How to go to Harihareshwar from Pune: Harihareshwar is around 190 kms from Pune. Irrespective of whether you are staying at Diveagar or Shrivardhan or harihareshwar itself, the easiest route to take would be through Tamhini Ghats, then Mangaon on the goa highway, then the road to Mhasala (it is called as Masla and not as masala as we were referring to, when asking for directions!) and then onwards to Diveagar (turn right at a fork) or Harihareshwar (turn left). The stretch from the goa highway down to the coast is also a ghat section and pretty remote. So avoid a late night trip on that.

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I had heard a lot about the pradakshina marg and was more interested in that rather than the temple. So, the religious/tired among us decided to stay back at the temple and the rest went on this tour around the temple. The steps start right behind the temple. Check with anyone around the temple about the conditions of the tide as it is quite dangerous to go on this train during high tide. The trail starts off with around 60 steps – 60 long steps and then you have to climb down around 140 narrow steps (a beautiful cut in the cliffs) down to the sea.

We were there at the wrong time of the day, just after noon and hence it was not good both in terms of energy as well as good photography. Otherwise, the 60 steps are not much of a hassle and they offer great views of the harihareshwar beach. The coastal rock formation just at the bottom of the stairs are amazing. We had to pull ourselves out of the place ( as we had a long drive back to Pune) , otherwise we would have spent the entire evening monkeying around on the rocks. Also, my research about the pradakshina marg was incomplete. I thought that it would be from within the temple and photography would not be permitted. So, i left my SLR back in the car and took along a compact camera, which doesnt work that well in such conditions.

As you go around the cliffs, you see lot of interesting sea caves. The waves were quite strong and the splashing of the waves against the rocks was wonderful to look at. I definitely want to go back in the monsoons and see how bad/beautiful the conditions are here. The whole Pradakshina should take around 30 mins with minimal stops and comes back in front of the temple on the beach. If you do visit the temple, don’t forget to go on this trail

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For those not interested in a long review, here is a shorter version of it. You get your money’s worth of activities at this place. I have not seen many places with such a wide range of activities at this nominal price. Compared to the other adventure resorts like the ones in Lonavala, the price adventure plus charges is peanuts. Imagine being able to do wall climbing, rappelling, Burma Bridge, Obstacle race, Rifle Shooting, Archery, Kayaking (Many charge a lot of money for just kayaking) and more PLUS lunch for around 700-800 rupees. This is as best a deal as you can get.

Now, the detailed review.

The place: Adventure Plus is located around 55 kms from Pune (Magarpatta City) near Bhor (on the road which goes through Bhor and Varandha Ghat). It would take around 1-1.5 hrs to reach the place if you avoid Pune city traffic. On the NH4 towards bangalore, you would see a left turn for Narayanpur Balaji Temple. Around a 100 ms beyond that, a small road goes to the right. This is the one which takes you to Bhor and Varandha Ghat. Adventure plus is located around 12 kms down this road. Watch out for this view on the left as you drive down this road. It is great during the monsoons.

The various Activities along with my rating. Please bear in mind that this rating is purely my individual opinion. What i rate as 1/5 may be the most thrilling thing for you and what i rate as 5/5 may be as boring as watching Shah Rukh on Zor Ka Jatkha!

Archery (4/5). It was easy and fun. The equipment was in good condition and each of us had 5 shots at the target. Rifle Shooting (3/5). The gun used was much better than the ones you see in the amusement fairs. The bullets were small ball bearings, so you really cant make out where they hit on the target, just that they hit the target based on the sound you hear.

Burma Bridge (Adventure plus called this Rope Bridge) (4/5). This is great fun if you are doing it for the first time. If you are scared of heights, it adds to the fun. You have to cross a section tied together by ropes. You are safe as you are held on by a safety rope, but it is fun to walk on a swaying bridge of rope. One guy started swaying so much that the bridge overturned. Of course, nothing happened to him. He was just hanging upside down from the bridge!

