[bigwheelz]

The yearly pilgrimage to Goa begins on 18th Jul.
Have done amboli route, Radhanagari route, khanapur route during previous journeys.
Thanks to BHPians, will try the chorla route this time. This option of different route also adds to the fun of going to Goa.
Thanks again for the route updates.

[PGNarain]

Originally Posted by bigwheelz

The yearly pilgrimage to Goa begins on 18th Jul.
.........will try the chorla route this time.

Hi bigwheelz, looking forward to your update on the road conditions of the Belgaum-Chorla-Sanquelim route once you are done!

Thanks.

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

Just got back to Bombay from Goa.
Used the Mapuca - Sanquelim - Chorla - Jamboti - Peeranwadi - Belgaum road again.
Pleased to report that that particular road is still in very good condition seeing as how it's already halfway through the monsoon.
There are a few pockmarks and a few potholes but compared to the Bombay roads it's not even worth mentioning.
The one stretch just about 500 metres after the Goa fee booth (while northbound) has got much worse but has been filled in with some laterite stones. Not sure if that was a very good idea. Anyway, it is only a 50 metre stretch so can't complain.
Had quite a bit of fog - or low cloud - this morning which slowed me down considerably. Visibility was maybe 10 metres and I was relying on the "cat's eyes" on the edge of the road. So, thank God for that. Sadly, a lot of the cat's eyes are missing compared to a month ago.
No issues at all going through Belgaum but quite a few potholes and a few craters.
The road was good all the way to Karad and one can maintain high speeds. Sadly, I could not as it was pouring rain nearly all the way.
After Karad (and all the way to Poona) the diversions start - on both sides - and the so called service roads are a disaster.
Between Satara and Poona there are also a lot of potholes on the main highway and you have to keep swerving around them.
Do not stick too close to the vehicle in front of you as his tyres will be throwing up small stones from these potholes which could crack your windshield.
Come off the expressway and entering Bombay the roads are a disaster! Potholes everywhere with quite a few craters thrown in as well.
That about says it all!!

For those people going to Goa, I noted this time that the distance from "Goa Ves" restaurant (on the top of Tawande ghat) to the turn off for Belgaum (where I joined the highway) is exactly 60 Kms. You also have to pass another toll booth called Hittargi (Rs. 15) which is right after a dam - Hedkel or something like that.
Please note that though I joined the highway at this point, I could not see any road leading off the highway on the other side for people who are south bound. However, it must be there somewhere. It was also pouring so could not see much. There is a long yellow wall with vertical maroon stripes every 10 metres at this place (on both sides of the road) which will be a marker for people wanting to enter Belgaum and use the Chorla road. There is also an HP pump and a Maruti dealer on the right hand side of the road.

I never saw Hotel Sankam mentioned by ampere in a previous post.

Deutscheafrikar : Please note : I upgraded the MMI GPS to version 8.0 and it seems to be working fine now. Huge improvement from 2 weeks ago! It got me through Belgaum without me having to stop and ask directions. Mind you, I was also more familiar with the road now. Also much more accurate generally even while entering Bombay so that was 1K well spent.

Regards,
SS

[bigwheelz]

Thanks to Suzukisan. My update remains same. Took Belgaum-Chorla route to Varca.
You encounter fewer diversions while going towards Goa than coming back. The road is also better.
Chorla route is a very scenic drive with no traffic at all after Peeranwadi cross. Lots of waterfalls in Chorla ghat. Be very careful about stopping and having fun in these waterfalls. It's just too risky.

The scary part is driving between Satara - Pune at night. No road markings. Very few warning signs. Add to that visibility issues due to rain. At places the road is wide enough to accomodate 5-6 vehicles and suddenly it narrows to two lanes.
It was kind of blind driving with heavy rains. It was horror and very tiring. The time taken between Belgaum to Satara was almost same as time between Satara to Pune.
And be extra cautious about the potholes in the diversions. They are just too deep and wide to avoid. Reducing your speed is the only option to negotiate these moon craters.
The positive side is hardly 10 mins waiting at both the toll booths (Anewadi, Khed-shivapur) at peak time (around 7 pm).
Tip:
Keep your vehicle in the left most lane at these toll booths.

