[dpkbehera]

Goa never fails to mesmerize me. After many trips ( 3 year stay @class 2,3 and 4 , 5 trips spanning across school, college , work and marriage), I was looking forward to my next trip. And this trip was with a difference i.e. a Road trip with my wife and 8 year old son.

Preparations
Apart from the usual, I ensured the following i.e.
a) On the basis of route updates in the TBHP forum , finalized Hyderabad - Humnabad - Kalaburagi - Jevargi - Vijayapura - Bagalkot - Belagavi - Chorla - Candolim.
b) Downloaded the maps of the above route.
c) Considering the sun and sand, need to have appropriate footwear, beachwear, shades and hats.
d) Tanked up the Fuel and Air.
e) Kept a song playlist ready which is very essential for a long trip.

Day 1 / 24th Sept 2017
We were all up by 4:45 am on 24th Sept 2017 and left by 6:00 am. One thing that i never forget to do at the start of the journey is to reset the odometer.
Route Details :
Hyderabad - Humnabad : This stretch is the best of all. It is a 4 laned road with median. You can speed up on this stretch to reduce the travel time. I covered this in 1 hr and 30 mins.
Humnabad - Kalaburagi : This stretch is quite good as well. It is 2 laned with paved shoulder. There might be a few unmarked humps to watch out for. You will see some elevation here.
Kalaburagi - Vijayapura : This stretch is quite good as well. It is 2 laned with paved shoulder. There might be a few unmarked humps to watch out for. Also you get to see more traffic on this route.
Vijayapura - Bagalkot : This stretch is the worst stretch of this route. It is 2 laned with paved shoulder. There might be a few unmarked humps to watch out for.Also the road is pretty uneven. Also work is going on on this route.
Bagalkot - Belagavi : This stretch is the best after Hyderabad - Humnabad. It is 2 laned with paved shoulder. You can speed up on this stretch to reduce the travel time.

There is a paucity of hotels on this route. However i saw a Pay and Use toilet 50 m away from https://goo.gl/maps/vNzgAynXLr52 towards Vijaypura on the right. Also chanced upon a newly opened hotel on the left i.e. Hotel Surabhi which is decent enough for families to freshen up and have a quick bite i.e. https://goo.gl/maps/URKSxvtXEtx. It is still not on Google Maps yet.

We were hit by torrential rains near Belgavi. We reached Belgavi at 2:30 pm with a 30 min break in-between. We carried breakfast and quick bites from home which reduced our dependency on the hotels en route.Since this was our first long road trip, we decided to stay at Belgavi for the night. We stayed at Sankem Residency. Overall a good hotel for a break journey.

We decided to try out the local cuisine for dinner and ended up having the holige thali at annapurneshwari thali restaurant. Foodies should not miss this.

Day 2 / 25th Sept 2017
We were all up and ready for the breakfast buffet at 7:00 am and checked out at 8:00 am. The breakfast buffet was excellent especially the South Indian part. The drive from Belgavi to Candolim via Chorla Ghat was quite scenic and exhilarating. Most of the drive here is downhill. This route calls for sedate driving and certain rules to be followed i.e. honking at turns, slowing down at turns and no overtaking at turns. However i could see many drivers not following these basic rules. We saw the beautiful Anjunem Dam Reservoir nearby Chorla ghat.

We reached our hotel i.e. Santana Beach Resort by 11 am. Had to wait for check in till 12 pm. Our first impressions of this resort was quite good. We had our first meal at Dosa Plaza which is on the Candolim road. I would highly recommend this restaurant.As the weather was cloudy with light rain, we decided to visit Old Goa.

At Old Goa, we visited Se Cathedral,The Convent and Church of St. Francis and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Then we explored the shopping district at Altinho, Panjim including a quick bite at Kamat Hotel and Miramar Beach before trying out the seafood at Ritz Classic Panjim for Dinner. And then moved back to the hotel.

Day 3 / 26th Sept 2017
After breakfast, we decided to experience the sun and the sand. The Candolim beach is just behind the resort and is at a walking distance. The beach is frequented only by guests of the Santana Beach Resort and the O hotel next door. It just felt like a private beach with nobody else apart from the hotel guests around. It was warm and sunny and we had a great time.

My earlier trips were limited to the familiar sights of North Goa and Central Goa. This time i was determined to visit South Goa. We left for Palolem Beach at around 11 am and reached around 1 pm. It is a long but beautiful drive. You can immediately sense the difference in the culture between North Goa and South Goa. South Goa has a distinct Portuguese influence. We again tried seafood at the Draupadi resturant which was on the beach. Again highly recommended. Palolem beach is indeed beautiful with a longer stretch of flattish and placid beach.

