Then, we went to Pataleshwar Cave Temple and Ayappan hill temple near Dehu Road. These two were on the radar for quite some time as we had passed these two temples en-route to many other places.

The first big trip of 2011 was a weekend trip to Murud. This set a nice precedent for 2 more trips to the Konkan region over the year. The murud trip had many beach visits including Murud beach, Kashid beach, Aakshi beach and the imposing Janjira sea fort (post pending!).

The next Konkan trip happened soon after, with a 3 day trip to Diveagar and Harihareshwar. The Diveagar beach is one of the best on the coast (among the one closer to Mumbai/Pune) and the coastal drive from Diveagar to Shrivardhan is too beautiful to be described!

In March, i went on a trek to Tikona fort along with colleagues. We started pretty early in the morning and it was a good decision as it got very hot by around 10. The trek to tikona fort is moderate, but offers wonderful views of the surrounding areas including Lohagad fort and Pavana Dam. Also, the final ascent on the stairs is wonderful.

Then, we had a get-together of friends at Splendour Country club. This was my second visit to the place (post pending!) and it is quite a mixed bag. The condition/cleanliness of the infinity pool depends on your luck, but the location is awesome.

There was a weekend when Vidhya and Akshara were out of town. So, i went on a local sightseeing trip to places which Vidhya might not come along. I went to Shinde Chhatri – architecturally good , bur was undergoing renovation, a butterfly park about which the lesser said the better and then to Chaturshringi Hill Temple, a gem of a place within the crowd of the city(posts due!).

Saturday was gone and i went for something more adventurous on the Sunday – a trek to Kalavantin Durg (post due!). This turned out to be most exhausting day of my life. But, not because of the nature of the trek. It is an awesome trek and the final climb on the rock-cut steps (some more than a metre high) is mind-blowing, particularly for the slightly-acrophobic ones like me!

The monsoon had arrived and it was time to go-green! Our first monsoon trip was to the ever-enchanting Neelkanteshwar temple. If you have never been there, make sure you do (not in the summer though). A place straight out of Amar Chitra Katha, you can not only admire the natural beauty of its location, but also learn a lot about indian mythology.

Though very scenic, i try to avoid lonavala and its surroundings during the monsoon as it gets very crowded and insane. A trip to Korigad fort where i had pass through Lonavala reaffirmed my faith in avoiding the place. Korigad fort though was a revelation. Relatively easy to climb and in midst of nature, it was a wonderful trip with friends.

No monsoon is complete without a visit to Tamhini Ghat and thoseghar waterfalls. I have been so many times to these places and yet, i am not tired of them. The visit to tamhini was, as always, combined with a visit to the broken roads of Chalkewadi windmill farms.

Then came a visit a beautiful temple in a beautiful place – hadshi temple. One photo of this temple on some forum convinced me to pay a visit and i wasn’t disappointed and neither have been all the people to whom i have recommended this temple. I have been there twice, once during the monsoon and another time just after – on a clear and sunny day.

We tried yet again on 15th August to go to Raigad fort, but our calculations proved wrong once again with a 3.5 hr wait for the cable car. So, we had to return (for the second time) with just a view of the cable car and the mighty fort beyond the horizon.

But, all was not bad with the trip. We came back through Varandha ghat and we got to see the best of what Varanda is famous for. Outstanding greenery as far as the eye can see and more waterfalls than we could keep count of!

Then finally, in October with some meticulous planning, we were able to see the king of all forts, Raigad fort (post due!). It was worth the wait, as this fort is an exemplary example of the might of the Marathas. The amount of history within the walls of his fort is amazing. We had combined a trip to Raigad with another new destination on the konkan, Karde beach.

