[hridaygandhi]

Ahmedabad to Goa (1143 km)

The better half has a compulsory week off during the last week of December, so we decided to drive to Goa from Ahmedabad (instead of flying down there like we have in the past 3 years) since we had no fixed agenda in Goa this time around. The chariot was our trusty F48 BMW X1, and we covered the onward journey in 1.5 days and the return journey over 2 days.

The route taken both to and fro was: Ahmedabad-Navsari-Mumbai-Pune-Karad-Malkapur-Anuskura-Oni-Vagator



Day 1: Ahmedabad to Navsari (302 kms)

My parents are based out of Navsari, so instead of leaving at 4 am from Ahmedabad and covering the entire 1143 kms at a stretch, we decided to break the journey a little. Left from Ahmedabad at 5.30 pm and reached Navsari by 10 pm via NE1 & NH48 with a dinner break en-route. This is a route we take often, and although marred by a lot of traffic, no surprises there. The route is relatively well-paved, plenty of good food joints but full of trucks hogging all the 3 lanes. (The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway NE4 section from Vadodara to Ankleshwar is almost complete and is expected to open before May 2024.)

Day 2: Navsari to Goa (841 kms)

Phase 1: Navsari to Mumbai-Pune Expressway Food Plaza (298 kms)
Post a leisurely breakfast, we started at 9.15 am from Navsari. Having been well-rested and with a long drive ahead, drove close to 300 kms non-stop till the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Food Plaza before Lonavala and reached there by 1.15 pm. Baring the mild traffic while crossing Thane-Airoli in Mumbai to catch the Mumbai-Pune expressway, covering this section was quick, courtesy well-paved roads.

Phase 2: Food Plaza to Karad (248 kms)
Post a 1-hour lunch break for us and fuel top-up for the X1, left Food Plaza at around 2.30 pm and continued the journey to Pune-Karad-Satara via the expressway and NH48. After exiting the expressway, the route is straight all the way to Karad. We were met with light traffic while bypassing Pune, followed by many diversions throughout. However, the traffic was light (as compared to Ahmedabad-Mumbai that we are used to), and the progress was brisk. We reached Karad at 6 pm and stopped for a tea & Maggi break.

Note: Post Karad bypass, just before the right we are supposed to take for Malkapur, a new McDonalds has opened which can be a good break for folks taking this Anushkura Ghat road as there are barely any decent food joints till Goa after this.

Phase 3: Karad-Malkapur-Anushkura Ghat-Oni (130 kms)
After taking the right after Karad toward Malkapur, it was time to say good-bye to 4 or 6-lane highways. However, the road conditions were good throughout. The Karad-Malkapur stretch had a bit of traffic. There was next to nil traffic on the Malkapur-Anushkura and Anushkura-Oni sections as it was dark already. The ghat sections can get a little tricky in the night as they are quite steep with multiple hair pin bends, but the X1 was fun despite its FWD layout and even in the dark. We decided to stop by the famed Anushkura Ghat on our return leg (and boy it did not disappoint) since it was dark and decided to carry on quickly toward our destination. It took us roughly 1 hour each to cover each of these sections (Karad to Malkapur, Malkapur to Anushkura & Anushkura to Oni).

Phase 4: Oni-Vagator, Goa (170 kms)
We reached Oni at 9.30 pm and joined the newly made Mumbai-Goa highway, NH 66. We decided not to stop for dinner (not that there were many options had we decided to) and barrelled down the NH66 for 157 kms before we took a right for Vagator. The road had sparse traffic, and with the recently laid out concrete, except for a few minor diversions, the progress was very quick. We checked into the hotel at 11.30 pm.

Despite covering 841 kms during the day, the X1 lived up to its BMW name and we were not tired at all. Had a nice dinner and retired to bed.

Day 3-4-5: Goa

Attended the Sunburn Festival and basically just loitered around North Goa having good food and watching sunrises & sunsets. Rented a Yamaha Fascino at an atrocious Rs.1200 per day owing to the New Year Eve rush.

Return Journey: Day 6: Goa to Pune (441 kms)

Embarking on the return journey, we adopted a more relaxed pace, extending the trip over 2 days. The slightly extended timeframe allowed us to savour the scenic route with leisure. We started around 11.45 pm and the first 170 kms to Oni were a breeze. We exited NH 66 towards Anushkura Ghat by 1.30 pm. Stopped at numerous locations toward Anushkura Ghat and a sugarcane farm to enjoy the scenery. Took a few pictures. Spent around 1 hour in the process. This is why we take a road trip, right?





