Pune to Goa

I just travelled  to Goa from Pune by car (19th Dec 2010) and here are some details on roads and travel for enthusiasts...

We started at 5am from Pune and followed following route and reached Goa by 2 pm for lunch.

Pune (NH4) - Kolhapur - Nipani -right from Tavandi Ghat end - Uttur - Ajara - Amboli Ghat - Sawantwadi - Mapusa

This road is good except 30 km patch from Tavandi to Ajara. This road is full of pothholes and craters and this would absolutely reduce your speed to zero at times. So avoid this road to save your car and time.

Instead of this route take right at Sankeshwar i.e goahead of Tavandi ghat right turn on NH4 itself. I took this route on my way back and road is far better with speed varying between 60-80kmph in ghat section. Pune to Sankeshawar (290 kms) is NH4 where you can drive at 100 above.

Good Road ->
Pune (NH4) - Kolhapur - Nipani -Sankeshwar right - Gadilganj - Ajara - Amboli Ghat - Sawantwadi - Mapusa

Again advise is don;t try to speed up your car from Sankeshwar to Sawantwadi section to save on time as there are sharp turns and driving at nominal speed would help you enjoy your ride. Also ensure that your tank is having good amount of fuel before you turn right at Sankeshwar.

Starting from pune we took our first halt for breakfast at Karad (Hotel Pankaj on highway itself) which is good.

Second halt was at Hotel Kamat near Amboli ghat.

I TRAVELLED TO GOA IN MY FIESTA WITH FRIENDS AND TOOK THE ROUTE FROM PUNE-KOLHAPUR-SANKESHWAR ( KA ) AND THEN RIGHT TURN FROM  NH4 TO AJARA AND THEN AMBOLI GHAT TO SAWANTWADI . THIS IS THE BEST ROUTE TO GOA CONSIDERING WIDTH OF GHAT ROADS AND CONDITION OF ROADS. ONLY THING TO BE CAREFUL OF IS TO HAVE ENOUGH FUEL FOR 100 KM AT LEAST WHEN YOU TURN RIGHT FROM NH4 AT SANKESHWAR KARNATAKA AS THERE ARE NO PETROL STATIONS ON THAT ROUTE.

THERE IS ONE MORE ROUTE THAT IS VERY LESS TRAVELLED WHICH GOES FROM MAHABALESHWAR SATARA DIST. TO POLADPUR ON NH-17 AND THEN AS USUAL TO PANAJI GOA ..THE ROUTE IS VERY GOOD FOR NATURE LOVERS AND A GOOD ONE IF YOU ARE NOT IN A HURRY TO REACH GOA. ONLY PROBLEM BEING NH 17 IS FULL OF SHARP TURNS AND SMALL ROADS AS YOU GO IN RATNAGIRI DIST SO THAT CAN BE DIFFICULT FOR SPEEDY DRIVE.

Hi Nishad,

Thanks a ton for this piece of info. I am planning to drive from Pune to Goa this year end. Can you please suggest more on the route and any other precautions that needs to be taken care before and during the journey. I will be driving my WagonR - would that be a good car to drive till Goa/

Thanks in advance.

Uday

Hi Uday,

Wagon -R is good enough.. (even an Alto will suffice )

Pune - Kolhapur - Sankeshwar - Amboli Ghat - Sawantwadi - Panaji is the best route as suggested by Nishad.  I did that route very recently and the road conditions are fair enough. You will have enough petrol pumps on the way except Amboli pathc. Just tank up your car after Kolhapur and you will be good to reach till Goa.

If leaving on weekends, start early (say 5-6am). This will save you much time getting out of Pune and on the 2 toll booths before Satara. You can get a nice breakfast/lunch at Sai International 30 kms before Kolhapur. No good hotels once you turn right from Sankeshwar till almost Goa. I mean hotels are there but if going with family then better tank up your stomachs on NH4 itself.

Hope this helps.

Hey Pushkar,

Thanks a ton for this guidance. I really appreciate this.

I will defenitely post my tour experience once I am back.

Merry Christmar & Happy New Year in advance.

Regards

Uday

I am planning to travel to Goa in March. I am a little confused between route 1 and 2. Are you sure route 1 is faster? Also I will be travelling by Honda Jazz (low ground clearance.) Any advice on that?

dear Amar,

u can take any route that brings u to NH 17 from Kolhapur. each route has its own fun and sight seeing for a stop.

in gagan bavda route, though the GB ghat road is not super smooth, there are no big craters and since one has to come down very slowly. the top of GB has a scenic view point.

in Amboli ghat u ll get a few waterfalls. take this road if speed is ur concern till sankeshwar then slow down.

through sakharpa ghat if u would like to go to Ganpathi pule and Ratnagiri. this road is exceptionally well and the best in condition with smooth roads. throughout.

through Belgaum and Anmod ghat has good roads.

so first plan ur places of interest and then try to connect them. thus the route selected ll be the best route.

regards

Thanks a lot for the reply. We plan to stay at Amboli Resort for a night halt and then proceed in the morning to Goa. It should take us around 6 hrs to get there and probably another 2 hrs in the morning.