[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by CANPUSH

There is another Ghat via Tilari dam descending to Dodamarg but I am told that the road is lonely. Surface condition not known.

Has anyone tried that road?

This is the most recent (of the very few ones) update on the Tilari route:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post4499718 (Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Goa : Route Queries)

Cheers,
Vikram

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by Max

I completed return trip from Mumbai to Goa Few days ago. I traveled following route both sides. Roads on this route was excellent, no bumps or broken roads.

Mumbai > Pune > Kolhapur > Belaum > Jamboti > Chorla > Sanquelim > Assonora > Mapusa > Baga Beach.
Here is the google maps link of the route. https://goo.gl/maps/7pNDg9c85v12

Guys i am driving to Goa tomorrow night from Pune (23rd Dec) for the first time. I don't have any idea about routes and depend mostly on Google Maps. What i understood is that i have to reach Kolhapur first and then need to decide which route to take. I need to reach Baga, and Google maps is showing me this route:

Route suggested by Google Maps


Route suggested by Max


Please let me know which is the recommended route for this I will be leaving pune at 12:00 - 1:00am

[Hayek]

I drove down to Goa (Candolim) from Vashi on Dec 21 via NH48 to Belgaum and then the Chorla ghat route. Started from Vashi at 5 am, and reached Candolim at 4 pm- total drive time for the distance was about 9 hours 45 minutes. The early start may have helped - we crossed Pune without much trouble and queues at the toll booths were not bad. The Satara stretch 6 Laning is largely done - there were very few diversions, and long stretches where sustained high speeds were doable. The lack of lane discipline along truck drivers is still an issue. The Kolhapur Belgaum stretch looked more crowded than on my last trip, and may need 6 Laning shortly. It was my first trip through Chorla - crossing Belgaum was not as bad as feared, and Chorla itself was great. All in all, it was a great drive.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Please let me know which is the recommended route for this I will be leaving pune at 12:00 - 1:00am

Avoid Gandinglaj - Ajara - Amboli as of now.

If you dont mind few extra kilometers, you will get much smoother route though Chorla.

[Shome]

Went and returned via chorla this weekend from Mumbai to Candolim. That's the road to take...period. Very well maintained, a couple (and I mean only a couple) of hairpins on Chorla ghat which are a little broken, but that's nothing compared to the peace of mind that you get for the remainder of the route.

[esteemer]

Hi folks,

Planning my first drive from Bombay to Goa. What I see from this thread is that the route diverges from Kolhapur and there are lots of options.

I'd request some help in figuring out which route to take. We leave Bombay at around 1 in the night. Aim is to chill along the route, maybe stop at some scenic locations and make it to Goa (somewhere near Baga beach) before 1700 hours.

Suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance.

[Shome]

Originally Posted by esteemer

Hi folks,

Planning my first drive from Bombay to Goa. What I see from this thread is that the route diverges from Kolhapur and there are lots of options.

I'd request some help in figuring out which route to take. We leave Bombay at around 1 in the night. Aim is to chill along the route, maybe stop at some scenic locations and make it to Goa (somewhere near Baga beach) before 1700 hours.

Suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance.

Suggest that you go on to Belgaum, not turn at Kolhapur, and then head to Goa via Chorla ghats. Google maps shows the way if you add Belgaum as a stop. Pretty straightforward, slightly longer but possibly faster with better roads.

Another suggestion, check the expressway traffic in the night if you're leaving at 1 AM. Couple of months back, I left at 2 AM and was stuck for 3 hours due to truck traffic on the infamous s-bends before Lonavla. I think trucks ply on the expressway between 11 PM and 7 AM. Last weekend, I left at 5.30 AM and reached Pune in around 2.5 hours from Andheri. Or you can take the old Mum-Pune highway, that might be better. Just check the maps.

[Rodie09]

Did a Pune - Candolim return trip on 22nd / 26th December. Agree with others here on the Chorla route. Thoroughly enjoyable and in great condition.

Drive time from Pune was 8hrs 30 mins, an hour longer on return due to traffic and night hours.

For, anyone planning goa I would say look no further than Chorla chat. Please make sure you have enough fuel for a 100 km before you ascend Chorla. There are no fuel pumps for quite a distance.

[Vandit]

Thanks for those who suggested Chorla earlier.. it is indeed in awesome condition. When I last drove in 2010-11 long stretches of road were rocky with jagged gravel and stones. This trip was simply great. Apart from a few hairpin bends being worn out.. it was smooth and a delight to drive on. Everyone in the family agreed this was a much better drive than Amboli.

The only issue being the time differential on the routes (my destination was mapusa). Crossing Belgaum takes a lot of time.. and the Chorla ghat section seems much longer (perhaps more looped) than Amboli so it took us close to 14hrs with 2 stops of 45min enroute.

If there only was a better linkage between the Bangalore highway and the Chorla branch out bypassing Belgaum.. it would be perfect

[Chinmayd]

Just back to Mumbai from a 2 week long (Read: very short) trip to Goa. Left Mumbai on Dec 15 and returned on Dec 31. Bad 4G network in Old Goa did not permit any early updates.

Route - I have always been a fan of the Amboli route, always took the right from the Tavandi (KA) exit onward to N.Goa. Compared to Chorla I feel this route is a lot easy with comparatively wider roads and less traffic. With the current status of Amboli route Chorla was the natural choice and boy it was good. Just a few broken patches but smooth throughout. Besides Chorla via Belgaum means you spend more time (65km in 35-40mins) on the excellent NH48.

