[9tMax]

Completed my Panchgani trip and came back to Hyderabad yesterday.

Anyone planning to go to Mahabaleshwar/ Panchgani via the Pandharpur - Satara route - DON'T EVEN THINK OF taking the road shown as 548C on google maps. It is not a road any more, not even a dirt track - I don't have words to describe it. Just avoid it. As such gmap never suggests this road from Mohol to Satara but I just thought of exploring the road and realised why the google lady was never considering it.

Work for widening + converting it to concrete road is going on and as a result it is a complete mess. I started travelling on it from Mohol but finally had to give it up and take the diversion from Pingali and travel on the Pingali - Vaduj - Rahimatpur - Satara route through some narrow interior roads which were also not in good shape but at least better than the NH 548C.

While returning I followed the route suggested by Ashish Pallod in the post #43 above and it was a much much more peaceful drive. Thanks Ashish once again. Though there were some rough patchy stretches in this route also but nothing to be worried of.
But one good thing I noticed - during the whole drive we had excellent airtel 4g coverage everywhere including the interior roads.

[forcooler]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

1) Indapur_ Baramati_ Nira_Lonand_Khandala_surur_wai_ Panchgani route is in great condition. Lonand to khandala is interior road which is good in condition but should be passed before sunset. No issue about security but as you are from out of Maharashtra, it will be better to cross that section before sunset to overcome language barrier if any if needed to communicate with locals there.
2) Baramati_phaltan_adarki_wathar station_joshi vihir_wai must be avoided as phaltan to wathar is patched road and wathar to Joshi wihir is lonely interior small road.

Did Route 1 (Indapur_ Baramati_ Nira_Lonand_Khandala_surur_wai_ Panchgani) last weekend. While the road is decent(with only small bumpy but not slow patch between Nira Khandala), the road is pretty busy without any dividers and quite a lot of local traffic(including two wheelers) as you cross the towns.

We left Hyderabad Patancheru at 5.15AM and was at Wai Mapro Food Court around 2.30PM with minimal stops along the way.

I haven't done the Pandharpur route so cannot comment how this compares with it in terms of traffic density.

[forcooler]

Happened to traverse the Mahabaleshwar route again.

The stretch between Indapur - Baramati now has a few bad patches under repair compared to last time; The stretch between Omerga - Solapur has greatly improved(mostly divided and even tolled highway)

On return, we chose to do Baramati - Bhigwan - Indapur, which is a bit longer but then you bascially get to use more the good highway road (Bhigwan - Indapur) instead of the undivided state highway road(Baramati-Indapur).

One thing to note on the highway to Solapur is Speed camera vans; we didnt overspeed as such so didn't have to worry, but we did get stopped at a toll plaza and were "asked" if we we were overspeeding, not sure how that system works!

Also, fastag enabled plazas all the way, we didn't need to make any cash payments.

In terms of time, we basically did not take breaks to avoid getting out of the car (Covid considerations), therefore it took about approximately 10 hours (4.45am Patancheru - 2.30PM Mahabaleshwar)

[NikhilReddy]

Friends planning a road trip from Hyderabad to Mahabaleshwar.

I am planning to start at 6 AM in the morning. Could have started early but due to winter, timing my start with early sunlight.

If anyone has done a recent trip from Hyderabad to Mahabaleshwar I will need help with the following:

- Suggested road map for the trip?
- Roads to avoid?
- Breakfast and Lunch places (onwards and return journey)
- Good resorts to stay in Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani.
- Estimated time to destination, google maps suggest its 12+ hours journey from Secunderabad.

Thanks.

[Comrade]

Took the team-bhp recommended route, Hyderabad - Sholapur - Indapur - Bharamati - Phaltan - Lonand - Khandala - Mahabaleshwar, during Christmas week. Overall, road conditions have been great with sparse traffic. Would recommend this route for anyone considering alternates to gmaps. Top layer of NH65 in Maharashtra (KA border and Sholapur) is deteriorating. Not sure why NHAI is not asking contractors to relay the top layer.

[AnadiC]

Can someone provide latest update on the best route to take?
Also, i dont want to drive such a long distance for the upcoming weekend. Is there any public transport recommendation?

