[Varun_HexaGuy]

Lovely travelogue man. Reminded me of my rather impulsive trip down to Goa which I took up a couple of months ago along with a friend of mine. Plan was made late in the night and we were off to Goa the same night a couple of hours later from that conversation.

The route that I took from Hyderabad was fairly good. Hyd-Solapur-Sangli-Sangola-Nipani-Ajara-Amboli-Panjim was the route we chose. We started at 11:30 p.m in the night from Hyderabad. We were in Panjim by 8:30 a.m in the morning. Pace till Chikodi was really good. Chikodi-Nipani-Ajara-Amboli took up a fair bit of time. We stayed in Goa for a day tops. Basically the day we reached Goa was the only day we stayed. Relaxed, roamed around a little bit and we were on our way back to Hyderabad the very next day. Started leisurely and reached Hyderabad by evening. Took the same route on the way back.

Chosen car for the trip was my ever faithful '09 VW Jetta. As always, she's managed to impress me with how well she performs despite her age. Goes on to show that age is just a number with these cars if they're given the needed attention mechanically from time to time.

Here are some pics of mine from our rather impulsive trip to Goa:

[IanNazareth]

Thanks for sharing!

I made way to Goa through Amboli - Azra route on the 19th of October too ,though I usually have always been taking the chorla - Belgaum route.

It was one of the worst patches of roads I've driven in my life, horrible conditions for over 30kms.

On the return trip I took the chorla ghat 2 days ago and we managed to shave off 1h of time, a few bad potholes but can be straddled and maneuvered slowly.

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

Day 9 (Oct 9): Goa-Amboli Ghat-Gargoti-Solapur-Hyderabad

[vbalaji65]

Hi friends,

NO ROAD TO GOA

ALL ROADS ONLY TO ROME.

GOA - KOLHAPUR ROUTE SUGGESTION PLEASE

Should I take Amboli- Ghargoti or Goa - Ramnagar - Belagavi please ????

This is my first post, rather my first serious post, which could be of use to the team.

I have always found the information of this team very useful. I always, yes, always, find them reliable and updated.

So here's my little bit for the team.

Yesterday, I travelled from Pune to Goa with my wife and mother for our first stay at a Club Mahindra resort. I had an eye on this Varca resort since I visited a friend who was here long time back. The white sand beach, lesser crowd compared to Colva beach and the overall ambience of the resort had remained ingrained in my memory.

I recently ( now an year old - Dec 2021 ) got a new car - Renault Triber - metallic blue. We had never looked at Renault as an option. We were looking at Honda Amaze and Suzuki Dzire. However, one fine day ( it had to be a fine day ..to take such decisions in a moment ), we landed up in Renault's Showroom just 100 m from Honda. And my wife looked at the blue Triber facing us. What next, it was love at first sight. That was it. Blue is the favourite colour for both of us.

I was lucky to be able to go away from a sedan. My wish was to have a simple Eeco or a Tempo Traveller and convert it into a Camper Van. But my wife opposed it so vehemently that I had to drop the idea completely. Now the possibilities available in Triber revived the idea once again.

The flexible seating with removable 3rd row seats rekindled my dreams of long road trip ( I had only two decent road trips to call as 'long' so far - Mumbai Ahmedabad and Mumbai Goa ) In a car. However, it doesn't look so easy - the Triber camper van utility. Once the third row seats are removed, the boot space definitely increases a lot. But it would have enough space for two people to sleep only when the second row seats fold fully flat on the forward side. However, in the 60 - 40 second row seats, the 60 part seat doesn't fold fully forward ( it bends at around 45 degree ) So if one sleeps with head on the boot-door side, his legs would be at a higher level. That may not be very comfortable. If there is any jugaad for this, please do let me know.