We see enough Amboli v/s Chorla debates across forums. All I can say is looking at the past 10 years record, neither can be declared a permanent winner. It all depends on how the monsoon treats the roads and how fast any damage is repaired……till the next rains. Based on current form Chorla is the clear winner.

Traffic – By leaving Andheri at 5am and not stopping for breakfast till Surur (Wai exit for Mahabaleshwar) we do beat the morning Mumbai and Pune traffic. However at Lonavala ghat section things are getting worse. We had a 1km traffic jam early morning but recovered the time lost on the expressway. Satara-Kolhapur-Belgaum was a breeze as always with a few diversions around Satara. Belgaum traffic was slow but moving. Overall took us 12 hours till Old Goa with 4 stops.

Goa had the usual year end traffic woes with an increase in the number of private vehicles. Tourism industry this year is down in Goa with lesser foreign arrivals for the season. However plenty of domestic tourists and road construction/repair activity meant huge traffic jams. The new Mandovi bridge is almost complete but with several other ongoing projects things may not improve immediately after he bridge is opened.

For the return journey left Goa on Dec 31. No traffic issues till Mumbai but plenty of vehicles heading in the same direction. Spotted 4 with T-BHP stickers.

Fastag – Got one from HDFC 3 months back and finally got to use it. Pretty good experience it was with almost all the tool booths having dedicated lanes and manned by staff who were ensuring other vehicles do not enter the dedicated lanes. 70% of the vehicles I noticed using Fastag were heavy vehicles which probably is due to the frequency of their highway runs.

TPMS – Heading towards Goa, after breakfast near the Wai exit the right rear sensor started beeping indicating low tyre pressure of 22 PSI down from 33 PSI. Did not feel anything wrong with the car’s handling or ride. Initially was not sure if it was a puncture or faulty sensor battery so I moved to the extreme left lane and drove slowly for a few minutes. The pressure dropped to 19 PSI confirming a puncture and a tyre repair shop appeared in the nick of time. After fixing the tyre the guy’s guage indicated 35 PSI while my TMPS indicated 42 so asked him to adjust the pressure according to the TPMS reading.

I guess investing in aftermarket TPMS paid off. I had initially not noticed or felt the puncture and would have kept on going at higher speeds. Much better to be alerted by an innocent beep than anything else which could be nasty. Highly recommend investing in TPMS if your car is not fitted with one especially for regular highway/expressway runs.

Pit stop – For the Mumbai-Goa journey Hotel Abhiruchi at Surur is our favorite. Decent breakfast, ample parking and ok loos. For lunch stopped at Hotel Ramdev, Belgaum as recommended on this forum. On the return journey breakfast was again in Belgaum at Tumkur Tatte Idli, just opposite Hotel Ramdev where the food was good but spicy. For lunch we stopped at Woodstock foodmall on the Pune expressway. Not a lot of food variety and an easy to miss location but a good McDonalds outlet.

[1lokesh]

Originally Posted by Chinmayd

Just back to Mumbai from a 2 week long (Read: very short) trip to Goa. Left Mumbai on Dec 15 and returned on Dec 31. Bad 4G network in Old Goa did not permit any early updates.

Route - I have always been a fan of the Amboli route, always took the right from the Tavandi (KA) exit onward to N.Goa. Compared to Chorla I feel this route is a lot easy with comparatively wider roads and less traffic. With the current status of Amboli route Chorla was the natural choice and boy it was good. Just a few broken patches but smooth throughout. Besides Chorla via Belgaum means you spend more time (65km in 35-40mins) on the excellent {snip}..

Thanks for the update Chinmay. I’m about to start my journey back from Goa in a few minutes. Possible to tell me how long did it take you from Goa to mumbai? And I guess you took the same chorla route back.

Strangely (or maybe technically) Gmaps is still suggesting Amboli route. The chorla route, it shows is more than an hour slower.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by 1lokesh

Possible to tell me how long did it take you from Goa to mumbai?

As you are starting now, perhaps 13 hours.

Strangely (or maybe technically) Gmaps is still suggesting Amboli route.

Gmaps always shows shortest route but doesn't know if tarmac is smooth or pothole-filled. Stick to chorla route.

[Chinmayd]

I left Old Goa at 6am and was in Bandra by 5.30pm. Yes took the Chorla route on the return journey. Took 2 breaks, approx 1h 10m. Early morning start always helps, guess you should add some additional time if leaving now.
Gmaps reading is strange, that happened to me once when using offline maps.
Have a good drive.

[1lokesh]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

As you are starting now, perhaps 13 hours.

Gmaps always shows shortest route but doesn't know if tarmac is smooth or pothole-filled. Stick to chorla route.

I always thought gmaps’ algorithm uses the average speed maintained by vehicles on the particular stretch to suggest ETAs and congestion. And hence the Tarmac condition would have been accommodated. Anyway, I think I’ll stick to chorla

[heman_369]

I did the Chorla route on 25th and 29th Dec return on Pune-Saligao-Pune circuit. Chorla indeed is the recommended route to take to anywhere in North Goa. Surprising very less crowd in Goa in the dates that i was there. We could find plentiful parking at all beaches and even in Panaji city.