We all love road trips and loving them have our own reasons.

Breaking out of normal routine and hitting the roads like nomads for a week is undoubtedly an adventurous and wonderful thing to do.

I have been lucky to roam through various parts and terrains of India but riding the coastal road of Konkan has few substitutes.

So, if you are looking for places of interests in Konkan or looking to hit the lush green roads of Western Ghats I highly recommend to take the coastal highway.

Best time to visit

With its pristine clear beaches, silent valleys, lovely people, free-flowing river and empty roads, Konkan is the place to be during winters i.e. from September to March.

Route

Sagari Mahamarg or the Coastal sea route runs right from Alibaug to Goa. Coded as MSH 4 or Mumbai Goa Coastal highway, the route runs through multiple creeks.

In some places, you may need to make use of Jetty to cross the creek. Two wheelers and four wheelers can be easily transported across the creeks using state run Trawlers.

Time needed

At least 4 days is suggested to spend on this route and not less than that. Night halt can be Diveagar, Guhagar, Malvan and Goa.

I have shortlisted few places in north-south order but the beauty of Konkan is not limited to below places. Every turn there has its own charm.

Dabhol and Anjanvel

Dabhol is a coastal town which lies on the Sagari Mahamarg after the town of Dapoli. One can take a jetty from Dabhol to Anjanvel on the other side.

Guhagar Beach

Guhagar is a small and straight town with an awesome beach and windy surrounding. The white sand and blue water beach are not yet commercialized and one can spend quality time walking down the length of the beach. It is around 15 km from Anjanvel lighthouse.

Lately, a number of hotels and restaurants have sprung up and remains functional throughout the year.

Ganpatipule the temple town

Next town to stop by after Guhagar is Ganpatipule. And the journey from Guhagar to Ganpatipule is riding amidst silent hills and super curved Ghats.

Ganpatipule is popular for Lord Ganesh temple which right on the beach.

Another attraction in Ganpatipule is ‘Prachin Konkan’. Prachin Konkan is a concept based tourist attraction designed to make the tourist aware of the history of Konkan and its a must-visit for a culture loving travellers.

Malvan

Ganpatipule to Malvan is like high mountain roads on one side and expansive roaring Ocean on the other side. It’s very much like the Pacific highway map we used to play in the NFS video games.

After Ratnagiri, there isn’t much ghat and mostly the roads are straight running through tabletops. One gets to see fantastic stretches of green and yellow fields.

Malvan is an old city and has mentions in our ancient scriptures. At the heart of Malvan city is a narrow road running across the old market with shops glittering on each side.

Places of attraction in and around Malvan are Devbag Sangam, Sindhudurg Fort, Snorkelling at Tarkali beach and spotting Dolphins in the sea.

Vengurla

After Malvan next obvious stop would be Vengurla. Vengurla is around 25km inside from the Mumbai Goa highway and the route is extremely scenic.

Some places of attraction here are Vengurla Bandar, Vengurla Market Terekhol Fort and Sagareshwar beach.

I loved the place so much that I went there alone and stayed for 3-4 days. I rented a cycle to explore the place at a slow pace. You can read the entire travelogue here stay in Vengurla day 1, stay in Vengular day 2 and stay in Vengurla day 3 (links will open in new tab).

I hope you enjoyed the post and photos and they surely motivated you to hit the road. Read the detailed bike trip to Konkan.

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