Pune to Gokarna Road Trip has all the shades of nature, from the mountains of Sahyadri, through the forests of Yellapur to the Beaches of Gokarna.
In this blog you will know about all the details of the Pune to Gokarna Road Trip. You will know the routes including stops, tolls and food outlets. This will make it easier for you to plan your road trip.
Gokarna is a beach town located in Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka State. Gokarna is and has been a religious pilgrimage since ages.
Even though it is a pilgrimage, it also has beaches like Goa and now it has become a major tourist destination. It shares many similarities with South Goa which is 2 hours away from Gokarna. Unlike Goa, Gokarna is not commercial.
In Gokarna, you will also find beautiful yellow sand beaches with water sports. But Gokarna is not about beaches it also has secluded beaches, mysterious caves and old forts. Due to this variety of tourist destinations, it has become an all-around tourist destination which travellers love.
We took the Pune to Gokarna Road Trip in the month of December. Now let’s understand How to Reach Gokarna from Pune by Vehicle.
Pune to Gokarna Road Trip route will have quite a few options. You will have to choose from the route that suits you best.
How to Reach Gokarna from Pune by Vehicle
The Gokarna Distance from Pune is about 550 to 700 kms depending on the route that you take. One can reach Gokarna from Pune in 1 day but the same can be split over 2 days also.
From Pune or Mumbai, you have 3 main routes.
Route 1 -
Pune>Satara>Kolhapur>Belgaum>Kittur>Yellapur>Gokarna
This route is through the jungles of Dandeli which is a very beautiful drive.
If you do not want to drive jungles and be on the highway then you can tweak this route as below. By Using this route, you will not travel through the forests and will be on the highway.
Pune>Satara>Kolhapur>Belgaum>Hubballi>Yellapur>Gokarna
Route 2 -
Pune>Mahabaleshwar>Chiplun>Sawantwadi>Panaji>Karwar>Gokarna
Mumbai>Mangaon>Chiplun>Sawantwadi>Panaji>Karwar>Gokarna
Recently, there has been a lot of traffic and road diversion between Pune to Kolhapur due to the road and flyover construction. Use this 2nd Route only if the Pune to Kolhapur shows a lot of road works and time delays.
This route will take you through Goa and is a longer one.
Route 3 -
Pune>Solapur>Vijayapara>Hubballi>Yellapur>Gokarna
This route is via main Highway from Hubballi to Yellapur
After Yellapur, you can take the main highway to Ankola or can travel through the beautiful lands of rural Karnataka after a diversion from village Agasur. Both ways you reach the NH 66 but the route through Ankola is longer.
In our case, we chose the Route 1 where we could travel through the jungles of Dandeli.
Tolls on the Pune to Gokarna Road Trip
There are about 6 to 7 tolls in total on the 1st route for which you will spend Rs. 560. 5 of them are in Maharashtra and 2 are in Karnataka. If you use the tweaked route as mentioned before, then there can be further tolls till Yellapur.
In any case, for your private car please charge your fastag.
The Road Trip Begins – From Pune to Belgaum
For travelling for 600 to 700 kms meant to travel for 13 – 14 hours hence we planned to move early morning.
Our Pune to Gokarna Road Trip started at Kothrud in Pune. After using the new Katraj tunnel, one drives on the beautiful route shared by the Pune to Mahabaleshwar Travelers.
Hey readers, would you like to know about our Pune to Mahabaleshwar Road trip then click here to read our blog.
We first pass Satara Ghat which is quite an easy ghat since it has become one way.
Before and after Satara Ghat, you can even take a break at one of food outlets as there are many.
After Wai, we proceed to Satara. We will be passing Satara, Karad, Kolhapur in Maharashtra and then crossover to Karnataka. Here all along the road you will see the sugarcane fields and also tractors carrying sugarcane to the mills.
On all the major cities along the NH 48 new flyovers are coming up and have come up. Due to this you do not have to travel through the hustle bustle of the cities all along.
The only disadvantage of these flyovers is that one does not get to taste the food at the awesome restaurants and outlets which have existed for years in these cities.
We too, chose a Maharashtrian style Vegetarian hotel after Karad. This hotel was right in the fields, we felt great eating here.
They serve hot bajra (Pearl Millet) and jowar (Sorghum) roti along with various vegetables on the earthen stove.
We ate Thalipeeth which is made from Multigrain Flour. The grains include Bajra (Pearl Millet), Jowar (Sorghum), Besan (Chickpeas) and few others. We also had Sabudana Khichdi along with Aloo (Potato) Paratha.
Kolhapur
As we near Kolhapur, you can take a break either before or after Kolhapur. Kolhapur is famous for its sugarcane, Kolhapuri Chappal(footwear) and it’s food.
Some say, Kolhapur food is spicy but to describe it as spicy or hot is not enough. It is tasty with the spices and hot due to chilies.
For snacks you can try the Misal (Snacks with red curry). For Non Veg lover, try Tambda (Copper Coloured or red) and Pandhra(white) rassa(gravy or curry) with the meat. This type of curries are unique to Kolhapur.
The border of Maharashtra and Karnataka lies between Kolhapur and Nippani. You can easily miss it if you do not observe carefully.
As your move ahead you will see the stark difference in the public transport buses. The colour changes from Red of Maharashtra to the green of Karnataka.
