Our love for road trips pushed us to take another . After two Ladakh trips from Delhi and One trip from Delhi to Bhuj (Rann of Kutch)we wanted to explore the much talked about National Highway 1 .(Delhi-Udaipur-Vadodra-Panvel-Goa). So, we planned a trip to Goa. With a family of four, two boys (14yrs and 10yrs old)and my wife we started our journey on 1st January 2016 and concluded it on 15th January 2016. Besides basic planning like the distance we planned to cover in a day or the destination we wanted to reach on a particular day, only other preparation we needed was getting our old work horse (2011 model XUV 500 W-8) ready for the trip, which included a visit to Mahindra Service centre. Surprisingly, they assured us no routine service was needed as the vehicle has not covered the required KMs. They handed over the vehicle after basic check ups.
Day 1(1st january2016): Delhi – Himmat Nagar (Gujrat)
5.45a.m. Started our journey from I. P. Extension, Delhi with a target to reach Udaipur. We reached Udaipur by 3.30 pm, So, decided to move further before calling it a day. We reached Himmat nagar in Gujarat, covering a distance of over 850 km on day one. We spent the night in Hotel Milestone, on the main highway with a plan to start early next day as the kids were eager to reach goa as soon as possible . The route covered on Day one included I. P. Extension -Gurgaon-Manesar-Jaipur Ajmerbypass-Udaipur-Himmatnagar.
Local food that caught our attention(Gujarat)
Day2(2nd january2016): Himmat Nagar (Guj) – Panvel – Mane gaon (Maharashtra)
6.00a.m.started our journey with an intention to cross Panvel and get as close to Goa as possible. And here comes the highways, very nice and well maintained ,felt very proud . We reached Thane around 5.00pm & then started the great confusion, the roads got messed up and we lost good two hours in getting the right route. Our GPS too got confused.
On the way to Panvel
Finally we crossed Panvel and moved on to unknown towns and villages .Now we were desperate to find a decent hotel, but the places we crossed had a dark haunting look, as the local people had called it a day. Although, there were hotels but we were not sure about them. Then we asked a few shopkeepers to suggest a hotel. We were assured that we can check into any hotel we come across on the way. They are all safe but the services would be very basic. It was around 9.pm by now, tired & desperate, we decided that we will enter the first hotel that comes on the way ….Finally in Mane gaon (Maharashtra) we stayed in basic hotel( Hotel Open Umbrella, a family owned hotel cum open air restaurant).This day we covered around 750km. Places covered included Ahmadabad By pass- Vadodara by pass- Panvel – Thane – Panvel – Manegaon.
Lonaval -Khandal highway
Day3(3rd January2016): And to Goa
10.a.m.started again, after a hearty breakfast, to reach Goa (400km) .On the way the scenic beauty of Maharashtra mesmerised us. Green feilds lined with coconut trees and the western Ghats, all made the journey worthy…These are the things that make the road trip special .Around 5.00 pm we entered the borders of Goa , by 7.00p.m.we checked into a resort (Primo Bom) at Baga beach ( We had been to this resort during our last visit to Goa in 2012). Distance covered during the day was about 400 km.
Day4-8(4th January to 8th ) : Goa Goa and Goa
We stayed in Goa for 5 days visiting spice garden, Palolem beach, Dhudh sagar falls, Aguda fort etc. enjoying in the spirits of Goa.
Dhudhsagar falls in Goa
Monkey Island goa
Day 9(9th January): Goa – Pune
We started the return journey. Our plan was to take a different route, visiting Pune, Mumbai & Shirdi . We took a route to Pune via Savantwari, Pune- Bangaluru highway, once again a beautiful, Sceanic road & reached Pune by evening (approx. 450 km). We had our dinner at one of our friends place & spent the night at Hotel Cocoon, in Magarpatta. I was visiting Pune after 25 years ( I did my Engineering from D.Y.Patil College, Pimpri, in 1990).Pune had gone through a virtual make over in all these years, I was not able to locate the roads, which we had used in those days. A lot of grrenery has been lost & the place had expanded a lot, with so many flyovers, new roads & townships. About present day Pune, one can easily name it the city Of traffic Lights (After every 2 minutes one can see a signal..)
