Here is a gist of how to reach Goa from Hyderabad via road for all those driving enthusiasts who love to hit the highway.
These are the major routes to Goa from Hyderabad.
1. Hyderabad - NH9 - Sholapur - Kolhapur - NH4 - Belgaum - Londa - Panaji.
2. Hyderabad - NH9 - Sholapur - NH13 - Bijapur - Belgaum - Londa - Panaji.
3. Hyderabad - NH9 - Sholapur - Sangli - Kolhapur - Savantwadi - Mapuca - NH17 - Panaji.
4. Hyderabad - NH7 - Raichur - SH20 (K'taka) - Lingusur - Hungund - Bagalkot - Yergatti - Belgaum - Londa - Panaji.
I always prefer to take the 4th route mentioned because it is one of the shortest possible, also almost 80% of the times the road is empty and the condition of the roads is marvelous. The only blemish is the drive from Londa to Goa border where the road is in a pathetic condition thanks to all the dumpers and lorries plying those so-called highways (but then you would anyways have to encounter that road on 3 of the 4 options mentioned above).
The round trip mileage would definitely not be less than 1600KM leaving aside the travel in Goa which one can safely assume to be anywhere from a 20-50KM average a day if you like to roam around in Goa. Again, it totally depends on the enthusiasm the drivers show.
Have atleast 2 good drivers who have previous experience on highways with you with one backup driver who can drive on empty highways. An ideal scenario would be to have more than 3 good drivers because that way, you can get a lot of rest for each driver.
It takes anywhere from 14-17 hours of driving to reach Panaji from Hyderabad, and thats a lot. So you better get your vehicle serviced and in a good shape before you set off on the road. Also, be sure that you tank up at each petrol bunk that you see cause you never know when you might run out of fuel.
A word of caution, the ghat section is tricky and needs experience. So have your best drivers driving you through the ghats. Also make sure that anyone who is driving in the ghats has had a nice rest before that since it can be particularly tiring with all the clutch, gear-shifting, hair-pins, and traffic to avoid.
NEVER DRIVE AT NIGHT IN THE WESTERN GHATS. It is a total waste of time, since all the dumpers and lorries would be all over the roads and it would be foggy as well. It is just a waste of time. Dont be an idiot in trying to be brave. Be wise and hit the ghats only in broad daylight.
Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post. Do share your experiences if ever you take the road to Goa. It is a feeling quite unmatched by others.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
28 comments:
you forgot to mention one condition -- you should have a car :(
whom did you go with?
i agree with jumpa. so tere are 4 routes? awesome! will surely make a trip there. will be worth it, and will come back stocked with booze.
I understand from your "No more a teenager!!" you must have travelled by a Ford Ikon... thats great! but is it possible on a bike? that too solo? Yes, you read it right... I'm really planning for this trip since last few months... I've done a sole ride to Pune from Hyderabad on bike... 565Kms/day is my longest solo ride till date covering those hillstations around...
I would greately appreciate your advice! Pls leave a comment below..I'll get back for sure!
It definitely is possible to go there on a bike....2 pieces of advice though....First, Plan your trip such that you dont enter the Western Ghat section during the night time....Second, since you are travelling alone, be very sure of the condition of your bike since around 750 km of biking can be very tough on the machine....Let me know if you need to know anything more !! Cheers....
Thanks navjot for the reply, i hope your 2 pieces advice will help me come back in 1 piece..Yes, i'll do all i can to see that bike is all set, even i'm quit apprehensive about the engine for such long journeys...So, would you suggest me route#4?
Hope to make myself there by this month end...Will blog for sure i'm back alive!
Yes, surely my suggestion would be Route #4....Lots of villages in K'taka that you would pass by so that's one good thing....Roads are good and very empty....And you are choosing an absolutely amazing time to go to GOA....the festive season is just beginning....Hav fun dude !!
