Waterfalls special round trip- Pune-Varandha ghat-Shivtharghal-Tahimini-Pune

sandeep joshi · 26th July 2010, 16:10

Waterfalls special round trip - Pune-Bhor-Varandha ghat-Shivtharghal-mangaon-Tahimini ghat-mulshi-chandani chowk-pune
Pune folks , If you are still not gone anywhere in this monsoon then here it is a good news for you
Just do this trip for one day and you will enjoy a lot, no need to go anywhere else
Most of us knows this route , only one important update is that road conditions in varandha ghat and tahamini ghat
are very good compare to last year
Did this round trip on Saturday 26th July 10

Start time 8 AM - chandani chowk
Breakfast at Hotel natraj
Take right at bhor phata towards bhor
see the Beautiful Neera-Devghar dam
Enjoy waterfalls at Varandha ghat
Enjoy garam bhaji and tea at monkey point in varandha ghat
Proceed towards mahad
Take right towards Shivtharghal after crossing varandha ghat
Point to be noted here: There are 2 roads to Shivtharghal, One at the start of varandha ghat
and it is shortcut of just 9 kms , but never go via this short cut as this road is bad , very dangerous and steep decline
Take a road towards Mahad and there is good 2 way road exist ahead
Enjoy waterfall and visit at shivtharghal
This is the place where Samrath Ramdas had written "Dasbodh"
Lunch at shivtharghal
Proceed towards mumbai-goa highway
Take right towards mahad-mangaon at highway junction
Take right at mangaon towards tahamini ghat
Enjoy hundres of waterfalsl in tahimini
Return to chandani chowk by 8 PM

Road in both the ghats are good compare to last year ,
Total kms around 370 roundtrip

Enjoy this scenic route very slowly , no need of any harsh driving sicen 80% of your trip is in ghat section.
After bhor till you reach mumbai-goa highway , no petrol pump, puncture shop anything so fill your tank before bhor.
There are 3 sharp hair pin turns at varandha ghat but they are easily manageble as there is hardly any traffic on this route
Beware of S.T. buses on turns in varandha ghat and tahamini ghat
On big waterfalls at Tahamini , you will find some rowdy public , dancing with loud music playing in TATA SUMO with beer bottles in hand, avoid this waterfalls and enjoy at some small , not to crowded waterfalls in tahamini

Photos: Varandha ghat, shivtharghal and tahimini ghat

ampere · 26th July 2010, 19:23

Nice very nice! Water water every where, and not a drop to a enjoy!
Great snaps of distant falls through the valley.

hvkumar · 26th July 2010, 20:49

That is a fabulous circuit, some nice parts of the Sahyadri ranges in the rains.
How much distance was the total circuit?
You mention the turn off to Shivthargal - I presume that is at the top of the Varandha Ghat? Do you have to return the same way up or does it rejoin the main road somewhere else?

You mention that you have taken the road to Tamhini ghat from Managaon - how good was the road? Any idea which one is better, this one or the one from Kolad?

MX6 · 26th July 2010, 21:09

Did you do this trip on 26th July or 26th Jun? Coz the last saturday I did the trip to Tamhini, it poured. Didn't have 5 mins of break even in the rains. And the photos I'm going to be putting up here are all soaked in water.

@HVK,
Mangaon to Nizampur is good. There was a breach on one of the rivulets and my car had to wade through water flowing over the bridge almost till my headlights level. Pretty scary it was.
Nizampur to the base of Tamhini was bad roads. Surface had eroded and potholes all around. 40 - 50 is the max I could keep.
Tamhini ghat was in all splendour, so didn't bother about slightly bad road conditions.
Road till Mulshi was good.

Keep watching my Magnificent Maharashtra for updates.

pramod · 26th July 2010, 21:15

Fantastic snaps! Would love to drive these routes sometime.

ASHISHPALLOD · 27th July 2010, 10:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

1]That is a fabulous circuit, some nice parts of the Sahyadri ranges in the rains.

2]You mention the turn off to Shivthargal - I presume that is at the top of the Varandha Ghat? Do you have to return the same way up or does it rejoin the main road somewhere else?

3]You mention that you have taken the road to Tamhini ghat from Managaon - how good was the road? Any idea which one is better, this one or the one from Kolad?

1] I did part of this route from 12mati to shivtharghal last year.
The place is really good monsoon circuit. check my travelogue '' monsoon masti on 15th aug''.

2] If you are going to shivtharghal, there are two routes from varandha side,
a] after 3 hairpin bends, while going toward mahad, there is fork at a turn, take that short route to shivthar ghal. As thread starter mentioned, it is very steep descend with kachcha road. By going this route, you will save @25km.
b] Second route is from birwadi. For this , complete the varandha ghat descend, travel fo 5-6 km toward mahad, there is village named birwadi. Turn right toward shivtharghal. Dist from birwadi to shivthar ghal is more than 20 km.