We retraced the same route to Malkapur, Karad, Satara and Pune we took while coming to Goa and was the journey was uneventful. Stopped at Karad around 4.30 pm at a place called Hotel Trikaya and both the food and service were very good. Post a relaxed lunch, continued to Pune. Encountered decent amount of traffic at Karad & Satara and while entering Pune. Eventually reached Pune by 8 pm. Caught up with a friend and relaxed.

Day 7: Pune-Ahmedabad

Post a light breakfast, started from Pune at 9 am and stopped at Vasai for tea at 11 am, after crossing Mumbai where we got lucky with very little traffic. The NH 48 was blocked because of the truckers’ strike over the hit-and-run law but the Maharashtra police helped us cross the section using service lanes and were very friendly and helpful. Reached Navsari at around 2 pm and spent some time with my parents over lunch. We left Navsari around 6 pm, had dinner at Jagdish near Karjan on NH 48 and were home, at Ahmedabad by 10.30 pm.

Dislikes of the BMW X1 (F48)

• Absence of Apple CarPlay is my biggest gripe with the car. Currently I am evaluating options of getting an MMI Pro with a larger OEM screen despite the higher price tag as I do not want to fit any android screen and would like to keep the experience as OEM as possible.

• No proper place to keep cell phones.

• The controls on the steering are not very intuitive, however, the angled dashboard toward the driver solves the issue.

• Stiff suspension leads to a somewhat uncomfortable ride on rough terrain.

• The diesel clatter is mildly audible.

Likes of the BMW X1 (F48):

• The 188 hp 400 nm engine! After a mild initial lag, the engine never feels out of breath and the terrific mid-range makes overtaking absolutely easy.

• No matter how heavy the right foot, the engine is very efficient. We recorded 15 kmpl on this trip.

• The 8-speed AISIN gearbox is fast and always is in the right gear hardly requiring the use of paddle-shifters.

• The Sport mode makes the throttle responses extremely sharp.

• 505 litres of boot space can accommodate everything. The 60:40 split, and the sliding rear seats are an added plus.

A remap and an infotainment upgrade are on the cards and the X1 continues to drive like when it was new. Looking forward to many more trips with it.


Yours truly with the X1.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by hridaygandhi

Phase 3: Karad-Malkapur-Anushkura Ghat-Oni (130 kms)

Thanks for the great updates. Very useful post.

In fact, last week, I drove on this exact same section. I drove from Pune to Ganapatipule by this route: Pune-Karad-Malkapur-Anuskura-Oni and then back to Ganpatipule. This is a longer route to Ganpatipule. There is a shorter road directly from Malkapur to Ganpatipule via Amba ghat. But I have driven on that road many times and therefore, this time wanted to try Anuskura Ghat road just for the fun of it, even though it meant a longer route.

Overall I agree with you. The entire road from Karad to Oni (via Malkapur and Anuskura Ghat) is fantastic, and certainly a lot of fun to drive.

Sharing a few photos below:

Section from Karad to Malkapur:



Somewhere between Malkapur to Anuskura (could not resist taking a few car photos here):



Roads leading up to Anuskura ghat:



At Anuskura ghat view point:



A couple of views from there:






And from Oni, southward towards Goa is a nice four-lane divided highway. That road is scenic and nice too, but the road surface is concrete, and it is quite rough and bumpy. But apart from that, that road is great too.

Overall, compared to all other route options being discussed here (and based on my experiences of driving on those), I think this option of Karad-Malkapur-Anuskura-Oni-Goa seems to be the best option for driving from Mumbai/Pune to Goa.

[ACMerchant]

Hello All.
I plan to reach Goa on the 10th so apart from Karad-Malkapur-Anuskura-Oni-Goa seems to be the best option, I would like to know the road condition of Highway 66 Mumbai Goa from Poladpur(Khed-Chiplun-Sangameshwar-Hathkhamb-Lanja and meeting the road at Oni) as will be halting at Mahableshwar.My drive is Brezza 2022 AT.

[RandomExplorer]

Originally Posted by UD17

I also completed Pune-Palolem (south goa) recently.


1. Pune- Belgavi: OKish road with lot of diversion. Overall it took me 1.5 hours more this time to reach to Belgavi. I started at 4.30am from PCMC.

2. Belgavi- Khanapur: butter smooth, broad and not so busy road and make up some of the lost time. you can drive at constant speed of 90-100 here.

3. Belgavi-Anmod: This time i ditched (my regular) route via hemmadaga (Bhimgad) but rather took Khanapur- Ramnagar. The roads was 75% OK and other 25% is under construction or just one side serviceable.

4. Ramnagar-Anmod: Again 80% road is great but other 20% is under construction and same story , just one side serviceable.

