Ratnagiri weekend trip from Goa: Totally worth it

I wanted to visit Ratnagiri last year (2022) but we stopped at so many places on the route, we had to cut short our journey halfway and return. This year, we decided to head to Ratnagiri for a weekend from Goa. About 1.5 days we could explore a bit, lost half a day to extensive rain. Below is how our weekend went

Day 01: Goa to Ratnagiri

I’d identified about 10 possibly interested places on the way to Ratnagiri or nearby. [Map link]

We left from Goa at 5.45 AM from South Goa.

#1 Sherpe Napne waterfalls was the first one on the list. But due to heavy rain we skipped it and proceeded to next spot.

One restaurant was open for breakfast- had Poha and Sabudana kichdi- only 2 items available with them at 7.30-8 AM

#2 Katalkada waterfalls was a nice spot-nothing exceptional but due to heavy rain the view was nice. The falls was by the road and easy to access.

One of the tyres had low pressure, so had to drive back to nearby town for air. 

#3 Petroglyphs of Basru - the location was nice but we could not locate any carvings on the rocks.

Had to console myself that below one looks like Lord Ganesha

#4 Katal shilp rundhe:

The spot was hard to locate on our own. Took local help and managed to locate the spot.

#5 Tad waterfalls we skipped- couldn't locate

#6 Kada sea spots was a scenic location worth spending some time

#7 Ratnadurg fort was a nice place. Fort campus is simple with a temple, walkable boundary walls with nice view of the sea. Worth spending 30 to 60 mins. No entry fee. No Parking fee.

There are more hiking opportunities, viewpoints and some caves nearby to Ratnadurg fort. Explore if you have time.

Mandavi beach -nothing special, can be skipped. Was stinking.

Drove by the beach to visit New Mandawi Jetty, where we could walk on the sea for half a km and get good view. Heavy rain and strong wind limited the time we could have spent there.

Chanderai and Panval waterfalls were other 2 spots we had in our plan but we skipped as it was 6 PM already.

Ratnagiri is also the birth place of Lokamanya Tilak. But we didn't realize it in time. Also the place might have closed to visitors in evening. Purnagad fort also we missed

Almost 300 kms on day 01. After checking few properties, we finally checked into this Blue View Villas and Homestay about 6 kms away from Ratnagiri town.

Day 02- Ratnagiri back to Goa

We tried visiting Table point Ratnagiri but couldn’t proceed due to heavy rain and not being clear if road is safe

Kurli beach- nothing unique. Our Day 2 plan was as below [Map link]

#1 Devghali beach area was nice- got good cliff view, there was a hiking path to go down

#2 Ambolgad fort- nothing special- we went in search of a fort, but couldn't locate any. Eventually spotted a large banyan tree with a iron canon and some remains of the fort walls

We hiked a bit above the school in search of fort, but found none, except some walls. But we got nice view of the sea and harbor below.

#3 Vijaydurg fort was an amazing place. The fort campus is huge with several walls, gates, warehouses, bunkers and more. We got heavy rains and strong winds while exploring Vijaydurg fort. Couldn't click much photos.

#4 Shivakalin Hattimahal Bandhara: wasn’t open. Locals told us the area is flooded with water and nothing can be seen. Had to skip and proceed to next.

#5 Devgad fort: Only fort walls remain, by the sea. Nothing very special

#6 Tarkali beach we skipped due to heavy rain

#7 Devbagh beach- flop- was expecting a Mattu beach like scenery on both sides, but the view was zero due to buildings on both sides. (Not to be confused with Devbagh beach near Karwar)

Wadekar Kaka Kandalvan Safari, Mangrove Safari Malvan: was closed

Roads were largely fine, but about 10% we got bad roads. One bridge was closed so had to take a longer detour, there was waterlogging at multiple places. Overall Ratnagiri trip was a scenic drive with some nice spots along the route. Totally worth it. Not a single rupee toll was collected between Goa and Ratnagiri. (Same distance between Mangaluru and Karwar we pay 420 Rs toll, around 2-3 rupees per km).

Petrol costs around 10 rupees more per liter in MH compared to Goa, so better to fill tank before leaving Goa and after returning to Goa.

Food: we got a few small restaurants so food was not a problem.

Similar: Sindhudurg island fort drone clip * Yashwanth Gad fort * Saitavade waterfalls *