End of 2011, beginning of 2012, lots to look forward too. Starting with a trip to Rajasthan, courtesy my company. So, what’s in plan – Malshej Ghat, Bhadandardara, Ganapatipule or Goa, some lesser known temples around Pune, Shivneri fort and more…

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Introducing the “Pune Travel Forum”
2. Trek to Korigad Fort near Aamby valley, Lonavala
3. New Year Weekend Trip to Daman

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

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Drive to tamhini ghat during the monsoon
2. A short drive to Dive Ghat near Saswad
3. Waterfall after Tamhini Ghat near Kundalika river

UPDATE (Oct 2011): They don’t allow you to park your vehicle on the road at the stretch where the flowers are usually blooming. Instead, you have the following options: 1) Park a few kms earlier and take a government bus to get dropped off in the main stretch 2) Drive a little ahead (saying that you are going to Bamnoli) and park at the junction where the main road becomes a one-way stretch from Bamnoli. The second option is a walk for only a km. 3. Drive to Bamnoli through a 7 km kuchcha stretch and then come back on the main road. This will allow the option of dropping off kids/elders on the main stretch and allow you/driver to continue on to the parking area. When i enquired about these regulations, the policeman said that these are enforced only on weekends. So, if you have the time on a weekday, you will have the place to yourself.

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I normally don’t return to any particular place before few months because i always feel that i can use that time to see some other new place. But, i have been to the Kaas/Kas Plateau three times in the past months. Such is the beauty of this area. The first two times, i went during the monsoon and the eerieness of this place was awesome. The third trip was more focussed, to catch the wildflowers in this area which bloom only for a short period of 2-3 weeks every year just after the monsoon. So, if you are reading this around the end of sep/start of Oct (the usual flowering season), GO THERE!

How to go to Kaas Plateau from Pune (Magarpatta): Go towards Katraj to catch the NH4 towards Satara. Cross the mahabaleshwar exit and go beyond for another 30-35 kms when you will see a junction with the exit to Satara on the right. Go inside Satara, cross the junction with the eiffel tower, keep going left. Then when you start seeing the mountains straight ahead, you will come to a fork , where you will see a tunnel on the left. The road on the left through the tunnel goes to Thoseghar waterfalls and Chalkewadi windmill farms. To go to Kaas, you have to take the road on the right. This road steadily climbs and reaches a plateau. After driving for around 15-20 kilometres, you will come to a wide plateau where you should endless patches of colour of either side of the road. This is the main area for the wild flowers. Though this road is not visible on Google Maps, it is a pretty good road and any car can go until the end of the road at Bamnoli Village.

We reached the plateau at around 1 pm, which was definitely not the right time for photographs. So, we finished our lunch and then went until Bamnoli, wandered around and returned a couple of hours later. On the way to Bamnoli, there were some huge patches of yellow flowers against the background of green hiils. On the more popular area, you just have a flatland of flowers.

Akshara had lot of fun roaming around the flower patches. It took a while to get her to sit next to a patch of flowers for a photograph. But, once that happened, she sat (more towards falling!) down next to each and every flower and waited for me to photograph her. The best patches were the purple ones. From a distance, they looked like huge carpets.

I had been there on the day of Visarjan (immersion of ganesh Statues). Many had advised me not to venture out on this day as one could easily get stuck in traffic, but the situation was exactly the opposite. The times in and out of Pune city were the best on that day. Probably every one else thought about the traffic and stayed indoors. But, there were quite a lot of people on the plateau incluing many armed with big lenses and tripods!

My earlier two trips to Kaas were in the midst of the monsoons and this place looked entirely different, a wet green colour and full of mist. It was extremely windy on both the occassions we went and it was difficult (for me and fun for Akshara) to get her to pose for a photo with her umbrella.

There were lot of cattle grazing in the area and Akshara wanted to get close to each one of them. With the slope on either side, it was difficult to catch up with her and the cows!

On our first trip, we were probably the only ones on the plateau as it was a rainy day and the whole plateau was covered in mist. We drove in the direction of Bamnoli, but after a while, the visibility was just too less for me to keep on driving. Akshara also got an opportunity to pose with a lamb, but she was all enthu’d until the moment the lamb also got enthu’d and got too close for her comfort.

On the trip during the monsoons, we took the route from Satara to Mahabaleshwar through Medha village and kanheri dam. This was one of the best routes i had driven on in terms of the number and the size of the waterfalls seen. The advantage of this route is that it goes through a valley and slowly climbs into Mahabaleshwar and because of this you get to see all the waterfalls on the both the cliffs to the side.

