[saamblr]

Hi Friends

Planning to travel from Goa to Mangalore with family by car during Mid september. can any one update me on the road condition ?. I am absolutely new to this sector and hence any suggestions / tips are most welcome . I understand from google maps that it takes about 5 hours. Should i follow the route shown in google ?. Or is there any more practical routes ??.

thanks and regards

saamblr

[iPai]

Saamblr, NH17 is the shortest route. But sadly it is in bad shape. My parents recently went to Goa, and they were telling that the road was in pretty bad shape.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by saamblr

Hi Friends

Planning to travel from Goa to Mangalore with family by car during Mid september. can any one update me on the road condition ?. I am absolutely new to this sector and hence any suggestions / tips are most welcome . I understand from google maps that it takes about 5 hours. Should i follow the route shown in google ?. Or is there any more practical routes ??.

thanks and regards

saamblr

You definitely wouldnt make it to Mangalore in 5hours on NH17.

Kundapur to Kumta has been reported bad to worse and plus the roads were cut off at many places in this section two weeks back.I dont think the roads would be repaired any time soon,it would only happen once the rains stop by Nov-Dec.

The other option I can think of is to go via Belgaum and onto NH4 till Chitradurga(excellent 4 lane highway),then Shimoga-Karkala-Mangalore.Might be a round-about way,but you would be assured of good roads for atleast 70-80% of the distance.

[roadracer]

It should be NH17 all the way from Mangalore to Goa. I recently did the Mapusa-Hannovar stretch on NH17 and the roads were quite decent.

[MX6]

Just keep to NH17. Few bad stretches. Ankola will have a bit of bad stuff. North of Karwar will be bad too. Bhatkal would be like lunar surface.
Then till Kundapur, the roads will be decent. After that there's too much traffic till Mulki so allow 2 hours there. Mulki to Surathkal I heard is bad.
So in all, I expect you to take atleast 7 hours from Goa to Mangalore. But it's not as bad as people perceive.

[Samurai]

Mangalore to Goa is roughly 400Kms and you need to average 80kmph to make it in 5 hours. In other words, it is impossible given the traffic on this road. You will be lucky to make it in 8-9 hours when the roads are good. But in a monsoon time NH17, it can take lot longer.

The route is very simple. It is one long road, Madgaon is one place where it can get confusing since they don't have bypass road. You will be forced to drive through the town before you get back into the highway.

Originally Posted by MX6

So in all, I expect you to take atleast 7 hours from Goa to Mangalore. But it's not as bad as people perceive.

This is only possible if you drive alone, and at night and when the roads are good.

With daytime traffic, bad roads and frequent breaks forced by family, it will add few more hours.

[MX6]

Yes Samurai San. That's why I mentioned atleast 7 hours.

[saamblr]

Thanks for the responses. i could guess that 5 hours mentioned in google maps is an under estimated figure. The other option is to take a train - will this be a better option ?.

[iPai]

Originally Posted by roadracer

It should be NH17 all the way from Mangalore to Goa. I recently did the Mapusa-Hannovar stretch on NH17 and the roads were quite decent.

You meant Honnavar right? Hannover is in Germany

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by MX6

Yes Samurai San. That's why I mentioned atleast 7 hours.

Sorry, I thought you said just 7 hours, my mistake.

Originally Posted by saamblr

Thanks for the responses. i could guess that 5 hours mentioned in google maps is an under estimated figure. The other option is to take a train - will this be a better option ?.

If you don't need to take the car, take the train. Much better option.

[ranjitp1]

Agree totally with Samurai,if the drive is not a must,take the train,at this moment of time,it is a much saner option.

[roadracer]

Originally Posted by Samurai

The route is very simple. It is one long road, Madgaon is one place where it can get confusing since they don't have bypass road. You will be forced to drive through the town before you get back into the highway.

Yes, we struggled to find a way out of Madgoan in the rainy night. It's best adviced to cross Madgaon before the night during the monsoon.

[deutscheafrikar]

Whats the condition of the roads at present? How long would it take to reach from North Goa to Mangalore city. Anyone done it recently. I have a Maruti 800 for the drive
Cheers

[ranjitp1]

All along the NH17.Tentative timings

Madgaon-Karwar:2hrs

Karwar-Marvanthe-Kundapur:4hours

Kundapur-Mangalore(Pumpwell Circle):3-4hours

4 laning in progress between Kundapur and Mnagalore.Traffic would be dense on this section thanks to the express buses that run between Kollur & Mookambika(they cover this distance in 1.5 to 2hrs!!! so keep a watch for them).Nothing alarming about road conditions.Throughout the section it is fair to good to excellent.Budget for a 8-10hour drive thanks to the road being single laned till Kundapur.

There is a Kamat at Ankola,Honnavar,Kumta.There are restaurants at Gokarna,Murudeshwar.There is Turtle Bay Resort at Marvanthe.Do not miss the photo-op at Marvanthe beach where you have the NH17 in the middle and to your left you have the River and to your right you have the Arabian Sea.Amazing piece of geography there.

There is a HP COCO pump approx 10kms after Udupi to your right.It has a CCD attached to it.Good place.Carry plenty of water to drink else you might feel dehydrated in the hot sun.Its a very scenic route.

Easy for a M800.We drove Kerala-Mangalore-Karwar-Hubli-Belgaum-Kolhapur-Satara-Pune-Mumbai-Solapur-Hyd a couple of months back.Stayed the night at Lotus Riverside resort.Lotus Resorts Hotel

Road conditions are good.Plenty of petrol pumps enroute.Ideally if you top up at Madgaon(considering that petrol in Goa is now dirt cheap),it should take you all the way till the HP COCO after Udupi.Enroute to Mangalore,dont forget to stop at Shetty Lunch Home at Kundapur for the Chicken Ghee Roast and silver fish in coconut oil.Target to reach there before 3pm.This is the most famous place to stop for food on this sector.Its next to the Kundapur Bus Stand .Ask anybody for directions

If its your first time to Mangalore try the Gadbad icecream at Ideal.www.idealicecream.in or a visit to Pabbas

[deutscheafrikar]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

If its your first time to Mangalore try the Gadbad icecream at Ideal.www.idealicecream.in or a visit to Pabbas

Ranjit
Thanks a lot for the reply, very informative. Looking forward to this drive. So will work on the rest of the things I need to do before leaving for Goa.

Cheers