A brief feedback on Renault Triber before I proceed further. It is a decent car. I test rode it ( hahaha ) too sitting in the 3rd row to check if it's comfortable. I am 5'10". I could sit comfortably minus thigh support as the seat height is less than the length of my lower leg. So, it is only for two or three kids or for two adults only for short city drives. And whether 1000 cc would pull the 7 full seven seated car is to be seen. I had seen a few fully loaded Tribers on short Hill tops before I had taken a decision. So far, I have found the power decent. It's surely not peppy. I can feel it while overtaking on 2 lane highways. I have to prepare myself for that. The features are good. Including a big screen which comes handy for viewing maps. Of course, we have to connect the mobile with a USB cable for maps. That's not a big issue with me. The only problem, I am facing is the stepney ( which is undersize... I am told that now all car makers cut cost by giving an undersize wheel-tyre. Is it true ? ) It becomes loose on the hanger making noise even on lightly patched roads. I had taken it to the service centre twice. They just repositioned the wheel and tightened the bolt of the hanger or simply put thick spongy cushions between the hanger and wheel !!! I am planning to send a mail to Renault about this after returning from Goa.

Oh !!! Got diverted totally from the matter on hand - Road to Goa. Actually, even enroute Goa also we got diverted.

We started off early at 5.45 am from Pune so as to avoid traffic not only of Pune but also much of traffic till Kolhapur. Last time, in 2015, we had taken the Chorla ghat to Goa from Belagavi as suggested by friends ( we were told to avoid Nipani - Amboli because of heavy traffic). And we fell in love with Chorla Ghat. The road was smooth, and there was no traffic at all. And my friend had taken Amboli in July 2022. His experience was just the same as yours. Pathetic roads. He took that road even though I had suggested Chorla. On the return journey, he heeded my advice and had a better time. Therefore, now I didn't think twice before choosing my route. As a matter of fact, I did check Team BHP reviews but it was only a cursory look.

We reached Belagavi smoothly. We did miss the Khanapur exit. But that was ok. We had to take a little detour. The big one was waiting for us. We entered the road leading to Chorla ghat...Still in Belagavi. We were told by people there that it was closed. Now what. Anmod !!! I had read it was real bad. But we had no choice. Please note the first 5 - 6 km of the 20 km route till we reach the ghat is very bad. It is narrow. If a truck passes from the opposite side there is no space at all. The worst part is near the railway station where work is going on. And a stretch of 2 km has no tar road. It is only mud. Luckily, it had not rained. Otherwise, our car would have got stuck in the mud. After the 6 km patch, road is ok with bad but motorable patches. The high ground clearance of the Triber was very helpful here. Once Bhimgad wild sanctuary is cleared the ghat route was smooth like butter. . First part was Concrete road and the remaining was my favorite tar road.

Now my thoughts are about the return journey. I was thinking whether to take the Amboli Ghargoti or could I try Goa - Ramnagar - Belagavi route ?

Could anyone please suggest ?

Thank you.

Mod Note : Post Edited. Smiley usage is restricted to two per post on Team-BHP. Please do NOT use more than 2 smileys in a post.

We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further.

[RJ2285]

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

Day 9 (Oct 9): Goa-Amboli Ghat-Gargoti-Solapur-Hyderabad

Let’s get some things right straight off the bat. I would strongly advise against such a drive if you’re by yourself. The resultant fatigue will be a perfect recipe for disaster. Have someone else who you can switch positions with and rest in the meantime.


This car is an incredibly accomplished mile-muncher. As a passenger, I felt nearly no fatigue even though we got back home after 12 am. However, always remember to take frequent breaks to avoid possibly life-threatening fatigue, since it may adversely affect the driver's ability to concentrate. Take care of this and driving massive distances is no sweat in this car. The Superb was driven 1966.7 km across a total of 4 states during this trip.

Beautiful pictures and what a drive it must have been. I have planned a drive to Goa next month and currently torn between taking the X1 or the Superb. I have driven the X1 across the country and has always been convenient irrespective of road condition, thanks to its overall footprint and ground clearance.

After reading your travelogue, I am tempted to take the Superb, however, one thought that is pushing me against taking that decision is the narrow roads in South Goa. Did you find it difficult navigating through it or the sheer size of the Superb did not really matter and it was smooth all throughout?

[GForceEnjoyer]

Originally Posted by RJ2285

Did you find it difficult navigating through it or the sheer size of the Superb did not really matter and it was smooth all throughout?

Thanks for the kind words! It was indeed an eventful drive.

And nope, we didn't face any such issues anywhere in Goa. I just remember parking being a bit of a challenge in front of a restaurant, but that's it. While your X1 would be the safest, go-anywhere choice, taking the Superb is also completely possible.