[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by samigo

I entered Goa from Pune via chorla ghat. The toll fee of Rs. 250 is too much. Even the toll for pune e-way is not this much. Why are they collecting this toll just for ghat road!?

This is not a toll for the road.This is the entry tax into the state of Goa.1000 for heavy vhicles,500 for tempos,250 for cars and 100 for three wheelers.Wef April 15th this year.

[naren_gs1]

Hi - thx for sharing update. How is road conditions?

[Neha]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

I am sure you know,just to reiterate Goa to Pune is just 8-10hrs drive depending on where you start from in Goa.Nevertheless if you want to stay overnight,Belgaum and Kolhapur are the only good options.For a stay which is 4hours from Goa,Kolhapur is your best bet.Belgaum is only 150kms from Panjim 2.5-3hrs from Panjim.

Kolhapur hotels are Opal(on the NH4 itself),Raysons Regency,Ayodhya.

Belgaum:Eefa,Kshema Inn,Sankam Residency on NH4 (towards Bangalore),Sanman Deluxe

Thanks Ranjit for your inputs...

If Belgaum or Kolhapur are not great places to stay, we might skip them. In case we do, what route is best in terms of road condition, places to eat and views? I read your post about Chorla/Ambola, would you be able to suggest one of the two? We actually have a lot of time in hand.. so we want to cover all the good stuff, but of course- we don't want to wander around in places that are not fun...

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Neha

If Belgaum or Kolhapur are not great places to stay, we might skip them. In case we do, what route is best in terms of road condition, places to eat and views? I read your post about Chorla/Ambola, would you be able to suggest one of the two? We actually have a lot of time in hand.. so we want to cover all the good stuff, but of course- we don't want to wander around in places that are not fun...

Belgaum and Amboli are just like any other Indian towns,ideal stopover places for people who drive on the NH4.

Chorla is a spectacular drive.Amboli would be crowded and not much of an experience as compared to Chorla.

What you could do is drive into Goa taking the Chorla route from Bangalore and drive towards Kolhapur taking the Gaganbawda route which imo is much more scenic than the Amboli ghats.Ofcourse the views from Amboli waterfall are nice.

Another alternative to taking the Gaganbawda route is to take the Phondaghat route.Goa-Kankavli-Phonda-Phondaghat-Radhanagari-Kolhapur.This route passes through India's only bison sanctuary the Dajipur Bison sanctuary and also passes via the Radhanagari dam.This way you could stay the night at Kolhapur and drive off next day morning after breakfast at Phadtare's Missal

Map for hubli-alnavar-chorla-panjim-gaganbawda-kolhapur:
http://goo.gl/maps/xFhhr

Map for hubli-alnavar-chorla-panjim-phondaghat-kolhapur:
http://goo.gl/maps/18B42

PS:If you intend to do your drives after 5pm then stick to Amboli route as that is the popular route and sees traffic at night as well.However as mentioned in an earlier post,there seems to be some road work in progress at the ghats at the moment

[nikesh]

Originally Posted by vineet_k21

Thanks ranjitp1. This is my first road trip to Goa so all the routes are new :-). I'm travelling with 2 kids who are prone to motion sickness! So would you recommend any specific route considering the above factors

There is also a way through veranda ghat to connect from pune to mumbai-goa highway. This road is via bhor and you need to take a right turn after balaji temple crossing on the pune-banglore highway. This road is much flatter and the least n-pin bends you can expect from any other option whether via gaganbawda or, mahabaleshwar or, amboli or, any other one. I did this route last year and other advantage i saw on this route was that it was much flatter so i could cruise much faster hence the reduced overall time. Once you hit the mumbai-goa highway then its pretty flat. This way you could minimise the chances of motion sickness.

All the best for your trip...

[Jayant..B]

Originally Posted by Neha

Thanks Ranjit for your inputs...

If Belgaum or Kolhapur are not great places to stay, we might skip them. In case we do, what route is best in terms of road condition, places to eat and views? I read your post about Chorla/Ambola, would you be able to suggest one of the two? We actually have a lot of time in hand.. so we want to cover all the good stuff, but of course- we don't want to wander around in places that are not fun...

