[d_payne]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Thanks for taking this route and capturing these wonderful images.

Arre I was about to post my travelogue and noticed this! Haha!
Anyway here goes:

It has been nearly a week since our drive to Goa, and I'm still reliving sections of that drive in my mind! Firstly, a huge thanks to @livezero, and @comfortablynumb for the route in detail. This thread is gold for that route, and am glad I now have 2-3 more routes to try out soon...but from what I understand this is the definitive route to take! I can't wait to do this in a more fun car.

Anyhoo, this is the story of our (our dog Cooper, my wife Devika, and me) drive to Goa from Mumbai.

15th: BOM-PUNE-KIKVI
We started early on 15th August towards Pune with a plan to stay overnight on the outskirts of Pune - southern side towards Kikvi. We lunched at a relative's home in the army area, and headed to an Airbnb for the night. The airbnb was strictly okay, but then we were barely there for a few hours. Being a national holiday, the Expressway was empty and so was the drive to it via eastern express highway.

It was raining all through, and the X5 was pretty much covered in mud all the way.


16th: KIKVI-CANDOLIM
This was the drive I was really excited about!

Kikvi-Satara-Karad
We kicked off at 6am just before dawn, blasted past Satara, and reached Karad by 740am.


Upon reaching Karad, I realized our first mistake - we should be "removing the next stop" on Gmaps as we get closer to the destination. Otherwise, Google Maps will take you to the center of the town. Luckily, Karad is tiny, and it was easy to get out of it and get back on the NH. Under the NH, you'll find an underpass connecting you to SH150 to Malkapur, and you find this signboard to Malkapur...this is the gateway to motoring bliss.


Karad-Malkapur-Manjare
The 4 lane NH ends, and you are treated to a two-way, two-lane strip of tarmac that is designed to make you smile at every turn.


This is some of the cleanest tarmac I've seen in a long while with precisely marked lines, beautiful banking, and greenery all around. You won't find a single pothole or undulation all the way as you climb up to Malkapur and descend towards Manjare.




I really thought that this was the highlight of the drive, but I was totally wrong!

Manjare-Anuskura-Oni
As the road straightens out after Malkapur ghat, you head fast to the next Ghat - Anuskura. All this happens within 30mins, and a you ascend up, you realize this is no normal ghat road.


First there is a constant drizzle and then...the clouds descend upon the road, the views open up, and you cannot stop being awestruck! There are many many shoulders for you to park your car and take in the scenery. The air gets noticeably cleaner, and Cooper loved putting his head out in the wind and flap his ears!




Time stops still here. Time stopped so still, we ended up giving Cooper his breakfast here while treating ourself to a selfie. It was 10am by this time, and 4hrs of driving felt like nothing due to the breathtaking views.






(I mean really! Look at this!)

After Anuskura Ghats ends, you find the road condition deteriorate slightly. No more neat marking on the road. There are potholes now, but no moon-level craters, and a few sections of bad gravel.


It is nothing to worry, especially on an X5, and is easy to do even for a sedan. This though is the only place you find the road to feel like the highways of old.

Oni-Candolim
After Oni, you reach a T-junction which shows left to Goa and right to Mumbai. This is where you rejoin NH66 to Goa.


We reached this junction by 11am and Google Maps showed us an estimated drive time of 3.5hrs. We were able to shave a solid 60mins of drive time by keeping pace on the highway. Most of this highway is done except for a 2-3km stretches closer to Goa. We stopped for brunch with 2hrs to go at a place that served fresh prawns and smashing omelets.

Final stop was the cozy Wildflower Villas in Candolim, at 1335hrs! That's the entire trip from Kikvi to Candolim done in 7.5hrs with 3-4 stops to make drone photos and a solid brunch.



Wildflower Villas is 8 villas tucked away in a 8-acre forest land. Peaceful, devoid of the usual Goa loudness, and a great place to just be. Oh and the food is brilliant! We were here for 3 nights, taking Coopie for a stroll almost every hour, stuffing our faces with food, and taking in the sounds of birds and breeze.


