[mb_jg]

Just got back from Goa, had taken the Nipani-Sankeshwar-Amboli route, took us only 4hrs from Kolhapur-including frequent chai stops. It was pouring & very thick fog in some places, not advisable to drive at night at all.
We had a good stay at Colonia-Santa Maria which is right by the beach, I mean right on the beach. The rooms were brand new & we paid Rs.2500 a night for a Suite room.

Note from Team-Bhp Support: Post edited. Team-BHP maintains a strong stand against drinking and driving and any mention of alcohol. Hence posts containing ANY alcohol content (in text or pictures, directly or indirectly) are not allowed.

[bj96]

Starting off for Goa in an hour. Halting en-route near Kolhapur tonight. Plan to take Radhanagri-Ponda ghat road tomorrow. Have driven on Amboli ghat and Gaganbawda earlier. Hence, wish to try this new route (for me). Appreciate if anyone has the latest info/tips on the road condition.

Tia,
-BJ

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by bj96

Appreciate if anyone has the latest info/tips on the road condition.

Not sure about the condition of the Radhanagri-Ponda ghat road, but if you want to bypass Kolhapur city, then please see posts # 830 to 843 on this page: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post2801141

Cheers,
Vikram

[bj96]

Originally Posted by bj96

...Radhanagri-Ponda ghat road... anyone has the latest info/tips on the road condition...

Updating for the fellow readers. Radhanagari road is mostly (~80%) ok. Some areas have top coat worn out due to rains. But the road is longish and joins NH17 much before Kudal and have to drive longer on the NH17. This takes overall longer time to reach Goa. I was slowed down further by "Dahi-Handi" organized on road at many villages falling on this section and intermittent rains. These organizers were stopping and collecting (extorting) "chanda" from all vehicles crossing.

I followed the suggestion of bypassing Kolhapur town and continued till Kagal on NH4 to take the underpass that joins this road on the right of NH4. But, it is easy to miss this (I missed too) underpass near RTO check-post. Better, slowdown and ask locals after reaching Kagal.

Between Amboli ghat (I took on return) and this one- I would prefer the former as it is overall faster and better road condition.

[mmxylorider]

Had been to Goa over the I-Day break. Route and condition as below

Pune-Belgaum (NH4) : Bliss. Total toll will be approx Rs 300
Belgaum-Khanapur (NH4A) : Crossing Belgaum takes time and the road to Khanapur is ok with stretches of bad roads.
Khanapur-Anmod (via connector) : Bad road with sparse good stretches. Extremely desolate. We hardly saw incoming 4 wheelers. Lots of 2wheelers though.
Anmod-Mulem-Culem-Curchorem-Varca : Goa roads are generally better but narrow. 60 can be maintained at times.
Total time taken was just over 8 hours with a 45 minute break. We'd stopped at Sai international about 30 kms from Kolhapur. Clean restrooms and ample parking.

Return was from North Goa.
North Goa-Sawantwadi : Std NH17. Two laner, good road condition but moderate traffic.
Swantwadi-Amboli : Road condition is ok. However we got stuck at the Amboli falls due to day trippers visiting and parking haphazardly. This was around 4 in the afternoon. Took us about 3 hours to clear that stretch of about 6 kms! Better to avoid this route on weekends. The waterfall is amazing though.
Amboli-Ajara-Uttur-Nipani : Road condition is average. Traffic was sparse and we were following a Corolla and a Polo in front of it. They had set a good pace.
Nipani-Pune (NH4) : Bliss after the not so great roads travelled earlier.

[milestogo]

I just came back from a trip to goa from Mumbai. While going took the nh4a via khanapur. This stretch was extremely potholed and with the rains covering the potholes it made it just worse. I hit one such pothole filled with water and my front alloy wheel of the punto got bent on the inner side causing immediate deflation. Given i was travelling with an infant, this was slightly unnerving.
Coming back I tool the sawantwadi- ajar a route which turned out to be much better than the nh4a.

Any suggestions about how to salvage the badly bent alloy? Currently it's got a tube in it and keeping it as spare.

And one more question - would it have made any difference if I were in an SUV instead of a hatchback - could I have avoided the deflation of tyres by any chance? i am seriously considering buying an SUV but with the highway manners of the punto.

[simran]

Hi,

Any suggestions on a good fuel pump to tank up in Goa? I am going from Pune to Goa, and would have to tank up on the way back.

