Mumbai to Goa
The flyovers between Mumbai and Panvel help you get out of the city in quick time. Go over Thane creek bridge. Cross the Toll booths and drive on for about 17 kms till you arrive at a junction under a flyover. Continue right to go via Panvel city. The road on the extreme right bypasses Panvel but is slightly longer. The road on the left goes to Thane. Go through Panvel and then turn right for Panaji as the road ahead goes to Poona. A few hundred metres later you approach a crossroad. Take the left for Panaji. About 30 Kms later you will come to Pen road junction. Take the right for Panaji till you reach Vadkhal Naka. Turn left for Panaji (NH 17) if you wish to take the direct route or you can go straight on to Alibag if you wish to take the scenic route.
At Nagothane junction take the gradual left and continue along NH17. You may encounter some heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the major towns you pass. Mahad is a nice place to break the journey and refresh yourself for the Ghats ahead. Some decent motels make it suitable for an overnight halt. The next town you hit is Poladpur where one can bear left if one wants to visit the hill station of Mahableshwar (42Kms) or continue straight for Goa through the hills of the Western Ghats. One needs to concentrate hard as the beauty surrounding you distracts you from the steep gradients and blind turns. Chiplun is a nice place to break your journey with some nice hotels. Its a nice halfway point to Goa.
More tight and twisty hilly sections as you make your way out of Chiplun. At Nivli one branch of to the right for Ganpathiphule (30Kms) for a scenic beach or continue straight on NH17. At Hathkhambe junction continue straight on NH17. The road on the right goes to Ratnagiri (13 Km) the home of the famed Alphonso mango. At Pali take the fork on the right and go through some more hilly sections before arriving at Akeri road junction. Bear left for Panaji via Savantwadi. The road to the right also heads to Panaji via Vengurla and Pernem and is 13kms longer. About 5 kms down the road you will hit another fork. Take the right fork for Panaji. This will lead to more narrow twisty hilly sections until you come to the Maharashtra-Goa border. About 8 kms into Goa on NH17 you will arrive at a junction. Take the road on the right at this junction as well as the next major junction (10 Kms) followed by a left at the third (10 Kms). This road will take you into Mapusa city and cross the Mandovi river in Panaji city.
Back to TopThe road to Alibag is narrow and high levels of concentration are required. The ride from Alibag to the isolated, white sand, beaches of Kashid and onto the fort at Murud Janjira is a must see and is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Murud Janjira is a nice place to refresh oneself and stay overnight. Continue driving by the sea and through hills to Roha and rejoin the NH17 at Kolad. You can break off the NH17 at Lonera and head to Harihareshwar (63 Kms) where one can visit the temples and beaches. The MTDC resort at Harihareshwar is a nice place to break the journey. Continuing from Lonera along NH17 you will come across some ancient caves on your left just before Mahad. Mahad offers some nice restraunts and motels. At the next town of Poladpur one can take a left to the popular hill station Mahableshwar (41 Kms) which retains its charm despite rampant commercialisation. Continuing straight on NH17 past Poladpur one gets to drive through the hilly twisty roads of the ghats till one comes to the town of Khed. Turn right off NH17 and head towards Dapoli and onto Harnai (44Kms). There are some wonderful beaches here and it makes for a nice halt.
Backtrack to Khed and join NH17 driving through the twisty hilly sections into Chiplun where one can refresh oneself before heading through more hills until one arrives at Nivli. From Nivli one can head right for the beaches of Ganpathiphule (30 Km) by taking state highway 106. The resort set up by the MTDC is right on the beach and a great place to stay overnight. Continuing past Nivli for about 136 Kms on NH17 one comes to the small town of Kasal where you turn off on the right onto State Highway 118 to the small fishing village of Malvan (33 Km) and onto Tarkali beach (7 Km). Stay here overnight before backtracking to Kasal and following NH17 into Goa.
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Guides to some road trips we recommend you should do.