Army Obstacle Course (5/5). The obstacle race is actually a series of activities to be done one after the other. The spider net (the first photo above) was the most fun and technically the most scary as the top of the net is quite high and the fear of falling through the net is always at the back of your mind. Unless you are anorexic or intent on committing suicide, it is almost impossible to fall through. After this you have the other regular stuff like the tyre climb, balance walk and the tarzan rope. The last one is the commando net (the last photo with the guys posing for a photo) is also fun to attempt.

Wall/Rock Climbing (5/5). A very tall wall (50 ft) with an amazing view from the top i.e. if you do manage to climb it. It was a bit difficult wall to climb compared to the other ones i have attempted elsewhere, but where’s the fun without a challenge! Rappelling (5/5). I didn’t attempt this, but i heard that it was very thrilling to rappel down the side of the same wall from 50 ft up. They also have water rappelling where you have water falling down on you as you rappel down, but it was not functioning when we were there.

ATV Ride (3/5). The machines were in good condition. The only problem was that we were asked to drive around on a flat area (2 rounds). This was boring. There was a good track on the periphery of this ground with lots of ups and downs, but it seems that many people got injured trying to pull off stunts in their first ever ride! So, they had discontinued this track. As per the latest info i have, they take people on guided trips to the nearby hills on rough tracks. This should be interesting and would be definitely worth a try. UPDATE(November 2011): I went for the second time with a different team. There was only one ATV because the others were also under repair. Even this one wasn’t in a very good condition that you would want to try it out. Also, you have to drive around the main ground 2 times for the 250 INR you pay. This is boring and also very dangerous. Few of the guys couldn’t control the ATV and ran over the sidewalk/plants. If they had hit someone, it could have been pretty serious.

Cycling/Skates/Pogo (4/5). I am sure that you must be wondering what can be interesting when cycling is offered as part of the package. But it was, as you get to try so many different kinds of strange looking cycles. The skates were a bit tough to use. The pogo stick was fun. We did a small race around a big track letting people chose their own kind of cycle.

Water Based Activities (4/5). This was fun because of the variety offered. There were so many different types of vehicles to be tried like the Paddle Caddie, Hydro Bike, Floating Suit(for those who dont know to swim and experience the thrill of floating) and Water Roller (just for fun!).

Rope Bridge a.k.a suspension bridge (4/5). A great place for photos. This was the bridge across one of the two water bodies (the other one is the one with the water sports).

Kayaking (5/5). Was great fun. I had done kayaking few times before and still enjoyed it. Most of the guys were new to kayaking and had fun trying to understand the nuances of steering a kayak. The water body is a good 50 ms wide and at least 300 m long, so we arranged 2-3 races (on both the single and the double kayaks). To have kayaking included in the regular day package is amazing as this alone would cost you at least 200-300 bucks elsewhere.

Rain Dance (5/5). I didn’t go inside as Akshara was feeling sleepy and it was getting cold. The guys enjoyed it a lot. It is an open pool with lot of inflatables in different shapes. There were also water guns and water showers all over the pool. Add to it some loud music and it was like a water discotheque!

Ziplining (4/5). For those who were doing ziplining for the first time, it would have scored 10/5! Supposedly the longest zipline in India, this is a thrilling experience. The climb to the top of the zipline is itself thrilling as it is at a considerable height. I am rating this as 4, as the previous zipline that i did had a much steeper descent and it was into the water! A must try if you have done it before.

Paintball. We didnt try this, as many were not interested. The paintball field looks ok, but not great. It would be better if it is played in more natural surroundings.

Sumo Wrestling (5/5 for the audience). Was lot of fun. Guys get into some ugly looking costumes to try to push each other to the ground.

Wall Rappelling (5/5). Very thrilling, particularly if you are scared of heights. You rappel down the same wall which has the wall climbing on the other sides. Climbing the old staircase inside is itself scary. Once you are on the top, the height really gets to you. But, when you rappel, you are looking up and not towards the ground. So, you are not scared even a bit, at least until you decide to see what’s going on below you!

Accommodation/Food (4/5). There are 2 kinds of acco available. The smaller swiss tents at 500 p.p with shared bathroom or the larger alpine tents at 1000 p.p with individual bathrooms and coolers.We took the alpine tents. They were pretty clean. The swiss tents would have been more fun, but it was monsoon time and it got very windy/cold during the nights. The food was good, no issues.