Day 10(10january): Pune – Mumbai
After visiting my college (& spending some nostalgic moments), we headed towards Mumbai, around 12.30 pm. The Mumbai- Pune highway (Which has been converted to an excellent Expressway) also had changed significantly & we reached outskirts of Mumbai in no time. Even Mumbai has expanded, but improved a lot since my college days. The roads & Traffic were much better. We crossed Navi Mumbai although we saw many good hotels (which I believe was a mistake) & finally had to spend the night in a hotel near Airport (Hotel peninsula Grand- quite a expensive hotel).
Mumbai
Day11-12(11-12th January): Mumbai – Shirdi
Visited Gateway of India and drove through Sea link(Worli-bandra). Around 2.30 p.m. we started our journey to Shirdi via Thane & Nasik By-pass. Once again a beautiful scenic road. Visited a vineyard with loads of grapes, also on the route, took few short breaks for photography and tea & reached Shirdi at 7.30p.m.Stay was at Hotel Gsquare just opposite the Shrine Gate. We stayed for another day to recapture our stamina and relax. The distance between Mumbai & Shirdi is about 250 km.
Day13(13th January): Shirdi – Indore – Shajapur
From here we planned to take our return journey via M.P.(indore).We started around 10.a.m. and took state highway 3, a single lane highway with quite a lot of traffic, progress was very slow & frustating. We regretted the decision but could not back out as we covered a substantial distance.(Shirdi-Dhule-Indore-Dewas-Shajapur).We started to look for hotels around 7pm, but were not able to locate a decent place (this stretch has mostly small townships with little options for good hotels) .Finally at shajapur we got a room in PWD rest house, clean enough to spend a night, very thankful to the man to allow us to stay. The distance covered during the day was 525 km.
Delicacy in the pot. we never had something tastier than this.(Undayu)
Day14(14th January): Shahapur – Gwalior
Started for Gwalior around 8.30a.m.(shajapur-Guna-Shivpuri-Gwalior, a distance of about 400km. We reached Gwalior at 6.p.m.and stayed at (Hotel Tansen). We did some sightseeing in the evening & next day. The most exciting part was the Light & Sound show in Gwalior fort- only four of us were inside the fort, on a cold, foggy & dark evening, for the show.
Day15(15th January): Gwalior-Murena-Agra-Mathura-Yamuna expressway-Noida-Delhi
Last day of the trip .We started the last stretch to Delhi reaching home by 10.30 pm.
5000km of sheer pleasure of driving and seeing India through its highways was a unique experience for us. Vast expanses of Gujarat and lush green fields of Maharashtra, dry lands of Madhya Pradesh .
I would be very happy to answer any queries around road quality or around our driving experience.
Hi, nice write up. I have done this trip myself in 2010 with my wife and son. In fact in 2009 while coming back from Goa by air, when I looked down I felt that the terrain down there is beautiful and we must do this trip by road some day. Another thing that I wanted to do was go through old Mumbai-Goa road which you also did. Nowadays not many people like to take that route and that I think is a blessing in disguise. The road is not very good but the traffic is also thin. While coming back we also had to go to Pune but missed the Sawantwari turn. But I knew that the roads are running almost parallel to each other, so we could take a right turn from any of the turns. We took a turn almost 25-30 kilometres from there and joined the Bangalore-Pune highway at Kolhapur. But after Mumbai we took the same route back to Delhi while going there so it was not a big issue.
You started by telling that you have done two trip to Ladakh, even I have done two trips. We went though Manali and came back through Srinagar. Both of the trips were so amazing that I would like to go there once again.
My wife and I love travelling to places by car and have decided that we will do a trip to South by car in the next couple of years. I know it is going to be one long trip but that’s what we love doing.
Hi Aditya,
I have read your journey details of the year 2010. Can you please tell me your car was a petrol variant or diesel?
Regards
Sandeep
Hi sorry for replying so late.Ours was Desiel variant XUV500 ….W8 model
Hi Sandeep though quite late to respond …my car was XUV500 W8 Desiel.
