[Trojan]

Originally Posted by bj96

Friends,

I'm setting off for Tarkarli from Pune, early morning tomorrow. Can someone recommend which route to take after Kolhapur? I had driven on gaganbawda route some 8-9 years ago. It was in a great shape then. Any recent update after rains, much appreciated.

tia,
-BJ

Hello BJ,

Saw your post a bit late I guess!
I went to Tarkarli in May and had a similar doubt, reports from HVK and others told me that Gaganbawda was in bad condition and it helped me confirm my inclination of taking the Radhanagari route.

We loved the Radhanagari route, very scenic, in good shape and lesser traffic as well.

Which route did you finally take

Originally Posted by ajay0912

Hi Friends,

I am planning to go to Goa (Candolim) on Oct 2nd. I have already been there via Belgaum---Chorla--Thivim route. Just wanted to check if anyone has recently been through Amboli Ghat and what is the condition of this route. Is it drivable?

A friend just returned from Goa last week and says that Amboli is in good shape!

I am going this weekend though will stick to my regular route - Chorla!

Cheers!
Trojan

[bj96]

Originally Posted by Trojan

...Gaganbawda was in bad condition and it helped me confirm my inclination of taking the Radhanagari route...

Thanks for the reply.

While going I lost my way inside Kolhapur city due to traffic restrictions on account of Ganpati and ended up on Ratnagiri road (NH-204), almost 90kms extra drive. On return took Gaganbavda road. It is much shorter and picturesque. Yes the road was bad upto the ghat top, post that the road has been repaired and pretty ok. So in a stretch of 80kms about 50% was bad road, but not so bad that Safari can't handle :-). Anyway, I saw road work is going on and it may be in good shape again in about six months.

-BJ

[ameyawaghmare]

I am planning for a Pune to South Goa trip on the coming long weekend. (2 Oct to 5 Oct)

A few quick queries:
i) Lots and lots and lots of people seemed to have planned for Goa on this long weekend. Our fellow BHPian vitzrxi mentioned that 4 groups from his company alone have planned for Goa. I guess the number of people combined from Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore alone would be very large. Anything to keep in mind considering this great crowd, that would also crowd up at toll plazas and across the hotels?!?
ii) Which is the best route? We are thinking of Palolem or Agonda on the first day. If time permits, may be something remote like Talpona or Galgibaga beach. Our dear Google Maps shows route via Mollem ghat after Londa. I've been through Chorla multiple times recently and I'm thoroughly impressed with the quality of KA roads bt not sure about Mollem at all. Any recent experiences on Mollem Ghat and suggestions coming there from?
iii) Ideal departure time considering the need to beat Pune - Kolhapur two wheeler traffic and other miscellaneous local traffic? plus the hoards of crowd departing on the same day?

We are driving in a Fiat Punto basic petrol model. I'm okay taking Nipani - Amboli route if the road conditions are worth it. No problems with night driving, or ghat driving but I am not going to risk driving in the night through a wildlife sanctuary like Chorla/Angad/Mollem!

[Ketan T]

Originally Posted by ameyawaghmare

I am planning for a Pune to South Goa trip on the coming long weekend. (2 Oct to 5 Oct)
A few quick queries:

If you are going to South Goa, Chorla route is the best one for you. I would suggest avoid driving at night, either through Chorla or Amboli.

You can leave Pune at 4 or 5 AM to avoid all the Kolhapur traffic. You should Palolem by 3, considering halts and all.

[Landkruzer]

Originally Posted by ameyawaghmare

Our dear Google Maps shows route via Mollem ghat after Londa. I've been through Chorla multiple times recently and I'm thoroughly impressed with the quality of KA roads bt not sure about Mollem at all. Any recent experiences on Mollem Ghat and suggestions coming there from?

You can find the NH4A road status in the Bangalore-Goa thread. 30 kms of stretch from Ramnagar to GA border is not good. Lot of potholes, but manageable. I read in some other thread that even Khanapur-Ramnagar stretch is not good. And chorla is in great condition, so best bet is to take that route to reach south goa.

[harryputtar]

Hi Forum,

Same time last year (well 11 months back), we were on our way from Pune to Goa, in my 2006 Santro with a 4 year old and 6 months old in tow. On the way from Belgaum->Panaji, I ended up taking the wrong exit (I wanted to take the Chorla ghat). I have not to this day figured out which road I actually took, only that I had to turn right at a junction for Chorla ghat, and I went straight as it said "Panjim" in that direction.

It was a drive I will never forget, we left Pune at 10 a.m. and reached Panaji at 3 a.m. at night, through unforgettable deserted patches of road, where sometimes there was no road at all. I do not believe in ghosts, but that night I felt a supernatural presence at many spots on the way, heavily wooded with not a soul in sight and dark like hell.

This time round I intend to not make these mistakes. We are traveling to Alto Porvorim, Bardez which is north goa, would the Chorla ghat route be the recommended one for the same? Can someone please provide a step to step description on how to get from Pune to Goa via the Chorla ghat? I will be travelling in my Jetta so expect the experience to be a lot pleasanter, we are also planning to leave at 4 a.m. (ha ha). On a separate note, I have heard Chorla ghat can be quite dangerous at times, with 2 kids in tow again I am getting a bit nervous about it. Would people recommend the Chorla ghat or some other route (with no bad patches )

The other question is about navigation, the last time we tried to make-do with google maps, and I have already recounted above how enjoyable the drive was.

