Bhandardara is a small hill station located about 160km from Mumbai. It took us 4 hours to reach there including half hour break. River, lakes, waterfalls, valleys, dams, ancient architecture – Bhandardara has it all. We chose to do the route encircling the gorgeous Arthur Lake covering most of the places of interest. It took us about 5 hours and 65km of driving.
MTDC Bhandardara is a good starting point for the tourists. If you are staying there, you can enjoy fab views of the Arthur Lake from the Deluxe rooms and the Cottages. If not, visitors can simply walk in to the property and enjoy the views (maybe grab a bite as well at the MTDC restuarant). The view of the lake is simple breath-taking! It is surrounded by dense greenery with hills serving as picturesque backdrop. There is a strong breeze at the resort 24X7.
From MTDC, we drove towards the Shendi village, keeping on the State highway 44. A little ahead of the village is the the Wilson Dam built on the Pravara river. During monsoons when the water level rises and the dam is full, the water gushes out over a semi circular rock forming the Umbrella falls. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the falls as it hadn’t rained enough for the dam waters to be released.
Continuing further on the highway, 3 km ahead, on the right side of the highway is the Spillway gate, which is used to control the water flow of the Wilson dam. The point looks nondescript - on the right side of the highway is the valley, on the other side is a narrow patch of field which is fenced with barbed wires on one side, and rocky wall on the other side. We stopped there only to have tea at one of the many pickets lining the road. When we saw some people crossing the field and climbing over the wall, out of curiosity we followed them, and what we saw made us mighty glad that we did. On the other side was the simply stunning Pravara river! It was a magnificient picnic spot, with the rocky river banks and the hills at the other end accentuating the rugged beauty of the place (note - the area may not be safe when the water level is high, please excercise full precaution at all times).
We drove further on state highway for about 6km, then took a left towards Randha Falls.
We then retraced our steps on the highway, driving back towards the Spill way gate. A little before the Spill way gate, on the left is the road leading to Amruteshwar temple. This road comes under forest surveillance. At the entry there’s a check-post where we paid charges for entering the forest.
The drive inside is excellent. Lush green forests and wheat fields can be seen all around. This road is around the lake with Sahyadri hills to the left. About 10km of driving on the forest road we reached the beautiful Nani waterfalls.
A little ahead was the enchanting Necklace waterfall, named such because the falling water takes the shape of a necklace.
We drove further for about 2 Km and reached the Amruteshwar temple. The temple is made of black stone, with fine carvings adorning it walls. It is a Shiva temple , about 100 years old. The local children were quick to tell us that the temple was built by the Pandavs in one night. The shivling inside the temple was covered with rain water. The locals also believe that the temple is the source of the Pravara River. Near the temple is a water tank, again made with black tone, its water considered holy by the villagers.
We continued driving ahead on the forest road. After 15km we hit the state highway, reaching Kokan-kada. We took left to go towards the Ghatkar dam, the last stop on our itinerary. It was 6:30pm by then and visibility had gone low due to the heavy fog. We dropped the idea of visiting the dam, and turned around to drive back towards towards MTDC. It was a 20 km drive on the state highway, and we reached MTDC at 7:30pm after completing a full circle of about 65 KM around the lake. (including the detour for Randha falls)
Other attractions at/near Bhandardara -
Ratangad Fort : a few km away from MTDC
Agasti Rishi Ashram : The ashram is situated on the banks of Pravara river . The ashram finds reference in Ramanayan as the places where Lord Ram met Agasti Rishi
Mount Kalsubai : It is the highest peak (1,646 mt.) in the Sahyadri range, popular for trekking. We got a glimpse of the peak on our way back, when driving from MTDC Bhandardara towards Ghoti village.
Where to stay:
MTDC enjoys the best location and is also value for money. The property is very basic but the rooms are large and clean. The deluxe room tariff is about Rs 1700 and Cottages are for Rs 3500. It has a restaurant but meal timings are rigid. Situated opposite MTDC is the Anandvan resort. It’s a fancy resort with room tariffs starting at Rs. 9000 per night. We had one of our meals at their restaurant. The menu choice was limited but the food was good.
How to reach Bhandardara from Mumbai:
From Mumbai , we took eastern expressway to Thane , and then continued on NH3. After crossing Igatpuri, we reached Ghoti village, from there we took a right hitting Nagpur – Aurangabad highway. A few km ahead , we took another right which leads straight to Bhandardara.
Eating places on highway:
On way to Bhandardara we stopped for breakfast at Dara Zest dhaba , about 50km from Mumbai. The restaurant is well maintained, looks clean , and food was good. On our way back from Bhandardara we stopped for lunch at Oye Punjabi dhaba, 50km before Mumbai. It’s a good place to eat if you are ok with crowds.
Best time to visit:
During the monsoons – from July to September.
Tip:
If you are planning only a day trip, avoid Sunday if possible. It gets crowded on Sunday with loads of tourists and trekkers.
