Four of us (Makarand Joshi, Milind Kulkarni, Rajendra Joglekar and Samir Palnitkar) had done the Pune Goa Cycling trip in Jan 2021. We wanted to relive that wonderful experience, therefore, we decided to do it again in 2025. We went back and forth with the dates, but finalized on early March as the final trip dates.
We rode 538 km in 7 days, climbing approximately 16,500 ft. It was a refreshing experience seeing the unending Konkan coastline, dotted with beaches. On each day, there was a great beach at the village where we stayed. The beauty of this coastline is identical to the beauty of the Goa coastline (it is the same coastline), except that the these beaches are more pristine and with far fewer crowds.
Here was our day by day route:
Day 1: Pune -> Shrivardhan via Tamhini Ghat (110 km, 2,500 ft climbing)
Day 2: Shrivardhan -> Harihareshwar -> Kelashi (55 km, 1,800 ft climbing)
Day 3: Kelashi -> Murud -> Ladghar -> Burondi -> Kolthare ( 54 km, 1,900 ft climbing)
Day 4: Kolthare -> Dabhol -> Guhagar -> Ganpatipule -> Aarey Waarey (92 km, 3,100 ft climbing)
Day 5: Aarey Waarey -> Ratnagiri -> Pawas -> Jaitapur -> Devgad (105 km, 3,400 ft climbing)
Day 6: Devgad -> Malvan -> Nivati (74 km, 2,300 ft climbing)
Day 7: Nivati -> Vengurla -> Goa (48 km, 1,500 ft climbing)
Here are the details of our trip.
Day 1: Mar 2: Pune -> Shrivardhan via Tamhini Ghat
We started at 4.30 am from Dashbhuja Ganpati Mandir at Karve Road. The photo below is not great, but it serves as a memory of our excitement as we started early morning. From the left are Milind Kulkarni, Makarand Joshi, Rajendra Joglekar and Samir Palnitkar (me).
We cycled towards Mulshi and continued on to Tamhini Ghat. We had some really pretty views on the way with Mulshi lake backwaters.
We stopped for breakfast around 9.00 am just before we descended Tamhini Ghat all the way down to Konkan.
We reached Shrivardhan around 1.30 pm. We stayed in a home stay close to Shrivardhan. It had lovely mango trees.
The backup vehicle was a Bolero that could handle 6 bicycles plus luggage. Sagar was the backup vehicle driver.
Here was the route map for our bicycle ride on Day 1, Mar 2. We did 110 km with 2,500 ft of climbing on Day 1. The road conditions in Tamhini Ghat were great and we had a lot of fun riding. The ascents and descents were very well graded, no steep gradients.
In the evening, we visited Shrivardhan, the village of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat, the first Peshwa (prime minister) who was responsible for massive expansion of the Maratha empire in the early 1700s. He was the father of Bajirao I, the famous Peshwas who never lost a battle.
There is a statue in the memory of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat, but frankly, it could be much better kept.
We also visited the Shirvardhan beach, a very touristy but nice beach with great views of the sunset.
Day 2: Mar 3: Shrivardhan -> Kelashi
We started from our homestay at Shrivardhan at 6.40 am, ready to do a short ride to Kelashi. In March, in the Konkan region, the days between 10 am and 5 pm were extremely hot, but the early mornings and nights were very cool. I had to wear a bicycling jacket in the morning.
Our first stop was the temple at Harihareshwar, dedicated to Harihar, a fusion of Vishnu and Shiva. It was the Kuldaivat (ancestral god) of the Maratha Peshwas. It was originally built in the 12th century and renovated by the first Peshwa in 1723.
We continued on to the village of Vesavi, where we took the 8.30 am ferry to Bagmandale.
After getting off the ferry at Bagmandale, we continued our ride along very quiet roads along the beach, a truly wonderful experience.
We saw some trees with no leaves and beautiful red flowers.
The bridges across the rivers were also quiet and serene. I had a lot of time to introspect. The cycle ride was almost meditative.
One interesting observation is the influence of Islam in the Konkan region due to the trade with Arabian as well as the Siddis who were Arabian rulers in this region. We spotted many small mosques.
We reached Kelashi around 12 noon covering 55 km with 1,800 ft of climbing. The gradient on Konkan roads is very high. Very few roads have switchbacks. The road pretty much goes straight up. After every town, there is a climb. The towns are at the sea level, the roads are higher up on a plateau.
At Kelashi, we stayed with my and Makarand’s relatives Ulhas (mama) and Sheelu (mami) Dharmadhikari. They had a lovely home in Kelashi. We enjoyed the hospitality of Sheelu mami and her wonderful cooking.
In the evening, we walked to Kelashi beach, about 1.5 km away. We first visited the Mahalakshmi temple at Kelashi.
As we walked, we also saw a dargah with nice views of Kelashi beach.
This was a long 5 km beach, with just the 4 of us on the beach. Makarand and Milind went in for a dip. Rajendra and I meditated on the beach. It was an interesting meditation session where we could experience the cool breeze and the sound of the waves.
