Sea forts, river ferries, Malvani seafood, and the empty coastal road nobody takes — the Konkan is India's most underrated ride.
Everyone rushes the highway between Goa and Mumbai. Almost nobody rides the coast that runs alongside it — and that's exactly why the Konkan is one of the most rewarding easy rides in India. We take the slow, salty way: the Sagari Mahamarg coastal road.
Forts in the sea
Sindhudurg is the showpiece — a 17th-century fortress built by Shivaji on a rock offshore, reached by a short boat hop with the ramparts rising straight out of the water. Further up, Vijaydurg and the beach at Ganpatipule break the ride with history and sand.
Ferries and seafood
The coastal road isn't continuous — small wooden ferries carry you and the bikes across the estuaries. Rolling a motorcycle onto a ferry as fishing boats drift past is the kind of moment you remember long after the ride. And the reward at every stop is Malvani cooking: coconut, kokum, and the day's catch.
The Konkan is what the whole Indian coast used to be — and on a bike, it still is.
Base yourself a night at Tarkarli's clear-water beach, and ride it October to March.
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