Adding to the help for Belgaum exit given by Suzukisan. There is a small board that has "APMC" written just at the exit.

[Tigger]

Hi All,

I am duplicating this post on this thread too after posting it on the 'Mumbai to Goa by Road : Post all queries here' thread as it is equally relevant on both threads. It gives current information on the choice of route between the NH4 and the NH17, for the road trip between Mumbai and Goa.

So, Nh4 or NH17, the continuing story.

I did Goa to Mumbai on NH17, the scenic monsoon ride, very recently. It was raining, green and pleasant, but the road sucks now!! The heavy duty traffic combined with the heavier monsoon has taken the heaviest toll of the highway. The last 150 Kms are almost rutted tracks in places. The double carriageway work under process adds to the nightmare. The Jams into Panvel are deathly.

So in case you are of two minds in the near future about the Mumbai Goa routes. Please stick to the NH4 one until some intrepid adventurer updates an all clear on the NH 17, which going by the condition of the road will not be any time soon.

So, for now and the near future NH17 is avoidable, unless you want to join it post Pune, if doing Mumbai Goa route; and reverse if going the other way.

If doing the NH4 route, the advisable turn-off still remains the Sankleshwer under bridge turn to the right. For those not aware, the Sawantwadi bypass is a super reality.

I will be going down this route around the 10th of Aug. Will update.

[PGNarain]

We are presently in Goa and drove down this Sunday from Mumbai. We started late on Saturday with the plan to stopover at Satara, however since it was getting late we broke the journey at Pune. Started early morning at 0445 and reached Panjim at 1300, with 45min break for breakfast, and several stops for photos on the way.

Rain have abated since the last Saturday, and the Road updates are good.

We took the Pune - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Chorla - Sanquelim - Panjim Route.

Pune to Satara: NH4 has several diversions, the road shoulders at these places are in bad condition and some service roads are deeply rutted - but these are far and few in between. Inspite of this you can maintain 60-80Kmph easily.
Roads, about 20Km to the north of Satara and 12-15km after Satara are bad and you will have to continuously play pacman with potholes, however if you maintain a decent speed they are easily avoidable. I would not suggest doing this stretch after dark. It is doable in dark but will be much easier and less stressful during daylight hours.

Satara to Belgaum: Abt 12-15kms after Satara, the roads are "fantastic" and you can practically do any speed you consider safe.
The turn off from NH4 for Belgaum city is tricky and not marked. The board after the turn off also has collapsed (the one just under the NH4). Suggest you go through the several posts left in this thread and look out for Windmills!!

Belgaum City: Got lost here for about 30mins, roads are fairly ok. The turn off for Piranwadi is badly potholed!!

Belgaum to Chorla: Great roads and beautiful scenery. However, it is all single carriageway so be careful of oncoming traffic.
Chorla to Goa Entrance Toll: Roads will increasingly deteriorate once you start descending from Chorla and some places are in a pretty bad condition.

One things I would like to say here, though the roads go from bad to fantastic on this route, if you are driving regularly in mumbai, especially in places like WEH, Central Mumbai, Vashi Toll etc - Pune to Goa will be a cakewalk. We encountered fairly sparse traffic (you are travelling on a long weekend, so things will be different) and the traffic was also more disciplined and easy to drive in.

[us.dash]

Hey! Just came back from Mahabaleshwar. A brief travelogue. August 9-11, 2013. Travelled with the wife and my 7 month old son, and three other adults on my Maruti Dzire Vdi. Started from Mumbai at 6:50 am, and thanks to the Freeway reached Vashi at 7.11 am. Took the Palm Beach Road and luckily did not face any delays till expressway.Crossed Khalapur Toll at 8.18 am, had a lengthy breakfast at food plaza and started at 8.55 am, then crossed Dehu road at 9.45 am. My luck was shining and there was little traffic on the entire NH abutting Pune. When I say little, I don't mean I had a free ride, there were the usual bikes, slow moving trucks on the right lane and all the usual stuff you would expect.