3] As mx6 already mentioned, mangaon to tamhini via nizampur joins tamhini-kolad route at the village named vile which is at the base of ghat.

MX6 · 27th July 2010, 11:05

The Mangaon to Vile route is newly laid (MIDC road) and is a belter. Nizampur to Vile was pathetic. So I don't expect the Vile to Kolad to be good too. But then with Indian roads, surprises never cease. They are now coming up with resorts at the base of Tamhini. Forgot the name. Looked impressive.

sandeep joshi · 27th July 2010, 11:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

That is a fabulous circuit, some nice parts of the Sahyadri ranges in the rains.
How much distance was the total circuit?
You mention the turn off to Shivthargal - I presume that is at the top of the Varandha Ghat? Do you have to return the same way up or does it rejoin the main road somewhere else?

You mention that you have taken the road to Tamhini ghat from Managaon - how good was the road? Any idea which one is better, this one or the one from Kolad?

Total distance is around 375 kms round trip. Not exactly.
While getting down of varandha ghat , After ghat ends there is one chowk,(junction) , right side shivtharghal and stright mumbai-goa highway(15 kms straight) , so from this chowk you have to take right turn towards shivthatghal . It is 15 kms from this chowk , and again after visiting shivtharghal , you have to come back to same chowk via same road and then turn right towards mumbai-goa highway junction.
Highway junction is also 15 kms from this chowk. And there is a tool booth towards right as soon as you hit the goa highway
At the top of ghat also there is one right turn toward shivthatghal but it is steep decline road and in very bad condition , this is a shortcut and saves distance and it directly goes to shivtharghal in just 9 kms but it is not advisable as it is kaccha road , full of pathholes and it is mentioned there on board that this road is only for small vehicles so better get down of ghat and go via proper two way good condition road

Road from mangaon to tahamini ghat is not so bad , its good .
Some patholes are there but overall it is good , kolad road i did not tried
and there is typo there , I visited on Saturday 24 July.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MX6

Did you do this trip on 26th July or 26th Jun? Coz the last saturday I did the trip to Tamhini, it poured. Didn't have 5 mins of break even in the rains. And the photos I'm going to be putting up here are all soaked in water.

Typo , i did this trip on Saturday 24th July

sami316 · 27th July 2010, 11:42

Hi Sandeep,

The pics are really awesome and are the lush greenery is a treat for the sore eyes.

anilisanil · 27th July 2010, 16:33

Awesome pics mate. Do you anticipate any problem of land slides? It has been pouring down real bad of late. Also, is it safe for a couple to go around?

MX6 · 27th July 2010, 16:38

Funny. You didn't have much rains as seen in your photo in Varandha. Check out mine in Magnificent Maharashtra log. It poured non stop! I took Tamhini early morning to go to Harihareshwar.
I initially intended to return through varandha. But seeing the rains, I decided to return on Sunday through e-way.

anilisanil. No reported landslides. But rivers were raging.

ASHISHPALLOD · 27th July 2010, 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilisanil

Do you anticipate any problem of land slides?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MX6

anilisanil. No reported landslides. But rivers were raging.

Varandha and tamhini are prone to landslide.

This year varandha was closed for two days due to landslide.
I had reported this in monsoon road condition thread.

MX6 · 27th July 2010, 17:03

@AP. Yes, I noticed that you'd reported Varandha being shut for 2 days earlier. But I was referring to last weekend. No landslides last weekend in this circuit though rivers were in spate. And south of Khed was even worse, with Konkan rail stopping services for 2 days over the weekend.

ambivalent_98 · 27th July 2010, 18:31

Ah the beauty of Warandha in the rains. Brings back lots of memories. Actually I will plan to visit sometime !! Thanks Sandeep for Sharing the photos.

sandeep joshi · 27th July 2010, 19:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilisanil

Awesome pics mate. Do you anticipate any problem of land slides? It has been pouring down real bad of late. Also, is it safe for a couple to go around?

No landslide on Saturday , but last 2 days its raining heavily.
On saturday, it was not that much of rain in varandha.
Most important caution I think is , you have to cross this ghats , both varandha and tahimini in sunlight only.
At night it is risky for a family to cross since visibility is poor due to fog and rain and there is hardly any traffic at night.