[FlashMustang]

I completed a drive from Hyderabad to Mahabaleshwar and back over the weekend of March 18 - March 20.

Onward journey:

NH65: Hyderabad to Indapur

For the onward journey, I took the NH65 out of Hyderabad. The initial stretch of NH65 till the toll road starts after Sangareddy junction was a mixed bag. The so called rumbler strips are quite high at places and it's necessary to slow down significantly before them.

Thereafter, the road till the Maharashtra border is quite good.

From entering Maharashtra till around Omerga, there are multiple diversions for road works/expansions.

Thereafter, the road conditions were generally good.

Near Naldurg fort, the road switches into a two lane undivided highway, and progress is slow on this stretch due to slow moving vehicles.

Thereafter, till Indapur, it was smooth sailing.

Indapur to Mahabaleshwar

Thereafter, we took the exit on to state highway. Roads are decent, but, not the best on this stretch. To add to our woes, we took a couple of additional detours that Google Maps suggested to avoid congestion and save time, but, ended up to be bad decisions. We went through a few narrow stretches of road through villages, and progress was significantly slow.

We finally reached Wai Mapro Food Park for lunch, and thereafter headed to Old Mahabaleshwar.

The collection of entry fees (cash only) to Mahabaleshwar and Old Mahabaleswar causes congestion and a pile-up of vehicles, especially while driving uphill. I would have liked a better mechanism for it (maybe added to to hotel charges).

Overall, it was not a very enjoyable drive.

Return journey:

For the return trip, I decided to take the longer route, by heading to Pune and joining NH65 towards Hyderabad from Pune. While it added time and distance, it was a more pleasant and an easier drive.

Mahabaleshwar to Pune to Hyderabad

Right after Wai, we joined NH48 to reach Pune, and the roads were in excellent condition. Driving through Pune slowed us down a bit, till we could exit Pune on NH65. The road conditions were much better, except for the stretches mentioned above, and some distance of NH65 just after exiting Pune, till the toll road starts.

Prepare for document checks

Please ensure that you carry all the documents (registration certificate, driving license, insurance, and pollution control certificate) while taking up this drive. Also, ensure that you wear masks and everyone in buckled up in seat belts.

There are umpteen number of times where these are checked by Maharashtra police.
We were stopped twice on the way to Mahabaleshwar (once on the Sate highway), and four times on the way back for these checks.

We had a smooth sailing and we were sent on our way on all these checks, since we had everything in place, but, be prepared for this annoyance, bordering on nuisance.
I was driving steadily and just below speed limits at all times, so, I wonder what criteria they use to stop vehicles for these document checks.

Not sure if vehicles registered outside of Maharashtra are targeted for these checks, but, at one check point, we observed that four vehicles were stopped, and all of them had TS registration, and ours had AP registration (registered prior to TS creation).

Summary and personal experience:

Overall, it was not a very enjoyable drive. The stresses outweighed the benefits for us, at least on this trip.
Taking the shorter route on the onward journey meant we spent quite a bit of time on the road due to the road conditions.
Taking the longer route, while it made for a more relaxing drive, again meant we spent quite a bit of time on the road due to the additional distance.
The annoyances of cash collection at Mahabaleshwar twice, and the umpteen number of times we were stopped for checking of documents didn't help either.
In my limited, humble, and personal opinion, Mahabaleshwar doesn't make for a relaxing driving getaway from Hyderabad for a long weekend. It might work better for a slightly more extended stay.

Our stops along the way

We did not stop for breakfast along the way. We carried our breakfast for the onward drive, and started after breakfast for the return drive.

Our onward stops for fuel:

BPCL SVS Petroleum, Basavakalyan, Karnataka
https://goo.gl/maps/3Nhk6M9wPqkS7Zjt9

BPCL COCO, Solapur, Maharashtra
https://goo.gl/maps/68vjXg6HXX9bZFEL8

Our onward lunch stop:

Mapro Food Park, Wai
https://g.page/maprofoodpark?share

Our return stops for fuel:

IOCL Dubash Petroleum, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra
https://goo.gl/maps/ix3ZV5g3o6a52b5z5

BPCL COCO, Chincholi, Maharashtra
https://goo.gl/maps/rd94zY7MxK5kfSvS8

HPCL Patil Petroleum, Sasthapur Bangla, Karnataka
https://goo.gl/maps/K2pkC2h1VW58Q31J8

Our return lunch stop:

McDonald's, Kadam Wasti, Maharashtra
https://goo.gl/maps/oSYC8BugWyME6wQA7

P.S. We could have done with fewer fuel stops, but, we topped up in Karnataka in either direction due to the slightly lower petrol prices.