Hey navjot, thanks for the help, I'm back for goa yesterday, have done my longest solo ride on a bike in the this route in just over 20hrs.
all and all the road route was quite fair
Will share my blog soon...
thx again!
What I found most challenging is the route between Londa and Goa(7km stretch completely damaged by truckers)and driving towards Raichur after 19:00 hrs from Bagalkot on my way back(with raining insects on my visor together with worst road and camouflaged rumble stripes near villages all across karnataka.
Anyway here's some of my photos at Goa and enroute...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28891303@N05/
You are a bloody good photographer man....And you've been to more places in Goa than I have ever been....Well done dude!! Absolutely loved the pics :)
Hi Navjot, remember me? the guy who asked your for help regarding goa ride last year, since then i have done many long solo rides on my motorcycle, including Bangalore and Mumbai(just last week)from Hyderabad. anyway just wanted to say thanks, wondering why? it's for your advice "It definitely is possible" that left me with "Yes I can do" attitude. Actually both the rides above was done faster than the average speeds of volvo bus.
Check the previous posted flickr link above for Mumbai photos. I've also added some old photos of my trip to Mahabaleshwar too...Thanks!
Gosh you are one insomniac soul..And of course I remember you..You seem be a huge fan of the highways..Could you also tell me about the journey from Hyderabad-Mumbai..I am planning to drive down to Pune and onwards to Mumbai from Hyd and I am a little sceptical about the distance and the roads !!
somethinglikehappinesshmmm... nothing special, but yes it was really hot. Road condition is fair, except before reaching homnabad-Karnataka(6km streatch is quite badly damaged, repairs had been done at few stretches)
Some points I noted:
I stay near BHEL close to NH-9. It took me exactly 1:25min to touch karnataka boarder(98kms from home) A sign board was welcoming me to Karnataka. There is a police checkpost here, just make sure you have the papers to avoid unwanted pestering by these dorks incase they stop you. Maharastra border is exactly 74kms from this point. I barely ever encountered any speedbreakers. Once in Maharastra road is quite straight, if you are travelling by car you will feel the truck traffic on this route quit annoying from here on, be cautious while over taking. There is a bypass road from Sholapur for Pune(Just keep an eye on the Signposts).
Making your way out of Pune city is quite tricky as severaly routes exist and as I see different people prefer different routes at different times to avoid traffic and get out of Pune. You may want to check team-bhp forums for it. If you plan to stay back at Pune then this should not bother you.
Once out of Pune you have options to either go via NH-4 or take Expressway to Mumbai. You should make it to Navi Mumbai in 2.5hrs if you take Expressway. While in Mumbai I read an article that Mumbai police are planning to procure speedguns to check the speed of vehicles moving on expressway. Anything above 80Kmph is not legal speed, though I've seen people doing well over 200kmph on some of the streatches of expressway(EW), so better be careful.Two wheelers are not allowed on EW, but I actually came till Lonavala from Mumbai on EW on my way back. I accidentally got on this road when I started early in the morning. I slipped from the toll quite fast. Police around watched me slipping away helplessly.
Make sure you have a jack and spare tyre with right tyre pressure, as I remember helping a guy out with flat tyre on my way back near karnataka. Well the total distance I got from BHEL(Hyd) to Mumbai(Bandra West) is 687kms exactly.
Cheers and wear your seat belts!
Thanks a lot dude..You've got my roaming juices flowing again..You've got some energy man..I checked out the pics that you've shared on Flickr..and you are a damn neat photographer as well..Great camerawork man !! Cheers..
planning to go from pune to hyd tomorrow...will post the present status of roads..and othere details...
Good post...agree with u completely.. never drive in the nights in the western ghats
Really appreciate your patience .. keep it up !!
Yes, really.
The Best way to go Goa from Hyderabad is ..
