Photoblog: Delhi-Goa-Delhi road trip

gauravtalan

A Mile With Us
I have been to Goa a couple of times by train taking the scenic Konkan route. The journey always fascinated me. What would the villages of this stretch look like? How about the beaches and backwaters? After planning for a few months, I finally decided to drive along the Konkan coast while taking the Sagari Mahamarg (Maharashtra State Highway 4 which runs along the coast). On 23rd of December 2017, we (me, my wife, our 6 month old baby, my mother in law and sister in law) left from Delhi to embark on a road trip passing through 7 states and a UT (Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh).

This photo blog gives a brief account of our journey of around 4500 kms covered in 12 days.

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Day 1: Delhi to Udaipur via NH 8. 679 Kms in close to 11 hours.

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Rajsamand Lake some 60 kms short of Udaipur.

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Reached Udaipur around 5 PM. Straightaway rushed to the Pichola lakeside.

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Sunset at Lake Pichola.

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Day 2: Udaipur to Mumbai. Drove for 804 Kms. As soon as we entered Gujarat, we decided to leave the NH 8 and take a state highway which bypasses Ahemdabad. Fantastic roads no traffic or trucks to deal with!

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After a smooth ride, GPS showed a huge traffic jam near Thane before entering Mumbai. Had to take a patchy detour and reached Mumbai late in the evening. After a stroll at Gateway of India-Colaba area, we decided to call it a day.

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Day 3: Mumbai-Dapoli-Murud Beach; 251 Kms. We decided to cover the Mumbai-Goa stretch along the western coast instead of the conventional National Highway. It is a single road with nonexistent traffic. You look on your right while driving and you see the mighty ocean most of the times.

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A Konkan village street. We passed many such villages on this road.

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Murud Beach in the evening.

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Day 4: Murud to Ratnagiri; 140 kms. A typical Konkani house along the coast.

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The Mumbai-Goa coastal highway is known as Sagari Mahamarg or SH-4. Since it runs along the coast, it's difficult to create bridges over so many backwaters and deltas. In order to cross these large creeks, you have to hop your car in a ferry which takes you to the other side. The highway again continues from that point. Such fun even if you have to do it multiple times!

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The ferry ride

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Sagari Mahamarg is full of virgin beaches. Stop your car anywhere and you have a white sand beach on your right.

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Just park your car and plunge into the blue water - Guhagar Beach

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Sagari Mahamarg

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Sagari Mahamarg again

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No wonder why it took us the whole day to cover just 140 Kms. Couldn’t help stopping almost every 5 Kms.

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A rocky beach on the way

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The second ferry takes you to the Jaigad Fort from where you get a panoramic view of the delta.

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Day 5: Ratnagiri to Malvan; 198 Kms. Backwaters on the way

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Vijaydurg beach

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A Natural frame - Vijaydurg Fort

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The beaches of central Maharashtra are so clear that you forget you are on the mainland. Perhaps due to those nonexistent tourists.

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The wall - Vijaydurg Fort

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The mighty coastal forts of Konkan

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Sindhudurg fort was constructed by Chhatrapati Shivaji in the 17th C. The fort lies on an island away from the mainland and one need to take a ferry to reach there.

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Sunset at Tarkarli Beach

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Tarkarli Beach

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Day 6: Malvan to Colva (Goa); 167 Kms. The Sagari Mahamarg became even more interesting.

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Vast grasslands along the Sagari Mahamarg

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We got to see many virgin beaches from the top when highway runs around a hill

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A beach from the top of a hill

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Golden rocks from the Nivti Fort

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Just a yellow boat in the lagoon - Bhogwe Beach

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The Sagari Mahamarg comes to an end as we enter Goa

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This creek forms the border between South Maharashtra and North Goa.

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Typical Goan bungalows from our apartment in Benaulim-Colva

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Day 7: Colva - Palolem - Colva; 81 Kms - Sunset at Palolem Beach

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Day 8: Leisurely strolls on Benaulim and Colva Beach

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Day 9: Colva to Pune; 579 Kms. The Goa Pune Highway crosses through Karnataka and it's dense forests.