Before Nippani, was Karnataka’s first toll, Kognoli Toll plaza. There are some good food outlets here too. Here you will see boards of Maharashtra and Kannada language.
Nippani being the first major town in Karnataka. Nippani is an industrial and agricultural city.
After Nippani, you will find the diversion road to go to Goa. This road takes your from Amboli to Goa but one needs to give it a miss as we are heading towards Gokarna.
Now we reach the Hattargi Toll before Belgaum which is the last toll of this journey. On the way before Belgaum you will see this beautiful river.
Belgaum
In Belgaum, the highway flyover passes through the middle of the city and one gets to see the city from above. Belgaum is major city of Karnataka and has a mix of cultures from both Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Belgaum to Yellapur
On leaving Belgaum or Belgavi as the call it, you will see the Golden Legislative House of Karnataka.
In the Pune to Gokarna Road Trip, you will have 2 routes to reach Yellapur from here. One route will take you to Hubballi and the other one will take a right from Kittur and go through the forest. The route from Hubballi is on the state highway but longer. The route from Kittur to Yellapur is through fields and forests.
From Kittur one needs take a U turn below the flyover. Going a little further turn left towards Alnavar.
We keep driving through the sugarcane fields, Nilgiri (eucalyptus) and betel nuts trees. After Kitture its all nature till Gokarna.
You will pass through small villages with old houses. People are living here for centuries and working on the farms.
Alnavar and Haliyal
Travelling for an hour, we reach Alnavar. Alnavar is a small city. We drive through the main road of Alnavar and get to see its market. The market of Alnavar is very different from the market of urban cities.
We saw many saw mills in Alnavar and wondered where did they get the wood from.
From Alnavar, a road goes to Haliyal. Haliyal is another laid back place on this road but an important one. After Haliyal one travels through forests of Yellapur.
Also, there are many diversions for going to Dandeli from the main road. People and vehicles are restricted from entering them after 6 in the evening.
Through the Jungle From Haliyal to Yellapur
After Haliyal, the scene changes dramatically. You travel through an enchanting forest.
This is the Yellapur forest division. There is a strange silence in the jungle.
You will see many big anthills on the way here.
After seeing this truck we understood where Alnavar and Haliyal get its wood from for its saw mills.
On the way from Haliyaal to Yellapur i.e. the jungle was fenced to avoid accidents. This way animals did not come on the road at night.
There are a few small houses and villages in the middle of the jungle too.
Yellapur
On reaching Yellapur, we had a meal at Indraprasth hotel. You will get good South Indian food here. You can also try South Indian Thali here.
After Yellapur, we got down from Arabail ghat and saw many villages on the main road. It was a beautiful road and we were excited as we were approaching Gokarna.
Yellapur to Gangavalli River
In this Pune to Gokarna Road Trip, from Yellapur to reach NH 66 you will have two options again.
Either travel to Gokarna via Ankola or move through shorter road through the villages of Karnataka after taking a diversion from the village Agasur on the main highway.
We chose to travel through the country side viewing the small villages all along the Gangavalli River to reach NH 66. This way we saved time and got to view the beautiful village life of Karnataka.
Gangavalli river starts in Dharward, Karnataka and meets the sea near Gokarna.
It is a beautiful river and the river side is scenic throughout which provide for lovely pictures.
Reaching Gokarna
Nearing Gokarna, we got on the Route 66 of India i.e. NH 66 which starts at Panvel and ends Kanyakumari. NH 66 is 4 lane and from here we can go towards Murudeshwar, Udupi, Mangalore and Kanyakumari.
Here we drive over a bridge on the Gangavalli river that we have just known. Gokarna was now visible to us from a distance. Do not forget to take a small left turn on NH 66 for Gokarna . This is the beginning of Gokarna.
To reach Gokarna beach one has to travel through the Gokarna market. This is a very old market with shops of clothes, utensils, jewellery and spices. Here you will also find the Gokarna Mahabaleshwar Temple. Beyond the temple, just besides the beach you will also get parking for your vehicle.
Gokarna
On entering Gokarna, you will see smaller roads, coconut trees and old mud huts. You will feel as if you have gone back in time, people are still happy to do the same old work on the same old farms.
To reach Gokarna beach one has to travel through the Gokarna market. This is a very old market with shops of clothes, utensils, jewellery and spices. Here you will also find the Gokarna Mahabaleshwar Temple. Beyond the temple, just besides the beach you will also get parking for your vehicle.
Our Pune to Gokarna Road Trip ends at the very beautiful Gokarna beach which is long, clean and beautiful. Check out these beautiful pics of the Gokarna Beach.
Our take : Pune to Gokarna Road Trip
For every road trip enthusiast, the Pune to Gokarna Road Trip is takes you to the next level. It has a mix of experiences and thrill.
In this road trip, you get to drive on 2 National Highways, along beautiful rivers, through the plains and field to cross mountains and forests.
Over all the Pune to Gokarna Road Trip is safe as well as thrilling. Give it a try.
Hey readers, now that you reached
Gokarna from Pune, you would love to know more about the Places to Visit in Gokarna, so read our blog – Top 10 Places Near Gokarna You Must Explore for an Unforgettable Trip.
Hope to see you on the road soon. Keep Making Happy Road Stories!!!
Check out our Youtube videos on Gokarna.