What You Need to Know For Taking That Mumbai to Goa Road trip!

POSTED BY TRAVELSHOPEE IN 6th. FEB, 2016

Have you never wished to go for a Mumbai to Goa road trip after watching Dil Chahta Hai? That is one trip that every travel lover wishes to experience at least once in his life. The Mumbai to Goa road trip can be considered as one of the best road trips in the country where you can experience immense scenic beauty. Yes, it will be exactly as you see in the movie, or maybe, even better than that. Through the mesmerizing Western Ghats, you can travel to the land of beaches, Goa. This is one of those trips that can prove to you that it is not about the destination, but about the journey to reach there.

One of the best things about this trip is that Goa is just a 12 hours drive from Mumbai, so whenever you get a long weekend, you can take off for this brilliant road journey.

What is the best time to visit Goa?

The beaches of Goa are swarming with people in the months of December and January and this is indeed the best season to visit Goa. But if you are planning a visit during these times, then it is better if you could book your accommodations in advance. In case you want to avoid the crowd, you may visit during the months of February to June and October to December. If you are willing to experience the lush greeneries and empty beaches, you can visit the place in the monsoons. Moreover, Goa is the cheapest during monsoons, but then driving down there is a bit challenging.

There are two common routes which people take for a Mumbai to Goa road trip and it is upon you to decide which route would suit you better.

Route 1:Mumbai to Goa via NH 4

Total Distance: 590 kms

Total Duration: 10 hours 30 minutes (Non stop)

Route:

• Mumbai to Pune by the Mumbai Pune Expressway
• Pune to Satara to Kolhapur to Belgaum (NH4)
• Belgaum to Goa

Approximately 20 kms longer than the other route, this is a trip worth taking. People consider it as the best route between Mumbai to Goa and people who have troubles with motion sickness must surely opt for this one. Theroad is simple, smooth and straight with a four lane road all along. But, you would be troubled by paying taxes at the numerous toll booths that come along your way.

The beginning of your Mumbai to Goa road trip would be along the Mumbai Pune expressway which is about 94.1 km in distance. After a smooth ride through the 6 lane expressway, you would reach Pune in three hours. The Mumbai-Pune expressway merges into the NH4 along which you need to travel till Belgaum. There is a sharp right angled turn at the end of the expressway, which says “Mumbai Pune Expressway ends here” and then you know that you have started your journey on the national highway.

Keep following the National highway 4 until you reach Sankeshwar. This is the faster as well as the smoother option of travelling as this is a concrete four lane road and there is no scope of onward coming traffic. The main milestones on this journey are Satara, Kolhapur and Sankeshwar.

Satara and Kolhapur is a good place to stop and have your lunch as there are many roadside eateries there. One can also visit the Rankala Lake, Panhala Fort and the Jyotiba Temple on their way.

The next stop on your Mumbai to Goa road trip should be Belgaum where you may also decide to have a night halt. This place is extremely famous for the Belgaum fort and the Bhimgad Wildlife sanctuary and if you have an extra day, it is better to stop here and explore this place. The final stretch of this road is from Belgaum to Goa which is basically a three hour drive. A smooth trip and then you reach the amazing land of beaches, Goa.

Route 2:The Bombay Goa Highway via NH 66

Total Distance: 577 km

Total Duration: 12 hours (Non Stop)

Route: Mumbai- Panvel- Pen- Kolad- Khed- Chiplun- Pali- Sawantwadi- Goa

This is a really delightful scenic journey with paddy fields, coconut and area nut plantations all along the route. This route has ample amount of scenic beauty. You can also have a beach side halt at Ganpatipule. People say the beach resembles those of Maldives. But, let me warn you that it’s a very winding road. So if you have motion sickness, this would be a wrong option to go for.

One must start the journey around 6 in the morning in order to avoid the morning traffic. Reaching Panvel from Mumbai is not difficult as it is a signal free zip over flyover and it is quite a comfortable ride. After Panvel, you would hit the NH 17 which is renamed as NH 66, which is a two lane highway, quite good in shape, but has a few treacherous corners. The ride along this national highway offers you some amazing views of luxurious greenery all around, the sounds of the regional birds and that distinct smell of the forests to enhance your experience. As it is a commercially important route, the road has numerous hotels, restaurants, repair shops and petrol pumps. There are a few interesting places on your way, which you must surely check out to have the complete experience.

If you are one of those bird lovers, you must surely stop at Karnala Bird sanctuary, in the Taluka of Panvel. It is a small, yet beautiful sanctuary which is home to more than 150 species of birds. Soon, after a few hours, you would reach Pen which is a historically important port city. Now it has been a major centre where huge Ganesha idols are made for worshipping.