Summary

An excellent place to go in the monsoons or after, but not so sure during the summer, as all the activity is out in the open. Amazing value for money given the variety of activities. Very family friendly (We saw many over-sized Punjabi Aunties on a ladies day out, attempting the Burma bridge and they seemed to enjoy it). There are infact many more activities that i have not written about like Zorbing (Seems to be hot nowadays, but i fail to understand why you have to pay money to get dizzy ), gyroscope and more.

The basic package for most activities (doesnt include Zipline and ATV) is around 800 p.p including lunch. If you have a big group, you can bargain a lot and choose activities that you want to do. Mail to info@adventureplus.in or adventurepluspune@gmail.com for bookings/enquiry. Also say that the place was recommended by “Rajaram from Amdocs” . No, i don’t get a commission, but just some goodwill.

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This is probably the easiest way to experience the lakes of switzerland, right in Maharashtra! Bamnoli village on the banks of the Shivsagar lake formed due to the Koyna dam is a small community of people, who mainly cater to the tourists wanting to visit Vasota fort, Nageshwar Shiv Temple and also Tapola.

Click here to see a bigger version of the above panorama

How to go to Bamnoli: Bamnoli lies at the end of the Kaas plateau. You have to go to Satara, cross the city and then take the right at the fork at the end of the city. The road at the left (through a tunner) would go to Thoseghar. Once on this road you have to drive for around 30 kms (crossing kaas lake and the beautiful flower beds) and then climb down to the shore of the Shivsagar lake. Though google maps doesnt show this road, this exists and is a good condition road, not the offroading type. As you descend the ghats onto Bamnoli, you are rewarded with views as comparable to european lake destination (provided you visit this place around the monsoons/winter).

Once in Bamnoli, you can choose from lot of boating options. You can just go for a ride around the shivsagar lake. Or, go for a boat trip to Tapola, also known as mini kashmir. The rates are reasonable, provided you have a group of 5-6 people. Otherwise, you anyway have to pay the group price. If you have time, you can also go on a guided tour to Vasota fort or the famous nageshwar Shiv temple. The waters are right up to the roads inside the village. In fact, there are few buildings which are half-submerged. I guess the end of the village is defined by the amount of water in the backwaters. There is even a Bank of Baroda branch here. So, if you want to, you can even open an account here!

I was just looking around for stuff to photograph, when i noticed something big flying overhead. Thinking it to be a big bird, i followed it and then when it came into view, i realised that it was a big bat. Then i saw the hundreds of bats on the few trees next to the shore. They were there only on these few trees. I was lucky to see this as i would have just returned to my car if not for this low flying bat.

You can go to Bamnoli as a separate trip and then spend the day with a boating trip to Tapola or combine Bamnoli with a visit/drive to the Kaas plateau, as we did.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Thoseghar waterfalls, Chalkewadi windmill farms near Satara
2. Picturesque wai village near Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar
3. Kaas Plateau – Maharashtra’s Valley of flowers

Set over 7 hills, Lavasa calls itself “India’s first planned hill city”. I am sure it will live up to this when the project completes. Lavasa city is in the midst of many mountains and almost every part of Lavasa has its own lakeshore (dam backwaters).

Lavasa is portrayed as the retirement place and it is quite true. I am sure everyone would like to just get up in the morning, go for a jog and spend the day doing nothing amongst scenic surroundings. But, I am not sure whether the concept of a retirement home has still caught on in India.

How to go to Lavasa city from Pune (Magarpatta City): Go to Chandni Chowk. Proceed towards Mulshi Dam. Once you climb down Pirangut ghat, you woul start seeing big blue coloured signboards for Lavasa. After Pirangut, you have to take a left for Lavasa. Once on this road, you would cross Temghar dam. Keep going on this road until you see an arch on the right, which is the official entrance of lavasa. From this point, the road goes down to the dam and the city.

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The distance to Lavasa from the turn on Mulshi road (after Pirangut) is around 30 kms. It is a wonderful hill road to drive on. If the management of Lavasa wanted people to settle down at Lavasa, they realised that they should make this place easily accessible. The road is very smooth (too smooth for indian roads) and the curves on the road make it a biker’s paradise.

