Tourist Attractions and Places near Pune and Mumbai

Tamhini Ghat is the name which most people recollect if you were to ask for the best place to drive through for watching waterfalls during the monsoon. But this is mostly because of the famous mulshi dam in its vicinity. Not many are aware of Varandha ghat. A mention of this ghat usually is accompanied by comments like “not a place to go alone”, “lonely” etc. This is what makes Varandha ghat such a wonderful place to go to.

There are lot of waterfalls in tamhini, but most of them are hidden within the thick forests on the sides of the road. In Varandha, the volume of water flow in the waterfalls are much higher. The kids along with us kept referring to them as “Milk Shake waterfalls with the dirtier ones becoming the chocolate shake waterfalls! They are also easily accessible with dozens of big ones just on the road. It was difficult to keep an eye on the road while driving with every turn bringing another waterfall into view.

How to go to Varandha Ghat from Pune: Go to Nh4 and towards the kapurhol crossing. When going from Pune, you would see the left turn for the road to Narayanpur Balaji Temple. Just 10-20 metres ahead, a small road goes to the right. You can easily miss this, so watch out for the exit after you come to the Narayanpur road. This is the road to Bhor. This is a narrow road which goes through Bhor Ghat and then a long flat section and then climbs into Varandha Ghat. If you cross Varandha ghat and get down on the other side, you would touch NH17, the Goa highway. The third point marked in the map below is the main view point.

View Larger Map

Some points about the drive through Varandha Ghat

• Going from NH4, the last civilization is at Bhor. After that it is around 40-50 kms of wilderness. It is better to go in more than 1 vehicle as a puncture will leave you totally stranded.
• There is no network coverage for most of the distance on the ghat. We were travelling 4 cars. One of them had gone a bit ahead while we were at a waterfall. The next time we could establish contact was at Bhor after 30 kms.
• The road is narrow, though in a better condition as compared to Tamhini w.r.t potholes. But the sides of the road are jagged and you have to be careful if you go too close to the edge of the tarred section

Though there are dozens of points along the way to consume your entire time, the main view point is the Waghjai Mata mandir, where you will find many tea shops. The view (when there is no mist) is incomparable. You can see waterfalls as far as your eye can see. There is a huge valley and on the other side, there are steep cliffs. There are two huge waterfalls visible to the north east corner (as you see from the road). These are worthy enough to be named (i am sure that americans would have done so!). It was also extremely windy at this point because of the surrounding valleys. The swaying of the grass due to the wind was a sight to behold. Watch the video below. Nature at her best!

We spent a lot of time close to this view point, not exactly close to the tea shops, but just before the u-turn at the end. We came to Varandha from Nh17 and just as we turned, the whole vista spread out before us.

if you have the time and interest, you can do a round trip from Pune – go through either Tamhini or varandha ghat and come back the other way. We went through Tamhini and came back through Varandha. It takes a toll on your body and vehicle, but it is worth it

written by Rajaram S

This is a great place to go for a one day trip from either Mumbai or Pune due to the following reasons

• The Location: A plateau with unhindered views on all sides with a view of many other forts and dams
• Drive to the location: Cross all of Lonavala’s famous view points and get to the fort through some wonderful roads OR do some adventurous driving and go through remote backroads from Mulshi
• The Trek: An easy trek of around an hour. It took us a little more with two 3 yr old kids, drink breaks and lot of photo breaks. The trek has it all – open path, an optional shortcut through a dense jungle and a flight of stairs at the end
• The Fort: Though nothing much remains of the fort, the walls of the fort are intact and you can walk on the wall for the entire circumference of around 2 km (we didn’t, though)

How to go to Korigad fort (also known as Koraigad fort) from Pune: Korigad fort is right next to the Aamby valley city and very close to Tung Fort. You have to cross Lonavala and then keep driving towards Aamby valley. The base village for this fort is Peth-Shahpur. If you start early, you can stopover at the various Lonavala points like Bushi Dam, Lions Point and the shivling peak. Lonavala traffic is very bad , at least on the one main road. So, better to go into Lonavala pretty early in the day. See at the bottom of this post for an alternative route/round trip