5. Anmod- Goa: Great road as always, Ghat was also ok, there was traffic but manageable. Goa roads are again in great shape, no complains there.

Overall from PCMC (Pune) to Rajbag (the lalit) it took me 10.5 hours, with 1.5 hour break in between. In the past i have registered 9 hours to reach same destination.

Thanks for the inputs UD17. I plan to drive to South Goa end February. Whilst onwards to Goa, I will take the Anuskura - ONI route; on my return I am split between Anmod-Belgaum vs. Sawantwadi-Nipani route; any advice on that? Any other views from others are welcome. Thanks in advance.

[sumeethaldankar]

What will be the ideal route to travel to Vengurla from Mumbai? Is the Mumbai-Goa still not completed? Last I had travelled this route via the NH17 in 2001 to Vengurla. Post that all I have heard is that the highway is a mess. Vengurla is on-route to Goa and there is a internal route which drives to Goa from Vengurla, at-least was there till 2001.

[manonsong]

I see this last post from 2023. I am planning to drive from Mumbai to Goa with a stop in Kolhapur overnight. I intend to leave from Kolhapur on 13th March. Any sugegstions for the best route to South Goa? Thank you for your thoughts

[Lux_Noob]

Hi Folks, I am planning a Mumbai to Goa (Candolim) road trip in the last week of this month. Wanted suggestions on the best route and how much should I trust google maps on such long routes. I also use mapmyindia but have not tried it on the highways. This will be my first long drive with prior longest being multiple Mumbai Pune runs, and as an aside, will be happy to put some kms on the very less run new car before it goes in for its first service in April! Occupants of the car (all new Q3) will be myself and my better half (both of us drive), and 2 kids (15,11). I plan to drive without a long halt, so maybe leave by 5 am from Mumbai western suburbs, and with lunch/tea stops, expect to hit destination by 7 ish pm (gmap says 12.5 hrs approx). Any tips beyond route are also welcome (including food joints en-route for veg folks) given my first time long run as well. Thanks in advance!

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

[list][*]Karad to Nippani turn-off at the end of Tawandi Ghats is 115 km and will take not more than 2 hours even in its present condition with diversions due to 6 lane work[*]

Hello need your advice for Mumbai to Malvan route if you have been on this route recently. This will be my first road trip after a really long time and while I am watching latest videos related to the route and most of them say that the old Nh66 route has many rouch patches and is not complete. What will be the best route to take say from Mumbai to Malvan. Sorry to bother you for this. We are expected to leave in the last 1-2 weeks of this month. There are so many posts that I am not clear what will be the best route. The depart time will be 6 AM from Airoli (Thane).

Thanks.

[Dieseltuned]

Originally Posted by Lux_Noob

Hi Folks, I am planning a Mumbai to Goa (Candolim) road trip in the last week of this month. Wanted suggestions on the best route and how much should I trust google maps on such long routes. I also use mapmyindia but have not tried it on the highways. This will be my first long drive with prior longest being multiple Mumbai Pune runs, and as an aside, will be happy to put some kms on the very less run new car before it goes in for its first service in April! Occupants of the car (all new Q3) will be myself and my better half (both of us drive), and 2 kids (15,11). I plan to drive without a long halt, so maybe leave by 5 am from Mumbai western suburbs, and with lunch/tea stops, expect to hit destination by 7 ish pm (gmap says 12.5 hrs approx). Any tips beyond route are also welcome (including food joints en-route for veg folks) given my first time long run as well. Thanks in advance!

I also reside in the western suburbs, usually on my trips out of the city I prefer taking WEH - SCLR - GMLR - New Bombay route. Leaving early helps beat traffic I can easily cover up to Panvel (entry point of Pune expressway) in about 1 hr 10 mins.

Post that I think it should be straightforward NH runs :

Expressway to Pune - Karad - Malkapur - Anushkura Ghat - Oni - Goa.

You might see some diversion around Satara and Karad due to ongoing NH works.

On my return journeys I prefer same route back until Panvel and then rely on GMaps to suggest a faster route into the western suburbs either via Airoli-JVLR OR via GMLR-EEH-BKC connector.

At all costs avoid the SCLR while coming in to western suburbs, the exit point at Santacruz is a mess and will be a kill joy.

Hope this helps.

P.S : If you are travelling on a weekend avoid the food plazas on the expressways, just not worth the pain negotiating the insane parking situation for overpriced and sub par food..

Post the Katraj tunnels after Pune you will find a lot of food options including Kamat, Joshi vadewale and the multiple misal joints.