I tried searching, but could not find info.

TIA,
Simran

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by simran

Hi,

Any suggestions on a good fuel pump to tank up in Goa? I am going from Pune to Goa, and would have to tank up on the way back.

I tried searching, but could not find info.

TIA,
Simran

All the pumps in Panjim are good.You would find a HP pump(mangurish iirc) on the main road at Panjim which is good.Otherwise Kolhapur has a lot of pumps which are all good.No dearth of pumps between Pune and Goa.

Please bear in mind that fuel in karnataka is slightly more expensive than MH & Goa(ofcourse if you are a Shell user within the city then the rates wouldnt make any difference )

[Darryl.Burke]

Originally Posted by simran

Any suggestions on a good fuel pump to tank up in Goa?

Which place in Goa? Like Ranjit, I haven't heard any bad reports of any pump at Panaji, but here in Madgaon I've suspected short delivery at one pump (seeing the fuel meter before/after filling) and adulterated petrol at another (got sluggish starts till the next filling). No proof of either, but naturally I've never gone back to those pumps.

Please bear in mind that fuel in karnataka is slightly more expensive than MH & Goa

Accoring to MyPetrolPrice.com the price of petrol at Panaji is 56.99 Rs/Ltr while at Pune it is 75.52 Rs/Ltr. At Bengaluru it's 75.91 Rs/Ltr.

[simran]

This is my first time in Goa, so am not very familiar with the place.

I'll be staying at Candolim, and I'll be going back on the NH17 route via Amboli, so any pump on that route should do. I will keep an eye out for Mangurish, if I can't find it, will take my chances and fill up at 2-3 different pumps so that any problem gets diluted.

Thank you for your responses.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by simran

I'll be staying at Candolim, and I'll be going back on the NH17 route via Amboli, so any pump on that route should do. I will keep an eye out for Mangurish, if I can't find it, will take my chances and fill up at 2-3 different pumps so that any problem gets diluted.

Thank you for your responses.

Since you are at Candolim,you dont really have to go all the way to Panjim to tankup.You could tank up at the Betim Petrol Pump on your way back to Pune.This pump would be on your right and the pump has access from both the front and the back.You wouldnt miss it as you would see all the private buses parked around the pump for refuelling.Quality is good.

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...=17&iwloc=ddw2

[milestogo]

Originally Posted by milestogo

Any suggestions about how to salvage the badly bent alloy? Currently it's got a tube in it and keeping it as spare.

The "alloy wheel repair specialist" checked my alloys and said they were damaged and couldn't be fixed. I ended up sourcing a punto oem alloy for half the price that the dealer was quoting.

[deutscheafrikar]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Since you are at Candolim,you dont really have to go all the way to Panjim to tankup.You could tank up at the Betim Petrol Pump on your way back to Pune.This pump would be on your right and the pump has access from both the front and the back.You wouldnt miss it as you would see all the private buses parked around the pump for refuelling.Quality is good.

From Candolim to Betim via Verem there's a pump on the left a little after the nerul bridge, before Prem's Vernekar's garage. That's where you will see the VW Beetles. However there's also a pump just before you enter mapusa from parra when you go there from Candolim opp the Tourist Hostel. But the pump I like best is the one after mapusa when you go up the hill and down, following the road, comes on the outskirts of mapusa at Duler, you go a bit further and you reach the NH17
http://wikimapia.org/23424406/DULER-PETROL-PUMP
HP pump and also has LPG there.
Heard there was a fire there this Feb though
If I were you I'd tank up a day before leaving.

[Peter]

Dear All,

Need your help as am travelling to GOA on a unplanned trip tomorrow the
14th of September.

Questions ?

1.) How is the road condition - Mumbai - Pune - Satara - Kolhapur - Ghadinglaj - Amboli - Sawantwadi - Home , anything I may need to be aware since the last trip that anyone of you may have taken recently ?

2.) Is the Amboli ghat closed during specific times that I may ned to be aware of ?

please answer my queries as soon as possible

Cheers

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Peter

1.) How is the road condition - Mumbai - Pune - Satara - Kolhapur - Ghadinglaj - Amboli - Sawantwadi - Home , anything I may need to be aware since the last trip that anyone of you may have taken recently ?

2.) Is the Amboli ghat closed during specific times that I may ned to be aware of ?

No problems with the route,all ok.Amboli ghat is open for traffic,no landslides or traffic restrictions till now.