An escape to Bhandardara

As our life was coming back to normalcy post coronavirus pandemic, it was nice to take a break before the routine life starts. A refreshing short trip far away from the hustle and bustle of the city was required. For Mumbaikars & Kalyankars, Lonavala- Kandala, Alibaug and some closer Konkan destinations are always preferred short trip destinations. But, I along with my better half was looking for an unexplored monsoon destination with green mountains, waterfalls, lakes, dams and pleasant rainy weather.

After a quick spots searching on google, we finalised Bhandardara. It is known as the best monsoon destination. For resort booking, we had lot of discussion as there are limited best resorts in this region. Anandvan Resort, a luxurious resort was on the top of the list. It is a bit expensive one, but worth it. For budget travellers, there are other good and reasonable resorts available in Bhandardara.

We finally booked a Garden Cottage for 2 nights in Anandvan Resort. It’s a popular 4 star resort known for its beautiful location, luxurious cottages & villas, scenic views, delicious food and excellent service. During our stay in Anandvan, we loved some beautiful moments experienced in our cottage garden, near swimming pool area, the Oak restaurant, the club house and small trek on the hill top of this resort.

We started our weekend trip on 1st Oct 2021 at 9.00 am from Kalyan by a private car. It was a straight route for us from Kalyan-Nashik highway passing through Kasara Ghat to Igatpuri. But as we touched Kasara Ghat, we noticed a huge queue of cars due to some issue on the ghat. There were only two options for us – go back home or take a rough route via close by villages near ghat to reach on the middle of the ghat bypassing the traffic jam.

Considering no trains and traffic jam situation, we had to go for the second option. With our consent, our driver, Prafull accepted this challenge. On the left of the Kasara ghat, we drove through the villages route which was bumpy and very difficult to drive. At a point, the road was so steep that we had get down of the car and walk almost a kilometre or so. The surrounding was greenery and beautiful, but we were tired by walking such a steep road.

Finally, we got one rickshaw sent by God at that moment. The rickshawala dropped us at Ghatan Devi temple where our driver was waiting for us. We took a quick darshan of Ghatan devi (goddess) from outside the temple and headed towards Igatpuri. It was 12.45 pm, we took snacks break at Greenland hotel near Igatpuri. The further journey from Igatpuri to Shendi village at Bandardara was much better and pleasant one.

The road from Igatpuri to Bandardara is a hilly road passing through various small villages. On this route, we saw beautiful Sahyadri range of mountains covered with natural green carpet, small farms, beautiful yellow flower plants, small waterfalls, cows grazing on the open green land, cloudy sky and sometimes drizzling too. It was an amazing feeling passing through this route.

Around 2.30 pm, we reached at Anandvan Resort. After completing the reception formalities, we headed towards our cottage. The long drive and Kasara episode completely drained our energy. After having lunch in our room, we took nap for two hours. Kids were not in mood for sightseeing as it was 5.00 pm and going to get darker due to the hilly region. We spent some time near the swimming pool area, enjoyed the scenic views of the surroundings and clicked some photos.

After late evening dinner at the Oak Restaurant
and enjoying some light music by Krishna Sharan, we spent some time in sightseeing planning for the next day. Mr. Patankar from Anandvan gave us map showing various spots of Bhandardara. We planned to cover three or four important spots in morning and one spot in the evening. Day one was more of travelling, settling down and relaxing.

Next day morning after breakfast, we started around 9.30 am. For sightseeing, we hired a guide named Ritesh Sonavane who guided us
to cover the following spots.

Table Top Point
The Table Top Point is located in Murshet village. It’s a small village on a plataeu. From this point, you can see a beautiful view of Bhavani Lake and amazing view of Sahyadri mountains including the Kalsubai, an elevation of 1,646 metres, the highest point in Maharashtra.

Bhavani Lake
The Bhavani Lake is a serene lake. Arthur Lake is also known Bhavani Lake in this portion of the lake as there is a temple of goddess Bhavani near the lake. It’s on the left side of the road. The area start with a green land and some large stones. The lake is surrounded by beautiful mountains.

Panjare waterfall
The Panjare waterfall is located on the outskirts of the Panjare village touching the main road. It’s a small waterfall, but beautiful one.

Ghatghar Dam
The Ghatghar Dam is far away from the Panjare village. It was almost 30-45 mins travelling distance by car with so many twist and turns on the route. It’s a beautiful place, but visit only if you have more time.

While coming back to Anandvan Resort, we again stopped at Panjare waterfall. We spent almost an hour or so as our kids wanted to enjoy the waterfall. The surrounding view from the waterfall is so beautiful. Don’t miss this place.

As we were heading towards resort, we found a farmer’s shop who was selling different types of
local raw rice such as Indrani, Jeera Kolam, Kalabhat, Ambemohar, etc. We stopped by and bought some 3-4 kg raw rice. There were also some type of papads such as Jawar papad, Nachni papad, Rice papad, etc. The details of this shop is posted as one of the pics in this post. If you visit Bhandardara, do purchase some raw rice or papads and support this farmer.

