A Journery To Seeing The Unseen Of Maharashtra

Upon arrival at the airport, our representative will meet & greet you at the airport. Proceed to the hotel, upon arrival, check-in at the hotel. 

Overnight stay at hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel proceed to the railway station to board the train for Lonavala. We were in the famous and popular hill station of Mumbaiker and the land of crunchy chikki (candy made of peanuts and jaggery- perfect replacement of chocolate) – Lonavala ..!!

Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel. Check-in at the hotel. Afterward, a short briefing on the Motorcycle Tour and a quick rundown of road safety precautions and check of personal royal machine, we will start out on the road to Karla Caves.  This is your chance to get acquainted with your bike and get to know the roads. Discuss the next day’s program at the dinner table, Overnight stay at the hotel.

Karla caves are among the oldest Buddhist cave shrines in India. carved almost 2000 yrs ago around the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD.

It’s located on the old Pune-Mumbai highway from Lonavala. Around 8 kms, you will come to a junction where the right turn will take you to Karla caves. A few kms from this junction, you will climb up a small hill and come to the official parking of Karla caves. The place is a deadly combination of piety and pav bhaiji with dozens of shops lined all through the way up to the cave. It’s a moderate climb for around 20 mins and you wouldn’t realize the climb as there are dozens of shops on the way for a good drink break. especially hand-made lemon juice adding special spice… it’s a mind booster.. !!

After breakfast at the hotel proceed to Mahabaleshwar “Queen of Sahyadri Hills”, we have to catch the same route which we took to go Karla caves, Old Pune -Mumbai Highway. After around hours of drive, you will come across a mountain cutting across the highway leaving you wondering how to cross it. This is the Khambatki Ghat. The best part about this Ghat section is that it is one-way leaving you free to overtake slow vehicles even on a blind curve. The ascent on this ghat is wonderful and if you can do stop for some beautiful photo opportunities.

After around 13-15 kilometers, you are in Wai town. Wai is a small town and has interesting spots. There is the Maha Ganpati mandir and some nice small temples/bridges to photograph! But, the real reason why many visit Wai is a further 3 kms away, in a place called Menavali Ghat (or Menavli). Menavali Ghat, is the same temple that has appeared in Shah Rukh Khan’s Swades. From Wai town, we want straight on to the road of Panchgani/Mahabaleshwar. The road started to wind up and nature started to unfold itself in front of us. We will park our motorbike once and had some photo sessions there. This should be considered as the first viewpoint on the tour!!

We proceeded towards Mahabaleshwar through the Pune-Mahabaleshwar Road. On the way, we made a stop at the Mapro Garden. This is the factory of the famous Jam/Squash brand ‘Mapro’. The garden itself is small but the main attractions are the Mapro products. En route visit the Venna Lake. After a min. of drive, we were in one of the most preferred summer gateways ….Mahabaleswar!

Check-in to hotel. Later we roamed around the city and market which is quite big and lengthy, experience the taste of “Strawberry with cream” glass was loaded with strawberry flavored whipped cream, huge chunks of fresh fruit, milk, and creamy scope of vanilla ice cream and topped with delicious Mapro strawberry crush!! .. It was just yummy. Overnight stay at hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel proceed for the visit of Pratapgad.

The fort was built by Shivaji and like all Maratha forts, required you to climb lots of stairs. The fort is popular in the history of India as the knight of Bijapur Afzalkhan was Killed by Shivaji at Pratapgad. It is one of the better-maintained Shivaji forts, possibly due to still being private property. It is an interesting piece of architecture as the walls are built in a way that gates of neither the upper fort nor the lower fort can be seen unless you are very close, it was a strategic move to mislead the enemy forces.

Later, beautiful drive around of Mahabaleshwar. Our first step will be to see Old Mahabaleshwar and visit Mahabaleshwar temple & Panch Ganga Temple and then drive to see the “points”, Mahabaleshwar has a number of “points” from where you can see the view of hills. Not all the points are worth spending a lot of time at. However, a drive to these points and walking around them is quite beautiful usually. No visitor should miss the stunning sunrise and sunset in Mahabaleshwar. One of the best places to witness the incredible spectacle in Arthur’s seat (Sunrise) & in Bombay point (Sunset). Back to the hotel, enjoy the evening roaming around the market and drinking the strawberry shake. Overnight stay at hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, proceed off to Satara and then to Kolhapur. 

