Bhandardara Trip

Sharing link to video montage of my trip to Bhandardara hill station this year, a memorable road trip with family. We enjoyed our stay at Ananadvan Resort which is very well maintained and has courteous staff with lip smacking food at their in-house restaurant. When you are out exploring nearby attractions near Bhandardara dam do visit places like Umbrella fall at Wilson Dam, Amruteshwar temple, Randha Falls, Reverse Waterfall at Sandhan Valley and Agasthya Rishi Ashram.

We took Chakan - Rajgurunagar - Alephata - Brahmanwadi - Kotul - Bhandardara which is the shortest route however once you take the turn from Alephata it is a single lane road with some bad patches on the way so you need to drive slow while passing through small villages. Nevertheless this route is enjoyable in terms of soaking in all the natural scenery around. Make sure to have snacks/breakfast while you are on the highway.

On return we took the longer route back to Pune from Bhandardara - Ghoti - Bhatwadi - going along NH60 - Ghulewadi - connecting at Alephata which adds approx. 70kms to the journey however road condition is good and you would pass through farm areas all along with more options to stop for food on the highway.

Enjoy the video!

Mesmerizing Munnar

Just when simmering summer heat started peaking in Pune this April, I was counting down days to my Munnar trip, as I could not plan a getaway last year on the occasion of my 10th wedding anniversary this vacation was overdue from quite some time. I had made up my mind to have a good break with my family this year and I am happy I choose Munnar as my destination for this trip.

TripAdvisor community proved helpful in planning this tour for booking my hotel stay, I was trying to avoid a drive down to Mumbai airport for travelling to Kochi and luckily I got a good deal on SpiceJet direct flight from Pune so all arrangements went well.

We landed on time at Kochi airport and our ride had arrived to drive us to Chinnakanal at Siena Village Resort, approx 119 Kms away from the airport. We had quick lunch at airport cafeteria and our journey began through streets of Kochi and as we left the city behind it took us almost 3 hrs 30 mins to reach Munnar town.

Kochi city or Munnar town has close to non existent political hoardings on road which I am accustomed to witnessing almost in all Indian tourist places I have visited and to top this I was amazed by the condition of the road, I wish Maharashtra government takes up such state highway road upgrade project, it would surely boost tourism prospect which is lacking in spite of having abundant tourist spots.

I must admit that this was the most exhilarating hill station trip I have ever experienced in my life. This uphill ride goes through a long series of narrow single lane road bends, best part is that this entire stretch of NH8 I hardly spotted any pothole or bumps. I was spellbound by the beauty of this place. Understood and felt for real as to why Kerala is called as God's own country as we passed through dense forest areas, hilly terrain graced by tea plantations, huge silver oak and nilgiri trees, witnessing nature in it's true grandeur is like a fresh breathe of air for your soul.

If you are travelling with adult or kids having motion sickness issue I would advise taking frequent breaks on the journey and be ready to put your belly to puke test. My kid had thrown up many number of times & thankfully our driver Mr. Saji he has experience ferrying passengers for quite some years in Munnar so he keeps a small bucket handy in his vehicle for passengers with motion sickness problem. Road condition is rarely bumpy or uncomfortable but route after Thalakode area has multiple and frequent turns.

Once we reached Munnar town we decided not to stop as our hotel was another 22 Kms away and finally we reached the resort at around 6 PM and we were received at hotel reception with a welcome drink and after checking in we headed to our duplex cottage style room which was very spacious and well maintained. Day 1 journey was spent travelling and savoring the long and scenic drive, we relaxed for rest of the evening to call it a day.

Waking up to chirping of birds in the morning and witnessing a thin layer of mist floating above the valley in front of our room terrace was serene, I took some snaps from the verandah and my kid was delighted to explore resort play area as we proceeded to have our breakfast, after returning we got ready to venture out for sightseeing.

We decided to visit a nearby tea factory first which is owned by Goenka group and they have a small educational tour on tea processing where a guide explains all major steps of how tea transforms from a leaf to powder, it was quite an informative session and the aroma of tea all around gets fixated in your senses. This factory has a sales outlet too allowing you to taste demo samples of different grade and quality of tea available, they do not process flavored and CTC quality tea at this plant so you can buy authentic organic quality tea from this factory.

