[binand]

Originally Posted by SR-71

The last time I took this particular stretch, the road had a lot of potholes, looked more like a Bangalore city road than a highway.

(Talking of Mundgod-Yellapura section)

This road's problem is its width. It is I think only about 3 metres wide. Every time a vehicle comes from the other side (or you want to overtake someone) it is a struggle to not get off the road. Fortunately traffic is sparse but occasional NWKRTC buses do ply, along with local cars, Boleros and tractors.

Surface is ancient and slightly bumpy but not potholed. My guess is that since it goes through forest area, repair works might be stuck due to lack of approvals.

Parag Sachania's post (linked in my post above) has a video of the stretch. My own dashcam footage is also saved, but I am not in a position to access it at the moment.

[pravarag]

Originally Posted by binand

(Talking of Mundgod-Yellapura section)

This road's problem is its width. It is I think only about 3 metres wide. Every time a vehicle comes from the other side (or you want to overtake someone) it is a struggle to not get off the road. Fortunately traffic is sparse but occasional NWKRTC buses do ply, along with local cars, Boleros and tractors.

I'd double on the fact that traffic is sparse. I've happened to pass by around 10 or 11AM most of the times and like mentioned above the road is really narrow but if you maintain decent speed, it can be covered with not much difficulty.

I'm planning to take this route again tomorrow on my return journey to Bangalore, would be able to share more updates later tomorrow or no later than Tuesday

[pravarag]

Originally Posted by gypsyFreak

Even i am planning to return to Bangalore tomorrow and considering the same option.
Is the panjim to karwar full 4 lanes?
Any other 4 lanes in this route, or wide 2 lanes where we can maintain 80-100 kmph?

Panjim to Karwar is 4 lanes at very few places or mostly in patches otherwise it's 2 lanes only. We can maintain speed upto 80 but since there could be some twists and turns considering the terrain, the speed would drop and like I always say depends totally on one's driving style as well.

[pravarag]

Originally Posted by SR-71

Can you elaborate on this a bit please. Its been a while since I did Bangalore-Goa stretch and I have one planned in the near future. The last time I took this particular stretch, the road had a lot of potholes, looked more like a Bangalore city road than a highway. Is it better covered by a SUV or will a low slung Sedan be OK to cover this stretch without much underbelly scraping.

A sedan with lower clearance should be able to do it but you might have to be careful at places especially while passing by the forest routes. As there are deliberately put speed bumps in some villages as you pass by.

If you are planning to do this stretch in afternoon, then you may find some traffic depending on the weekday or weekend.

[Ertigiat]

Originally Posted by mailbalaji

Hello all

We are a family of 4 (including 2 teen aged boys) and planning for a road trip from Chennai to Goa. I will be the only driver. We are planning to include Murudeshwar enroute as well (either onward or on return).

Considering this, what are our best options in terms of route, a place to break the journey (as I am the solo driver).

I have already gone through this thread --> https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...st-timers.html (Goa Vacation for First Timers)

We would like to indulge in some water sports and clean beach hopping. Where would you suggest in Goa for us to be in?

Sorry for asking so many questions. Any help on this would help me immensely.

Note: We are planning for this trip in late march and can start early morning (around 4am) from Chennai.

Here are few pointers from me,

Journey can be divided into 6 parts,

1. Chennai to Davangere or Chitradurga
2. Davangere or Chitradurga to Murudeshwar
3. Murudeshwar to South Goa
4. South Goa to North Goa
5. North Goa to Tumkur
6. Tumkur to Chennai

Day 1 - You need not have to start at 4 AM from Chennai but I would recommend choosing a time such that you avoid peak hours in Bangalore (Though you will be taking NICE road to travel towards Hubli). You can decide to take halt at Chitradurga or Davangere (I am taking liberty of assuming you intend to stay on 4 lane/6 lane road and would not prefer Bangalore – Kundapur – Murudeshwar route).

Day 2 - Leave from Davangere for Murudeshwar. Check in to hotel at Murudeshwar. Freshen up. Go for a temple visit and sightseeing.