Regards
Diesel

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by Lux_Noob

Hi Folks, I am planning a Mumbai to Goa (Candolim) road trip in the last week of this month.

Adding to what Dieseltuned has said, the Lonavala ghat section on the expressway is full of traffic, thanks to truckers, in the wee hours of the morning. I've been stuck multiple times now, even after leaving from western suburbs of Mumbai between 4-5 in the morning. This traffic doesn't clear up until 8-9 am IMO.

So what we did back in Jan was leave at 2.30 am, head to MTHL > JNPT road > Old Pune highway > then join the E-way after Lonavala. Only downside is you encounter some speed breakers on the old highway till Khalapur. We'll be driving to Goa next week and I'll take a call then whether to take the E-way or old highway till Khalapur and then switch to the old ghat road to bypass the traffic.

[Lux_Noob]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Adding to what Dieseltuned has said, the Lonavala ghat section on the expressway is full of traffic, thanks to truckers, in the wee hours of the morning. I've been stuck multiple times now, even after leaving from western suburbs of Mumbai between 4-5 in the morning. This traffic doesn't clear up until 8-9 am IMO.

Thanks for the info. But leaving at 2.30 am seems too taxing given the long drive. Maybe old Mumbai highway is a better idea then though I have never travelled on that route while going to Pune.

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

I also reside in the western suburbs, usually on my trips out of the city I prefer taking WEH - SCLR - GMLR - New Bombay route. Leaving early helps beat traffic I can easily cover up to Panvel (entry point of Pune expressway) in about 1 hr 10 mins.
Regards
Diesel

Super helpful. Going through this forum and some YouTube videos, the Anushukra ghat route does seem the best bet right now. I have driven to Mahabaleshwar, Amby valley etc, so I guess these ghats will not be too difficult to manoeuver. Yeah, that Kalina exit for SCLR is terrible, I learned it the hard way myself more than once. Not sure, if this is a temporary issue, but they need to extend merging into WEH somehow, else it does not make sense to have been built in the 1st place. I too now take BKC connector while coming from Pune.

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by Lux_Noob

Thanks for the info. But leaving at 2.30 am seems too taxing given the long drive. Maybe old Mumbai highway is a better idea then though I have never travelled on that route while going to Pune.

Of course a pre 3am start is tough if one is not habituated, and especially with kids.

I am attaching a G-maps link. The start point is on the expressway. It's also the spot where you would join the expressway if you take the MTHL>JNPT route. Post that its E-way > Khalapur exit > Khandala ghat using old highway > and rejoin Expressway after Lonavala. Just check G-maps to check out the traffic situation on Khandala Ghat before starting on the expressway. If it's clear, carry on, or take the old highway detour. old highway road is good, nothing to worry about.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/18.9...!3e0?entry=ttu

[silverado]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Of course a pre 3am start is tough

In my view, rather than 3am start, you can start on earlier day evening and take a break near Satara/Kolhapur overnight. For this you need to reach eway ghat section before 8pm to avoid truck traffic, its here that MTHL will come in handy as during daytime traversing via vashi-panvel is time consuming.

However i didnt get why u had to take MTHL early morning if you are starting from western suburbs.

Anyways all this will be history soon once missing link is completed

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by silverado

In my view, rather than 3am start, you can start on earlier day evening and take a break near Satara/Kolhapur overnight.

Our original destination is Mangalore. Goa is just a pit-stop. We usually halt at Hubli, but the Karnataka border > Belgaum section of the NH48 is riddled with speed breakers on the diversions Imagine going through that torture for 80+ Kms. So while returning we did the Mangalore-Goa-Anuskura-Karad-Mumbai route and it was peaceful. So we'll stick to it till the six lane work of NH4 is done or the NH66 (lol) is ready.

However i didnt get why u had to take MTHL early morning if you are starting from western suburbs.

Well it was our first jaunt on the link so we were like why not? And it was a peaceful drive at 3 am with the link to ourselves . Currently G-maps shows it to be 4 mins faster and as far as I remember, even at night there isn't much difference compared to the Vashi route.

[Lux_Noob]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Of course a pre 3am start is tough if one is not habituated, and especially with kids.

I am attaching a G-maps link. The start point is on the expressway. It's also the spot where you would join the expressway if you take the MTHL>JNPT route. Post that its E-way > Khalapur exit > Khandala ghat using old highway > and rejoin Expressway after Lonavala. Just check G-maps to check out the traffic situation on Khandala Ghat before starting on the expressway. If it's clear, carry on, or take the old highway detour. old highway road is good, nothing to worry about.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/18.9...!3e0?entry=ttu

Thanks so much, really appreciate the detailed guidance