After completing Tea Factory tour our next destination was Rose garden which had a huge variety of flowers spread across a well curated terrace landscape, this place has no guides with just flowers and plants well labelled for tourists to enhance their floriculture knowledge.

We decided to visit Mattupetty dam next which has boat rides. This dam had enough water around this time of the year and we strolled around dam area taking some pics, our boating plan was put off as the speed boat drivers were riding it dhoom style and the larger slow boat required 20 people for which you have to stay near docking area and let a big group assemble to share charges. My kid was in no mood to allow us to go boating so we departed from there back to Munnar town to have lunch and retire back to hotel for enjoying a relaxed evening.

Day 2 sightseeing began with a drive to a spice farm ahead of Munnar town, a local guide at this place gave us extensive and detailed information on how spices are grown and how to identify different variety of spices available in the market. we also learned about ayurvedic benefits of different medicinal plants grown at this farm. It was time for some spice shopping from their store, our next halt was a elephant ride attraction, it was growing very dark and windy outside and my kid was initially excited to ride an elephant but he got fidgety after looking at the elephant size, after failed attempts at pursuing me and my wife decided to ride elephant for him as he wanted to see our snaps but not ride along with us!

Just as we started our elephant ride, it started raining very heavily and the mahout handed us a big umbrella tucked on the side of saddle, my kid sat out with our driver happily watching him take our pics as we took a small round on a narrow forest trail with huge trees around, we returned back early as the elephant was getting scared due to thunder and lightning and it is never wise to force any animal in such conditions as they can run berserk due to fear in such weather.

We returned back to our hotel on day 2 early as it continued to rain and our driver was worried that there could be road block problem on our way back due to mud sliding or tree falling across road during stormy rains. Thankfully we reached without any issues so it was an evening well spent enjoying light drizzle while sipping tea and feasting on pakora's on the terrace verandah as the clouds cleared up a little late in the evening.

I woke up to a rainy and gloomy morning on our last day of touring hoping for rains to go away as we had planned to visit a tea plantation spot nearby. Rain gods granted our wish and the sunshine was out again which allowed us to move out and take some good pics at a tea plantation photo point which is nestled in a low lying valley with a backdrop of rocky mountains engulfed with clouds that descend quite low to offer scenic view, after having lunch at Munnar town we indulged in some local shopping for a while and later visited the annual flower show at Hydel blossom park which has great collection of a large variety of flowers luckily it was not a repeat of rose garden collection and from here we concluded our sightseeing schedule, reached back at the hotel just in time for a hot cuppa of tea.

Our stay at The Siena Village resort was like an icing on the cake, I chose this property for our stay because it has good open area and I read TripAdvisor reviews notifying that it was a kid friendly place. Hotel management and housekeeping staff were extremely courteous and prompt in their service and complimentary Wi-Fi service at the hotel also offers good browsing speed. I was impressed by their overall maintenance of the property, along with clean and hygienic rooms that offer lovely view outside.

We returned back to Pune after a splendid 4 day excursion, you can also combine backwaters with Munnar if you plan to visit Kerala for more than 3 nights. More pics from my trip here

Around Pune: Trip to Dapoli

My road trips to the coastal belt of Maharashtra have started connecting on the map with dots starting downwards from Mumbai with Beaches like Kihim - Alibaug - Akshi - Kashid - Murud (Near Janjira Fort) - Diveagar - Srivardhan – Harihareshwar, two more which got added on recent trip are Murud and Palande beach.

I was planning to visit Bhandardara during long weekend and public holidays of Holi - Good Friday, unfortunately I missed out on the booking schedule for the resort planned and I stumbled on to Nisarga Sahavas resort on Trip Advisor while searching for alternative destination & hotels. This change of plan worked for us and we really had a good time exploring the coastal town of Dapoli and nearby beaches.

We followed (1) Tamhini Ghat – Mangaon route, alternative route available is via (2) Mahabaleshwar – Wai – Bhor - Varandha – Khed also would help you reach Dapoli, the second one is slightly extended one but good to drive.