There are some small towns on the way of your drive like Kolad, Indapur and Mangaon which has the facilities of ATMs and Petrol Pumps. There are many roadside eateries on your way to Goa, where one can sit and relax and have some delicious local cuisine. One another popular halt for all the travellers is Chiplun which is at a distance of about 200 km from Panvel. The town is located on the banks of the River Vashishti in the district of Ratnagiri. This place is famous for its waterfalls, the Parshuram Temple, kokam and obviously, the famous Ratnagiri mangoes. If you are visiting this place in summer, mangoes are something that you must try for sure. There are sellers all along the route who offer the Ratnagiri Alphonsos at the best rates.

After that, NH 66 leads you to Sindhudurg which was built by Hiroji Indalkar. It is a fort on the coast of the Arabian Sea which has been made a lot popular being featured in many movies. After that, you reach Sawantwadi and a drive along the ghats, you finally reach your ultimate destination that is Goa.

What to eat and stopovers?

At stopovers you can find basic Indian and continental cuisine. If you are on NH4, you will able to spot dhabas at Satara and Kolhapur. On NH 66, Chiplun is a popular stopover.

Reaching there

There are many options of travelling to Goa from Mumbai. If you are willing to have a trip with your friends or family, you may rent car along with a driver for the entire journey or you may opt for driving your own vehicle, for an ultimate Mumbai to Goa road trip experience. If you wish to opt for a lesser budget travel, you may choose one of those luxury buses that leave everyday for Goa from Mumbai. And yes, if you are among those adventure lovers, then why don’t you ride your motorcycle to Goa? It can be quite dangerous, but then nothing can beat that experience.

A few points to take note of: 

1. Sleep well the day before your journey.
2. Always follow the traffic rules.
3. Observe the speed limit in all the areas.
4. Make sure to have frequent stops in your journey as it will help to refresh the body.
5. Carry some high protein snacks to provide energy on the course of your journey.
6. Keep a note of your fuel tank and never let your fuel tank go too low.
7. Always carry a spare Tyre while you are travelling.
8. Notice the accident warnings on the road.
9. Look for the speed breakers on the route.

Summing up, the first route is faster as well as a safer option, but the second route can provide you with unmatched scenic beauty and adventure. It is completely upon you which route you would prefer to drive along. You must weigh your pros and cons and then select the route that would suite you the best. This journey is among the hot picks among the young bikers of Mumbai and you can do this journey on bikes also if you are with your friends. A Mumbai to Goa road trip is one of those amazing road journeys which every Indian must experience in his life. All you need to do is to fix the dates and begin the journey.

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Top Ten Scariest Airport Runways In The World…!!!

Top 10 scariest runways in the world

Are you a nervous flier? I have to admit I am a bit, I never used to be, in fact as a kid I found flying abroad fun and thought is was one of the best parts of the holiday but lately after seeing so many plane crashes on the telly it has kinda made me a bit apprehensive about flying. Especially with airport runways as scary as these.

Most airport runways around the world are large and easy to land at, but there are a few runways around the globe that are quite unique and require a lot of skill to land a plane on. In this article I am going to share with you some of those airports which scare the pants of some people.

1. Princess Juliana International Airport

Location: Saint Maarten in the Caribbean

Danger: The landing strip is so short that planes must approach the island at an extremely low height, which means flying just 30-60ft feet above tourists sunbathing on Maho Beach.

2. Courchevel Airport

Location: Ski resort in the French Alps

Danger: Only specially trained pilots are allowed to land at this airport as they have to navigate a labyrinth of mountains and then touch down on a runway so short that they had to construct it with an incline to slow planes.

3. Don Mueang International Airport

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Danger: It’s actually situated in the middle of a golf course! Golfers play holes that run between two of the runways and even Tiger Woods has been held back by a red light for planes to land.

4. Barra International Airport

Location: Barra, an island off the coast of Scotland

Danger: This small runway is unique as it is actually situated on a beach. At high tide these airport runways are under the sea and so flight times vary with the tide. Only emergency flights are operated at night with other planes being used to light the runway.

5. Madeira Airport

Location: Island of Madeira, Portugal

Danger: This runway, when originally built was ridiculously short and resulted in a plane crash back in 1977. Since then, the 1,400ft strip has been doubled in length but to do this engineers had to raise the runway and construct a special bridge style landing platform in order to fit on the island. Even though longer it still proves a tricky place to land, even for the most skillful of pilots.

6. Lukla Airport

Location: Mountains of Nepal

Danger: If you think climbing Mount Everest is going to be dangerous then try landing at the nearest airport. On the approach to Lukla, if you stray too far to the left and you’ll crash into mountains, too far to the right and you’ll fall down a thousand yard drop. Then when you add extreme whether and a short runway into the equation this airport becomes one of the most scariest airports to land at.