The locals were offering a 45 min boat ride to the mangroves for about Rs 1000 to Rs 1500. However we skipped this as there was no involvement of GTDC to market this. It was quite hot and humid and we decided to skip beaches for the remaining part of the day.

We decided to make a customary visit to Dona Paula. There is a bypass from Bambolim to Dona Paula. Dona Paula was quite airy and pleasant and it was nice to see the river merging into the sea. We drove back to the hotel and had a light dinner at Dosa Plaza en route.

Day 4 / 27th Sept 2017
After breaksfast, Again we went to the Candolim beach. We planned to explore the nearby areas. We started with Fort Aguada. It was again a warm and sunny day. We had to purchase the customary hats to avoid the sun rays at Fort Aguada. This place is a favorite with the tourists especially after "Dil Chata Hai". The view from the fort was panoramic and we could not resist taking pictures.
We then went to another highly recommended place i.e Britto's at the Baga Beach for lunch. The lunch was awesome. Then we moved to Anjuna Beach. This place had very few tourists but again a beautiful but rocky beach.

And finally we landed up at the Calangute beach. And i was disappointed. This place was too crowded and dirty. One thing that i must mention is the number of stray cattle and dogs in Goa have increased exponentially. I have never seen such numbers in my previous trips.

The day ended with Dinner at the Fisherman's Cove on the Candolim Road. The Candolim road is full of restaurants. However at this point in time, hardly a few were occupied by tourists and the Fisherman's Cove seemed to be the most popular.

Day 5 / 28th Sept 2017
As we had missed out on South Goa beaches, we planned on covering those. And we were bowled over !!! We started with the Colva beach but were put off by the stream of water entering the sea from the town. It was dirty. We made a hasty departure and moved to Varca beach. This also is a very beautiful beach. The beach is flat and long. We could see various life forms under the waves like crabs, starfish, small fish etc.

Then we stopped for lunch at one of the most well know restaurants in Goa i.e. Martin's Corner. Overall an excellent experience w.r.t the food and ambience. Then we decided to explore the Mobor beach. Again a very less crowded but one of the biggest beaches. It is definitely worth visiting. The only issue here is the entrance to the beach which is quite narrow and allows only one car at a time. Also the parking is limted.

Next, we explored Benaulim beach. Again it was a flat beach with clean and clear water. My 8 year old son was busy trying his luck catching tiny fishes on the beach with his sand bucket. And then we ended the day with Dinner at Dosa Plaza.

Day 6 / 29th Sept 2017
It was time to say goodbye to Goa. So we decided to again soak in the sun and sand at the Candolim beach before we left. Also we had kept the last day for shopping. After checking out, we headed straight to Panjim for shopping.

Google recommended bebinca (popular goan sweet) from Viva Panjim. And we were pleasantly surprised when we reached there. It is a very well known small quaint restaurant with Portuguese style ambience. We could not resist having our lunch at this place and we enjoyed every bit of it. At last we landed up at Zantye's to pickup the customary cashew nuts.

Finally departed from Panjim at 1:45 pm.I had made up my mind that i would drive sedately on the way back. I reached Belgaum by 4:30 pm and checked into Hotel Sankem. Tried to search for a restaurant for dinner and landed up at Hotel Panchavati. I came to know that there is a decent Hotel next door i.e. Hotel Ramdev International. From outside, it looked neat and clean with ample parking space. Will try this budget hotel next time.

Day 7 / 30th Sept 2017
Started at 7:50 am from the hotel for Hyderabad. Took a 30 min break at Hotel Surabhi where i was pleasantly surprised to meet another BHPian on his way to Goa. We shared the route updates. A small world this is. Reached Hyderabad at 5:00 pm.

Suggestions :
a) Do Visit South Goa. The beaches are more clean, beautiful and less crowded.
b) Goa is known for food as well. There are a number of well known restaurants. Do try out different options.
c) Keep ample time for shopping incase you plan to do it on the last day.
d) Ensure that you have got stuff like footwear, beachwear, shades and hats.
e) Drive safe. 80 - 100 km/hr with occasional bursts should be enough.