Started from Pune on 28th Mar in the afternoon at 2:30 pm towards Chandni Chowk road heading towards Pirangut - Mulshi, encountered traffic in the city and managed to drive through Tamhini ghat by around 4:30 pm and took a break for evening tea and breakfast at Orchard Resort (Gold Valley) right after the Tamhini Ghat ends. It was already 5:00 pm and we were yet to touch Mangaon. Few bad patches of road in the ghats did slow us down. A small stretch of almost 4-5 Km road ahead of Orchard resort towards MIDC area is very good to drive, Moving forward from Nizampur we reached Mangaon.

From Mangaon keep driving straight on a patch of 10 km Mumbai - Goa road which is in very good condition, and then you can take a turn right near Lonere Bus Stand going towards the first village ahead which is Goregaon - Purar - Mhasala - Ambet - Mhapral - Kumbharli - Chinchali - Shenale - Dhutroli OR you can continue ahead of Lonere instead of taking a turn right towards Goregaon village and once you reach Mahad you can take a turn towards Latwan village road which also connects to Dapoli

While on SH 70, we luckily took a diversion at SH 100 instead of following Mandangad Route shown on Google Navigation as it was already dark and we double checked with a local before taking this route. This is a narrow 2 lane road, however in very good condition to drive, seems to be recently constructed.

On SH 100 go straight driving past Kumbale Village - Palgad and a right turn connecting SH 96 at Kumbharvadi - Pisai - Kherdi and then Dapoli, from here at Ambedkar Chowk take a right and again a left at short distance from Kalaskar Chowk towards SH 96 and at Jalgaon Village take a right turn inside a dusty road up to 3 Km which would lead you straight to Nisarga Sahavas Resort. We reached at 8:30 pm and were literally exhausted. Currently this resort has 7 rooms in total, we booked an A/C Bamboo Cottage which is very hygienic and clean, though surrounded by dense tree cover all around, no mosquitoes or any other bugs troubled us during the stay.

Nisarga Sahavas initially started as a nursery plantation 35 years ago and spread over 10 acre promoting Agri Tourism. After keeping our luggage in the room we headed straight towards dining area which has a nicely constructed walkway to a tent based structure. I had a chance to look at various awards and accolades Amrute family has won in Ratnagiri for promoting Agri Tourism and supporting tribal population in the nearby area with work related opportunities from their farm based occupation.

Starry sky looked very clear from the verandah of our room, for a difference no television works best when you are away from the hustle bustle of city to be close with the nature. An angry crow banging on to the window outside woke us up in the morning (No alarm needed), this crow is a regular visitor here and keeps fighting with his image he sees on the reflective glass on window pane outside, a thought came to my mind a lot of us keep doing that in our lives even without a reflection.

Having tea in morning and evening on the verandah leaves you with a feeling of bliss, strong breeze blowing across and hearing birds chirping all around, it really could not get better than this. Room service is prompt. You can order breakfast in your room as well.

There are some activities at the resort to try like Burma Rope, Obstacle task, Archery, Rifle Shooting, Net climbing etc. paying extra charges. They also organize bird trail visit, Tribal dance show, Bullock cart ride and Barbeque on request. Nisarga Sahavas has lot of plantation variety in their backyard with ample Cashew, Chickoo, Jackfruit, Mango and various other trees. We spotted an entire herd of Gray Langur’s moving through trees behind our cottage; luckily I was able to take good pictures of them as they played close to the activity area which had lot of interesting stuff for them.

Mr. Ashish Amrute who currently overlooks the management of this resort with his staff won us over with their warm hospitality. Our kid found company to keep himself engaged with his son Advait. The food is really awesome and being home made it tastes more sumptuous. When you are in Konkan you cannot miss having Solkadi, Apart from Rice, Daal and Chapati we had variety in food like Moong Usal, Valachi Usal, Kothimbir Wadi, Ukadiche Modak and a special gravy dish made out of kaju seed which is plucked while cashew is raw.