Day 3: Mar 4: Kelashi -> Kolthare
We started Day 3 at leisure, starting at around 7.15 am. We said goodbye to Sheelu and Ulhas Dharmadhikari and thanked them for their wonderful hospitality.
We got great views of the Konkan sunrise. Pristine setting.
We stopped at the Kadyavarcha Ganpati mandir (Ganpati on a cliff) at Anjarle. This temple was built in 1630.
At around 9.48 am at the village of Pajpandhari, Milind had an issue with his cycle chain. It took time to fix the chain, a local mechanic helped with it. The kids from the local were very curious about cyclists coming from Pune. I spoke with them. They took turns on my bicycle while Milind’s bicycle got fixed.
We passed the Suvarnadurg sea fort at Harne. It was built by Shivaji in 1660. A similar fort was visible at Murud. The Konkan coastline is dotted with such forts that are a few hundred feet from the mainland, but provided excellent coastal defense at that time.
Around 11 am, we also passed the Murud beach where the road ran next to the beach. The sun was beginning to get very hot.
After 10 am everyday, it would get very hot and humid. The sun would be beating down upon us. Additionally, there was lots of climbing every day with steep gradients. After every village, there was a climb. For example, on this 3rd day, we did about 13 climbs. Doing those climbs in the hot sun became very difficult.
My pace was slowing because of the hot sun. I reached Burondi where a monument for Parshuram has been built. Hindu mythology states that Bhagwan Parshuram, armed with his axe (Parashu), reclaimed the land of Konkan from the sea, pushing it back with a mighty stroke.
I reached Burondi around 12.15 pm. The climb to Burondi completely sapped my energy. I could feel my body and my head overheating. There was a sherbet stall. I had 3 glasses of limbu sherbet and a liter of water to cool me down. From there, it was 3 km mostly downhill to Valley Winds resort in Kolthare.
We covered 54 km with 1,900 ft of climbing. But even with 54 km, the extreme heat was challenging. Therefore, the pace was very slow.
The Valley Winds resort was really nice. We ate lunch at around 3 pm.
After lunch, I began to feel some acidity, and I though that was because of something I ate.
In the evening, we visited the Koleshwar Shiva mandir at Kolthare.
We also visited Kolthare beach. It was a treat to visit a great beach every evening. The scenery was stunning as usual and 4 of us were the only people on the beach. The sand was mostly black till Kolthare, the color of the sand got lighter as we approached Goa.
I chose not to eat a heavy dinner because the acidity was still bothering me.
Day 4: May 5: Kolthare to Aarey Warey
We started at 5.45 am with an intent to catch the ferry from Dabhol to Dhopave at 6.30 am. We did make it to the ferry in time. However, I did not sleep very well in the night having hiccups and acidity. I never get acidity. I was wondering what was happening.
The atmosphere was beautiful in the morning as we crossed the river on the ferry.
We passed the controversial Dabhol Power Station a controversial 1,967 MW combined-cycle power plant, originally developed by a joint venture led by Enron starting 1993, but faced numerous challenges and controversies, eventually leading to its takeover by the Government of Maharashtra and renaming as Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Limited (RGPPL). The controversy was associated with state electricity board paying more to Enron than what it charged customers. There were allegations of bribery.
We had climbed high on to a plateau and we got fantastic views of Guhagar beach on the Arabian sea.
I passed the Ganpati mandir at Palshet at around 10.30 am. The heat was getting to me and I was falling behind.
I reached the ferry to Jaigad at around 11.30 am. Others were waiting for me. I was very tired, feeling a lot of acidity with constant hiccups.
I was not in good shape. It was 12 noon already. The heat was intense. It would be at least another 2-3 hours before I got to the destination at Aarey Waarey. The remainder of the journey would not be a fun event. I did not want to give up and simply give up on the remaining ride for the day. Therefore, I suggested to Makarand, Milind and Rajendra to proceed to Aarey Waarey while I took some rest in the hotel in the afternoon.
Therefore, after the Jaigad climb, around 12 noon, I decided to take a break at Hotel Jog Residency at Jaigad. I ate a decent curd rice lunch, and rented a room for 3 hours for Rs. 500. I cooled down in the air conditioning, took a bath and got some sleep.
I started cycling again at 3.45 pm when the intensity of the sun had reduced significantly. Now the weather had cooled down considerably. I passed a fishing village at Bhandarwada.
I passed Malgund beach at 4.30 pm.
I reached Ganpatipule beach at around 5 pm. The beach was crowded compared to the other beaches I had experienced.
The Ganpati temple at Ganpatipule is very beautiful. It is a 400 year old Ganpati mandir.
I continued to enjoy beautiful views of the beaches along the coastal road.
At around 6 pm, I reached Aarey Waarey beach resort. I kept my bicycle and immediately proceeded to Aarey Waarey beach to join the remaining team members. We did 92 km cycling with 3,100 ft climbing.