26th July 2010, 16:10	#1
sandeep joshi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: pune Posts: 81 Thanked: 25 Times	Waterfalls special round trip- Pune-Varandha ghat-Shivtharghal-Tahimini-Pune Waterfalls special round trip - Pune-Bhor-Varandha ghat-Shivtharghal-mangaon-Tahimini ghat-mulshi-chandani chowk-pune Pune folks , If you are still not gone anywhere in this monsoon then here it is a good news for you Just do this trip for one day and you will enjoy a lot, no need to go anywhere else Most of us knows this route , only one important update is that road conditions in varandha ghat and tahamini ghat are very good compare to last year Did this round trip on Saturday 26th July 10 Start time 8 AM - chandani chowk Breakfast at Hotel natraj Take right at bhor phata towards bhor see the Beautiful Neera-Devghar dam Enjoy waterfalls at Varandha ghat Enjoy garam bhaji and tea at monkey point in varandha ghat Proceed towards mahad Take right towards Shivtharghal after crossing varandha ghat Point to be noted here: There are 2 roads to Shivtharghal, One at the start of varandha ghat and it is shortcut of just 9 kms , but never go via this short cut as this road is bad , very dangerous and steep decline Take a road towards Mahad and there is good 2 way road exist ahead Enjoy waterfall and visit at shivtharghal This is the place where Samrath Ramdas had written "Dasbodh" Lunch at shivtharghal Proceed towards mumbai-goa highway Take right towards mahad-mangaon at highway junction Take right at mangaon towards tahamini ghat Enjoy hundres of waterfalsl in tahimini Return to chandani chowk by 8 PM Road in both the ghats are good compare to last year , Total kms around 370 roundtrip Enjoy this scenic route very slowly , no need of any harsh driving sicen 80% of your trip is in ghat section. After bhor till you reach mumbai-goa highway , no petrol pump, puncture shop anything so fill your tank before bhor. There are 3 sharp hair pin turns at varandha ghat but they are easily manageble as there is hardly any traffic on this route Beware of S.T. buses on turns in varandha ghat and tahamini ghat On big waterfalls at Tahamini , you will find some rowdy public , dancing with loud music playing in TATA SUMO with beer bottles in hand, avoid this waterfalls and enjoy at some small , not to crowded waterfalls in tahamini Photos: Varandha ghat, shivtharghal and tahimini ghat Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

26th July 2010, 19:23	#2
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,952 Thanked: 12,944 Times View My Garage	Nice very nice! Water water every where, and not a drop to a enjoy! Great snaps of distant falls through the valley.
	() Thanks

26th July 2010, 20:49	#3
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	That is a fabulous circuit, some nice parts of the Sahyadri ranges in the rains. How much distance was the total circuit? You mention the turn off to Shivthargal - I presume that is at the top of the Varandha Ghat? Do you have to return the same way up or does it rejoin the main road somewhere else? You mention that you have taken the road to Tamhini ghat from Managaon - how good was the road? Any idea which one is better, this one or the one from Kolad?
	() Thanks

26th July 2010, 21:09	#4
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	Did you do this trip on 26th July or 26th Jun? Coz the last saturday I did the trip to Tamhini, it poured. Didn't have 5 mins of break even in the rains. And the photos I'm going to be putting up here are all soaked in water. @HVK, Mangaon to Nizampur is good. There was a breach on one of the rivulets and my car had to wade through water flowing over the bridge almost till my headlights level. Pretty scary it was. Nizampur to the base of Tamhini was bad roads. Surface had eroded and potholes all around. 40 - 50 is the max I could keep. Tamhini ghat was in all splendour, so didn't bother about slightly bad road conditions. Road till Mulshi was good. Keep watching my Magnificent Maharashtra for updates.
	() Thanks

26th July 2010, 21:15	#5
pramod BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 480 Thanked: 323 Times View My Garage	Fantastic snaps! Would love to drive these routes sometime.
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 11:05	#7
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	The Mangaon to Vile route is newly laid (MIDC road) and is a belter. Nizampur to Vile was pathetic. So I don't expect the Vile to Kolad to be good too. But then with Indian roads, surprises never cease. They are now coming up with resorts at the base of Tamhini. Forgot the name. Looked impressive.
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 11:42	#9
sami316 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 484 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage	Hi Sandeep, The pics are really awesome and are the lush greenery is a treat for the sore eyes.
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 16:33	#10
anilisanil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Pune Posts: 1,420 Thanked: 291 Times	Awesome pics mate. Do you anticipate any problem of land slides? It has been pouring down real bad of late. Also, is it safe for a couple to go around?
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 16:38	#11
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	Funny. You didn't have much rains as seen in your photo in Varandha. Check out mine in Magnificent Maharashtra log. It poured non stop! I took Tamhini early morning to go to Harihareshwar. I initially intended to return through varandha. But seeing the rains, I decided to return on Sunday through e-way. anilisanil. No reported landslides. But rivers were raging.
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 17:03	#13
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	@AP. Yes, I noticed that you'd reported Varandha being shut for 2 days earlier. But I was referring to last weekend. No landslides last weekend in this circuit though rivers were in spate. And south of Khed was even worse, with Konkan rail stopping services for 2 days over the weekend.
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 18:31	#14
ambivalent_98 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune-Bangalore Posts: 807 Thanked: 203 Times	Ah the beauty of Warandha in the rains. Brings back lots of memories. Actually I will plan to visit sometime !! Thanks Sandeep for Sharing the photos.
	() Thanks