We decided to pay visit at Kadyavarche Ganpati temple next day which is 30 Km away from the resort, driving down a pleasant ghat ahead of Dapoli, touching road leading to Palande beach which fulfilled one of my dreams to drive along a coastal road adjoining the sea, the entire view was magnificent which enhanced further the moment we started an uphill climb to a newly constructed bypass road leading to the temple, Shady and long coconut trees, short and narrow lanes winding through small villages, the picturesque view all along was very refreshing.

While returning from the temple we halted at Palande beach which has few spots where you can take your vehicle on to the beach directly. It was past noon and the sand had really heated up so we did not have any chance to relax on the rock bed nearby or the beach, spent some time in the water and moved ahead on way to Dapoli. We saw some ad boards on SH 96 road retailing cashews at factory price; travelling 7 Km ahead from our road to resort just before the ghat begins for Umbarli village there is a cashew processing factory by the name Samartha Cashew. You can buy flavored cashews like Chocolate, Litchi, Chili Masala, Schezwan, Black Pepper etc. from them and also avail a free tour of their facility with a staff member who explains the entire cashew processing system.

Next day we left for Murud beach which was also very clean and well maintained. Hopped on to a boat for Dolphin show and spotted two of them slightly away from the shore line, my kid was really excited watching dolphins on his first boat journey in the sea, back on the beach you can drive ATV bike, go paragliding, ride banana boats, high speed water bikes, camel ride and many others to choose from. We left from the beach by afternoon and headed back to resort as my kid was down with little fever that day and wanted to go back to the resort. We decided to skip tour of Suvarnadurg fort and Amrute’s nursery walk around in the evening to relax and let our kid rest before leaving for Pune next morning.

I did not expect a wonderful resort like Nisarga Sahavas to be present amidst a forest in a village area. Hats off to Mr. Ashish Amrute and their staff for maintaining such a lovely place, I wish they continue upkeep of this resort the way they are doing currently and improve it further in terms of overall infrastructure of the premise. Mr. Amrute quotes on promotional material for Nisarga Sahavas as “Hospitality is a way of Life" and it proves to be true which is really great and something that a guest would always cherish post their visit.I am willing to skip any beach facing resort for Nisarga Sahavas to stay and visit tourist attractions nearby which I have missed during my current trip.

After having breakfast next morning, Little Advait gave a parting gift to my son which was a sketchbook of flowers and visiting birds at Dapoli, We hardly got a feeling of leaving a resort but surely departing from a home away from home. Starting at 11 am, we took the route towards Mandangad fort on our return which is not very good but motorable and safe to drive during daytime, it also has lot of small ghats with great view all along. I surely have honed my ghat driving skill on this trip.

My Chevrolet Beat (Petrol) pulled with ease across all the ghats as I had never taken it for a frequent uphill drive before anywhere, hardly had to switch off A/C while driving up across ghats, unless the climb was very steep. It handled rough roads well and did not cause much body roll, except for slowing down on specific patches in Tamhini ghat which are really bad and demand cautious driving.

It was Rangpanchami on Easter Sunday and lot of villages were celebrating Holi again. Few miscreants at  2-3 villages on the route to Mandangad were trying to stop cars passing by to collect paltry cash in the name of Rangpanchami celebrations, however we sneaked past them without stopping just to get my car soaked in few colors of Holi it had remained safe from during the actual day when color play happens.

Passing from Mangaon and Nizampur we took a lunch break at Orchard Resort again which was very crowded with visitors returning to Pune from their long weekend trips, from here we went driving slowly across Tamhini ghat up to Mulshi taking pictures on the way and reached home by 6 pm closing on to our memorable vacation. March was just the right time to take this trip as view of mountains and farms across the way were beautiful, with foothills still surrounded by green cover before it vanishes completely after the summer sets in, even Mulshi river has enough water right now to provide a great landscape view.

Dapoli serves as a multipurpose destination to places around which are easily accessible and if you like clean and less crowded beaches, places of religious interest and prefer to have safe travel with family, Dapoli would definitely not disappoint you and I surely recommend visitors to stay at Nisarga Sahavas for a unique lodging experience you would treasure in your travel memoirs.

Montage clip of the trip below and Image gallery link on Flickr