Post some rice shopping, we returned to the resort. We had to order lunch at room as we were tired. After lunch, we rested for an hour’s time. Around 5.00 pm, we headed towards the Bhandardara dam & Arthur Lake, the beauty of Bhandardara.

The Bhandardara dam also known as Wilson dam which was built by British in year 1910 across the Pravara river. The water reservoir created by this dam is known as Arthur Lake. It’s a big lake with beautiful views of campsites and hiking trails in surrounded Sahyadri mountains. People enjoy boat rides in this lake.

We hired a private small boat for a short ride. It was just pre-sunset time. The sky was changing its colour, turning from blue to orange at sunset point. It was an amazing view from the boat. At the same time, we could also see different cloud formations. In the midst of lake, this experience of witnessing so much beautiful changes happening in the weather conditions was unbelievable. We felt that the whole purpose of this trip is getting fulfilled with such amazing moments.

Post enjoying the lake experiences, we came back to resort and had a dinner of some mouth watering dishes at the Oak restaurant. It was such a beautiful evening, but the trip was coming an end. However, the kids wanted to extend the stay in this green world. After convincing them, we our packed our bags. Next day morning 11.00 am was the check out time.

Even, I was restless and wanted to spend some more time in Bhandardara. So, I woke around 6.15 am to capture the beautiful sunrise from the sunrise point near the swimming pool area. I tried to capture the sunrise as a background of the garden plants. The final output was so beautiful. I was so happy to capture the sun rising video too. This was one of the best moments.

By the time I completed the photo shoot, my kids and my better half arrived near the pool area. We headed for a small trek near the hill top of the Anandvan Resort. Our trek ended near a small plateau from where we could see the Arthur lake and the beautiful Sahyadri mountains. The clouds were hovering near mountains. We had never seen such a beautiful view. It was just amazing one. This was our last sightseeing spot in Bhandardara.

After a light breakfast in the Oak restaurant, we started our journey back to Kalyan on 3rd Oct 2021. While coming back, I started recollecting those beautiful moments spent with my family in Bhandardara and Anandvan Resort. This trip was one of my best family trips. We had a great time together in the midst of nature with lovely time spent at various sightseeing spots and a wonderful stay at the Anandvan Resort. It was not just a family trip, but an escape from routine life in a search of beautiful nature at Bhandardara.

Here some photos clicked by me during the visit to Bhandardara.

How to reach:

Distance from major cities
Mumbai to Bhandardara Distance – 165 KM
Pune to Bhandardara Distance – 135 KM
Nashik to Bhandardara Distance – 73 KM

By Road

From Mumbai you can drive to Bhandardara through Mumbai-Nashik Highway (NH 3). It’s a straight route till Kasara Ghat. After crossing Kasara Ghat, you’ll reach to Igatpuri. After Manas Resort 4.8 Km take a right turn via Bahuli dam and Tropical Retreat Resort. You will find Pimprisado. Bahuli. Gawande, Kurungwadi, Ambegaon, Indore villages to Vasali Junction. Take a right turn from Vasali Junction to Varangunshi Junction to Shendi Village, Bhandardara.

By Rail

The nearest railway station is Igatpuri, which is around 45 km away from Bhandardara.  Many express trains are available to reach Igatpuri from Mumbai. From Igatpuri you can reach Bhandardara by taxi or state transport.

By Air

The closest airport to reach Bhandardara is Mumbai Airport. From Mumbai, tourists can reach Bhandardara by train or hire private taxi.

Travel Tips:

1. It’s a monsoon destination. Plan your trip between June and October.
2. If you want to cover all spots, then plan atleast 3-4 days trip. For limited sightseeing 2 days are sufficient.
3. Roads are not that good. Travel by SUV instead of a small car.
4. Carry personal snacks while sightseeing as there are limited shops in this hilly area.
5. If required, hire a guide for sightseeing. Guides cover all the spots and provide historical information about the same. Per day they charge between Rs. 800 to 1200.
6. Be careful while taking selfies at Lakeside or during boating
7. Accommodation Options
a) If you have no budget specific constraints and want to enjoy a luxurious stay with your family, then definitely try the Anandvan Resort.
Anandvan Resort
Ghatghar Road, Village Shendi,Bhandardara, Dist. Ahmednagar
+91-7400050216
+91-9137668535
+91-8452080777
enquiry@anandvanresorts.com
anandvanresort@hotmail.com

b) If you are a budget traveller, then try MTDC resort.
MTDC Holiday Resort
near Bhandardara Dam, Shendi Village, Akole, Bhandardara, Maharashtra 422604
02424257032

c) There are options for campsites stay near lake.  They charge around Rs.1500 to 2000 per day.
GS Bhandardara Lakeside Camping
Ritesh Sonavane – 7058642274