Women’s Roadtrip: Mumbai to Goa via Konkan/Coastal Route (Using Ferries) -Part 1

Mumbai to Goa by road is one of the most popular Indian roadtrips.

I have been to Goa about 20 times now, but never by road. Previously, I have done a roadtrip till Vengurla-Amboli which is very close to the Maharashtra Goa border, but did not enter Goa on that trip.

In July 2021, my friend Ipsita (I will refer to her as Ipsi from here on) and I planned to drive to Goa.

It seemed like the perfect fit as I am a passionate driver and Ipsi is an excellent photographer, navigator and likes to listen to similar kind of music as me.

As I was the driver, Ipsi left the route to me.

Little did she know what she was getting into.

Also read about my other trip with Ipsi:

• Chandigarh To Amritsar Roadtrip

Possible Routes

Recently a proposal has been passed for construction of a coastal highway starting from Panvel and ending at Patradevi at Maharashtra-Goa border which should boost Konkan tourism.

Till that happens, there are 3 routes for a Mumbai-Goa road trip:

Via Mumbai-Pune Expressway and NH 4

This is the most common route. This traverses through Mumbai-Pune expressway and then moves on to NH 4 (Bangalore highway) via Satara, Kohlapur and depending on your destination in Goa, you can either enter Goa via Amboli ghats (for north Goa) or Belgaum (for South Goa).

The total distance by this route is roughly 600 km and takes about 11 hours.

Via NH66

This is the actual Mumbai-Goa highway and is more scenic than NH4; however currently (as of Jul 2021), there is construction happening along this highway to widen it from two lane to four lane. This route goes through Pen, Chiplun, Rajapur, Kankavli and Kudal.

This is a shorter route (about 570km) but takes nearly 13 hours.

Konkan/Internal Maharashtra via Ferries

The first two routes are ones that people usually take to reach Goa.

However, the adventurous streak in me wanted to take the coastal/internal Maharashtra route starting from Alibaug and moving southwards right till Vengurla (Maharashtra-Goa border).

Frankly being the driver, I believe I can only enjoy the drive along with the scenery when I am not dodging other vehicles especially trucks (and people, and sometimes dogs/cows) at a speed of 100 kmph.

As a driver, I prefer a slow drive with windows rolled down looking around at the scenery and stopping my car as per my wish (and sometimes my co-passenger’s wish too).

The internal Maharashtra roads are perfect for that kind of drive with frequent glimpses of the sea, ghats, canopies of trees, konkan life, numerous forts and sweeping panaroma of green fields especially in the monsoon season.

And, I am also a true believer of ‘Journey should be as good (if not better than) as the destination’.

The issue with this route is you need to take ferries at 4 points.

This route seemed challenging enough for the adventurous side of mine. The practical side was worried about making it to Ganpatipule (our night halt) before dusk.

Below is the approximate route I had planned to reach Ganpatipule.

About the Konkan Route

This route was such an unconventional route that I was unable to find enough information online for my research.

Now that I have driven on this route, I can safely vouch for the below information.

You can drive along the coast starting from Alibaug. On this route you will keep seeing frequent glimpses of the sea.

There are four ferry crossings on this route. You can either take all the four ferries or drive towards inland (east) and then come back to the coast (west).

• Agardanda Jetty at Murud: This ferry takes you to Dighi and avoiding this ferry will be a slight diversion to your down south route (adding about 30km to your coastal route journey).
• Bagmandle Jetty at Harihareshwar: This ferry takes you to Vesavi on the other side of Savitri river. Avoiding this ferry will result in a long diversion (adding about 100 km to your southward journey)
• Dabhol jetty: A five-minute ferry ride from this jetty takes you across Vashishti river and lands you at Dhopve. Skipping this ferry and opting for the land route would add about 100 km to your journey.
• Tavsal jetty: A 15 minute ferry ride from here takes you to Jaigad. Taking the land route here will result in a long diversion.

If you are starting your journey from South Mumbai, you can also take the ro-ro ferry from Bhaucha Dhakka to Alibag. You can pre-book this ticket here.

Questions/Concerns I had before the trip

• This was going to be my second attempt at taking ferries in India. My first attempt was on my roadtrip from Mumbai to Diu where we had booked ro ro ferry tickets and it got cancelled on the nth day due to low water level resulting in extra 300 km drive for us.
• The road conditions due to monsoons, lack of information on the internet, the heavy rainfall forecast and the unknown isolated roads with no network connectivity added to my concerns.
• Two women stranded on some interior secluded road of Maharashtra in heavy downpour and no network was not a pleasant visual.

I did try to voice these concerns to Ipsi, but she seemed to be in the mood for some adventure.

I always am.

Also read: Ultimate packing list for a roadtrip in India

Preparing for a roadtrip in India

Washroom facilities on highway for women

Mumbai to Ganpatipule

The only brief I gave Ipsi was to dress a bit conservatively as we would most probably be driving through tiny coastal villages of Maharashtra and also take a few ferries. So flowy skirts and dresses was a strict No No for this stretch.

I am usually too excited to sleep before any trip. This time it was a mix of excitement and nervousness. The result was a meagre 1 hour of sleep.