7. Gibraltar Airport

Location: Gibraltar

Danger: This runway was actually built on the sea, pilots have to skillfully circle the tall mountain of Gibraltar and touch down. If they happen to over shoot the runway a little then passengers will be getting their feet wet.

Another feature about this airport is that the only way to enter Gibraltar is across the runway. In the middle of this landing strip is kind of railway crossing type signal which closes the road for when planes are landing and taking off.

8. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport

Location: Saba in the Caribbean

Danger: This is another airport thats situated in a tricky spot, with hills on one side, sheer cliff face on the other and a short runway that drops into the sea, there is definitely no room for error when landing here.

9. Gustaf III Airport

Location: St Barts, in the Caribbean

Danger: This is just like the Princess Juliana airport but in reverse, the landing strip runs directly onto the beach, with planes taking off directly over the heads of sunbathers. Apparently there is even a small sign advising people not to lie directly at the end of the runway.

10. JFK International Airport (Runway 13L)

Location: New York, USA

Danger: While runway 13L is probably not scary for passengers it certainly puts the pressure on pilots. Approach this runway leaves little room for error, as Jamaica Bay looms on the right and the surrounding wetlands offer no safe harbor. As well, pilots have only 5 miles of visibility owing to a circular approach pattern required to avoid any aircraft arriving or departing from La Guardia or Newark.

34 Countries With Visas On Arrival For Indians

POSTED BY TRAVELSHOPEE IN 4th. JAn, 2016

Sunny Mauritius, historic Jordan, wild Kenya – there’s a host of trips that you can take outside India without worrying about long queues and financial records. As you begin planning your travels this year, we’re pitching in with a list of countries that offer visas on arrival to Indian passport-holders. 

One point to check when booking is if the flight route you take requires a transit visa. Some countries may also require medical checks prior to arrival. Of course, visas are subject to the approval of the concerned authorities. Visa rules change often, so check with the embassies before you set out.  

Here’s our list to get you started, followed by our picks of the 10 most visited destinations.

This island is easily accessible to Indian travellers. The ocean is the main star in this country, with most hotels offering rooms built on stilts above the water so that you have direct access to the Indian Ocean. Activities include diving,snorkelling, various water sports and aerial tours of the neighbouring islands. 

Jamaica

Crystal-clear waters, sun-soaked beaches and that calm Caribbean breeze lulling you to sleep make Jamaica a country well worth visiting. Don’t forget the famous Jamaican rum, swinging Caribbean beats and delicious local food.

Mauritius

This tiny island in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean has always been a great favourite of the Indian holiday-maker. And for good reason. Visitors can choose from lazing on idyllic beaches, discovering the rugged coastline or trying their hand at scuba diving in the island’s surrounding coral reefs. 

Thailand

Thailand caters to every kind of tourist. Those looking for some peace can escape to its beaches and temples, party animals can rage all night in the night clubs of Pattaya and Bangkok while families can pick from a host of kid-friendly locations including water parks and zoos. 

Jordan

Visitors to Jordan are spoilt for choice when it comes to activities. Think camel rides through dry deserts, rejuvenating spas near the Dead Sea and hot-air balloon trips above the ruins of Cappadocia. There are also several historic sites that provide a wonderfully vivid window to the past.

Indonesia

Rich in cultural history, the Indonesian archipelago offers both mountain and sea. The tropical country is frequented for spirituality and solitude. Activities include trekking, surfing and exploring heritage structures. 

Kenya

Most often, Kenya is the place that comes to mind when you think of going on a safari in Africa. Its abundant wildlife makes it the perfect destination for nature-lovers. What’s more, the region’s Great Rift Valley is said to house the earliest evidence of human life. 

Cambodia

This Khmer country  has beautiful landscapes and an intriguing history. We highly recommend making time to stop by the Killing Fields. Also try your hand at cooking Khmer cuisine. 

Hong Kong

Go shopping in one of the many street markets, make the most of the vibrant nightlife, visit colourful fishing villages, or give in to the lure of Disneyland. 

Seychelles

The panoramic views on offer here make it a popular destination for honeymooners. Laze on the beach, go on jungle and mountain walks, or try snorkelling and diving – it’s all good. 

19 Pictures That Prove This Dog Likes To Travel Around As Much As You Do!

Named after a popular ski resort in Colorado, it's no wonder Aspen loves to join his owners, Hunter and Sarah Lawrence, on their adventures around the United States.

Other than swimming, hiking and chasing forest fairies, he loves posing for the many photographs Hunter takes of him. These are just some pictures we got from Aspen's Instagram page where you can follow his adventures.  

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