[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by naren_gs1

Menwali ghat which is only few kilometers from Wai is a spot not be missed!!!

Entry was barred to the village and barricades were kept due to Covid-19. Hence, proceeded with my 2nd option of Dhom dam

[distiller]

Hi All,

Did a round trip from Pune-Tamhini Ghat-Aamby valley-Pune(via expressway). Have attached the google maps snapshot here. The ride was Honda Amaze IvTEC.

The road from Pune to Tamhini ghat is vastly improved as compared to last year, with several patches being done in concrete. Where the old tar-road is present its in pretty bad shape and you have to slow down considerably.
From Tamhini I took the MCKS Ashram road. Except the first 20-25 odd kilometers the road is in very bad shape. Post Bhamburde I was driving mostly in first two gears. It was quite terrifying for two reasons - non existent road and no traffic at all. Although the view was scintillating and that made up the for the bad road.
From Aamby valley I returned back to Pune via Lonavala using the expressway for my last leg of journey.
My admiration for the car has grown manifolds after this particular trip. The car didn't scrapped anywhere and took all the bad roads in its stride. At few places (near the mountain pass) stones were hitting the underbody and adding to on growing worry. The only thing that I missed was stiffer suspension.
The route is very beautiful, especially post monsoons. Although I'll advise to carry your own food as most of the restaurants are close. And don't forget to fill up your fuel tank to auto cutoff, as fuel pumps are non existent once you pass ahead of Paud.

[abhi_tjet]

Drove to Bhandardara recently. There was section 144 imposed in Pune district due to heavy rainfall and tourist places were barred. Accordingly, thought of visiting Bhandardara which falls in Ahmednagar district.

The roads, however, are pretty average and nothing to write home about. Took Pune - Narayangaon- Ozhar-Otur - Bramhanwada- Kotul- Kotul phata - Ranad bk - Bhandardara .

It’s all well till Otur and as soon as you move to Ahmednagar district (B’Wada is in A’nagar district), things start to deteriorate.

It’s again good from Kotul phata till Bhandardara. However, with rains, not sure how long it will last.

Some pics of magnificent Randha waterfall. Man, it’s big and beautiful












Bhandardara dam


Spillway point - not much water yet


Proceeded towards Ratanwadi but came back midway due to absolute absence of roads in some patch and paucity of time. This despite they charged ₹100 for car and ₹30 per passenger.

Towards Ratanwadi




Took the long way home. Bhandardara- Akole- Sangamner- NH60 - Pune. Bhandardara definitely warrants one more visit. Kms driven - Approx 400.

[comfortablynumb]

Went on a 1 day trip to Shivthar Ghal on Saturday, via Varandha ghat. The lush green Sahyadris are a real stress buster. Some pics are shared here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ml#post5364288 (Life with Scout, my Mahindra Scorpio mHawk SLE - 12 years & counting)

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Went on a 1 day trip to Shivthar Ghal on Saturday, via Varandha ghat.

Nice clicks there comfortablynumb. So this means the route isn’t closed for traffic? There was an update in one of regional news channels earlier in July that it’s closed for traffic due to landslides, etc.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Nice clicks there comfortablynumb. So this means the route isn’t closed for traffic? There was an update in one of regional news channels earlier in July that it’s closed for traffic due to landslides, etc.

Thank you. Varandha ghat route is closed only for heavy vehicles, but cars and two wheelers are allowed. In fact, I saw a couple of ST buses in the ghat too on our trip.

Yes, landslides have taken place in quite a few places, but have been cleared enough to keep one lane open. Overall 15-20 km is in bad condition, with a couple of places where there is bottom scraping potential for low slung cars, but even those can be crossed with careful driving. The worst patch is a few km after Hotel Swapnil, where there used to be tea stalls right at the edge of the valley a few years back. The rest of the route from Pune to Shivthar Ghal is in decent condition.

If you are planning to go, ensure that you don't take the short cut to Shivthar Ghal at the end of the ghat, but go further, cross Varandh village, and then take the right turn towards Shivthar Ghal. This short cut can be identified by a Blue board that has "Shivthar Ghal 6 kms" written on it in Marathi.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Drove to Bhandardara recently.

....Took Pune - Narayangaon- Ozhar-Otur - Bramhanwada- Kotul- Kotul phata - Ranad bk - Bhandardara .

... Took the long way home. Bhandardara- Akole- Sangamner- NH60 - Pune. Bhandardara definitely warrants one more visit. Kms driven - Approx 400.

Thanks for the pictures - this place was my home for four years in the early 90s. Looks not much has changed.

Yes - do take one more trip with an overnight stay. I think MTDC resorts are available at Bhandardara.

In fact, if you are up to it, you can do the return trip from Bhandardara via Ghoti, Igatpuri, Nasik - the Ghoti ghat is a pleasure to drive; neither steep nor too many curves.

And, Ratanwadi temple as well as Ratangad (which has a jail atop) is definitely worth a visit. Have gone trekking twice - and the one which we did in rainy season in unforgettable! You will need a local villager to guide you for the trek.

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

- do take one more trip with an overnight stay. I think MTDC resorts are available at Bhandardara.

In fact, if you are up to it, you can do the return trip from Bhandardara via Ghoti, Igatpuri, Nasik - the Ghoti ghat is a pleasure to drive; neither steep nor too many curves.
.

Thanks vrprabhu. There is a MTDC resort in Bhandardara at a very beautiful location near dam. I was monitoring it for this mid July weekend for a while but unfortunately it was completely booked. Hence, had to do with a day trip. I didn’t liked other properties.

Also, as you suggested, Ghoti - Igatpuri- Nasik will make a good circuit indeed.

[abhi_tjet]

Thought of visiting somewhere since weather was quite beautiful today Accordingly, visited Kondeshwar early morning. A beautiful place near city with a temple of Lord Shiva.

The drive..


The beautiful views


And the waterfall..




The temple premise.

[abhi_tjet]

One can never get bored of driving/riding in monsoon to soak in these views. Few clicks from the usual monsoon routes such as Tamhini and Lonavala.