Now is it worth going for a satnav for this trip, or with the right directions chances are we will be OK? If I have to buy, any recommendations for good satnavs?

TIA

[bj96]

Originally Posted by harryputtar

... We are traveling to Alto Porvorim, Bardez which is north goa, would the Chorla ghat route be the recommended one for the same?...

I have driven my Bullet (IBW 2015) and Safari (Aug 2014) on Chorla route. While the road is good, it is longer and lonelier. We ended up taking more time to reach North Goa. I would recommend stick to Amboli Ghat -> Sawantwadi (NH17)-> Patradevi road. It is shorther and simpler to reach North Goa this way .

-BJ

[Happysmiles]

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3416835

Step by step details to goa via chorla.

Lookout for cars coming down the ghat, some of them are dangerously fast.

[1lokesh]

Originally Posted by harryputtar

Hi Forum,

Same time last year ....

The other question is about navigation, the last time we tried to make-do with google maps, and I have already recounted above how enjoyable the drive was.

Now is it worth going for a satnav for this trip, or with the right directions chances are we will be OK? If I have to buy, any recommendations for good satnavs?

TIA

You can use this google maps link from my last drive to Goa via Chorla ghats. This is from Mumbai to a place in North Goa where we stayed so tweak it accordingly, in case you use it.
https://goo.gl/maps/nCdgK

On another note, if you are traveling to North Goa, Chorla route is going to take an additional 1.5 to 2 Hrs of traveling time.

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

The last I heard was that Chorla Ghat road is still in very good condition. That was about a month ago. I have used this road numerous times in the past to reach North Goa.
If you are passing through Belgaum during the day then you lose about 30 minutes in Belgaum traffic plus another 30 minutes for the few extra Kms that Chorla is compared to Amboli.
I would definitely NOT recommend Chorla after dark but during the day it's fine. As pointed out by HappySmiles there are some crazy drivers taking advantage of the good roads here but those you can see on any good road!
When leaving Belgaum, make sure you do NOT take the Khanapur road but take the right turn at the Y junction point mentioned in one of the posts below.
Regards,
SS

[nvldvr]

I recommend the nipani sawantwadi route. Will save you an hour or so when compared with the belgaum chorla route. Did it about a month back. No issues at all.

[Sawyer]

For North Goa, Nipani Sawantwadi is a no brainer if one wants the shortest and fastest route. Chorla is 45 minutes to an hour more.
Chorla is probably more scenic in parts, as compensation.
If one takes the Sawantwadi bypass after getting down Amboli ghat, it is even more quicker/shorter.

[Nicky]

Hello All,
I will be going to Goa from Pune next week on 8th Oct.
I would like to take the Amboli route.
After Amboli and Danoli, i can go through Sawantwadi, Majgaon to meet NH17 bypass.
Or After Amboli and Danoli, i can also take Wilwade, Temwadi to meet NH17 bypass.

it's not a big stretch but still wants to know if any road is in bad shape.

regards;

[Trojan]

Hello All,

Returned yesterday after a super 8 day trip to Goa.

Outbound
Pune - Kolhapur - Goa

I had a planned halt at an uncles house in Kolhapur.
Though a Chorla loyalist, decided to go by the Nippani-Amboli route and boy was I disappointed.
Never mind the savings in time and all the other stuff, the road cannot be compared to Chorla at all.
No potholes except for maybe one section (doesn't matter), but hey this road is anywhere from being flat, lot of undulations keep the car bobbing around.
The only saving grace (if I may call it so) were the monkeys which my kids enjoyed watching.
Other than that I am not even sure if I saved any time at all. Most of my time went in making the drive comfortable for everyone.

Home-bound
Goa - Chorla - Kolhapur - Pune

Felt awesome driving on this road yet again, simply superb.

I always try to time my return on off-peak days (like this time we left at 8pm Friday, 2nd Oct) when nearly 90% of the crowd was already in Goa.

Result - hardly any traffic on the ghats or on tolls or on highways, smooth cruising.

Chorla as always, roads are fantastic.

I would say that Chorla is as safe/dangerous as any other ghat and we need to be careful.

Cheers!
Trojan

[harryputtar]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Pune - Kolhapur - Goa

No potholes except for maybe one section (doesn't matter), but hey this road is anywhere from being flat, lot of undulations keep the car bobbing around.

Goa - Chorla - Kolhapur - Pune

Felt awesome driving on this road yet again, simply superb.

Chorla as always, roads are fantastic.

I would say that Chorla is as safe/dangerous as any other ghat and we need to be careful.

Thanks for detailed feedback and comparison between the Nipani-Amboli route and the Chorla Ghat route. I have been scouring the forum for a month or so trying to find some recent inputs regarding the same. There are 2 negatives I always read about the Chorla route:

1) For North Goa it takes an hour to an hour and a half extra. Your post puts this to rest.
2) It is very dangerous around the corners because of rashly driven vehicles. This still scares me a bit since I am traveling with kids. The only thing which is giving me second thoughts about the Chorla route.

I am planning to do Pune-Kolhapur-Chorla-Goa at the end of October for a 5-day trip with wifey and my 5 and 1 year olds, (wish I could do an 8 day trip, envy! ). The plan so far is to leave at 4 a.m. from Pune, if we do make that departure time, I am hoping to be in North Goa by 3-4pm at max.

Will post my experience in this thread after the much awaited vacation.