A very long post, but such a beautiful place deserves one

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Bamnoli Village near Satara
2. Trek to Korigad Fort near Aamby valley, Lonavala
3. Thoseghar waterfalls, Chalkewadi windmill farms near Satara

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

“Ban” – Forest and Ishwar – God i.e. God within a forest. This is the origin of the name of the Baneshwar temple. The name looked inviting and looking it up on Google Earth, i saw that the temple was in the midst of a dense green patch. Not the size of a forest, but quite an expansive green patch. So, off we went on a Sunday afternoon to Baneshwar Temple, around 45 kms away from Pune.

How to go to Baneshwar Temple from Pune(Magarpatta): Go on Solapur road (towards Big Bazaar). Keep going towards Swargate. At the Swargate junction, turn left , towards Katraj. Keep going straight. This will take you past the Pune zoo towards Katraj Ghat. Once you get down from the ghat, you will meet NH4 coming from Mumbai. Join the highway. You will come across the first toll gate. Approximately 11 kms after the toll gate, you will come to a junction. On the right side of the road (strangely), you will see a green board with markings in Hindi for many places, the first three of which are for Shree Baneshwar – 3 kms, Rajgad – 20 kms and Torna Fort – 30 kms. You have to go inside this road to reach the temple.
On this road, you have to cross the Nasrapur marketplace which can be a mess during the evening (as we found out). it was almost like the Hadapsar market and it took at least 15 minutes to drive through this crowd. After the market, you will see an arch on the right and this road is the entrance to the temple complex. The two photos below will give you an idea of the surroundings of the temple (with the river and waterfall nearby). The second photo will give you an idea on where to turn on Nh4. Searching for Baneshwar will on Google maps will give you the wrong “baneshwar” which is located much further down on te NH4.

It is a small temple with a shiv ling inside. You can buy flowers outside to offer to the god. The dome of the temple is colourful and is a pretty sight in the evening light. Update (based on Ramesh’s comments): The temple has very strange things.. one of that it is built 400 years back. The temple was renovated by the Peeshwa maharaja who is said to be the cheif of shivaji kingdom after shivaji…The shiva linga is made in two parts, if you ask the Preist to explain.. he can allow you to see five lingas inside the main linga, when you remove the top one.. inside under around 1 feet deep you can touch & find it..

The gardens around the temple seem to be the main attraction rather than the temple itself. There are plenty of walkways created through this jungle with ample resting points and open areas for a picnic. Of course, there were lot of people practising the State Hobby of spitting (apart from the other hobby of trekking) in spite of the fact that there were inside a temple compound. The dense greenert is an excellent place to spend the evening with the family.

One of the trails will lead you to the river where there is a waterfall. This path is muddy and can be quite “yucky” to negotiate after the rains. This is a walk of around half a km. The waterfall was not quite spectacular as was writen in many blogs. Maybe, the monsoon is yet to arrive completely. The area around the waterfall was like a mini-Nighoj (because of less water) and people were climbing into the canyon which made for some good adventure.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Visit to the Bhuleshwar Shiva temple
2. Neelkanteshwar temple between Panshet and Khadakwasla
3. Hadshi Temple – Pandurang Kshetra, Sathya Sai Trust

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.

View Larger Map

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

I love waterfalls, whatever size they come in. Whenever i plan to visit a city, the first thing i google for are waterfalls near the city. I once saw a poster of Thoseghar waterfalls in my office kitchenette (taken during the monsoon) and made up my mind that i had to visit this place. So, off i went, late last september in search of Thoseghar falls. Many blogs mention this as the third highest waterfall in India, but i didn’t come across any veritable piece of information on the same. Nevertheless, this waterfall is high, tall enough to easily feature in the list.

UPDATE: I visited Thoseghar again during the monsoon season. Lots more water and greenery. Check out a video and more photos here.

