This time I was in my WagonR and I'm sure I've picked up a couple of new rattles!!!!

Once you rejoin the main highway NH 17 be prepared for hell for the next 2 to 3 Kms, That road is really bad and the only way is to keep changing over from the worse side of the road to the better - over the mud divider.

It took me 3 hours to get from Sankeshwar to the Goa border. Total from Lokhandwala Andheri to Mapuca took 9 hrs and 15 mins (including all stops).

Regards,
SS

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Last time I was in my SX4. This time I was in my WagonR and I'm sure I've picked up a couple of new rattles!!!!

Good to read the much needed review from the route user other than me.

1] How much time it took to cross danoli-banda section?

2] If you have choice between danoli-banda and banda-sawantwadi-danoli route, which route you will prefer after traveling on both sections?

[suzuki san]

Hi Ashish,

It took me about 25 to 30 mins to cover that route.

I guess seeing as how the highway around Sawantwadi / Banda is in such a bad condition I would use the Danoli - Banda road again. However, I would definitely not use it after dark. Also, as you menioned, it's a good short cut to avoid the cops who harass you for no rhyme or reason.

The road from Banda to the Goa border seems to be getting worse every month. Lots of trucks and piles of stones etc. there but no one is doing anything about repairing the road. Unbelievable hat a national highway can reach such a state.

Regards,
SS

[CANPUSH]

I understand from news that they are doing a fresh Patradevi-Zarap (Near Kudal) section four-lane road, bypassing Sawantwadi from west side. No respite for those going through Amboli but will surely cut the time between Kudal and Goa by at least 1 hour.

At the pace at which the work is going, it may take another couple of years to complete. It is already 1.5 to 2 years since they started the work.

Till such time the road gets completed we have no option but to bear with it. At the same time, once it gets complete the Sawantwadi-Banda section will be completely neglected and will meet the same fate as old Banda-Dodamarg-Asnoda section that was previously NH17.

[suniladhiya]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

I am back in Pune after my trip to Goa.
Did Pune --> Belgaum bypass --> Bauxite Road -->Amboli --> Sawantwadi -->Banda -> Baga on 22 October.

Road condition:
Pune to Kolhapur: decent.
Kolhapur - Belgaum: Excellent
Belgaum bypass - Bauxite Road - Very bad.
Further road till Amboli ghat - Average
Amboli ghat: Good
Further till Sawantwadi: Average
Sawantwadi to Banda: Very Bad
Banda to Baga: Very Good.

Please avoid the Bauxite road. I went through this road reading earlier posts which indicated that it is better to drive the extra distance and avoid routes via Ajra.
I learnt after return journey that Ajra is a better option (less distance and overall better roads).
It is pointless to go till Belgaum. Route via Molem may be good, but that add a lot more KM compared to route via Ajra. It did not make sense for me so I avoided that one.

Return journey on 26 October.
Colva -->Banda --> Very good
Banda --> Sawantwadi --> Very bad
Sawantwadi --> Amboli ghat --> Good in the ghats. Decent overall.
Amboli --> Ajra: Decent
Ajra -->Gadhinglaj: Bad
Gadhinglaj --> NH4: Average
NH4: Very good

I will upload a few photos of the Bauxite road in day or two. Please avoid that route if you are coming from Mumbai/ Pune

@SUN: Just couple of questions: You have rated Bauxite Road as "Very Bad" - did you experience craters/ potholes on this stretch or was it just broken tarmac as shown in the photographs which you have uploaded.

Secondly - you have rated the stretch from end of Bauxite Road till Amboli as "average" here again did you experience potholes/ craters or was it just rough road. And what kind of speeds were you able to maintain on this stretch.

I am planning to drive to Goa on 30th hence look forward to your feedback. Thanks in advance.

[Ravi Yadav]

After a lot of up and down , the Goa trip is finally On. We drive on 30th .The route decided is,
Panvel:Pune:kohlapur:Nipani:R.C. circle:Khanapur:Ramnagar:Mollem:Cuncolim:Palolem.

Where in kohlapur do we get the best Misals ? We leave around 4 am.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Ravi Yadav

After a lot of up and down , the Goa trip is finally On. We drive on 30th .The route decided is,
Panvel:Pune:kohlapur:Nipani:R.C. circle:Khanapur:Ramnagar:Mollem:Cuncolim:Palolem.

Where in kohlapur do we get the best Misals ? We leave around 4 am.

NH4A(Belgaum-Khanapur-Ramnagar-Mollem)has gone bad yet again.Better alternative would be to go via Nippani-Uttur-Ajra-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Goa.

The misal you are referring to ,I presume is the famous Phadtare Misal,which is at Udyamnagar.IIRC,the place opens around 830-9am.The landmark for the place is Parvati Talkies in Udyam Nagar.Its a fair bit off the highway.Ask anybody in Kolhapur and they would direct you.Be there at 9 to get into the place in their 1st batch.

[Gear-ge]

Hi ravi-yadav, Hope you are wired and can update this thread asap, The missus and I are planning to follow your tread marks on the 4th or 5th Dec We are in a Gypsy, so will definitely try the Danoli Banda stretch. Am still a little confused about where to get off the NH4, before Sankeshwar or nearer Belgaum. Any Clues?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Gear-ge

Am still a little confused about where to get off the NH4, before Sankeshwar or nearer Belgaum. Any Clues?

After Kolhapur,you would encounter the Tawandi Ghat.As you begin your ascent,you would see Hotel Satyavati Palace to your right.Right beside that is a road going down.Take that road to Uttur-Ajra-Amboli and onwards to sawantwadi and goa.

Kolhapur, Maharashtra to Panaji, Goa - Google Maps

[Ravi Yadav]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

NH4A(Belgaum-Khanapur-Ramnagar-Mollem)has gone bad yet again.Better alternative would be to go via Nippani-Uttur-Ajra-Amboli-Sawantwadi-Goa.

The misal you are referring to ,I presume is the famous Phadtare Misal,which is at Udyamnagar.IIRC,the place opens around 830-9am.The landmark for the place is Parvati Talkies in Udyam Nagar.Its a fair bit off the highway.Ask anybody in Kolhapur and they would direct you.Be there at 9 to get into the place in their 1st batch.

Hi Ranjit, how bad is the NH4A. I mean , potholes or just broken tarmac. I was just looking for an option to bypass north Goa Completely. Even if i consider taking the route how long will it take me to reach mollem from Belgaum on these bad roads.

Yes i was referring to Phadtare, i had forgotten the name but if its too inside i would avoid it. Any other MISAL wala close to the Highway , i need some chat-pata for the Breakfast .

[Ravi Yadav]

Originally Posted by Gear-ge

Hi ravi-yadav, Hope you are wired and can update this thread asap, The missus and I are planning to follow your tread marks on the 4th or 5th Dec We are in a Gypsy, so will definitely try the Danoli Banda stretch. Am still a little confused about where to get off the NH4, before Sankeshwar or nearer Belgaum. Any Clues?

Last time when i had taken the Ajra -Sawantwari road , i remember as you reach Nipani , there is a hotel Kaveri on the right .A road goes next to it. You need to take that road. Don't Worry , i will uploads images of the exit at Nipani .Hope this helps.