[4strings]

Part 1 of 3

It was the time of the year to take an annual leave from work and wifey and I thought about embarking on a road trip and really do a long one ...

Selection of the destination was for 2 quite simple reasons

- Get away from the noise pollution during Diwali

- Spend a nice quiet and quaint time at the destination for at least 3 days

The obvious choice then led us to the South of Goa.

Did our bit of research on the routes to take, figured out where to stop over and then did our bookings accordingly.

We had exactly a week in hand to spend, on breaking down the trip, it came to the following :-


Day 1 - Pune

Headed to Pune around 11 AM (lived there for a couple of years so decided to stopover for nostalgia)

Traffic as usual till Panvel was pathetic with jams at sporadic intervals, given that it was a weekday, but pretty much a breeze once we crossed Mc Donalds at Expressway Jn.

Pune was fairly basic, went to FC Road, SB Road, Baner etc. Stopped over at Vaishali @FC for lunch and Supreme Corner @Deccan: Pav Bhaji for dinner (not to mention a 45min wait to get a table on the eve of Diwali)

Hong Kong market was open, wifey picked up a few things from there.

Stayed in Ginger Hotel at Wakad - had pre booked a room for 2k. For the price the hotel is great and in terms of accessibility its off the Satara road which takes you to NH 4 via Kolhapur.


Day 2 - Amboli

This was the real deal now, the destination we had decided was Amboli Ghats for day 2.

Left at around 830 am after a rather light breakfast meal, and headed towards the Pune Bangalore road via NH4.

The texture of the atmosphere was very conducive for driving without air con and windows down. A few pictures at this juncture depict the highway from Pune to Katraj, onward to Satara and Kolhapur.












The drive till Kolhapur was blissful yet a bit boring coz it there was nothing really picturesque about the sides of the roads. It was pretty much a long and straight highway with marvelous stretches of creamy roads.

Reached Kolhapur by lunch time and stopped over at a restaurant on a road perpendicular to NH4 towards the city (pardon me for not remembering the name of the place but the food was strictly ok and nothing to talk home about).

We then continued till Nipani, which took us about 30 mins from Kolhapur. At the junction crossing Kalyani Dhaba we took a right towards Amboli via Ajra.

The next 70 kms was absolutely ghastly in terms of the condition of the roads, not to forget that the stretch was absolutely deserted and all we could do was to continue to drive along and as far as possible tail end another vehicle so there is some help in case anything goes wrong.

At one point after travelling around 50 kms we reached a T junction, the left to which was pointing towards Belgaum and the right towards Amboli and Sawantwadi.

After this the roads suddenly seemed a lot better and more comfortable to drive on. We could see the visible change in climate with the whole environment around us turning foggy and dew collecting on the windscreen of the car.

This of course also led us to see some civilization which was a sign of relief.





Amboli is one of those unexplored hill stations in the Sahyadris which is located amidst forests and we could hear ourselves breathing.

Checked into Silver Spring Resort - a night stay in a AC Deluxe room was 1.5k + VAT. Didn't manage to get accommodation at the MTDC resort which is Green Valley or another decent property called Whistling Woods.

Having said that the hotel was decent and fairly new, the whole setting was comfortable and there was a lady who cooked good home made type food.

We walked around the Amboli - Sawantwadi road in the evening for a few kilometers and enjoyed the weather.

Came back to the resort to find our car covered in dew and also notice in the picture how konkan red mud had collected under the tyres.



Slept really well after a well rounded Malwan style meal.


-- End of Part 1 --

[4strings]

Part 2 of 3


Day 3 - South Goa

Got out of the resort in the morning to go to Vithal Kamat's at Amboli for some good old Pohe and Masala Chai. (Recommended among other available options)




We then started driving onward to NH 17 via Sawantwadi and stopped over to capture the breathtaking view of the Sahyadri mountains.







Drove via Panjim - Mapsua - Margao to go to Benaulim.

