BHPian Sitaramaraju recently shared this with other enthusiasts: I had been wanting to do a long road trip with my family for quite some time and had been exploring a few options. A recent job switch gave me a welcome break of about 10 days. The initial plan was to focus on temple visits across Karnataka, and since the break coincided with my daughter’s birthday, we decided to extend the trip to Goa and celebrate it there. This journey in early November eventually covered around 2,400 km over multiple days, taking us through Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra, and offered a great mix of national highways, state highways, ghat sections, and scenic coastal roads. Route Overview Hyderabad Chitradurga Sringeri Horanadu Dharmasthala Kukke Udupi Kollur Murudeswar Gokarna Goa Hyderabad The Car & PreparationCar: Skoda Kushaq 1.0 TSITransmission: ManualFuel: PetrolThe car was recently serviced and in good mechanical condition, so no special preparation was required. As a precaution, I carried a tyre inflator and a puncture repair kit. I purchased the annual pass on the Rajmargyatra app, topped up the FASTag balance, and downloaded offline Google Maps for smooth navigation. We were a family of three-myself, my spouse, and our 5-year-old daughter. The luggage fit comfortably in the boot, keeping the cabin uncluttered and comfortable for long drives. Day 1: Hyderabad Kurnool Bellary Chitradurga (560 km) Stay: Chitradurga Drive Experience: We left Hyderabad at 4:30 AM to avoid city traffic. The Hyderabad-Kurnool stretch on NH 44 was excellent, with smooth roads and light traffic allowing effortless cruising. The Kurnool-Bellary section narrowed into a state highway-decent overall but with occasional rough patches and speed breakers that slowed progress slightly. The Bellary-Chitradurga stretch had 80-90 km of newly laid national highway, easily the best stretch of the day. Stay & Sightseeing: We reached Chitradurga around 1:30 PM and checked in at KSTDC Mayur Durg, conveniently located right opposite Chitradurga Fort. In the evening, we explored the fort. While it takes 4-5 hours to cover completely, we spent about 2 hours covering key sections. The sunset views were spectacular. Day 2: Chitradurga Shivamogga Sringeri (280 km) Stay: Sringeri Drive Experience: We started around 5:30 AM, and the roads till Shivamogga were smooth and wide. The stretch from Shivamogga to Sringeri was particularly scenic, with meandering roads through dense green cover. Despite the curves, the drive was relaxed and not challenging. Stay & Sightseeing: We had pre-booked Bharati Tirtha Guest House, located just opposite the temple complex. The rooms were clean, basic, and well maintained-ideal for a short stay. We had darshan of Jagadguru Vidhusekhara Bharati at Guru Nivas and explored the temple complex. Later, we visited Sirimane Waterfalls and Rishyasringa Temple, about a 30-minute drive from Sringeri. In the evening, we spent time on the serene banks of the Tunga River and later witnessed the Chandramouleeswara Puja conducted by Jagadguru Bharati Tirtha. Day 3: Sringeri Horanadu Dharmasthala (150 km) Stay: Dharmasthala We left Sringeri around 7:30 AM. The drive to Horanadu took about 2 hours via ghat roads lined with lush coffee plantations. The route was narrow but manageable, with one or two slightly challenging turns. We had a quick darshan of Annapoorneswari and departed around 10:30 AM towards Dharmasthala, stopping for lunch at Ujire. The Charmady Ghat stretch was breathtaking, with post-monsoon greenery and a smooth downhill drive. We had pre-booked rooms at Sahyadri Guest House through the official website. The rooms were neat, clean, and comfortable, offering excellent value for money. We went for darshan of Lord Manjunatha at 5:30 PM, and the visit was smooth and quick. Although we had planned to visit the car museum, we couldn’t manage it this time. Day 4: Dharmasthala Kukke Udupi (~220 km) Stay: Udupi We started at 6:30 AM from Dharmasthala and reached Kukke by 8:00 AM. Roads