1. Hyderabad - NH9 - Sholapur - Kolhapur - NH4 - Belgaum - Londa - Panaji.
The roads are very pathetic in all other ways..we lost huge time ..driving was stressful and car suffered a lot :(...
if u are driving for more than 400KM for new place..go with National highways...even though it takes more time and distance..u vil have pleasant journey...
Hey Praveen,
I am planning a solo trip to Goa on my Thunderbird, would like to have a word with you about your trip and and could surely use some advice , suggestion's.
could u please send me your number to shaikh.irfan31@gmail.com
when i m traveling to goa when i cn expect ghat roads
The ghat roads start about 10-15km after Belgaum and continue for about another 100kms. Be safe and have a great trip!!
Thanks for sharing this useful information with us and now I want to discuss with you for blog posting my content if you are interested so please contact me in my mail saras.seospecializer@gmail.com .
If you are interested so please contact me in my email address.
hiii navjot iam planning to make my goa trip from hyderabad within 2 weeks with my friends in innova, iam having around 10,000 km experience, and driving is my passion. i want which rout is the best and can i start to goa after 7pm in night from hyd??? becouse most of my trips i traveled at night times, so i need a suggestion about night drive to goa.
@Aditya: In my opinion Option#2 is the best road, both in terms of driving experience and the time needed. The roads are good and if you're planning to start at night, you'll hit the ghat section around Londa about 6-7AM the next day. The rule of ghar driving (or any mountain road driving) -> no acceleration on turns, stick to your lane, overtake extremely carefully, sometimes it's best to stick behind a state bus or a dump truck because they drive at a decent speed and are very skillful at negotiating turns. Finally, always give way to traffic that is moving uphill.
Of course, if you have a lot of spare time and want to play safe, stick to the national highways (though, of course in the monsoon season, there is no guarantee that the roads would be any better than the state highways/local roads). Have a map or sort of rough idea of the places you'd want to reach since you won't find a lot of road signs or people in rural Karnataka late at night (you'll find a lot of cows squatting leisurely on the roads though :) ). All the best with your trip. Let me know how it went after you're back!
Hello navjot, I am planing to a trip to goa with Royal Enfield. We are going in gropu of 4 . which route do you suggest for bike bike ride from hyderabad to goa. any suggestion will be of great help.
@Rocky: The best route by far in my experience was. We managed to did the return trip in 12 hours flat but that was really a stretch.
Hyderabad -> Humnabad -> Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) -> Vijayapura (Bijapur) -> Athani -> Chikodi -> Nipani -> Amboli -> Sawantwadi -> Panjim
If you're the kind of driver who likes to take breaks and are not in a rush then I would suggest the classic routes below
Hyderabad -> Mahbubnagar -> Raichur -> Lingsugur -> Bagalkot -> Belagavi (Belgaum) -> Londa -> Castlerock -> Panjim (Do check out Doodhsagar Falls if possible..They are little off-course but worth it).
Hyderabad -> Mahbubnagar -> Raichur -> Sindhanur -> Hampi -> Hosapete -> Gadag -> Hubballi -> Dandeli -> Karwar -> Canacona -> Margao -> Panjim (This one is my personal favorite but is also the longest..you can stop at Dandeli for White water rafting in season..also, you will enjoy beautiful ghat roads near Karwar..and not to forget the awesome Canacona beaches..Palolem et al.)
Ride safe and avoid night driving in the ghats..
All the best!! Do share your experience when you are back..
Hi am planning a solo trip to Goa on my FZ S ,could you please advice .here is my watsup number .9014562612.I have already completed my trip from trivandrum to hyd successfully.than
@Sharath: If you're on a bike with time to spare, use the opportunity to go down the following route.
Hyderabad -> Mahbubnagar -> Raichur -> Lingsugur -> Bagalkot -> Belagavi (Belgaum) -> Londa -> Castlerock -> Panjim (Do check out Doodhsagar Falls if possible..They are little off-course but worth it).
All the best! Let me know how your trip turns out.
Post a Comment