Total is road trip me kitna expenses laga…nt include hotels n meals….cn u tell plss..?
Good adventure Dinesh.
We recently visited Goa – a standard family tour.
Would like to do such road trips sometime myself.
Keep roaming and keep posting.
Cheers.
Mr.D.Bakshi,
It z an interesting account of u & yr family’s
trip by car, quite an adventure of a kind , congrats, that I u are back safely.. I share”& can’t resist adding here to your::
On day 13, Indore.. Gwalior drive the earthernware cooking dish(undya) z called (undhiyu/a)famous gujarati dish if I Am not mistaken, can also b cooked in this earthern pot, its synonym – (undha se Undhiyu) front side is on earth/ floor & back is on top -so ‘undha,’the vegetable mix is mix of very special vegies, lots top-round with its mitti dhakkan (often)allsides r actually,seams r sealed wit dough, once cooking process starts & this pot is either pushed down in digged Matti on burning charcoal or cooked on charcoal sighri with fire reaching all round of this pot in which Undhya is cooked, it z eaten with poories(Indian bread) Shrikhand sweet dish.it &is ready in about 45 minutes /few more minutes.for such a long trip no exercise of staying arrangemnts(tentative)was undertaken! Is quiet different for us. I hv taken/done lots of ssich trips& HV written for good many dailies & journals international & indian.we await a new trip’s diatribe.. frm u & family’s New adventure..
Meeta Sanghvi..
Simply gr8.!!!!
I had done such long road trips & Goa is in my wishlist by Road…
Your journey has given a boost to other fellow travellers.Kudos to your family for the patience & support.
What a debut story Dinesh. Road trips are always a delight. 3 years back we did Kutchh (and I drive the same car as yours) and in 2010, I was lucky enough to do Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai. We took the old road on the way down and then returned via the faster Blr-Mum connection (NH4).
Please respond to comments when your time allows. I am getting a feeling that you are probably not getting the emails. Hope to hear from your soon.
Hi, Great to see your post. I have a small query about the road condition from Delhi to Indore. Should I take Delhi to Indore via Kota or via Bhilwara or via Agra?
Can any one tell me how much will it cost…by car or by bike
I love roads and made few trips by car recently,delhi to khajurao-sagar and back,then delhi to katra and back plus delhi to lucknow & back.I would like to go Goa by road but my problem is company ,as my wife is not ready to go for such a long trip by car.I went to goa by flight in jan with my wife,son{12 yr}and mother,from then I am starting saving money for this upcoming trip.Tips regarding roads,hotels and route will help me if any one can suggest.
Hi Nimesh…I am Anuradha Dinesh Bakshi’s wife replying this post.it’s heartning that you care about your family members.well long drives are passion oriented activity/hobby.As for us as a couple we love to drive .so we took our kids with us on all the drives even when they were just 1-2 months old….so our kids have adapted to the long drives.My advice for your family and you is this that be comfortable on roads with kids…take multiple stops,have fun,keep cool and calm even when your car is dirty… don’t rush to your destination,be flexible, ultimately you are enjoying this trip with them.we have covered the details of the road and hotels in the article.I wish you and your family take this trip as soon as possible.
Hye Dinesh,you have done a great detailing of your trip.Almost all of my queries got cleared except the one regarding the tolls and overall diesel expenditure as i will be taking mahindra quanto uptill goa in october this year so i guess the expenditure would b more or less same.
Hi shaktijeet… regrets for replying so late ..I hope you might have taken your trip…even then I would like to tell you the expense on deisel in 2016 was around
₹ 26000/-…..sorry I can’t remember exactly how much I have paid for the tolls..
Hi Dinesh, I am planning to go Goa from Delhi with 2-3 stopovers in between. I am going in Nexon. Am I travelling in good car? What precautions should I take in the route and please advice the important things need to be carried in this journey?
Any suggestion! I am planning soon for Goa in Honda City 2014 . Any tool kit , Oil , Air pump , medicine etc. any major suggestion !
I did Delhi – Mumbai in my Honda City 2010. So 2014 should perform better. Keep standard tool kit and extra oil packings to top-up if needed.
