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Sun and seafood, Bibinca and beaches, ‘firangs’ and feni. This is the land of palm-fringed beaches where you can easily chill out under the sun with a cool drink by your side, surf the waves, or party away the nights. This is also the land of magnificent old churches, remnants of the grandeur and the glory that was the Portuguese empire 500 years ago. Yes! This month we’ve driven from Mumbai to go gaga over Goa.

- High season Mid-December to late January. Middle season October to mid-December and February to mid-June.
- Low season Mid-June to September (monsoon).

Come Christmas and New Year’s Eve or carnival time, Goa gets very crowded and you will have to book accommodation in advance.

In other months, you can land up in Goa brimming with confidence that you will get a place to stay.

During the monsoon, when it rains it pours and the beaches become deathtraps. However, if you enjoy the rain, Goa is a pleasant place to park yourself under a shack with a good book. The Goan sun is very harsh, so make sure you carry sunscreen, suntan oil, a suncap and sunglasses.

Smooth roads mean that you just need to get a routine service done before your drive to Goa.

Key areas to check are:
- Brakes: The Mumbai-Goa road has its fair share of twisty corners and ghats, so you’ll be relying on that middle pedal a lot. See to it that your brakes are effective and reliable.
- Tyres: Stick to the recommended amount of air depending on the load. Check the pressure of the spare wheel too and also make sure you have the tools to change a wheel.
- Engine: Check liquid levels — oil, brake fluid, windscreen washer, radiator coolant and battery water.
- Electricals Lights, indicators, horn and cabin lights.
- Rattles and squeaks: In the city they might not irritate much, but on a 500km-plus journey they will get on your nerves. So get them eliminated.
- Protection for your car Goa means beaches and sand which, coupled with salt water, are not good for the flooring of your car. Get rubber matting installed so the amount of sand and dampness reaching the carpet is reduced.

The 500km-plus drive from Mumbai to Panaji is a pleasure thanks to the superb roads. The flyovers between Mumbai and Panvel give a signal-less drive to Panvel.

Once you turn after Panvel onto NH17 for Goa, the road becomes a two-lane highway, which is well maintained but with its fair shares of fast corners. NH17 passes through forested roads, Karnala Bird Sanctuary and Pen where the road splits in two. While NH17 carries on towards Nagothane, a state highway goes on to the seaside town of Alibaug. Fishing Boats at Baga creek take passengers for a joyride.

The entire run from Pen to Mahad runs south in an almost straight line and right turns at road junctions invariably lead to coastal towns like Murud, Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar. After Poladpur, NH17 changes districts as it crosses
over from Raigadh to Ratnagiri.
The first major town in Ratnagiri district is Chiplun. The drive on the ghat thereafter affords splendid views of the marshlands formed by the river Vashishti. Soon after Ratnagiri junction you may come upon mango sellers where you can pick up the famed juicy Ratnagiri alphonso mangoes for a bargain price. Talera is the last town NH17 passes through in the Ratnagiri district as it crosses over to Sindhudurg district, Savantwadi, and then into the state of Goa.