If you love nature, you can stay at Wildernest. It's a different experience altogether. You can reach this place enroute Belgaum - Goa. You can find more info @ www.wildernest-goa.com. Amboli is best place to visit in rainy season.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by nikesh

There is also a way through veranda ghat to connect from pune to mumbai-goa highway. This road is via bhor and you need to take a right turn after balaji temple crossing on the pune-banglore highway. This road is much flatter and the least n-pin bends you can expect from any other option whether via gaganbawda or, mahabaleshwar or, amboli or, any other one. I did this route last year and other advantage i saw on this route was that it was much flatter so i could cruise much faster hence the reduced overall time. Once you hit the mumbai-goa highway then its pretty flat. This way you could minimise the chances of motion sickness..

I am surprised after reading this post.
Varandha ghat is neither flat nor in decent condition.
After hitting NH17 at near Mahad, have you counted the number of ghat sections till one reach to Goa border?
Do varandha ghat have any facilities?

[nikesh]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

I am surprised after reading this post.
Varandha ghat is neither flat nor in decent condition.
After hitting NH17 at near Mahad, have you counted the number of ghat sections till one reach to Goa border?
Do varandha ghat have any facilities?

I am aware of the road condition as of last year which was pretty descent but am not sure of the road state this year. The curves on this ghat were much flatter as compared to steep n-pin bends at amboli, gaganbawda or, mahabaleshwar. I did not count the number of ghats on mumbai-goa highway but dont think any of them had n-pin bends after mahad. Yes, I do agree the facilities were poor in the ghat section upto mahad except for few chai tapri's but the traffic volumes were very low hence you can go faster. This is also one of the options(depending upon the traveller preference) to cross the ghats towards goa highway. I used it last year while going to tarkarli via mahad.

[Neha]

Originally Posted by Jayant..B

If you love nature, you can stay at Wildernest. It's a different experience altogether. You can reach this place enroute Belgaum - Goa. You can find more info @ www.wildernest-goa.com. Amboli is best place to visit in rainy season.

Thanks Jayant,

Seems like a good option , would definitely check it out.

[S_U_N]

Question about "entry tax". It is said, the payment is valid for 24 hours only.
So, how much do I have to pay for a 3 days visit (using private car)?

[idea]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Question about "entry tax". It is said, the payment is valid for 24 hours only.
So, how much do I have to pay for a 3 days visit (using private car)?

As per news paper updates, it is a entry exit tax, so if you are staying back more than 24 Hr after entry, you need to pay it again during exit. So for a car, it is 500/- if more than 24 hr.

[bhp]

Originally Posted by idea

As per news paper updates, it is a entry exit tax, so if you are staying back more than 24 Hr after entry, you need to pay it again during exit. So for a car, it is 500/- if more than 24 hr.

Not true.

Its a one time entry tax of rs 250/- for a four wheeler and it is also refunded incase you leave the state within 4 hours.

[neofromcapone]

Originally Posted by bhp

Not true.

Its a one time entry tax of rs 250/- for a four wheeler and it is also refunded incase you leave the state within 4 hours.

That's fair, as far as the refund goes, should be more than 4 hours, they sure don't want any vehicle stopping in the State for a breather

On the other hand, its a one time tax, once in the lifetime of the vehicle or once in a year or once in......

[bhp]

Originally Posted by neofromcapone

That's fair, as far as the refund goes, should be more than 4 hours, they sure don't want any vehicle stopping in the State for a breather

On the other hand, its a one time tax, once in the lifetime of the vehicle or once in a year or once in......

One has to pay everytime you enter the state of Goa.

4 hours is beneficial only for those who are bypassing the state on NH 17.

[Irwin]

which is the best route from GOA to PUNE/BOMBAY considering the road conditions,GOA-SAVANTWADI-AMBOLI-AJRA-SANKESHWAR-NH4 or via BELGAUM