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A quick detour to Thosegarh falls from Satara

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A stream in the Western Ghats

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A lake on the way to Satara

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Western Ghats

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Day 10: Pune - Indore; 591 Kms

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Vineries on the Nashik bypass.

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Day 11: Indore - Bhilwara; 406 Kms. A Poha vendor near Ujjain.

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Chittaurgarh Fort

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Chittaurgarh Fort

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Chittaurgarh Fort as seen from the city. Day 12: Bhilwara - Delhi; 543 Kms
 

gauravtalan

A Mile With Us
Quick Itinerary:

Day 1: Delhi - Jaipur Bypass - Beawar - Rajsamand - Udaipur via NH 8; 679 Kms

Day 2: Udaipur - Shamlaji - Modasa bypass - Surat bypass - Bharuch bypass - Vapi - Mumbai (Lower Parel); 804 Kms

Day 3: Mumbai - Pune Expressway - Kolad - Dapoli - Murud Beach; 251 Kms

Day 4: Murud - Dabhol (Take Ferry) - Guhagar beach - Tavasal (Take Ferry) - Jaigad - Ganpati Pule - Ratnagiri; 140 Kms

Day 5: Ratnagiri - Vijaydurg - Kunkeshwar - Sindhudurg - Tarkarli beach - Malvan; 198 Kms

Day 6: Malvan - Nivti Fort - Bhogwe beach - Ashwem beach - Colva (Goa); 167 Kms

Day 7: Colva - Palolem - Colva; 81 Kms

Day 8: Leisurely strolls on Benaulim and Colva Beach; 10 Kms

Day 9: Colva - Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary - Belgavi - Kolhapur bypass - Thosegarh waterfalls - Pune; 579 Kms

Day 10: Pune - Nashik (bypass through village roads) - Dhule - Sedhwa - Indore; 591 Kms

Day 11: Indore - Ujjain bypass - Jaora - Neemuch bypass - Chittorgarh fort - Bhilwara; 406 Kms

Day 12: Bhilwara - Kishangarh - Jaipur bypass - Delhi; 543 Kms
 
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JourneyGuy

Travelholic
Excellent travelogue, beautiful pics.
If possible share expenses on fuel, toll tax etc.
Also recommend the hotels where you stayed.

Sent from my Lenovo Z90a40 using Tapatalk
 

gauravtalan

A Mile With Us
Excellent travelogue, beautiful pics.
If possible share expenses on fuel, toll tax etc.
Also recommend the hotels where you stayed.

Sent from my Lenovo Z90a40 using Tapatalk
Thanks,

The total expense on the diesel was around Rs 14,000. I did not keep a track of Toll but they were quite frequent except in Gujarat state highways where toll was exempt for private cars.

I would recommend the below hotels on this route;

1) Murud Beach: Saaj Resort. Rs 2000/ room/ day. Pros: Right next to the beach, Excellent authentic marathi food. Cons: Mosquitos during the day. They somehow disappear after 7 PM though.

2) Ratnagiri: Maratha Residency. Rs 2600/ room/ day. Pros: Plush rooms, excellent service. Cons: Far from the beach. Not too far from the city center though.

3) Malvan: Shri Maharaj Executive. Rs 3200/ room/ day. Pros: Close to the city center and market, clean rooms. Cons: A bit far from the beach.

4) Goa: We booked a 2BHK apartment on Benaulim Pedda Road through Airbnb. Rs 15,000 for 3 days for the entire apartment. Pros: Close to beach, market. Neat and beautiful rooms. Cons: None

5) Indore: Hotel Ambassador: Rs 2800/ room/ day. Pros: Plush rooms, great service, a mall nearby. Cons: A bit far from the city center.

6) Bhilwara: Ashoka Residency: Rs 2500/ room/ day. Pros: clean rooms. Cons: No dedicated car parking. You have to park on the road.
 
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