The promenade on the lake shore has been modelled on old europe with many stone bridges criss-crossing the waters. This makes the lakeshore an extremely scenic place for photography, particularly in the evening light.

Lavasa entertains casual visitors and it is a good place to go for an evening. You can just walk around the promenade, go for all kinds of watersports, dine at the various restaurants or even stay over for the night at the many hotels inside the city.

Inside their main office, there is a Lavasa experience zone, where you can see about the future plans of Lavasa and other details about the city.

The ekaanth retreat in Lavasa is a good place for an overnight stay or a buffet dinner. Be sure to be at the parking lot of this lodge at sunset. The view from the parking is awesome.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Drive to Panshet Dam near Khadakwasla
2. Drive to tamhini ghat during the monsoon
3. Drive through Varandha Ghat

I had been to Thoseghar last weekend (Aug 7/8). The monsoon was still on and it was constantly drizzling. Thoseghar was at its best with the waterfalls in full force. Below are some photos and also a video (a new addition to my blog) from that trip. If you want to see more photos and also get directions to Thoseghar, check the post from my previous visit.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Thoseghar waterfalls, Chalkewadi windmill farms near Satara
2. Bamnoli Village near Satara
3. Broken Road, Zero Visibility, Gale force winds – Wow!

Tamhini ghat is famous for its waterfalls and endless greenery during monsoons. (See this post for photos). Some of the waterfalls are very tall that you may not even be able to see the top of the fall. The one above is not so tall, but very grand in everything else.

This waterfall is actually beyond the tamhini ghat stretch. Once you cross tamhini ghat, you will come to a fork where the road on the left goes towards Mangaon & Raigad, whereas the one on the right will take you to Kolad. take the one towards kolad (right) and keep going until you reach the village of Sutarwadi. A small right in this village will take you to Hans adventure resorts. Park your vehicle near the resort and you have to go behind the resort. Then, you have to cross the river (may not be possible when the river is in full flow – ask for any local to guide you) then climb down a narrow path and you will see the view in the photos. I went with a local – paid him 50 Rs. the river crossing is tricky as the water may be more than knee-high and the path down to the fall is very narrow and the slope is steep on either side. It seems that there is waterfall rapelling arranged here in the post-monsoon months when the water flow reduces. if you keep going along the road , it ultimately reaches to a dead-end at a small village. From this village, you can have a jungle-walk down to the Kundalika river (We did this!).

if you have Google earth (any wanderer worth his salt should be using this), use this kmz file to see the exact location of the waterfall on Google Earth. I spent a lot of time near the waterfall enjoying its force and trying out various shutter speeds for the photos.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Drive to tamhini ghat during the monsoon
2. Lonavala waterfall
3. Drive through Varandha Ghat

While Khadakwasla dam is more famous as an evening hang-out place for most Puneites, who come there to swim and have butaa, Panshet dam has always been famous for its boating scene. The backwaters of Panshet extend for a long distance and has high cliffs on the other side. So, even if you don’t go boating, there are lot of viewpoints of Panshet dam where you can have a nice picnic.

While Khadakwasla dam is more famous as an evening hang-out place for most Puneites, who come there to swim and have butaa, Panshet dam has always been famous for its boating scene. The backwaters of Panshet extend for a long distance and has high cliffs on the other side. So, even if you don’t go boating, there are lot of viewpoints of Panshet dam where you can have a nice picnic.

How to go to Panshet Dam from Pune(Magarpatta): Go towards Swargate i.e. on Solapur road vis Big Bazaar. When you reach the end of this road beyond Swargate at a T-Junction, turn left. Take the immediate right (there is a signal and there is a mahalaxmi temple on the left). The road on the right is the Sinhagad road. Keep going on this road crossing Parvati and towards Khadakwasla. You dont need to turn anywhere. This road will take you straight to Khadakwasla. Once you cross Khadakwasla, keep going on this road for another 10-15 kms and you will see signs for Panshet dam boating. Follow those signs and you should be climbing the hills on the other side of Panshet.