Despite the brief sleep (or should I say nap?!), I woke up before my alarm. I was so high on adrenaline that the ‘lack of sleep’ did not hit me at all.

Leg 1: Mumbai to Pen

We started from Thane at 5AM and reached Pen in about one hour.

At Pen, I was supposed to decide between the below three choices:

• Leave NH 66 and go towards Alibag and then drive southwards along the coast (slowest route)
• Stay on NH66 till Indapur and then drive towards Murud Janjira fort continuing our southward journey along the coast from this point
• Stay on NH66 till Mangaon and then drive towards Diveagar and then drive southwards along the coast (Fastest route)

The deciding factor was supposed to be the time.

Since we left Mumbai early in the morning, we reached Pen at about 6AM making good time. It was decision making time so we stopped for breakfast and mulled over the next steps.

High on adrenaline and the caffeine in our chais we decided to drive towards Alibag opting for the most challenging route.

It was going to be a ‘Race Against Time’.

Leg 2: Pen to Murud-Janjira fort

As soon as we left NH66, the road turned narrow with no dividers. Since we were there early in the morning, there was hardly any traffic which I believe is usually not the case on this particular stretch.

We decided to not get into Alibag town as I had been there previously and remembered the lanes being quite narrow there.

So we took the turn towards Kashid.

Our scenic drive had begun.

We were moving along nicely according to plan when we encountered a road closure just before the Revdanda bridge. As per our map, this road closure meant a diversion adding about 100 km to our journey.

This wasn’t something we could afford if we wanted to continue along the coastal route.

I did what I typically do in such situations.

I panicked.

At that time Ipsi was busy on the phone trying to get her clinic to send her RT-PCR report. With no one to discuss this situation with I started looking around.

For some divine intervention perhaps.

A minute later, I saw a man on a scooter. I waved out to him and knowingly he asked me where I was planning to go.

On understanding my situation, he asked me to follow him. I did so without any hesitation. Followed him through some narrow lanes, off-roading for a bit. Ipsi was stunned that I was actually following an unknown guy through unknown lanes.

My only answer was “I got good vibes from him. I trusted my instinct”.

Within five minutes of this tailing, we were back on the main road on the other side of the road block.

We both heaved sighs of relief.

Me for the fact that we could continue our coastal journey. Ipsi for the fact that we were safe.

We continued driving along Kashid beach and stopped multiple times to take in the beauty. This was our first glimpse of the sea on this coastal route.

A beautiful stretch right up till Murud-Janjira fort. On the way we crossed Siddi Palace also known as Nawab palace which is a massive property and used to be the residence of Nawab of Janjira. The property is currently owned by the descendants of the nawab and is not open to tourists.

However you can admire the beautiful architecture style from the gate itself. You do not have to even take a detour for this as it is right on the road. The architecture seemed to be a mix of Gothic and Mughal style.

Moving ahead we came to the Murud – Janjira fort view point.

Unfortunately due to the monsoons, we could not go the fort as the ferry boats for the fort are not operational in this season. You do get a good enough view from the view point though.

A little ahead, just before you take the right turn towards Rajapuri creek, you can see the  towering Khokari Tombs and can make a quick pit stop here.

Leg 2: Murud Janjira Fort to Mhasala

At this point, we had to make the decision regarding the first ferry at Agardanda jetty. As per the map, the land route was only adding about 30km to our journey, so we decided to skip the first ferry and drive on the beautiful roads of Maharashtra.

And we were definitely rewarded for that decision by the absolutely beautiful Tala-Murud road. It seemed to be newly constructed and was in an amazing condition.

The beautiful weather and the clouds added to our scenic drive.

As expected, for most part we were the only ones on the road cruising along at a decent speed and enjoying the scenery.

As the drive right from Kashid was so scenic, we had taken multiple stops and now I had started worrying about making it in time (read before dusk).

Our initial plan was to go to Diveagar beach and then drive along the coast to Harihareshwar where we would take our first ferry.

By the time we approached Mhasala, it was already noon and I was a little uncertain if we would even get the Harihareshwar ferry (Bagmandla jetty) given my previous experience with Diu.

If we drove till Harihareshwar and did not get the ferry, the result would be adding 100 km to our journey and an additional 3 hours.

Leg 3: Mhasala to Dabhol Jetty

I decided to play safe and take the detour towards inland before Mhasala itself. We took the SH99 – Ambet – SH272 – Dapoli – Dabhol route.

The roads were in very good condition except for a few small patches. That too were not too bad if compared to most of Mumbai roads that my car is used to.

Be prepared to be the only ones for most of the stretch if taking this route.

We stopped for lunch somewhere on the SH and checked online for the ferry timings at Dabhol jetty. As per the information available, the next ferry was at 16:30. I did not know how reliable the timing was but we decided to target it and reached the jetty at 16:10.

Turns out, the timings had changed due to the pandemic but coincidentally 16:30 was common timing on the original as well as the revised list.

Our ferry was named ‘Avantika’ and was already waiting for us at the jetty.

