[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by udiboy

Hi All,

I am planning to drive to Morjim, North Goa on the night of 22nd November. Kindly suggest which road should I take? I plan to stay on NH4 till dawn, so will leave Mumbai by midnight. Looking at the recent replies on this thread, it is amply clear that most of the fellow bhpians are suggesting to take the route via Chorla, but I guess this route is a clear choice if one is going to South Goa (I might be completely wrong here and need to be educated).

On google maps, the place (marabelo beach resorts, morjim) is 40 kms from sawantwadi. My question then is should I still go till Belgaum and enter via Chorla or is crossing Amboli Ghat not such a problem after all?

To go to Morjim, Its best to go via Amboli / Savantwadi. If you take Chorla Ghat, you will have to come back from Mapusa .

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

2. Pune - Satara :: NH4 condition has detiorated to say the least. Too many patch works and potholes every few hundred meters. There are too many diversions with minimal signages. Night driving may be a hazard here.

Since I plan to leave Pune early in the morning, it would be useful to know more. Which are the bad parts - after Khambatki ghat/Mahabaleshwar right turn, or even before that?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Since I plan to leave Pune early in the morning, it would be useful to know more. Which are the bad parts - after Khambatki ghat/Mahabaleshwar right turn, or even before that?

I think the places where it has really gone bad is Satara bypass where you wont go. A few diversions before Khambatki, but it still manageable.

[Sawyer]

I will, going to Goa. The idea is to leave early, but late enough to have daylight in the bad parts. 5 am departure should work then.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

I will, going to Goa. The idea is to leave early, but late enough to have daylight in the bad parts. 5 am departure should work then.

Sorry I was thinking in context of Mahabaleshwar. Hence my comment that you may not hot Satara bypass.

In case of Goa, yes, Satara bypass is quite pathetic.

[suniladhiya]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Since I plan to leave Pune early in the morning, it would be useful to know more. Which are the bad parts - after Khambatki ghat/Mahabaleshwar right turn, or even before that?

I travelled from Pune to Goa just after Diwali. The roads are rough before and after Satara - but nothing to worry about. There are no major craters or anything like that - but there are lots of diversions where you would need to slow down

Have a good trip

[Sawyer]

Thank you. I am leaving on Dec 10th, one hopes for some improvement by then. But I will plan to get to that part after sunrise.

[vineet_k21]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I am planning to do Belgaum - Goa trip next month. How safe is the Belgaum -Chorla route for a couple travelling with a baby on board?

This is no problem at all. I think this is the best route to Goa. Keep google maps handy for exact directions after Sanquelim

[udiboy]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

To go to Morjim, Its best to go via Amboli / Savantwadi. If you take Chorla Ghat, you will have to come back from Mapusa .

And would you suggest I can drive from Nipani to Goa in the night? Specifically is the Amboli Ghat, Sawantwadi route doable at night? I have never driven on this route before, but have a GPS for company (although I always recheck before taking the route that the a GPS suggests, it can give erratic routes at times)

[misguidedmisile]

Originally Posted by udiboy

And would you suggest I can drive from Nipani to Goa in the night? Specifically is the Amboli Ghat, Sawantwadi route doable at night? I have never driven on this route before, but have a GPS for company (although I always recheck before taking the route that the a GPS suggests, it can give erratic routes at times)

Udiboy,

You were saying you'll leave Mumbai at midnight as per your earlier post. So basically your timelines are something like:-

00.00 Mumbai- 02.00 Pune Bypass
02.00 Pune Bypass - 06.00 Kolhapur
06.00 Kolhapur - 06.20 Nipani turnoff for Amboli.

Nipani to Amboli is like driving through a two lane State highway with uneven road surface, where you would be cruising at 60-70 and lots of sharp curves with vision blocked by trees. So I don't think there's much of a night time drive involved here. By the time you hit Amboli ghat, there would be sufficient daylight. I drove back via Sawantwadi - Amboli- Nipani, to Pune last weekend. Road from Nipani to beginning of Amboli ghat is decent with some bad patches around Ajra. Amboli ghat has lots of bad patches to begin with, and a few minor ones till you get off the ghat. After that, road is fine all the way till you enter Goa. Happy driving!

Cheers!
Varun

[pokerface23]

I too am planning a trip to goa just after the new year. There would be 1 car and 2 bikes in which we would be going.
We, too, plan to leave at night (around 8-9 PM tentetively). Going by the previous post, if I leave by 9PM from mumbai, I should be reaching Nippani by 4. Is driving in the nippani-amboli-sawantwadi sector safe at that time of the night given the condition of the road. Is there anything to worry about (for the bikers specifically)?
And given the scenario, would the gandhinglaj - amboli route be better or the nippani-amboli route? And why? Thanx

[Trojan]

Hi,

I am leaving tomorrow for Goa (yet again), I am going to Madgaon, so planning to take the Khanapur route via Belgaum - Peeranwadi Cross.

Any updates on current road conditions on this route?

Cheers!

[suniladhiya]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Hi,

I am leaving tomorrow for Goa (yet again), I am going to Madgaon, so planning to take the Khanapur route via Belgaum - Peeranwadi Cross.

Any updates on current road conditions on this route?

Cheers!

I hope I am not too late with this reply

I would still recommend the Chorla ghat route even if you are going to Madgaon. I travelled this immediately after Diwali and the road is fabulous upto Chorla, though it does deteriorate a bit in the Goa section. You would need to take a left turn a few kms after Sanquelim at Banastarim Junction and proceed via Ponda to Madgaon. Although I had to go to Panjim, a friend of mine took the same route to go to Madgaon and he was quite happy with it and travelled both ways on the same route. The Khanapur route is notoriously always bad and I personally wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Have a good trip !

[udiboy]

Originally Posted by pokerface23

I too am planning a trip to goa just after the new year. There would be 1 car and 2 bikes in which we would be going.
We, too, plan to leave at night (around 8-9 PM tentetively). Going by the previous post, if I leave by 9PM from mumbai, I should be reaching Nippani by 4. Is driving in the nippani-amboli-sawantwadi sector safe at that time of the night given the condition of the road. Is there anything to worry about (for the bikers specifically)?
And given the scenario, would the gandhinglaj - amboli route be better or the nippani-amboli route? And why? Thanx

Dear Bhpians - any thoughts on the question from poker face - I too have the same doubt : should i do nippani - amboli or gandhinglaj-amboli. I am starting in 4 hours time

[Figopian]

Originally Posted by udiboy

Dear Bhpians - any thoughts on the question from poker face - I too have the same doubt : should i do nippani - amboli or gandhinglaj-amboli. I am starting in 4 hours time

I would recommend nipani -> sankeshwar -> gadhinglaj -> ajra -> amboli. It has always been a good road, the road via uttur had some bad patches. Time wise it wouldn't affect you much.