Hi, Honda City is a great car. I don’t think it will give you any trouble during the journey. However, it’s always advisable to carry basic tyres replacement kit, which is available in any car. Apart from this, you can carry an air pump, which can be connected to the lighter socket , comes handy in case of emergency. Apart from this, I don’t think much is needed.
Hi! Though not done a road trip of more than 300 kms, yet planning to do Delhi -Goa next month.
Am a somewhat cautious driver, average speed will be around 60km/ hour.
I have a Maruti Ritz. Honestly is it advisable with this car or one should attempt such long journeys only in an SUV? Your advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hi, although an SUV or bigger car is safer in highway. You can easily make the trip in Ritz. Specially when you are a cautious driver. I have seen people traveling to Leh in a Tata Nano.
Your words inspire confidence.
As long as road conditions are Good to Reasonable, we may decide to take the trip. Thanks and Happy Motoring
I am planning this trip in Dec 2020 with my wife and another couple with a kid aged 3 years. Your blog has some great insights and it has been beautifully documented. The whole planning part is surrounding the number of kilometers to be covered each day keeping the kid’s exhaustion levels in mind. Any suggestions on that?
Hi, Thanks for your positive comments, it’s nice to see you people are getting encouraged from our write-up…..after so many years. My suggestions & comments WRT your excursion-
1. You mentioned, you are two couples, will you be traveling in a single vehicle? The point is, passengers should be as comfortable as possible , the driver by default is always comfortable.
2. About covering a certain km each day, I would say, keep a target for each day but be open to make changes as you travel…once again, the logic of planning to travel such long distance is to enjoy the travel….reaching the destination in a given time frame should not be a limitation. Be prepared to spend a night in any available hotels on the way…don’t worry, it’s not that scary. Check for big/ good/ known townships on the way & plan as you travel, where do you want to call it a day. That will make your journey much simpler & tension free. Just keep a few spare days for your travel, from the total vacation period.
Do write….if you want any further encouragement.
3. By the way, we had travelled to Goa, by road, once again in 2019 & let me tell you about best excursion we had…it was in 2018, planned for the night our elder son appeared for his last 10th papers( if you remember, their maths paper was cancelled because of leakage of question paper & it was supposed to be a retest). We left for Europe…for a 18 days tour, in a self driven car, starting from Rome & covering 5 or 6 countries across Europe….wanted to write about this trip also….will do some day. The best (maybe worst) part is, I had a minor accident on the very first day of my driving in Rome…..but we managed it completed the tour. So please don’t be afraid/ get anxious about what will happen … start with good intentions & everything will end well…..ALL THE BEST. Do let us know, after you come back…I am sure, you will end up one step ahead of us.
4. AS A TEAM LEADER, START LOOKING FOR A NEST(HOTEL) AS THE SUN IS SETTING- this is the best option, while traveling with family . LOOK OUT FOR A DECENT HOTEL IN A DECENT TOWN & SETTLE FOR THE NIGHT. TOMORROW…..START START AFRESH…..IT WILL BE A NEW BEGINNING, START ENJOYING THE JOURNEY OF THIS DAY. THE WHOLE JOURNEY WILL BE BEAUTIFUL & IN THE END YOU GET TO ENJOY THE DESTINATION. FOLLOW THE SAME PRINCIPLE WHILE COMING BACK & ENJOY THE RETURN JOURNEY AS WELL.
Hi
It was really a detailed and informative article. Thank you so much
I have just one question can we travel on roads from delhi to goa with a sedan?
I mean are the roads too bumpy anywhere?
Hi Ankit,
You can definitely & most comfortably travel on this route in a sedan. Roads, now a days, in India are much …much better than what we had seen in the past. However, If you looking for most comfortable route(Traveling from Delhi or surrounding), I would recommend traveling via Rajasthan (Udaipur), Gujarat( outskirts of Ahmedabad/Vadodra), Maharashtra (outskirts of Mumbai & through Pune). On the return journey, you can travel through MP,…..if you are prepared for some bumps on the way ( The roads are not very good, but you will get a new perspective of India)….don’t worry about your sedan, it will safely bring you home……all the best.