How to go to Thoseghar waterfalls from Pune(Magarpatta): Go on the NH4 (towards Bangalore). Cross Khambatki ghat, go beyond the right turn to Mahabaleshwar/Panchgani. Enter Satara on the right. Keep going inside the town of satara. At the other end of the town, you will come to a fork. The road to the left goes through a tunnel. This is the road you have to take. The road on the right goes to Tapola/Mahabaleshwar. Once you cross the small tunnel, you will come to a t-junction. Take the road on the right. The scenery immediately changes from a town to beautiful slopes (depending on the season!). After you climb a little, you will come across the exit to Sajjangad fort. Keep going and you will see a board for Thoseghar falls right on the main road. It’s a pity that a fall as majestic as this has a poor looking board befitting some roadside dhabha.
Google Maps doesnt have the road which goes from Satara to thoseghar. Given below is a map to reach Satara. After that follow the directions as i have mentioned above.The exact location of Thoseghar falls is 17°35’47.84″N, 73°50’44.98″E. Use this on Google Earth to have an idea about the route.

View Larger Map

The route to Thoseghar from Satara was very scenic (even in September). The road goes along the edge of the cliff giving you wonderful views all along the way.

You have to climb down a short distance before you reach the view point from where you will be able to see the thoseghar falls. The walk is short, but the climb back can be tough in summer. But, why would you go to this place in summer. The falls are dry in summer. So, the best time would be right in the middle of the monsoon.

There are actually many falls visible from the view point. The biggest one is to the right and not completely visible. The one straight ahead is also big and has two layers.

I checked on Google earth and there seems to a earthern path to go to the other side of the cliff. One can get a frontal view of the main falls. That is the plan for this monsoon . From thoseghar, we proceeded to Chalkewadi windmill farms. I saw that this was one interesting place to see around Thoseghar, but i never realised that the whole area would be infested with huge, reallu huhe windmills. Easily, the biggest i have ever seen, you can see hundreds of them all over the hills.

You have to continue in the same direction for another 4-5 kms until you reach the top of the mountain where the road seems to end at the windmills. if you proceed further, you will reach the koyna backwaters, but you better have a 4WD to do that.

The windmills were much bigger than what i thought would be. Akshara enjoyed the windmills a lot and didn’t want to get back in the car. Overall, it was a very good one-day trip covering Thoseghar waterfalls, chalkewadi windmill farms and a drive up to the parking lot of Sajjangad fort.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Thoseghar Waterfalls in Satara during the monsoon
2. Bamnoli Village near Satara
3. Kaas Plateau – Maharashtra’s Valley of flowers

When i decided to come back to India (pune) one year ago, i heard zillions of stories about the pollution in Pune, the traffic , the bureacracy at work , all trying to convince me not to take such a decision. But no one mentioned about the abundance of natural beauty around Pune. A drive to any such place near Pune is enough to free your mind from the stress caused by any of the above factors. Eventually, the sight-seeing options near to Pune took preference over all other issues and helped me make the decision to come to Pune. .

One such place is the Tamhini Ghat just beyond the Mulshi Dam. Though the roads through this ghat are at best bad, the scenery around would make you forget the bumpiness of the ride. A ride through this ghat is good even during the summer. But, this place opens up in the rains. Waterfalls all around, greens of the like rarely seen, you have to go there to experience this. I drove through Tamhini ghat late last August on my way to the Hans adventure resort. The other members of my team were in a bus and i was following them in my Xylo. The temptation was too much to stop at every corner and click a photograph of the panorama. Below are some photos from that drive.

How to go to Tamhini Ghat from Pune(Magarpatta): Go to Chandi Chowk. Take the road going towards Mulshi Dam. Cross Mulshi dam and climb into the ghat. The bad road usually start here. This is Tamhini Ghat. You can go beyond the Tamhini Ghat towards Mangaon (Mumbai Goa Highway) to reach the konkan side. Btw, it is not advised to go through Tamhini ghat late in the evenings. If you have to cross the mountains in the night, use the Bhor/Varandha Ghat instead.

View Larger Map

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Waterfall after Tamhini Ghat near Kundalika river
2. Drive through Varandha Ghat
3. A short drive to Dive Ghat near Saswad

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