We also dropped by 2 good restaurants: Andron and the Second House. Andron is an old favorite with home style cooking, and some of the best pork in North Goa. Second House is a lot more modern with a bunch of fusion food that are all very 'gram friendly!

Summary of onward trip:
1. Google Maps is wayyy off with ETAs. Don't be afraid of drive times, and do this trip!
2. SH150 is utter bliss. I know my photos show it off, but even they don't convey how much fun it is.

Return trip:
Knowing the drive times now, we realized we'd be better off staying as close to the Expressway as possible on our return. We opted to stay at an airbnb near Pashan, and do the entire 450km drive in a single blast.

Candolim-Anuskura:
The drive started at 715am, and it took us 3.5hrs to reach the top of Anuskura along with stops for fuel and a drone flight. I decided to trust Gmaps this time and skip Oni and take the shorter route.


This was a mistake.

The road is much worse with dozens of potholes, and no markings whatsoever. Buuuut it also completely empty of traffic, and does save you 30mins of drive time. We found ourselves going 3-4kms without another soul (in a vehicle) in sight.


Once we got up to Anuskura, we were gobsmacked again by the same views. This time I stopped at the top for a stretch, and some pictures too!




Anuskura-Malkapur:
Just after Anuskura ghat ended, I tried the auto-track function on my drone to make some shots of the journey. It was brilliant!


Other than that, I have no photos to show you here due to 2 reasons, the rain was unrelenting with a constant drizzle, and I was just enjoying my drive. No music, a car full of napping co-passengers, and empty roads were all I needed to really push at each corner. This time I knew that road was high quality and I knew the twists were engaging, so I had all the permission to be a bit rowdy!

I also knew that once this strip ends, it was time for the boring National Highway which I was not looking forward to!

In the end, we reached Pune/Pashan (an airbnb named "The Glass House") by 5pm and were settled in for the night.

Pune-Mumbai:
The next day morn, we were out of the gates by 630am and home in a lot less than 2hrs. The expressway was mostly empty, and we were able to average over 80kmph for most of the journey. During our stay in Goa, I took time off to visit Sebastian at Avelar Motors to fit an NBT-EVO headunit and 6WB cluster in my F15.


So that's how I have these screen shots to show you more information regarding the drive! A 10+kmpl average with a lot of spirited driving is very commendable from this big bulky SUV.

Conclusions:
The drive: The state highways of MH that I used to drive on 12-14 years ago are no more, the new roads are a different sight entirely. The National Highways are a blessing other ways too - they've freed up the SH, removed trucks entirely, and led to European level of backroads. The Pune Mumbai Expressway is still a dream to drive on after 2 decades, and the upcoming Lonavla tunnel should reduce truck traffic and make that ghat section more fun. Next time, I do want to try the route via Dapoli, and the one via Chiplun too.

The car: Our 9 year old X5 was more than fun on this trip! It may be the most conservative car we have today, but that 3L inline-6 diesel is no slouch. The more I drive it, the more I realize I don't need more performance on this one. I do want a better suspension setup though, and will be looking at KW V3 Coilovers very soon. That rear air suspension tends to be very bouncy, and funnily enough both of us are used to more firm setups even while being driver driven. Finally, the brand new Michelin PS4 SUV were a blast to drive on this wet/dry conditions.

Thanks again and see you guys at the next adventure!
(If you liked this, I should take some time and write down our 16 day trip from Mumbai to Leh, Ladakh with Cooper in an Audi Q5 in 2022!)

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by d_payne

Conclusions:
The car: Our 9 year old X5 was more than fun on this trip! It may be the most conservative car we have today, but that 3L inline-6 diesel is no slouch. The more I drive it, the more I realize I don't need more performance on this one. I do want a better suspension setup though, and will be looking at KW V3 Coilovers very soon. That rear air suspension tends to be very bouncy, and funnily enough both of us are used to more firm setups even while being driver driven. Finally, the brand new Michelin PS4 SUV were a blast to drive on this wet/dry conditions.

When I took this route a few weeks ago, I was wishing I’d taken my 8 yo 3GT with me. It would have been a treat to drive on this route indeed. I was initially surprised to see you went all the way via Oni instead of cutting through at Pachal and hitting NH 66 at Kharepatan. I personally didn’t find the bad parts intolerable and I think on balance the 30 mins odd saved would still be worth it.