Hi Dinesh,
Your trip to Goa and back with a timeline of a fortnight appears interesting. This was way back in early 2016. Now I and my wife are planning to drive down to Trivandrum from Delhi by the end of this month via Goa ofcourse. I presume things would have changed for the better in four years time, but appreciate if you could share some takeaways and tips for the Delhi-Goa leg.
Thanks
GK Raju
Hi GK Raju
Being Diwali week response is bit late.
Glad that you and your wife are planning a trip to Trivandrum via Goa..kudos for the dare..This trip is long due in our list .Me & my wife too are planning coast to coast but still in dreams.
My suggestions wil be :-
*Take few days surplus in hand for the trip .In 2016 when we went to Goa we covered 870 km on Day 1,but in 2019 when we went to Goa through same route we could only cover 660 km on day 1 due to bad traffic and road conditions on jaipur -udaipur highway. So it’s better to take few days in hand for unseen situations.
*Carry some eatables and juices along for long drives.we generally pack our lunch( parnthas/ sandwiches) from the hotels where we stay for the night.
*Please check for the road conditions on Google/ ask hotel staff before starting off.
*Be cool and calm .put on some music for the road.
*Last year, January2019 when we went to Goa , jaipur-mumbai stretch was under construction .it was utterly frustrating to drive on that stretch. I am not sure, about the road conditions in this stretch. Please check out for this information.
*We avoid late night drive.. around 5p.m. onwards we start looking for accommodation /hotels on Google.
Suggested night breaks
Day 1 preferably Udaipur/Himmat Nagar depending on the road conditions. Rest of the trip will follow accordingly. If you spend your first night in Udaipur, you will have to take a break at Vadodara/ Ahmedabad, the next night. Next stop should be Pune & then to Goa. Try to cover around 500-600 km per day till Trivandrum..
*Take 1-2 days break to stay at your favourite city on the way to wean of the tiredness.
Best wishes for your trip .I hope your querries are answered well. Open for any further assistance.
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for your sharing your experience.
I am Planning a Delhi – Goa Bike Ride!! I have recently done two bike trips –
1 Delhi – Agra-Kanpur-Varanasi – Bagodar (Jharkhand) -Varanasi-Kanpur-Agra-Delhi in November and
2 Delhi-Jaipur-Delhi in December!
I had great fun driving on the highways. The highways are really good across various parts of the country. I look forward to Delhi-Goa trip.
Hi,
Have gone through all the stuff above … fascinating. Am very tempted to try it …. I’m 71 and have a one year old Tata Tigor automatic … hardly driven. With wife and one 21 year old son. We have our own place in Goa and normally hire cabs after flying but are excited by the thought of a road trip. Would three days each side be enough? Or it that pushing too much ? Don’t look at my age … I’ve done over 1000 km per day in Thailand ten years ago and still do road trips with my family. But this is long ….
Hi Pankaj Butalia… thanks for appreciating the article.
1.Three days are enough to reach Goa from Delhi…we did another trip in 2019 (GOA- DEHLI) and we reached there in 3 days.we have already mentioned in one of our querries.
2.Any car is good enough for taking long road trips.But it has to be serviced well and taken care of .
3.we believe passion has no age limit..71yrs and 21 yrs just perfect for traveling.
Best wishes from us for your trip.
Any more querries please feel free sir.
Wow, it sounds like you’ve been on some amazing bike adventures already! ️ Delhi to Goa is going to be quite the ride, and the thrill of the highways must be exhilarating! ️✨ Keep the rubber side down and the wind in your hair as you prepare for this exciting journey. Safe travels, and may your Delhi-Goa trip be filled with unforgettable moments! ️
Impressive! ️ You’ve clocked some serious highway miles on your previous trips. Delhi to Goa is a whole new level of adventure waiting for you! ️ Enjoy the open road, the wind in your hair, and the freedom of the ride. Wishing you an epic journey filled with unforgettable moments and exciting discoveries! ️ Stay safe and make every mile count!
This is a great post. Thank you for sharing wonderful post with us.