Best road trip route from Hyderabad to Goa - Solapur-Miraj-Amboli vs Kalaburagi-Hubli? Travelling Aug 22 [2026]
Hey r/goatravel,
Planning a road trip from Hyderabad to North Goa (Ashwem/Morjim area) this Saturday, Aug 22. 2 couples in a petrol XUV700, planning an early 3:30–4 AM start.
We’ve been going back and forth on the route and wanted to hear from anyone who’s driven this recently.
Route A — Via Solapur → Miraj → Nipani → Ajara → Amboli Ghat
YouTube videos and a few threads suggest this is better — wider roads on NH65/NH166, fewer speed breakers, and Amboli Ghat is stunning in monsoon. Heard the Chikodi stretch is bad but Nipani variant is fine.
Route B — Via Kalaburagi → Hubli → Dharwad → Belagavi → Tilari Ghat
This is what Google Maps suggests but reading says there are a lot of speed breakers through Karnataka towns and some 2-lane stretches.
A few specific things we’d love to know:
**1.** Which route are people taking in 2026, especially in August monsoon?
**2.** Is the Amboli descent to Sawantwadi genuinely rough or manageable in an XUV700?
**3.** Any bad patches to watch out for on either route right now?
**4.** Approximate time you took door to North Goa?
Not looking to rush — happy to enjoy the drive. Just want to avoid the worst of the road damage and get there safely. FASTag is loaded and we’re good on fuel planning.
Used AI to curate my post and question.
Thanks in advance!