The ticket counter was a small booth with separate price for vehicle (driver was free with the vehicle) and co-passengers. We told the guy to give us one car + one co-passenger and he gave me that familiar look: “You mean driver +2”, he said.

Two sets of eyes rolled.

“No, I am driving” said me. That familiar look again which I like to think as ‘Awe’.

The total charge here was INR 190 for the car and INR 16 for one passenger.

With about 15 minutes to spare we did what we do best. Some photography and crazy videos. We had very little audience here which made it easy to click some goofy videos.

The ferry boarding was much smoother than I had imagined. There were only about 3-4 four wheelers in our ferry and about 15 people. Perfect for social distancing. For cars too.

A short but beautiful 5 minute ferry ride got us to the other side of river Vashishti.

The deboarding was equally simple. Seeing woman driver, two attendants came to help with the reversing instructions. Frankly, this is one place where I have no issues with gender bias. I admit, my reversing and parking technique is not the strongest and am grateful for the help here.

Leg 4: Dhapove Jetty to Tavsal Jetty

Happy with the smooth process at the first ferry ride, I was excited for our next ferry which was a one hour drive away.

I casually remarked to Ipsi “I wish our next ferry is named ‘Priyanka'”. That eye roll happened again.

The drive to our next jetty was smooth. As per the online ferry timings, this ferry was supposed to leave at 18:40 so we aimed to reach by 18:30. Stopping along the way for chai, we comfortably reach at 18:30 only to know that the next ferry was at 19:15.

Waiting at the jetty for 45 minutes is actually not a big deal for me as the place is quite scenic being next to the water. And we were also lucky with the weather.

The only issue was the kicking in of twilight.

In about 5 minutes, our ferry arrived and people started disembarking. Between bobbing heads I saw something. Ipsi saw it too. We both looked at each other in disbelief.

Our ferry was named ‘Priyanka’! Just as I had wished!

Seriously, kuch aur hi maang liya hota!

After cruising for about 15 minutes on the ferry, we reached Jaigad jetty. Our original plan here was to visit Jaigad fort and light house but could not do so as it was already dark.

The stretch from Jaigad to Ganpatipule was difficult for me to drive on as it was pitch dark without any street lights. The rain and the winding narrow roads added to the difficulty.

Driving at a speed of about 30 kmph, we reached our overnight stay in Ganpatipule at 20:30.

Tips for Konkan Drive From Mumbai to Ganpatipule

Ferry Timings

I was not aware of this, but there are some numbers where you can call to check on the ferry timings. The information is available on this ferry site.

• Agardande-Dighi Jetty: 8550999887/8550999886/9156546700
• Dabhol-Dhapove jetty: 02348248900/9767248900/7709250800/ 02358248900
• Tavsal-Jaigad Jetty: 8550999880/02354242500/8550999884/ 02357242500
• Bagmandale-Veshvi: 9322819161/02350223300/8767980300

You can also check the timings of the ferry on the same site.

As per the officials at the jetty, monsoon does not affect the schedule of these ferries.

Ferry Options

If you want to reduce the number of ferries and instead drive along the konkan route, then I suggest skipping the Agardanda ferry.

Do not skip the remaining three ferries as that would add a lot of kms and time to your journey.

If you are travelling from South Mumbai, then do take the Mumbai-Mandwa ro ro ferry. It is an expensive ferry ride but the experience is worth it. And of course, you save petrol worth that much, if not more.

Network

There is hardly any network on most of the stretches in interiors of Konkan Maharashtra. Jio has the best coverage. Make sure to download offline maps.

Dress

As women on the road, ‘what to wear’ was an important consideration for us. We needed to find the right balance between looking good in the photos – not causing too much of an attention from locals and being comfortable.

For most of my trips, I usually wear loose shorts or loose dresses. For this particular trip, we decided to wear jeans as we had to take a few ferries and wearing flowy stuff would not be advisable.

Washroom

This is not a very washroom or convenience friendly route. There are very limited restaurants and in turn washrooms on this route.

Having said that, this route has a lot of secluded green stretches which work well when you really have to go. Also, peechute is a good alternate to carry with you for such times – Buy it here

Places To Visit En Route Mumbai – Ganpatipule Coast

• Karnal bird sanctuary
• Alibag beach/Alibag fort
• Kashid beach
• Stop by Nawab palace (does not require detour)
• Murud-Janjira fort (if ferry service is working, or else stop at the fort view point)
• Khokari tombs
• Diveagar beach
• Harihareshwar beach
• Bankot fort
• Velas beach (turtle nesting site)
• Kelshi Sand dunes
• Suvarnadurga fort (if ferry is operational)
• Takaleshwar lighthouse
• Jaigad fort
• Jaigad lighthouse

Final Words

Our day one of Mumbai-Goa was full of adventure and scenic beauty. If your only goal is to drive from Mumbai to Goa then this route is definitely not for you.

The Konkan drive is for those who would like to explore Konkan Maharashtra and as a bonus also reach Goa.

Do also check out my vlog on this journey :

Read continuation of my trip here: Ganpatipule to Goa and Stay in Goa and return to Mumbai via NH4

To see more photos from my Mumbai-Goa trip, click here: my photo blog