Thanks again and see you guys at the next adventure!
(If you liked this, I should take some time and write down our 16 day trip from Mumbai to Leh, Ladakh with Cooper in an Audi Q5 in 2022!)

Loved how you put this together - the write up and pics both. Would definitely encourage you to pen the above trips as well for all of us to enjoy.

[d_payne]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I was initially surprised to see you went all the way via Oni instead of cutting through at Pachal and hitting NH 66 at Kharepatan. I personally didn’t find the bad parts intolerable and I think on balance the 30 mins odd saved would still be worth it.

I was being extra cautious and following the route given by @livezero to the T.

On the return trip, I did zoom in and modify the route. I agree, the bad parts are very tolerable. Though the route via Oni is what I'd take in a low slung sedan or coupe. There is zero worry for any kind of car on that route.

[royalbeat]

Thanks for all the reviews and mesmerizing views!! We are about to take a vacation in Goa this coming week and planning to take this route through Mumbai-Karad-Malkapur-Goa. We will have our dog with us and we usually stop every few hours to let her stretch. Any suggestions of decent eating places on this route?

[livezero]

Originally Posted by d_payne

Arre I was about to post my travelogue and noticed this! Haha!
Anyway here goes:

It has been nearly a week since our drive to Goa, and I'm still reliving sections of that drive in my mind! Firstly, a huge thanks to @livezero, and @comfortablynumb for the route in detail. This thread is gold for that route, and am glad I now have 2-3 more routes to try out soon...but from what I understand this is the definitive route to take! I can't wait to do this in a more fun car.

Thanks @d_payne for taking such wonderful pics.

Uploading a video for others to get an idea of butter smooth surface. Pardon the kid’s babble in the background.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XaXBwI_8...24PjaNNeUxC9bH

I agree with you that the Maharashtra roads have improved drastically over the last few years. Even the ones with sparse traffic. This is one such example.

[Aditya]

Mumbai to Goa via Pune, Karad and Malkapur in a BMW X5 - Posts moved to a new thread.

[Shanmd]

@d_payne

Hi
Can you put up a Gmaps screenshot or trip link for the onwards trip (Mum-Goa)? I came across your lovely writeup and am now thirsting for a ride via that route. Two wheels should be good on that tarmac, I'm guessing. Thanks.

[ARAY]

A beautiful car a great landscape are the secret ingredients of a brilliant thread like the one we see here. Went through the entire thread in one go and it felt like I was traveling along. Thanks for sharing this gem of a thread with all of us.

[mugen_pinaki27]

What an absolutely smashing photoblog @d_payne. Loved each picture, especially the aerial shots. You certainly have a keen eye. I would love to read your Ladakh travelogue. Do post it soon!

[fiat_tarun]

This is truly an amazing route. I took it back in June and good to know the roads have survived the monsoon

[AKSO]

Nice T-log and brings back fond memories of my ride to Anuskara Ghat back in April this year. Click Here (Ninja Tales: Ride to Anuskura & Amba Ghat (Ratnagiri) with a Ninja 1000 & Multistrada 950 S)

[royalbeat]

Originally Posted by royalbeat

Thanks for all the reviews and mesmerizing views!! We are about to take a vacation in Goa this coming week and planning to take this route through Mumbai-Karad-Malkapur-Goa. We will have our dog with us and we usually stop every few hours to let her stretch. Any suggestions of decent eating places on this route?

An update here. Traveled on this road to and fro this past week. What an amazing road and route. Simply loved it! The whole route from Karad to NH66 has two parts. 1) Karad to Anuskura Ghat - this one is super smooth, well marked and wider than the second part. It covers about 2/3rd of the entire route. 2) Anuskura Ghat to NH66 - this one is a bit broken in places and is narrower than the first part. But quite manageable as there are no big craters anywhere. It covers about 1/3rd of the route. Total time taken to travel the entire distance is about 3-3.5 hours. We stopped at Rane Restaurant near Malkapur for chai.