We booked a fantastic property called the Retreat by Zuri for 3 nights (package with 2 pax complimentary breakfast for 13k + VAT). This place was a little cut off coz it was at the fag end of Benaulim and away from the beach by around 4-5 kms.

But since we had our car with us it was easy to get our way around the place and the South of GOA still had its ethos deeply engraved in it, which was a delight to experience.









Day 4 & 5

We spent day 4 visiting the North - Anjuna, Baga and the likes... and day 5 for the South i.e. Colva and Benaulim.


All the partying happened in South with Friends, live music with lots of Konkani Goan flavours thrown in.











-- End of Part 2 --

[4strings]

Part 3 of 3


Day 6


After all the celebrations at Goa we reluctantly departed for Pune from Goa. This time our friends joined us on the way back trip so we had 2 cars.

The route we took was slightly different.

South Goa - Margao - Mapsua - NH 17 - Kankavli and then a detour to a connecting highway ahead of Kankavli to Kolhapur and onward to NH 4.

We stopped at Mapsua for traditional bhaji pav breakfast at Dipac.




And the second one was straight at Gaganbavda (among the largest ghat sections in Maharashtra)

A few pictures capturing the flora.

















Reached Pune by late evening, checked into a hotel around SB road and headed back to Mumbai on DAY 7 after a rather heavy lunch @ Kapila on Dhole Patil road.

Overall it was a great trip and being on the road had its own nuances, though every subdivision of the trip seemed succint yet long in some patches.

That aspect made it a journey to remember ... and fuels more such adventures in the future.


-- End of Part 3 --

[Speed-Freak]

Hey 4Springs,

Nice write up !!!

Can you tell me how was the road condition enroute Kolhapur from Kankavli ? I had taken the Amboli route last year around the same time and man it was pathetic.

[Wanderer78]

Great pictures and nice writeup buddy. Your pics tempt me to do another Goa trip

[4strings]

Originally Posted by Wanderer78

Great pictures and nice writeup buddy. Your pics tempt me to do another Goa trip

Thanks Wanderer ... the best time to go IMO is before Dec 15, its still not as crowded in Goa. That's what did it for me.

Originally Posted by Speed-Freak

Hey 4Springs,

Nice write up !!!

Can you tell me how was the road condition enroute Kolhapur from Kankavli ? I had taken the Amboli route last year around the same time and man it was pathetic.

@Speed-Freak

If you compare relatively, the Kolhapur - Kankavli route is better than Amboli even now, in fact very picturesque as I had described it.

The pain point though is Goa - Kankavli, wherein the roads are still not as great via. NH 17. Having said that, this seemed like a much shorter way of getting to Pune.

[nishantbhatia84]

Great write-up!
I'm planning a trip to Goa this month, will be driving throughout the night so wanted suggestions on which would be the best route.
From the various forums on TBHP, it seems Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Goa route is the best and safest.
I've heard the Mumbai-Chiplun-Kankavali-Savantvadi-Goa route is very scenic, but not safe for night driving.
Suggestions please!

[neofromcapone]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

I've heard the Mumbai-Chiplun-Kankavali-Savantvadi-Goa route is very scenic, but not safe for night driving.
Suggestions please!

Highly avoidable, the road is definitely scenic, but what will you be able to see in the dark, if you are going to be driving in the night.

The Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Amboli road will be better. Till Nipani you should be on good, 4 lane roads. So safer. and as this is not a mountainous terrain, straight road (just make sure you don't doze off on the wheel). The road after Nipani, will not be as smooth and will have a ghat section too, so careful driving here please.

If you can time your drive, to cross Nipani around dawn, you will enjoy the scenic route also.

All the best and have a safe drive.


PS. Do check out this thread

[nishantbhatia84]

Originally Posted by neofromcapone

Highly avoidable, the road is definitely scenic, but what will you be able to see in the dark, if you are going to be driving in the night.

The Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Amboli road will be better. Till Nipani you should be on good, 4 lane roads. So safer. and as this is not a mountainous terrain, straight road (just make sure you don't doze off on the wheel). The road after Nipani, will not be as smooth and will have a ghat section too, so careful driving here please.

