[Peter]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

No problems with the route,all ok.Amboli ghat is open for traffic,no landslides or traffic restrictions till now.

Thanks Ranjit for your quick response , much appreciated

[mmxylorider]

Just be aware of the Amboli waterfall. It attracts lots of visitors on weekends causing significant jams. I was stuck for over couple of hours last month.

[moralfibre]

Guys, I am off to Goa on 19th (first day of Ganpati). The plan is to go to Pali and then on to Goa via Mahad - Chiplun. Any update on the condition of NH-17? I don't want to be stuck on the highway due to poor roads.

[Peter]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

Just be aware of the Amboli waterfall. It attracts lots of visitors on weekends causing significant jams. I was stuck for over couple of hours last month.

OOH hope I dont get into this situation !! btw is there way I can get around this via a decent enough road that is ?

[deutscheafrikar]

Originally Posted by Peter

OOH hope I dont get into this situation !! btw is there way I can get around this via a decent enough road that is ?

Peter I thought you must have reached Goa by now. Didn't you say you were leaving on the 14th? Well you can't avoid this unless you go another route. I suggest you stick to this route. Are you planning a night drive?

[vuis]

Big shout-out to everyone keeping this thread updated. My 2 cents on a recent Pune-Goa-Pune roadtrip


18 Aug 12: Hadapsar, Pune @ 5:46am to Mapusa Bus Stand, Goa @1:20pm. 443km.
Via Sankeshwar (KA), SH134, SH121, NH17

Pros:

• Great roads from the word go!
• Got surprisingly less traffic
• Toll clearance was quick
• Average speed of 60 km/hr can be attained(one stop of 25min)
• Don’t miss noting the beautifully made and maintained roads and run off areas once you enter Karnataka
• SAI International is a good place to stop at, nice big place, lots of parking, clean bathrooms and decent food

Cons:

• Areas of Amboli ghat were packed with waterfall huggers who parked their cars like it was MG road on Sunday
• Loose stones at a lot of the curves on Amboli ghat, drive carefully
• Not a big one, but concrete roads (prefer asphalt but it was way better/smoother than the Expressway though)

25 Aug 12: BP Petrol Pump(Gauri Car Center), NH17,Goa @ 12:46pm to Hadapsar, Pune @ 12:30am. 538km.
Via Chiplun, Polandpur (NH17), Mahableshwar (SH72) Panchgani, NH4

Took this because we wanted to check out a recent car magazine supplement stating Polandpur-Goa as a Top 10 Must-Drives and I always wanted to do the ghats going to Mahableshwar. Would advise sticking to NH4 route via Sankeshwar.

Pros:

• Extremely scenic (see images below)
• Asphalt roads
• Lots of twisties
• Only moderate Truck traffic
• No toll

Cons:

• Lots of bad tarmac scattered on the NH17 and can spring a surprise if driving at a decent clip
• Watch out for fog
• Average speed of only 47km/hr (three stops totaling 1hr 20min)
• Our usual town traffic in MH (South Goa was such a pleasure to drive)
• 1.5km long jam on the opp side(going to Goa), due to our traffic cops stopping trucks no less, affecting our way

Caution:
After sunset, during the Monsoon and Winter season, “would not” advise driving along the Polandpur – Mahableshwar route. During the last 10km to Mahableshwar visibility was down to 2-3m ahead of the nose of the car and required intense concentration to drive with my wife acting as navigator and reading out left/right navigation through Google maps. Panchgani – Wai was fine with no fog.

[Peter]

Originally Posted by deutscheafrikar

Peter I thought you must have reached Goa by now. Didn't you say you were leaving on the 14th? Well you can't avoid this unless you go another route. I suggest you stick to this route. Are you planning a night drive?

Left on the 15th at 6am in the morning and reached Margao by 4pm

The overall route was very good , smoth and pecefull on the NH4 , not bad on the Sankeshwar to Gadinglaj route either but gets quite bad at certain stretches between Gadinglaj to Amboli .. the Amboli area was all clear when I passed through

Finally home for a couple of days , back to work though very soon

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

Arrived in Goa a couple of days ago. Used the usual route i.e. Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Sankeshwar - Gadhinglaj - Ajra - Amboli - Sawantwadi - Mapuca. Nothing to note on NH 4. Toll booths seemed to be slightly more efficient than before. The roads between Sankeshwar and Sawantwadi have certainly been affected by the monsoons. Rough patches all the way. Took 2.5 hours to do this stretch whereas it usually takes 2 hours. Amboli ghat was clear. A few waterfall lovers but no traffic jams. Was tempted to try the Danoli shortcut but avoided it as per Ashish Pallod's suggestion and my last experience. The road from Sawantwadi to the Goa border has finally been resurfaced and is in good shape. Stopped at Jai Hind restaurant just outside Sawantwadi for lunch. Nothing to rave about. Shivas in Sawantwadi is much better. Goa roads good - as usual. Total driving time 8 hours and 15 mins not including 1 hr 15 min stop for breakfast, lunch and tanking up.

Would appreciate any updates on the Dhanoli road from anyone who has used it recently.

Regards,

SS

[simran]

Hi,

I wanted to thank all of those who have contributed on the thread.

