Road Trip to Goa

Remember Akash, Sameer, and Sid from “DilChahta Hai” going on a road trip to Goa and giving us ultimate travel goals? The hype for this road trip has been created since childhood. From scenic views to tranquil winding roads, from exotic checkpoints to endless local eateries, this must be one of those must-do road trips on your bucket list.

Here, I’ll be sharing my own experience of going on a road trip to Goa. I drove from Mumbai to Goa all by myself, it may sound like a small journey but I can bet you on this that it was one of the most enriching and memorable experiences I have ever had. Before I get to the details, just keep one thing in mind that a road trip also needs a bit of research so that you don’t have to find things on the spot. You must know what comes next on your journey.

Route to be taken

Mumbai to Goa is a 590 km journey and during a road trip, it will take you around 10-12 hours long drive. You can drive your own car or hire one. Hiring one might cost you more so prefer your private car as this will enhance your experience of the journey.

Taking a car is not the only option! You can even opt for a motorbike or a sleeper bus if you don’t mind a slightly longer journey.

You will come across two routes during this journey, one is the highway with numerous tolls and the other is a coastal road with fewer tolls. The latter is probably more scenic and I preferred this one.

I broke my journey into parts:

Mumbai to Pune: Here, I took the famous Mumbai Pune expressway. It’s a six-lane concrete road of around 110 Km. You will love this expressway for the high speed.

Pune to Satara: Here also you will find amazing roads and some great food points. I stopped here for a small meal and resumed my journey thereafter.

Satara to Kolhapur: The distance here is around 123 Km and it will take approximately 2 hours to cover this journey.

Kolhapur to Goa: This route is dreamy for sure. I clicked so many pictures over here as the place seemed so photogenic to me. This route is around 350 Km long. But when you are driving through Amboli ghat on the way you will find that there are no street lights so try avoiding driving during the night.

If you want to enter Goa before its dark, try beginning your journey at 5 am otherwise any time would be fine. Above all don’t forget to create your music playlist prior! You won’t be getting a good network on the way so YouTube won’t work. Don’t regret it later!

Food for Thought!

Whenever I head for a road trip, I try to carry some home-cooked meals and some packed food items. In case I do not find anything on the spot, I will have my own food for me. So, here I am recommending the same to you. You will find some dhabas on the way too and you can choose according to your time of the stoppage.

Fuel and Toll Charges

The fuel charges will vary, petrol will cost you more as compared to diesel and CNG. I crossed around seven tolls on my way and I paid around INR 700 in these tolls. You might find it high but I won’t mind paying that much for such smooth roads. Now as we have Fast-Tag on our cars, paying tolls has become super easy.

Stay at Hotels

Once you have reached your destination you can look out for someplace where you want to stay. If you have a high budget then you can look for some amazing resorts with beautiful views and big casinos. Some of the best resorts are Heritage Village Resort and Spa (INR 4,410), Resort Rio (INR 4,661), Royal Orchid Beach Resort and Spa (INR 3,627), Mayfair Hideaway Spa Resort (INR 3,402), and many more.

If you want some cheap and best options, you can look for OYO rooms and hostels. This will cost you very little.

I hope you have gained some insights from my journey and you are good to go for your road trip to Goa. The next time I plan to go Goa by flight, I‘ll have to think twice as the road trip was something which I will never forget. I hope the same for you!