were good, flanked by dense green cover. After darshan at Subramanya Temple and Adi Subramanya Temple, we departed for Udupi around 10:00 AM. We started the NH66 leg of our journey near Mangalore and reached Udupi by 1:30 PM. The hotel was within walking distance of Sri Krishna Math, making temple visits convenient. Due to Kanakadasa Jayanti and Saturday evening rush, we opted for Seegra Darshan, which was completed quickly. We spent time exploring the math and nearby shopping areas before calling it a day. Day 5: Udupi Kumbashi Maravanthe Kollur Murudeswar Gokarna (~230 km) Stay: Gokarna We started from Udupi at 5:30 AM. Early morning traffic was light, making for a pleasant start. Our first stop was Kumbashi, where we had a quick darshan of Anegudde Vinayaka. Next we headed to Maravanthe Beach and spent some time enjoying the unique stretch where the sea runs parallel to the highway. We then headed to Kollur and reached Mookambika Temple around 9 AM. The temple is about 30 km inland and the roads are narrow but in good condition. The temple was crowded and Seegra Darshan took about 1.5 hours. Murudeswar was our next stop and we reached the temple by 12:15 PM. Despite the Sunday crowd and temple closing at 1 PM, the fast-moving queue allowed smooth darshan. We visited the beach, enjoyed the floating bridge, and admired the massive gopuram and Lord Shiva statue. Our last stop for day was Gokarna, where we reached around 3:00 PM. After a short rest, we visited Mahabaleswar Temple in the evening; darshan took a couple of hours due to the crowd. Day 6: Gokarna Karwar Goa (~140 km) Stay: Goa We visited Om Beach early morning, spending about an hour strolling along the shore. After returning from Om Beach , we drove towards Goa. A planned stop at INS Chapal (K94) Warship & Aircraft Museum could not happen due to a power cut at the museum. The drive to Goa took ~3 hours along narrow, winding highways with moderate traffic. In Goa, my brother-in-law and his wife joined us. We spent the next three days exploring Goa, with one evening dedicated to celebrating our daughter’s birthday. Day 10: Goa Amboli Ghat Chikodi Sangola Solapur Hyderabad We started from Goa around 8:30 AM via Amboli Ghat. Newly laid tarmac made the climb easy and enjoyable. Amboli Waterfalls had low flow but were still scenic. After crossing the ghat sections, progress was slow due to rough patches and traffic from sugarcane crushing in the belt. Maharashtra Police checked vehicles at multiple locations, causing minor delays. In general, road conditions in Maharashtra were noticeably better than in Karnataka along this belt. Lunch at Krishna Rasoi, Chikodi provided a welcome break. The Sangola-Solapur highway stretch was smooth and relaxing. Beyond Solapur, uneven surfaces and ongoing construction slowed progress, but the Humnabad-Zaheerabad-Sangareddy stretch was excellent, making the final leg comfortable.Overall Car & Driving ExperienceOver the 2,400 km journey, my Kushaq proved to be a reliable and comfortable long-distance tourer. It remained stable on highways, handled broken roads and ghat sections confidently, and made overtaking effortless. Driving fatigue was minimal even on long days, and I comfortably handled the entire Hyderabad-Goa stretch myself despite having another driver available.Car Mileage SummaryTotal Distance: 2,410 kmFuel Consumed: 145.22 LMileage: 16.6 km/lFinal ThoughtsThis road trip turned out to be a perfect blend of devotion, scenic drives, and relaxed family time-covering temples in the Western Ghats, lush ghat roads, and stunning coastal highways, before wrapping up with a celebratory halt in Goa. Covering about 2,400 km across five states, the journey offered varied terrain, keeping every day engaging behind the wheel. Through all these conditions, the Skoda Kushaq performed flawlessly and fatigue-free, which made the long distances feel surprisingly easy and reinforced its suitability as a dependable long-distance tourer. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