I traveled from Pune to Goa in the first week of September, with a toddler, and with the information presented here, the drive was very pleasant. I took the Amboli route both ways. I did not travel on the weekend, and found the roads to be empty and easy to navigate and drive.

Pune to Goa, we left at 0300hrs and reached Goa at 1200hrs. While coming back, we left around 1430hrs and reached home by 2130hrs. There was a lot of rain while coming back, and at some places, the highways are not lit well and there are no markings, so one has to drive carefully and slowly at night time.

Otherwise the roads are good. If one has time, one must drive on this road. Unlike the expressway, the road is tarmac and there is much less noise.

[Dexter_]

Hi everyone. Im planning to drive down to Goa on 28th September. I will be travelling to South Goa (Colva). I have 2 options:
1) Exit after Nippani and go via Uttur-Ajra-Amboli route
2) Exit at belgaum go via Khanapu - Ponda.
Any suggetions? Would specifically like to know about the road condition on route 2.
Thanks for the help.
Cheers.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Dexter_

Hi everyone. Im planning to drive down to Goa on 28th September. I will be travelling to South Goa (Colva). I have 2 options:
1) Exit after Nippani and go via Uttur-Ajra-Amboli route
2) Exit at belgaum go via Khanapu - Ponda.
Any suggetions? Would specifically like to know about the road condition on route 2.
Thanks for the help.
Cheers.

If you are ok with negotiating a small section of potholes for about 10kms or so,Khanapur is ok.Make sure you complete the drive and reach ponda before 5 in the evening,once darkness sets it,difficult to drive the section as fog also sets in.

[Animesh]

I just took my new car for a Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Goa trip. Clocked 1200 kms in total including few rides within Goa during our stay. Nothing much to contribute in addition to what has already been discussed, but few liners from my end:
- It got really foggy at the Ghats when we were coming back from Goa between Sawantwadi and Amboli and visibility was reduced to bare minimum. This happened around 3 PM
- We weren't aware of any great place between Pune and Vagator (Goa) and hence stopped midway at McDonalds (tried and tested in Kolhapur NH4 highway)
- Easy to cruise at 80-100 kmph throughout the journey other than the Ghats section ofcourse
- Roads are exceptionally well maintained at around 95% of the route
- No major issues with Toll or Traffic even if this was the first long weekend just as the tourist season at Goa kicks off (We left Mumbai on 28th evening of Sep and departed from Goa on 2nd Oct afternoon)
- It rained for almost the entire duration of our travel between Goa and Pune. Highways do get tricky then with some water accumulation here and there. The biggest issue was spotting the White-guide-lines during rains.
- Most beautiful stretch: Just after Kolhapur towards Goa.

[Maverick5490]

Originally Posted by Animesh

I just took my new car for a Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Goa trip. Clocked 1200 kms in total including few rides within Goa during our stay. Nothing much to contribute in addition to what has already been discussed, but few liners from my end:
- It got really foggy at the Ghats when we were coming back from Goa between Sawantwadi and Amboli and visibility was reduced to bare minimum. This happened around 3 PM
- We weren't aware of any great place between Pune and Vagator (Goa) and hence stopped midway at McDonalds (tried and tested in Kolhapur NH4 highway)
- Easy to cruise at 80-100 kmph throughout the journey other than the Ghats section ofcourse
- Roads are exceptionally well maintained at around 95% of the route
- No major issues with Toll or Traffic even if this was the first long weekend just as the tourist season at Goa kicks off (We left Mumbai on 28th evening of Sep and departed from Goa on 2nd Oct afternoon)
- It rained for almost the entire duration of our travel between Goa and Pune. Highways do get tricky then with some water accumulation here and there. The biggest issue was spotting the White-guide-lines during rains.
- Most beautiful stretch: Just after Kolhapur towards Goa.

Hi Animesh,

We returned yesterday evening from Goa. We left at 6 am from Vagator and reached Thane at 5.30 pm. We also also encountered some fog in the morning, but not heavy enough to slow down driving. We had a lunch stop after Shirval, before Pune. Where were you staying at Vagator?

The stretch right before taking the right towards Nipani is beautiful, from there on the progress becomes very slow.

[Animesh]

Originally Posted by Maverick5490

Hi Animesh,

We returned yesterday evening from Goa. We left at 6 am from Vagator and reached Thane at 5.30 pm. We also also encountered some fog in the morning, but not heavy enough to slow down driving. We had a lunch stop after Shirval, before Pune. Where were you staying at Vagator?

PMing you details on my stay.

I guess Fog combined with Mist was at its best (or worst) during late afternoon when we were crossing it. It was raining like all hell broke lose. The good part was that everyone driving was treading their paths very carefully and cautiously.

[nishantbhatia84]

Hello BHPIANS,
I'm planning a trip to Goa towards the end of this month.
I've got the following itinerary in mind, suggestion are most welcome!

1. 23rd October: Leave from Mumbai post-dinner at around 9PM.
2. Drive throughout the night taking the Mumbai-Pune-Kolhapur-Sawantvadi-Goa route (with regular stops to stretch & refresh), should reach Goa at around 9-10AM on 24th.
3. Stay at Goa till 27th October
4. For the return trip, take the Goa-Sawantvadi-Chiplun-Mahad route as I've heard it's really beautiful (not sure about the roads though!)

Request your views about this itinerary and suggestions/changes as well!

Thanks in advance!