Just that I did not have to stop for any length of time. The ghat section has a significant number of potholes and one lane of the tunnel was closed, creating a small jam. We crossed Khed Shivpur at 10.45 am and after another lengthy halt reached the Wai turn off at 12.15 am. The road from Wai to Mahabaleshwar has several stretches where the paved surface is almost washed out. Coupled with the breaks to take photographs it took me almost two hours to get to Mahabaleshwar.
Mahabaleshwar was beautiful with a thick fog for the three days we were there. Coupled with the rain and cold, it was all that we had expected. I had been here during the peak season, but honestly liked this visit more. Info on M'shwar is available on the net so no point
On the way back the road from Mahabaleshwar to Wai was even worse.

The NG was again much lower than expected. The roads had some potholes in the stretch coming in to Pune and there were a number of diversions due to the construction of flyovers but no significant delay. Expressway was a breeze. The Kamode jam took around 30 mins. When are they planning to complete the stretch anyways? Took the Nerul Vashi route and did not face any major traffic. Got stuck in Chembur, TISS signal, for around 20 mins. There are huge potholes right where the traffic lights are and these add to the delay. Journey time 7 hrs but there were lots of breaks for food, diaper changes, photographs, etc. Average mileage for the entire trip- 15.5km/ltr.

My son enjoyed the trip and was sleeping/looking out for most of the trip. This is his second road trip after Harihareshwar, which we took when he was three months old. I am hoping that we can drive to Bhubaneshwar in December 2013.

One Mahabaleshwar Tip - Have breakfast at the Hirakani Garden, opp Venna lake. The place offers great food at reasonable prices. The Bhakri Pithale is a must try here.

[PGNarain]

Hi all!! Duplicating this reply here, though the road update is not strictly valid in this thread but may be helpful none the less.

Finally got back from Goa yesterday.

Mumbai to Goa we took the NH4 for which the road update is posted earlier.

While coming back we took a mix of the MSH4 and NH17. Using the NH17 mostly and again I am glad to say that the road updates are largely good.

The NH17 is great, in very good condition almost throughout!! Only exceptions are once the road approaches major towns / cities. We got some bad sections near Kankavli, Chiplun and a little bit near Khed.

Also, the section of the road between Managaon and Chiplun has several rumble strips which appear at every village, and on either ends of the villages you pass through and though there are a safety feature they totally killed my buzz!

Poladpur ghats are in amazing condition and driving on them was an absolute joy!
However, do keep in mind that there is one particular section on the ghats, abt 30mts, where the road has washed out and if you miss it and approach it at speed, you can kiss your suspension / tyres / underbody goodbye!!

The real fun starts north of Managaon, from about 10km north of Managaon all the way to Panvel, we got traffic and double-laning works ensured that roads are in a bad condition, with several diversions and the service roads being even worse!! Roads were specially bad at Nagothane and Pen Industrial Areas. However, if you proceed nice and slow there the entire stretch can be navigated without much fuss. We had planned to arrive on saturday and avoid the holiday rush back into mumbai so did not encounter too much traffic or any jams, except at two places.
Once about 8km north of managaon - due to a tempo accident and once more
about 12 km north of Vadhkal Naka where a Petrol Tanker had skidded of the Road. The resulting jam was not caused due the tanker itself but due to commuters / drivers and our great countrymen bailing their cars on the road-side and tanking up the petrol which was spilling out in anything they could find.

Overall if you do decide to take the NH17, leave early and just patiently wait out the stretch till Managaon - you will be rewarded with a superlative driving experience second to none. Long straights, tight corners, long corners flowing into one another. Gives me the goose bumps just thinking of it now!! I will be penning the travelogue soon, just don't expect too many pictures of the NH17 coz I was having way too much fun thrashing my Linea!!!

[nikesh]

quick road updates between pune-goa :

Both the below routes are in good drivable conditions:
1- via kohlapur-nipani-sankeshwar-ajra-amboli-sawantwadi-goa(via sankeshwar)
2- via kohlapur-nipani-ajra-amboli-sawantwadi-goa(right turn from Goa Ves hotel after nipani toll)

No need to go via sankeshwar now as the standard route from Goa Ves restaurant and Amar hotel on crossing nipani toll is repaired now with a slight bad patch but average speeds of 70+ can be maintained easily before ajra. After Ajra there are few countable potholes but can be easily avoided if driven in daylight. Night driving not suitable yet!