If you can time your drive, to cross Nipani around dawn, you will enjoy the scenic route also.

All the best and have a safe drive.


PS. Do check out this thread

Point taken mate! I've decided to take the Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Nipani-Ajara-Sawantiwadi-Goa route, as this seems to be best route as per the numerous experiences posted by fellow TBHPIANS!!

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

Point taken mate! I've decided to take the Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Nipani-Ajara-Sawantiwadi-Goa route, as this seems to be best route as per the numerous experiences posted by fellow TBHPIANS!!

Just came back from Kokan last weekend. The road from Nipani to a place just before the Amboli ghat starts is NOT in good shape. From Amboli ghat till Sawantwadi its really good. I would advise not to drive through this route in dark. Make sure you reach Nipani by 5:30 AM - 6 AM and then drive through Amboli.

[nishantbhatia84]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Just came back from Kokan last weekend. The road from Nipani to a place just before the Amboli ghat starts is NOT in good shape. From Amboli ghat till Sawantwadi its really good. I would advise not to drive through this route in dark. Make sure you reach Nipani by 5:30 AM - 6 AM and then drive through Amboli.

Thanks for the info mate! This is the biggest benefit of these forums!
I'm planning to leave from Mumbai around 9.00 in the evening and drive through the night, so I guess I'll be reaching Nipani early morning at around 6.00 or 7.00, which should make the drive through the bad section comparatively easier to manage. I'll take a break at Nipani and wait for sunshine before moving on if in case I reach earlier.

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

Thanks for the info mate! This is the biggest benefit of these forums!
I'm planning to leave from Mumbai around 9.00 in the evening and drive through the night, so I guess I'll be reaching Nipani early morning at around 6.00 or 7.00, which should make the drive through the bad section comparatively easier to manage. I'll take a break at Nipani and wait for sunshine before moving on if in case I reach earlier.

This forums really comes handy, be it ANY problem . There is a restaurant at Tavandi which has good reviews. Its visible on Google maps as well. Also, the diversion for Amboli is right in front of this hotel !

[neofromcapone]

I'm planning to leave from Mumbai around 9.00 in the evening and drive through the night, so I guess I'll be reaching Nipani early morning at around 6.00 or 7.00,

I leave bombay at 4 am and reach baga by 2ish.

If you leave from the western suburbs at 9 pm. Good chance of getting traffic till Vashi Station. Will cause fatigue and you have many a miles to go, so best avoid the traffic, by either leaving after 10:30 pm or like me rest the night (I know will be difficult due to the excitement)... get some sleep. Leave bombay by 4 am, and you will cross Pune by 7ish. Halt straight at

a restaurant at Tavandi which has good reviews. Its visible on Google maps as well. Also, the diversion for Amboli is right in front of this hotel !

You will get to enjoy the views as it will be around 11ish when u should be here. about 3 hours from here to Panji city.

If you leave by 9, you for sure will be in Amboli, before Dawn.

Best Always.

[4strings]

I'm planning to leave from Mumbai around 9.00 in the evening and drive through the night, so I guess I'll be reaching Nipani early morning at around 6.00 or 7.00, which should make the drive through the bad section comparatively easier to manage. I'll take a break at Nipani and wait for sunshine before moving on if in case I reach earlier.[/quote]


Dear nishantbhatia84

I would recommend taking a break at Kolhapur if u reach way too early as you can find some decent restaurants there incl. a McDonald's which is on the highway. Nipani is not more than 25-30 mins from Kolhapur.

Although I would go with neofromcapone's recommendation of leaving early morning from Mumbai, its a much better and faster drive during the day.

[kedarwalke]

Originally Posted by 4strings

I'm planning to leave from or sunshine before moving on if in early as you much better and faster drive during the day.

I had been to goa via expressway nipanni exit 15 days back.I left at 4.30 from Goregao and reached nipanni at 10.45.
So if you leave at 9 you should comfortably reach at 4 am so plan accordingly.