Day 3 – Leave from Murudeshwar after breakfast. Check in to a hotel which is near to Palolem beach. Go for kayaking on the beach in the evening/Visit butterfly beach.

Day 4 – Check out from the hotel after breakfast. Take coastal route and reach Rock formations at Agonda beach. You can spend some time clicking photos. Next stop can be Cola Beach. Enjoy a dip in sweet water lagoon. You can have late lunch at Cola beach itself. You can proceed to Caba – de – Rama beach to enjoy sunset from the plateau. Check into the hotel booked at North Goa (Preferably near Baga or Calangute).

Day 5 – Get up leisurely. Have sumptuous breakfast and head to beach for shopping (Trust me, your family would be interested a lot in this activity) near Calangute beach. Come back to hotel and take a nap. Go for sports activities in the evening. You can also visit night clubs in case everyone is interested.

Day 6 - Check out from the hotel after breakfast (Or before noon if you happen to visit any of the night clubs previous evening). Reach Tumkur by late evening.

Day 7 - Start from Tumkur early morning to avoid Bangalore rush hour and Reach Chennai for lunch.

[goandude]

Traveling to Colva, Goa in last week of March. So going through the last 4/5 pages of this thread have got some valuable information.
To summarise...

Best route now is NH 48 to Dharwad, turn left to NH 67 to Ramnagar, then continue on NH 748 to Anmod, Mollem, and thereafter your destination.

Tinai Ghat diversion is not required as direct route to Anmod is OK ish except for some serious dips /bumps in the road.
C'durga to Hubli has 2 diversions which are smooth.

Tumkur bypass is potholed and repair work has been shoddy. Neelamangla Tumkur is like a root canal (almost).

Total time should be around 9 hours @ average speed of 65 kmph, which means driving at 80/100 kmph on the 4 lane NH.

Eateries, few and far between. Need to plan pitstops.

Speed traps after Mollem, fine 1600/-

Have I missed anything?

[pravarag]

Originally Posted by pravarag

A sedan with lower clearance should be able to do it but you might have to be careful at places especially while passing by the forest routes. As there are deliberately put speed bumps in some villages as you pass by.

If you are planning to do this stretch in afternoon, then you may find some traffic depending on the weekday or weekend.

Update on this route, as I covered this yesterday. Same story like the one that I shared earlier but the SH-6 route from yellapur to Mundgod was little busy since I crossed it during the afternoon hours this time. Araibail ghats are in really good shape and I enjoyed driving through those roads.

Total time taken was about 12hs mins which includes two stops for breakfast and lunch of about 15 mins each plus few short restroom breaks in between.

[gypsyFreak]

Originally Posted by goandude

Traveling to Colva, Goa in last week of March. So going through the last 4/5 pages of this thread have got some valuable information.

To summarise...

Best route now is NH 48 to Dharwad, turn left to NH 67 to Ramnagar, then continue on NH 748 to Anmod, Mollem, and thereafter your destination.

Tinai Ghat diversion is not required as direct route to Anmod is OK ish except for some serious dips /bumps in the road.

C'durga to Hubli has 2 diversions which are smooth.

Tumkur bypass is potholed and repair work has been shoddy. Neelamangla Tumkur is like a root canal (almost).

Total time should be around 9 hours @ average speed of 65 kmph, which means driving at 80/100 kmph on the 4 lane NH.

Eateries, few and far between. Need to plan pitstops.

Speed traps after Mollem, fine 1600/-

Have I missed anything?

Check out for Goraguntepalya flyover status, if you are using it. When we went Mar 4th 7 am it was closed, when we returned at 10:30 PM, Mar 6th it was open, weird..!!

Also, keep your double vaccination certificate ready, as we got checked at Mollem.

Fuel stops needs to be planned, not much fuel pumps or hotels between Dharwad to Mollem.

Fast tag does not work on the NH 67 toll, keep cash Rs. 55/-

[impala]

I am planning a trip to North Goa next weekend too. Plan is to start around 4:30AM from east Bangalore, have breakfast near Chitradurga/Devanagare and lunch around Hubli. Any recommendations for restaurants with clean restrooms?

