Mumbai - Ganpatiphule by road. Review on Ganpatipule

We had some time decided that we needed to go to Goa by road from Mumbai. But then as that journey whould take us about 12 hrs+ we decided to drive down to Ganpatiphule instead.

We were targeting to have lunch at Ganpatiphule, so we started off early at 4 am. We took the Panvel - Vadkalnaka- Mahad- Chiplun route. The average driving time is about 8 hours from Borivali. It is better to start early because the Panvel strech gets very crowded after 7 am with lots of traffic jams caused by three wheelers at Panvel. We stopped for a tea break at Ruchi Hotel, Nagothane, which comes after Vadkal Naka. The Hotel is good and serves a variety of cusines ( South Indian/ Maharashtrian etc. The toilets are very well maintained and there is ample parking space. There is also an excellent road map to Goa displayed in the hotel, with the distances indicated. We had snacks at Mahad atHotel Vittal Kamat.

*It is recommended that the driving speed not exceed 90 kmph as there is no road divider. On the way you can see remains of various accidents largely caused due to rash overtaking. So whatever the provocation drive carefully. This is the section of the raod where most drivers get complacent and over confident.

Further down the road you cross Poladpur Naka which has a large Shivaji Statue. If you take a left turn you can go to the Mahabaleshwar the famous hill station ( About 40 kms away). For Ganaptiphule drive straight,The actual Kokan begins from here onwards and the traiffic becomes lesser and the scenery more profound.

While on the ghat that follows on can have a look at the "Pratapgagh Fort" on the left, so watch out for the Pratapgagh Darshan signboard on the road. Futher, take a strech break at Chiplun and then head towards Ratnagiri.

Just short of Ratnagiri ( 30 Kms), there is a turning towards right called Nivli Phata, which takes you to Ganpathiphule. You can miss this turn if you are not careful. There were no signboards indicating the turning to Ganpathiphule. The paint on the milestone indicating the turn is hardly visible.

From Nivli phata Ganpatiphule is about 30 kms, the route is almost a Plateau , with no trees at all. Suddenly there is a small hill, from where you can see the sea

We reached Ganpatiphule at 11.45 am , which is a 7 hrs 45 min drive from Borivali, Mumbai City.

We stayed at Hotel Landmark, which is about 10 minutes walking distance from the breach. The rooms are clean and the air-conditioning is supported with generators for power backup. The food is also very good. The breakfast was part of the package and served in buffet style.

We chose this palce against MTDC as we had feedback that the MTDC resort was near the bus stop and was very crowded. My previous experience with MTDC room upkeep especially the toilets was bad. The "sarkari" attitude at MTDC's is also very difficult to put up with. So why take a chance?

The beach front close to the MTDC resort is not very clean, so we chose a beach front which was closer to our hotel. The sea can get rough during high tide so be careful while venturing in. **Taking long walks along the coast line can be very pleasant in te morning and evenings.

The Ganpati Temple is very beautiful and clean. In fact if one has to do a parikarama of the idol , one has to go around the mountain which is about a Kilometer !

Do not miss out on a trip to " Prachin Kokan", which is extremely informative especially for kids. One can get to see various trees and the village like atmosphere in there. There various creations indicating the importance of various proffesions of the villagers.

The guides are very good and take special care of you. One can purchase the world famous "Sawantwadi" toys in there. Women can buy lovely wooden bangles at a very reasonable price !!

From the Landmark Hotel , the sunset is very beautiful and you can generally chill out in the garden.

So in all Ganpatiphule is a great place to go by road and a good alternative to Goa.