View Larger Map

Once you drive down the ghat section after the lions point and keep going for another 15-20 minutes, the hill of korigad fort should appear on your left. There is nothing else this tall in this area, so you shouldn’t miss it. There is an open area just below the hill for parking. It is just another open area, but there are touts there who demand money (and give receipts too!) saying that it is the official parking for Korigad fort. They charge Rs.20 for a bike and Rs.50 for a car. I probably could park on the middle of M.G.Road for a cheaper amount!/p>

If you want to save few hundred metres off the trek, then drive on the road to the left (just before the hill) and park near a temple (not sure abt the parking place). A path from this temple directly joins the trail. Along the normal route, you start from the parking lot, go towards the tower and then continue on. The initial path can become very slippery in case of rain and it is the path through the water flows and is very muddy. But, not something to worry about.

The path goes around the back of the hill and then your start climbing. So, the trail is not visible from the road or the parking lot. Once you cross the initial stretch, the path turns a sharp right and you start to go towards the back of the hill parallel to the bottom. After some distance, you start to see small lamp posts. These have been erected by the Sahara group to aid trekkers , as Korigad is a popular night trekking destination. When you see the first such lamp post to your right. you have two options. You can continue straight on which will take you amidst few bungalows and then take a u-turn to go up or you can just start climbing the hill right at the base of the lamp posts. It looks steep, but is not. This short-cut is an enjoyabale 10 min climb through some dense lush growth – almost resembling a rain forest.

Then come the stairs. Initially, they start off pretty ok, but the last stretch is a bit steep. But the last stretch is not too long. Also, there is a viewpoint with a big resting area. Once you cross the stairs and pass through the main darawaza, you are on top of the hill. Once you are on the stairs, you get a good view of the development in Aaamby valley city.

The main darwaza covered in moss (during monsoons) is a great sight.There were also lot of monkeys around this point.

Once on top of the plateau, if you have the interest, you can spend hours enjoying the view on all sides. The fort walls are intact and you can walk all along the wall. The top also has two fresh water ponds (another blogger said that they are good for swimming, though we didn’t try) and couple of temples. There are also many intact cannons on top.

The way down (same as the way going up) was fast and easy and took less than an hour. It also rained when we were coming down and it was fun trying to fit all of us and two kids into the 2 kids umbrellas we carried with us! All of us enjoyed the trek including the kids, as can be seen in this photo (from a photo session) taken after the trek.

There is another route to reach Korigad from Pune. You can either go through this route or make it a round trip by returning on this. But this route is remote and not advisable late into the evening. If you have been to Mulshi or Tamhini Ghat , you would have come to a fork before Mulshi and you would have taken the left. The road on the right goes to Ghusalkhamb, which is actually the base village for Tung fort. If you go to Korigad from Lonavala, you will pass this village before you reach Peth-Shahpur. But, i have read on many forums that the road condition is 50-50, whatever that means! A third route exists, that from beyond Mulshi. After crossing Mulshi and towards Tamhini, there is a road sign to the right marked as Lonavala. This goes through lot of interior roads and reaches Korigad fort and then onto lonavala. I have seen this road being mentioned only on biker forums and the reviews says this unspoilt road is amazing during the monsoons. Drop in a comment if you have been on any of these routes.

written by Rajaram S

In these parts of India, any conical peak would, for sure make an appearance in some mythological story or the other, of having some significance related to the Shivling. This peak, close to the Lions Point in Lonavala, is no exception. But, its dramatic location makes it one of the more easily identifiable landmarks in Maharashtra.

This peak is on the left of the Lions view point. We first stopped over at Lions point, but it was extremely misty and we couldn’t see anything beyond the cliff’s edges. Btw, these cliffs are infamous for many deaths of adventurous people who wander too close to the edge and fall off into the abyss below. Even if it is misty or cloudy, this peak presents an ominous sight. We didn’t stay long at the view point, as it is a very dirty place and not one where you would want to sit ad enjoy nature.

If you happen to drive a bit ahead, away from maddening crowds and the butta shops, you will see a clearance on the right with magnificent, unpolluted views of the cliff and the valley below. Since there is a gradual slope here (rather than a sharp drop-off at Lions point), you can try a bit of adventurous climbing here.

Next time, if you happen to be in any of the view points on the Lonavala stretch, be a good Samaritan and thrown that leftover butta or the coffee cup into a bin rather than on the ground!

written by Rajaram S