[abhinavm]

Originally Posted by impala

I am planning a trip to North Goa next weekend too. Plan is to start around 4:30AM from east Bangalore, have breakfast near Chitradurga/Devanagare and lunch around Hubli. Any recommendations for restaurants with clean restrooms?

Davangere - Apoorva Resort for clean restroom and Benne Dosa, right off the highway.

There is also a place called Sarvodaya Veg much before Davangere. Restrooms were not as clean, food was decent.

Hubli - just before Hubli, there is a Kamath Upachar. Note that in Kamath Upachar at lunch time, you will only get full meals / poori. No Idli / dosa type items.

There were very few veg places overall, that we could find on the route.

[am1m]

Did GA-KA on Friday afternoon and just returned (KA-GA) through Mollem. No one is checking for anything anymore, except for the usual "bottles check" when crossing from KA-GA. But even GA is not checking for RT-PCR or even vax certs now.

The Belgaum-Panaji road has this bad dip in the road a little after Anmod (if heading to KA)/before Anmod (if you are heading to GA). Seems like a reeally bad rim bender. It's a bit easier to see when going towards GA, but totally comes up unexpectedly when you're going from GA-KA. As near as I could mark it, it's somewhere here: https://goo.gl/maps/Pu2E6nef762VffUG7 (not exact spot, but around here, perhaps 100 meters off +/-), so navigate that bit carefully.

Rest of the route is in good shape, few small bad sections near the railway crossings and a couple of places, but those are easily visible before. Some non-standard speed bumps before, after curved sections, forest areas, not painted and without any signage so be careful in the evening or early morning, not easily visible. Plus the usual police speed checks just after crossing into GA.

[impala]

Originally Posted by am1m

Rest of the route is in good shape, few small bad sections near the railway crossings and a couple of places, but those are easily visible before. Some non-standard speed bumps before, after curved sections, forest areas, not painted and without any signage so be careful in the evening or early morning, not easily visible. Plus the usual police speed checks just after crossing into GA.

I did the same route in opposite directions on Friday and Monday. I would add the following. NH48 that bypasses Hubli and Dharwad, before one turns toward Mugad/Monnapur is a dangerous and slow moving stretch. There can be long lines of truck in this two lane road without medians. Be careful while overtaking and watch out for people who comes on wrong side, overtaking carefully.

Between somewhere around Ramnagar and Goa border, there are mostly concrete roads, and some stretches are under construction. These roads are raised with no leveling of the edges. One need to be careful especially while climbing up the ghat road from Goa as there will be folks coming opposite to you recklessly, relying on gravity .

The orchestra of crickets while passing through Mollem forest has a nice touch!

How would one know if they got a traffic fine from Goa or even outside Bangalore? I know Bangalore traffic police has a place to look this up but have not figured out yet how to check this if the challan is issued by, say, another state police.

Originally Posted by abhinavm

Davangere - Apoorva Resort
Hubli - just before Hubli, there is a Kamath Upachar.

Thank you for the pointers.

Had breakfast from Apoorva Resort on the way to Goa; Benne Dose were excellent, restrooms were average.
Had lunch at Kamat Upachar on the way back; the north Karnataka style jowar roti meals was great! Restrooms were clean too.

Both the places had ample parking too.

[bharatbs]

Fastest route to Central Goa or Panjim

Bengaluru > Hubli (bypass) > Londa > Ponda > Utorda

It is 3 lane highway and in great condition all the way up to Hubli.

Before entering Goa, please have all vehicle documents ready including PUC certificate, they stop all out of station cars. Maintain speed limit, as they have a mobile speed camera after few kms inside Goa.

In March there was zero checking for Covid.

You can reach in 7-8 hours with small breaks. Recommend travelling on Weekdays as there is lesser traffic.