Diversions before and after Satara are the bigger pain than anything else on this route. Road from Sawantwadi to Goa is a amazingly smooth upto south Goa.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by nikesh

No need to go via sankeshwar now as the standard route from Goa Ves restaurant and Amar hotel on crossing nipani toll is repaired now with a slight bad patch but average speeds of 70+ can be maintained easily before ajra. After Ajra there are few countable potholes but can be easily avoided if driven in daylight. Night driving not suitable yet!

Road from Sawantwadi to Goa is a amazingly smooth upto south Goa.

That is good to know - in that case, either will be shorter on time than Belgaum-Chorla, although the latter may be more scenic.
Is there an operational bypass of Sawantwadi now that can be accessed after getting down from Amboli?

[vkaul1]

Originally Posted by nikesh

quick road updates between pune-goa :

Both the below routes are in good drivable conditions:
1- via kohlapur-nipani-sankeshwar-ajra-amboli-sawantwadi-goa(via sankeshwar)
2- via kohlapur-nipani-ajra-amboli-sawantwadi-goa(right turn from Goa Ves hotel after nipani toll)

No need to go via sankeshwar now as the standard route from Goa Ves restaurant and Amar hotel on crossing nipani toll is repaired now with a slight bad patch but average speeds of 70+ can be maintained easily before ajra. After Ajra there are few countable potholes but can be easily avoided if driven in daylight. Night driving not suitable yet!

Diversions before and after Satara are the bigger pain than anything else on this route. Road from Sawantwadi to Goa is a amazingly smooth upto south Goa.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

That is good to know - in that case, either will be shorter on time than Belgaum-Chorla, although the latter may be more scenic.
Is there an operational bypass of Sawantwadi now that can be accessed after getting down from Amboli?

Thanks nikesh. I too will be driving to Goa on the weekend of 23 - 25. I have always taken the nipani - ajra route & was wondering if I should take the chorla route as that would definitely be longer. This update helps as I will stick to the known & shorter route.

Last year Nov when I had taken the Sawantwadi bypass on the way back - it was a nightmare - totally moon crater roads. Any one has taken that in the recent past & could share if the same is operational now?

[mantrig]

Originally Posted by nikesh

quick road updates between pune-goa :

Both the below routes are in good drivable conditions:
1- via kohlapur-nipani-sankeshwar-ajra-amboli-sawantwadi-goa(via sankeshwar)

Diversions before and after Satara are the bigger pain than anything else on this route. Road from Sawantwadi to Goa is a amazingly smooth upto south Goa.

Update appreciated!!

I am driving down on 15th (Aug) morning and till now was contemplating the Belgaum City - Chorla route, however now will stick with option 1 mentioned by you given the current state (which is good).

Thanks again!!!

[Trojan]

Will be driving down tonight from Pune, planning to take the Chorla route again. Leaving at mid-night from Pune.

I will update current state post return.

Cheers!

[nikesh]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Will be driving down tonight from Pune, planning to take the Chorla route again. Leaving at mid-night from Pune.

I will update current state post return.

Cheers!

All the best for your trip.. Be cautious of potholes when you are approaching Satara. There are few nasty ones so will suggest to be driving not more than 80 kmph in this area to avoid any potential damage. Also the diversions around satara are badly constructed. Either stick to left most side or, the right most side. I found the right side of road mostly better. Take care!

[richie4u]

Hi guys,

I plan to do a Goa-Pune trip next weekend along with my family and I would like your advise on the best route to take. The route that I decided is Ponda>Sanquelim>Chorla Ghat>Belgaum>Kolhapur>Satara>Pune. I am the designated driver for the whole route and my navigation partners are MMI V8.0 and Ovi maps. So how reliable are the navigation devices according to you? Also is the route that I have chosen good in terms of road quality? I have read that the road gets bad in certain areas of Satara and there are many diversions so are there chances of getting lost in these areas?

I plan to leave Goa on the 23rd by 4am so how long do you guys think it will take me to reach Pune by the above mentioned route considering total break time of 1 hour?