It was last March that I took a road trip to Aurangabad with a couple of friends, from Mumbai.
While the trip was great, what irked us was the condition of the roads on part of the journey.
While it was a short while, it was long enough to keep that bumpy feeling for quite some time and us needing rest to settle our bones (which led us to waste one evening.
Don’t regret that much though, we found a great place which served delicious Tahiri) Okay, now back on topic.
The point here, is, that we basically (and strictly) followed Google maps. Which is otherwise great as a general route finder, but can’t be overly relied upon outside the cities (especially in India) where road conditions are seasonal.
We had an early start. We started towards Nashik via Thane. The roads were kind to us till we reached Igatpuri. Soon after, we took a right at Ghoti (as Google Maps directed us).
We got empty roads no doubt but the road conditions weren’t that great. We basically wobbled around in the car for the next few hours. The road conditions improved considerably after Vaijapur and we reached Aurangabad, shaken and stirred.
So, what was the problem?
The Google maps suggested this route from Igatpuri.
Igatpuri - Ghoti - Sinnar - Kopargaon -Vaijapur; deeming this to be the fastest route. (Read How Google Maps chooses the best routes for you)
This route (Igatpuri - Nashik - Yeola - Vaijapur) is a faster and much smoother route, despite the additional 10-15 kilometres. Here’s why. Till Nashik, you will be travelling on Mumbai Nashik Highway and as you enter Nashik, you skip the city traffic with Nashik’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj flyover. Then with a detour towards Niphad and you’re all set for the leg of your journey towards Yeola and further on Vaijapur.
Sure, there’s the option of going via Ahmednagar - Pune route, but when you can do the journey in an hour less (and some 50 kilometers shorter), why won’t you?
Have a great road trip!