While Traveling from Goa to Bengaluru, you can stop at Hill View restaurant few kms before Hubli bypass. The owner's family was managing the kitchen, the food was fresh and good. Not sure if it will stay that way.
https://in.worldorgs.com/catalog/dha...otel-hill-view

[goandude]

Originally Posted by gypsyFreak

Check out for Goraguntepalya flyover status, if you are using it. Fast tag does not work on the NH 67 toll, keep cash Rs. 55/-

The G'palaya flyover is closed till 5 am every morning, apparently the cops too need their beauty sleep Thanks for the toll payment tip.

Originally Posted by am1m

The Belgaum-Panaji road has this bad dip in the road a little after Anmod (if heading to KA)/before Anmod (if you are heading to GA). Seems like a reeally bad rim bender. It's a bit easier to see when going towards GA, but totally comes up unexpectedly when you're going from GA-KA. As near as I could mark it, it's somewhere here: https://goo.gl/maps/Pu2E6nef762VffUG7 (not exact spot, but around here, perhaps 100 meters off +/-), so navigate that bit carefully.

Thanks for this input, someone had pointed this out few posts back, and now that you have pinpointed it, should help in keeping rims bend free.

[goandude]

Completed Bangalore Goa Bangalore recently and this is the summary of the trip and some pointers.

Route taken NH 48 till turn off to Ramnagar, then Anmod, Mollem, Ponda, Benaulim. On return I took the same route but stopped at Devangere Hotel Sankama overnight.

Started from CV Raman Nagar at 0600 and reached resort in Benaulim at 1540. Of this driving time was 9:02. The 4 lane highway distance (till turn off to Ramnagar) was 430 km and took 6:15 while the 2 lane upto destination was 155 km which took 3:25.

Return journey started at 0920 and reached Hotel Sankama, Devangere at 1546. Next day started at 0806 after breakfast and drove non stop to home. Total trip time (excluding the break overnight) took 10:48, 4 lane taking 7:18 including time taken going into Devangere, while the 2 lane took 3:30. Return journey I was driving slower and this is reflected in the timings. My mileage was also better @ 22.5 kmpl on return vs 21.2 onward, even though I was going down the ghats.

On the onward journey, the first 25 kms after turning off NH 48 was not so good, railway lines crossing after 4 and 20 kms and the roads before and after the crossing are bad, traffic is also busy. Then at 27 kms, after the right turn to Bidi, the road becomes much better and traffic reduces considerably. Things look good till the 37 km mark where another railway crossing greets you with terrible roads. Thereafter the concrete road is very good, where it is completed, but there are numerous places where it is not. Here the shoulders are very high, sudden changes in the width of the road are numerous and at about the 80 km mark sudden dips in road surface. Around this distance also are half finished ROBs, bridges, and other works where absolutely NO WORK can be seen to be happening. So we will have to live with this for a long time. However, as you can see from my drive timings one can keep a reasonable pace. I would NOT advise doing this stretch at night due to unfinished and unmarked changes in road width and surface. (All distances mentioned are from the turn off from NH48)

Conditions on NH48 have improved considerably (difficult to stay under the speed limit, 100 kmph, in many stretches) but there are two diversions (240 and 245 kms from start of Goreguntapalaya flyover) where there is NO WORK going on so presume this will stay with us for some time.

There are no good eating places on the South bound route after Hubli. So we had to take a U turn and visit Ganesh Hotel on our return journey for lunch. There is a new restaurant called NISAGRA coming up on South bound route just before Chelagiri toll plaza. And there is a CCD 38 kms after Bunkapura toll. Further South there is another new place coming up; SARVODHYA VEG which is just after the Chitradurga bypass joins the original NH.

And as a side note, I bicycled 150 kms around South Goa in my 4 days there and found the roads in Goa, main roads, side roads or village roads, all are extremely good, and speed breakers are also very smooth. Traffic is unhurried, honking is minimal but stray dogs are plenty

Another side note: The ORR and traffic from Taj Vivanta to BEL circle is bad and this gets worse towards Kasturi Nagar, where the ORR is reduced to 1.5 lanes thanks to Metro work. (last Para belongs to Rants on Bangalore traffic)