Take care and happy driving, everyone!

[AnadiC]

Thanks for sharing. I too was feeling the drive time & stress is not worth it.

Could you share the time taken?

[FlashMustang]

Originally Posted by AnadiC

Could you share the time taken?

I was driving at a sedate pace, and was in no mood to rush.

For the onward journey, my driving time excluding breaks was about 11.5 hours. This could have been slightly less had I not taken the detours suggested by Google Maps.

For the return journey, my driving time excluding breaks was about 12.5 hours.
As stated above, for the return journey, I headed up to Pune using NH48 and took NH65 from Pune.

[ColAjayDrives]

Originally Posted by AnadiC

Thanks for sharing. I too was feeling the drive time & stress is not worth it.

Could you share the time taken?

Hi Anadic.
Just reached yesterday from Hyderabad to Mahabaleshwar.
Started at 6.20 am. Reached at 4.20 pm.
Took a 5 minute stretch break after every hour and a 30 min lunch break.
Route taken was same as FlashMustang has stated above (just followed google maps)

[MT_Hyderabad]

I came back from a 3 night stay in Mahabaleshwar today morning (2am).
Route taken was as suggested by Google maps: Hyderabad, Humnabad, Solapur, Baramati, Panchgani.
The roads were not that well kept in Maharashtra. However, they have improved immensely from my last trip 7 years ago.
The trip would be memorable only for the majestic sunsets we saw from various places during our stay, otherwise, in same 12 hours I went to Pondicherry six months back for New Year and Goa last year, these trips were more enjoyable than Mahabaleshwar.
If you are planning a trip, plan for a day excursion to Pratapgarh, the drive along ghat roads with minimal human activity is worth the effort.

[hex_guy]

Hi bhpians

I am traveling to mahabaleshwar via pandharpur next week, just wanted to know the better option among the below 2 routes suggested by Google

Route 1 andharpur - mhaswad - koregaon - satara
Route 2: pandharpur - dighanchi - mayani - satara

[ACMerchant]

Originally Posted by hex_guy

Hi bhpians

I am traveling to mahabaleshwar via pandharpur next week, just wanted to know the better option among the below 2 routes suggested by Google

Route 1 andharpur - mhaswad - koregaon - satara
Route 2: pandharpur - dighanchi - mayani - satara

When you reach Satara take the Satara - Medha - Kelghar - Mahableshwar as the road is about 75% RCC and the rest tarred upto Mahableshwar. I had visited in July 22 as had some work in Satara and then went up to Mahableshwar.Traffic is less and superb scenic route.Attached Pictures are of this route.

[vnabhi]

Hello all

I am contemplating a drive to Mahabaleshwar and Kolhapur from Hyderabad next weekend. Planning to spend a night in Kolhapur and then 2 days at Mahabaleshwar, or the other way round.

Can you please suggest the best route from Hyderabad to Kolhapur and the one from Hyderabad to Mahabaleshwar? Also what would be the driving time, and best places for food breaks?

I also need to know if the sugarcane harvesting season will slow down the drive.

Thanks in advance.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Hello all

I am contemplating a drive to Mahabaleshwar and Kolhapur from Hyderabad next weekend. Planning to spend a night in Kolhapur and then 2 days at Mahabaleshwar, or the other way round.

Can you please suggest the best route from Hyderabad to Kolhapur and the one from Hyderabad to Mahabaleshwar? Also what would be the driving time, and best places for food breaks?

I also need to know if the sugarcane harvesting season will slow down the drive.

Thanks in advance.

Bumping up again for visibility. Can someone please respond? @Ashishpallod---what are your recommendations?