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There wasn’t much water in the dam backwater because of the poor rain in June and July until now, but the greenery was very much visible all over the place. We stopped at a place where we could walk over to the edge of the hill sloping gently towards the water. There was few house strategically built on the edge and i can imagine the kind fo view they must be having during the monsoons

We had been there with few friends and their kids. The kids had a gala time posing for our photo requests. The photos with the visibly darker green colour are from Sunil’s camera. All my photos are little bit on the overexposed side.

Akshara wandered all over the place and was up to her usual antics. It was difficult explaining to her that her request to go “keezha” (down the slope) was not something that can be done

Most of the time was spent on experimental photo sessions with us and the kids. It was a good day, could have been better with the Neelkanteshwar visit if only we had been prepared for the rains. More on neelkanteshwar in a separate post.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Neelkanteshwar temple between Panshet and Khadakwasla
2. Drive to Lavasa, the hill city
3. Bamnoli Village near Satara

Purandar fort near Saswad/Narayanpur is one of the easier hill forts to trek to. It takes around 45 minutes to 1 hr to get to the top of the plateau and a further 30 min walk would take you to the remnants of the fort. It was monsoon time and one saturday morning, we (Parthipan, Rajesh and I) decided to go to this fort. Though it was drizzling, we started from Pune at around 5.30 in the morning.

How to go to Purandar fort from Pune(Magarpatta): The route is pretty straightforward. Go towards hadapsar. Take a left on the Solapur road. Go to the side of the flyover. At one point, you will see the bus stand on the right. Here, you have to go on the wrong side (legally), then come around the bus stand. This will take you to the road to Saswad. Keep going on this road until you reach Saswad. At Saswad, take a right towards Narayanpur. Once you are on this narrow (but smooth) road for some time, you will see a hill prominently on the left. There will be a small lane (marked by a board in Marathi with Shivaji’s photo). This is the road towards Purandar fort. It doesnt take more than an hour to reach Purandar from Pune (even under regular traffic conditions). Once you cross Hadapsar, the road to Saswad is relatively traffic free.

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When we reached there, we were only ones at the base of the trail. There is a 7 km long kuchcha road which you can take to reach the plateau (to avoid the 1 hr climb). Since it was drizzling, we were standing at the base thinking of which option to choose. Then a couple came in a Pajero and started preparing to trek up. Then i told them that i was thinking as it looked like it would rain heavily. The guy cheerfully said “So what? if it rains, get wet and enjoy!” Hats off to this attitude. Maharashtrians do really love getting wet in the rain as i saw in Lonavala and at Bushi dam. So, my decision was made, we were to trek up. But, i had a camera to protect too. So, in the pretext of protecting the camera, i borrowed the raincoat from Rajesh. So, i was all packed up while Rajesh and Parthi were exposed to the elements. But, they enjoyed it.

The above picture is the start of the trail to the top of the hill. Since this was our first time in Purandar, we had no idea of how long it would take or how difficult/easy it would be. There are actually multiple routes up the hill. As long as you keep going up and your orientation is ok, you should manage to reach the plateau. Our climb up the hill was pretty slow as i would stop every other minute to say the conventional “wow”s about the scenery about us. This was the first time i had ever trekked in the rain (apart from being caught in an expected cloudburst on the Kalidonia waterfalls train in Cyprus) and i loved every minute of it. it was tricky trying to get photos fast enough so as to not wet the lens. You can also see my Xylo (and the other Pajero) parked at the base of the hill.

We got lost somewhere mid-way and started drifting towards the left and going on pretty narrow tracks. Then we met a villager coming down and he asked us stick on to the rocky sections and keep following the trail. With the rain causing a continuos cascade of water on the trail, it was pretty slippery at times, but it was fun. At the end of the trek, my clothes were a slushy mess! At one point, the trail goes through a thick maze of shrubs, which was pretty cool.

The villager asked to keep going ahead until we hit a wall. At this point, we had to turn left to reach the plateau. As we neared the wall, structures started becoming visible through the heavy mist.

Once you take the left from the wall, it is a steady climb to the top. This path is full of rocks and can be quite difficult in the rain. It was particularly slippery with the flow of the water. We still didnt know where we were heading as the mist was quite thick. There is also a small waterfall on this route where you can get wet if you feel that rainwater is not enough.

