Pune - Goa: Travelogue

[souvikjana83]

Hi All,

Last weekend my in-laws were here in Pune and me and my wife decided to take them to Goa by car. My 2009 Honda City was ready. Yes the same car that I got from Delhi last month via Nagpur. Initially I was planning to start early morning but since my in-laws are aged, I decided its better to travel to Kolhapur in the evening and stay there at night.

Pune - Kolhapur (250 kms):
We started at 5.00 PM from Pune. Since we live very near to Mumbai-Bangalore Highway, we reached the highway in just 10 mins. Also as we were able to start before the office rush, we didn't encounter much traffic on highway as well. We quickly crossed Hinjewadi, Sus Road, Bavdhan, Chandni Chowk and Jambhulgaon. By the time we reached Katraj Tunnel, it was 5.45 PM. We crossed the tunnel and were finally out of the city.

I wanted to cross the small hill-ghat road before Wai as soon as possible as I know I will get lot of traffic of trucks there. We reached Bhor by 6.30 PM and it was still not dark yet. We quickly reached the hill in another 15-20 mins and were amazed to see absolutely no traffic. The roads have been widened and hence the trucks can be bypassed easily. We crossed the hill in just 5 mins and I was feeling very good.

After that we stopped for a tea break and filled up our car to full tank. We again started by 7.00 PM and soon the sun set. The road was pretty good at most points but at some places flyover construction were happening which slowed us down.

We reached Satara by 8.00 PM and soon crossed the Ghat Section. Traffic was pretty smooth and we were easily maintaining an average of 80 kmph. We had crossed halfway mark and my plan was to reach Kolhapur by 9.00 PM. However after half an hour we encountered some good traffic at Karad Toll. It took us 15 mins to cross the toll and finally we reached Kolhapur by 9.30 PM.

We checked into our hotel and rest for the day. Unfortunately as it was dark we didn't take any picture of the roads that day.

 

[souvikjana83]

Re: Pune - Goa

Kolhapur - Goa (220 kms)
We started at 7.30 am in the morning from Kolhapur. Target was to reach Goa as soon as possible. We quickly were on Mumbai-Bangalore Highway. The day was quite fresh and we were feeling awesome. There was not much traffic and I was easily cruising above 100 kmph.

We quickly reached Maharashtra Karnataka Border and everyone was feeling quite excited to be in another state. The road was pretty awesome and the day was bright and clear sunny day with patches of clouds. Absolutely ideal condition tailor-made for the road trip.

Kolhapur Belgaum Highway


We soon reached Belgaum by 9.00 AM. However we encountered lot of traffic in Belgaum City and it took us almost 30-40 mins to get out of the City. Since we were now travelling on State Highway and I was aware that we will be encountering Ghat Roads, our speed will decrease drastically. Google Maps were saying it will take another 3 hours for us to reach Goa.

The ghat roads started and it was probably one of the most memorable part of the trip. The Chorla Ghats were meant for a fairytale drive. Gorgeous Roads, Gorgeous Surrounding and Amazing Ghats. We were all mesmerized and spell bounded by the beauty of the place.

Chorla Ghat Roads






There was hardly any traffic on road and we were easily going at an average of 50-60 kmph. In fact the roads were actually so good that it took us just 2 hours to reach Goa instead of 3 hours as being predicted by Google Maps.

By 11.30 AM, we reached Goa. We were very happy and immediately headed to Old Goa to visit the Churches.

 

[@shri]

Nice pics, please post some more pics of the Ghat section.

 

[fusion_defusion]

Nice travelogue Souvik, I will meet you downstairs to know how it all went. BTW Chorla ghat is truly amazing, you feel like taking a jungle safari in your own ride.

 

[Atulamigo]

I wanted to cross the small hill-ghat road before Wai as soon as possible as I know I will get lot of traffic of trucks there. We reached Bhor by 6.30 PM and it was still not dark yet. We quickly reached the hill in another 15-20 mins and were amazed to see absolutely no traffic. The roads have been widened and hence the trucks can be bypassed easily. We crossed the hill in just 5 mins and I was feeling very good.

That's Khabhatki Ghat, it's one way road and really wider and fully fun drive on it.

 

[souvikjana83]

Nice pics, please post some more pics of the Ghat section.

Sorry I don't have many pics of this as my wife (who is the photographer) was busy enjoying the surroundings more. But most of the ghat roads are like this only. Wonderful to drive.

That's Khabhatki Ghat, it's one way road and really wider and fully fun drive on it.

Thanks for that Info. I was not aware about the name of that Ghat. The Return road is a tunnel so no problems at all.

 

[andykots]

Hello Everyone,
Can anyone advise the best route to Goa from Pune! Am planning to travel in my Maruti A-Star [2010] on 16th Oct 2017. Monsoon after-showers are still seen; intermittent rains and thunderstorms have been regularly. Has anyone been to Goa recently and can help us with the road conditions and the best route which I can choose!
Thanks,

 

[CasualSurfer]

Hello Everyone,
Can anyone advise the best route to Goa from Pune! Am planning to travel in my Maruti A-Star [2010] on 16th Oct 2017. Monsoon after-showers are still seen; intermittent rains and thunderstorms have been regularly. Has anyone been to Goa recently and can help us with the road conditions and the best route which I can choose!
Thanks,

Depending on your destination in Goa, you can try the following:
Option 1: Pune - Satara - Kohlapur - Nipani - Amboli Ghats - Sawantwadi - Goa. The roads between Ajara - Amboli Ghats, heard that broken tarmac/few potholes.
Option 2: Pune - Satara - Kohlapur - Belgaum - Chorla Ghats - Goa. All the way decent to good.

Hope this helps.