Anjunem Dam Reservoir Chorla Ghat


Miramar Beach at Panjim


View of the Candolim Beach


View from Dona Paula Point


View of the Lighthouse at Fort Aguada


View of Fort Aguada


My Grey Panzerkampfwagen (Panzer)


The Mysterious Anjuna Beach


Quick Ready Reckoner to Goa


Some Lifeforms at Varca Beach


Martins Corner Resturant at Betalbatim


Time to say Bye For Now at Candolim Beach!!!

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[libranof1987]

Goa has an unforgettable charm; as much in the monsoon, as during the peak season.

I bet Chorla was a spectacular drive.

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

We started with Fort Aguada. It was again a warm and sunny day. We had to purchase the customary hats to avoid the sun rays at Fort Aguada. This place is a favorite with the tourists especially after "Dil Chata Hai".

Dil Chahta Hai was actually shot at Fort Chapora.

Fort Aguada though, is far more established because of the prison and lighthouse. Chapora is barren with nothing to it's popularity except the movie.

Both, of course, have a wonderful views of the ocean.

[ngauravmalhotra]

BHPian from Hotel Surabhi checking in. Goa in Monsoons has a different charm to it. Vijayapura to Bagalkot is in complete mess with people driving crazy. Otherwise it is a great route. I may try the route through Mollem on my way back instead of Chorla. Any feedback on the road conditions via Mollem.

[dpkbehera]

Originally Posted by ngauravmalhotra

Any feedback on the road conditions via Mollem.

Nice to see you on Team BHP. My colleague took this route on his way to Palolem, Goa from Belgavi. According to him, the route is fine. The road is good with minimal traffic. However there was 2 instances of police checking on this route.

BTW I see that you have not updated your new car details .

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Dil Chahta Hai was actually shot at Fort Chapora.

Yes that is true. However it had a rub off impact on Fort Aguada. You would see many tourists making a beeline for Fort Aguada rather than Fort Chapora.

[HighwayHopper]

I am travelling to Goa next week. Just want to know if fast tag is enabled and working on Zaheerabad - Gulbarga route.

[dpkbehera]

Originally Posted by HighwayHopper

I am travelling to Goa next week. Just want to know if fast tag is enabled and working on Zaheerabad - Gulbarga route.

Once you take a turn towards Gulbarga from NH65, you will find no tolls at all.

[HighwayHopper]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

Once you take a turn towards Gulbarga from NH65, you will find no tolls at all.

Thank you dpkbehera for the information.

[kanwal]

Originally Posted by HighwayHopper

Thank you dpkbehera for the information.

Hi HighwayHopper - All the best for your trip to Goa next week. I am planning to drive from HYD to GOA in the last week of November. May I request you to please share the route details , condition and any recommendations after your trip. It will be very helpful for us!!

[udaygk77]

Bijapur to Bagalkot has 2 options NH 52 & NH 50, need to check which one is being mentioned as NOT a preferred one?

[udaygk77]

Originally Posted by udaygk77

Bijapur to Bagalkot has 2 options NH 52 & NH 50, need to check which one is being mentioned as NOT a preferred one?

Seems like NH 50 is better option and Toll road between Bijapur to Bagalkot, with some 15-20kms longer than NH52. Toll cost details are available at

http://www.transportguru.in/TollCost.aspx

[dpkbehera]

Originally Posted by udaygk77

Bijapur to Bagalkot has 2 options NH 52 & NH 50, need to check which one is being mentioned as NOT a preferred one?

I thought NH 52 was the best option between Bijapur to Bagalkot. Not sure how NH 50 became an option?

[HighwayHopper]

Originally Posted by kanwal

Hi HighwayHopper - All the best for your trip to Goa next week. I am planning to drive from HYD to GOA in the last week of November. May I request you to please share the route details , condition and any recommendations after your trip. It will be very helpful for us!!

Definitely kanwal. I am starting tomorrow night. Will update you the route taken and the condition. I am planning to take Hyderabad-Zaheerabad-Gulbarga-Bijapur-Bagalkot-Belgaum-Chorla ghats-Calangute.

[kanwal]

Originally Posted by HighwayHopper

Definitely kanwal. I am starting tomorrow night. Will update you the route taken and the condition. I am planning to take Hyderabad-Zaheerabad-Gulbarga-Bijapur-Bagalkot-Belgaum-Chorla ghats-Calangute.

Super!! I am thinking of the same route for my trip. Have a fun filled trip, HighwayHopper!

[saleem_k]

Wow great pics! Last year went on a similar trip in my Ecosport. The only difference was I went via Hampi and returned in the route that you took while going (with some minor deviations). :-)