Once you climb the last stretch of rocks, you reach the top of the plateau and enter through a door called the Dilli Darwaza. You can actually drive up to this point by taking the road, but it definitely is more fun to walk up.

Once on the plateau, you will find an abandoned church and lot of other structures. The end of the road is actually a place maintained by the army.

You will also see a small temple dedicated to Purandeshwar deity, after which the fort/hill takes it name. We spent some time walking around the temple and photographing the awesome “green”. You have to climb the steps and then go beyond the temple to actually go to the fort. it is a another 30 min walk from here. Due to some time constraint, we decided to turn back and decided to visit the fort some other day.

On our way back, when we reached the wall, we were surprised to see dozens of people starting the trek. There were few organised groups, few individuals and even a family with a small boy. It is really fascinating to see the interest in trekking in this part of India. We spent a total of around 4 hours on this trip and it was worth every minute of it. If you have never been on a trek before, this is a good place for that “first” trek.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Purandar hill trek with colleagues
2. Trek to Korigad Fort near Aamby valley, Lonavala
3. Trek to Lohagad fort near lonavala

During the monsoons, everywhere you turn, you see waterfalls in Lonavala. Why then a post called “Lonavala Waterfall”. This is the official lonavala waterfall, not just water which falls somewhere! A short climb after the Bushi Dam, you will come across a huge parking lot on the right with lot of shops selling the usual corn, pakodas and chai. From this parking lot, you have walk/trek/scamper down over the rocks to come to this waterfall.

I went to one of the shops and asked the way to the waterfall, as there were no signs. The guy at the shop nonchlantly pointed me towards the edge of the cliff and asked me “walk down there”, “there” –> edge of the cliff where water was falling off. I was not  convinced that this was the way as there was no path there, just random slippery boulders over which water was flowing at a steady speed.  Another shopkeeper also pointed in the same direction.

The rocks are actually not so slippery as they look. But, it was quite an experience to walk over the rocks when the water is also flowing. it would be quite difficult for old people to make it through. Once i reach the bottom, the waterfalls appeared on the right and the stream/river flowed to the left. There were people everywhere, really everywhere. But, it looked like fun. The flow was pretty fast and people enjoyed the mini-rapids. Some were even brave enough to go behind the falls and have a different perspective!

The view of the hills from the falls is amazing. You can frolic in the water and then just relax looking at the view!

Once you have had you fill of the waterfall (no pun intended), you can even go for a camel ride at the parking lot. i have no clue how or why a camel ride fits in here, of all places!

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Waterfall after Tamhini Ghat near Kundalika river
2. Bushi Dam in Lonavala
3. Trek to Korigad Fort near Aamby valley, Lonavala

Bushi Dam is located a few kilometres from Lonavala and is a very (very very) popular weekend hangout for Pune’ites. When the Bushi dam overflows, the water flows over a series of steps and then over some easily accessible rocky terrian. The terrain and the water make for a fun combination and this is why Bushi dam gets extremely crowded on weekend. So crowded, that a first time vistor (like me) would be left searching for the “steps” which everyone talks about, only to realise that every inch of the steps have been occupied.

Every open space close to Bushi dam will have a board “Bushi dam parking” and there will be guys literally peeping inside your car and turning your steering wheel towards their parking. Thebest place to park would be beyond the dam (on coming from Lonavala) om the sides of the road. Parking on the road also helps you to get out of the place faster. There are no single/double yellow lines to bother you here.

To reach the dam, you have to wade through knee-deep water (depending on the water level). There are lot of shops selling rubber slippers which are more suited to the water/rocks rather than your expensive fake Nike shoes. But, i noticed that many were well prepared and had worn the worst slippers that they could find at home.

Bushi dam is so commercialized to the extent that there are a few dozen shops in the small area next to the dam selling anything from corn and pakodas to chai. You can relax on the steps and order them and they will be delivered to you right at your doorstep.

Overall, this is a good place to visit if you love getting wet from head-to-toe.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Lonavala waterfall
2. Drive to Panshet Dam near Khadakwasla
3. Trek to Korigad Fort near Aamby valley, Lonavala