We had dinner at O’Nest Nakshatra Beach Resort. It was a really nice place. But I again had curd rice, because inspite of consuming antacids, I still had a lot of acidity and hiccups.
Day 5: May 6: Aarey Waarey to Devgad
During Day 3 and 4, I had trouble keeping up with the Makarand, Milind and Rajendra due to the extreme heat. I decided to leave earlier than the rest at 5 am from Aarey Waarey resort, 1 hour earlier.
The morning was very quiet. The roads were empty for miles together.
In some places, there was roughness and some potholes on the road.
I reached Ratnagiri in about 30 mins and continued on to Pawas. At around 7.45 am, Makarand, Milind and Rajendra caught up with me. They stopped for breakfast, but I decided to continue because I preferred to spend time cycling in the morning rather than on breakfast.
I crossed some of the usual bridges, with hardly any traffic.
At around 11 am, I took a break at a village called Katradevi, near Vijaydurg. I ate my lunch at a small restaurant. It was a decent vegetarian thali for Rs. 160. I asked them if there was any option to rest for a while. They gave me a room for Rs. 200. I got some sleep, stretched my legs and waited till 3.45 pm.
During this afternoon, after I spoke with Anu, I realized that the acidity and hiccups were because of the extreme heat, probably a heat stroke. I figured that it made sense to keep myself cool and do most cycling in the non-heat hours.
At 3.45 pm, I started my remaining journey towards Devgad. The views continued to be stunning.
I kept drinking cold water and pouring cold water over my head, into my cap etc. That cooled me down considerably.
I ended my cycle ride at Devgad at 5.20 pm. It was a long 105 km ride with 3,400 ft of climbing.
As I cooled down, my acidity symptoms subsided considerably. I felt better and ate better that evening. Starting the next day, since the rides were shorter, I decided to finish most of my ride in the morning hours to avoid the later heat.
Day 6: May 7: Devgad to Nivati
I started this day early as well at around 5.00 am. It was a shorter ride today to Nivati. The road was good. I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise on the Achara river.
Familiar scenery was visible throughout the ride, lush greenery and beautiful, untarnished rivers.
I also passed the Sindhudurg airport at a village called Chipi. The airport does not seem very used.
Finally, we arrived at our destination at Nivati Fort. The location was beautiful. It had a nice cove and a quiet beach.
We arrived at Nivati fort around 11.30 am. I managed to beat the hot afternoon and arrived well in time. I managed to stay cool by pouring water over my head continuously. We had covered 73 km with 2,400 ft of climbing.
When we reached Nivati fort, there were songs playing loudly on a speaker system in a small village. It was hard to stay at our designated homestay. Therefore, we decided to find another place at Nivati beach. We put our bikes in the backup vehicle and headed to Ocean Vibes resort. We stayed at Ocean Vibes Resort at Nivati Beach. It turned out to be a really nice place considering a last minute booking.
The resort was right on the beach. We spent a lot of time on the beach.
In Konkan, I realized that it takes a while to cook the food, maybe because it is fresh. Typically, it takes them two hours to cook your meal. If you want food at 8 pm, order at 6 pm.
We had a good time at Ocean Vibes resort. Milind and I slept outside on the terrace listening to the sound of the waves on the beach which was 50 ft away. At around 3 am, it got cold enough that I had to step back into the warmth of the room to sleep.
Day 7: March 8: Nivati to Goa
This was our last day. We had only about 48 km. We started in the morning at 6.20 am from Nivati. On the way Mhapan, we saw a very pretty Siddheshwar temple.
We continued cycling to see beautiful views of the sunrise. We were excited because this was the final day of our cycling trip. We wanted to do more, but we were also happy that our trip was done.
Rajendra, Makarand and Milind stopped for breakfast around 8.30 am at Vengurla, but I decided to proceed because I wanted to finish the ride early before it got too hot. So I continued to ride while they ate breakfast.
We passed Shiroda, where there was a religious festival.
Finally at around 9.50 am, I arrived at Aronda on the Goa border.
We took a photo in the middle of Aronda bridge where lies the Goa border.
This was the end of our ride. We had fresh sugarcane to celebrate the finish.
We finished the final day at around 10 am with 48 km of cycling and 1,500 ft of climbing.
We loaded the bicycles into the backup vehicle and headed to Angel’s resort our hotel in Porvorim, Goa. We did not ride inside Goa to avoid traffic. We thought since we had a backup vehicle, we would use that to navigate within Goa rather than riding the bicyle.
In the afternoon, we celebrated at the Copper Leaf restaurant in Porvorim. It was a really nice restaurant.
We spent the rest of the day hanging out in Porvorim, had some coffee and hot chocolate at a local bakery and then headed out to the airport at around 9 pm for our 11.30 pm flight back to Pune.
It was a wonderful experience riding from Pune to Goa. We got to see the Konkan coast at close quarters. Loved it!