Drive will be just awesome !! The road was clean, no traffic, over the ridge.. you will have some most beautiful points which will force you to stop and park your motorbike,  & have a photo session. …something which you never want to miss in your life..hold you until too late !!Descending road passing through one of the many local villages, surrounded by agriculture landscape & followed by mountain ridges. During driving, every fold will give a great view and will amaze you to stop there..!!

After a drive of 36 kms, we were in a small town – Sahyadrii village. We took a slight right turn on unmetalled road and were on the edge of Kanher lake (Near Kanher dam) – enjoying some time in Kanher Lake. Later off to Satara, roughly after 22 kms, we were in Satara – The name Satara was given at ancient times due to the 7 hills that surrounded the city.  En-route visit of Kaas plateau (Mini Valley of flower) – The plateau is full of wildflowers during the months of August & September.  

We will head towards Kolhapur on the Bangalore-Mumbai highway. The drive was cool and delightful. About 50 kms from Satara lies the small town of Karad. Karad is important because it lies at the confluence of the Koyna & Krishna rivers. The eating joints between Satara & Karad are awesome and this is one highway stretch where you will see a lot of mutton & bhakri (Maharashtrian chapati) joints. Please out to these joints for sure!!

About 75 kms from Karad lies the sugar capital of India – Kolhapur!! Kolhapur has a great history attached to it as it said Mahalakshmi killed Kolhasur – the demon on whom the city is named. Set in the banks of the Panchgangaa river, Kolhapur is the home to the famous Mahalakshmi Temple..!!

Kolhapur is also known for its chappals, lavangi mirchi and spicy cuisine.  Check-in at the hotel. Later visit of the Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj Museum – a palace converted into a museum, a historical site displaying the rich heritage of Shahuji Maharaj, and his dynasty. The visiting time (Tues to Sun) is 09h30 to 13h00 & 14h30 to 18h00, Monday is closed.

Evening enjoys the city ride and visited the local market on Mahadwar road in front of Ambabai temple, famous for street shopping. Overnight stay at hotel.

Early morning proceeds for the visit of Mahalakshmi temple, Kolhapur’s [Non-Hindus are not allowed] most visited site for hundred’s of years and even today it’s brings most tourists to the city. Our tour would be completely incomplete without spending some time at the iconic Mahalakshmi temple…. “Home of Peace and incarnation of new life”

Back to hotel and after breakfast off to face new experience on the way to Ganpatipule via Ratnagiri. While we were crossing across the old bridge at end of the city, you will see a beautiful scenic on our left side,   an ancient temple on the banks and a small jetty. It was Panchaganga ghat, one of the oldest spots of Kolhapur. The civilization of Kolhapur began on the banks of river Panchaganga. The beautiful scenic look at the river from jetty through Shivaji bridge is worth a snap at any time. 

About roundly 11 Km, we were in Kerli village crossing, where the right turn will take you to Jyotiba temple – Jyotiba temple is located northwest of Kolhapur in the Panhala range, the attitude of 3124 ft above the sea level. The temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and it’s also called Kedarnath and wadi Ratnagiri. Mythology says, Jotiba helped Mahalakshmi in her fight with the demons and he founded his kingdom on this mountain.

After the visit proceeds straight to Ratnagiri. After going straight about 11 km, there is a slight right turn from the main road for Panhala fort. While moving further on this route we saw remnants of the huge forts on top of the hill, it was Panhala fort – one of the most historically significant forts in Maharashtra.  It once acted as the capital of the Karveer Sansthan (Kolhapur). It’s known for the historic escape of Shivaji Maharaj from this fort to Vishalgad fort when Siddhi Jouhar surrounded the fort.

On the way back from Panhala fort to catch the main road, we will take the village route, goes through the local village and meet on the other side of the main road (Kolhapur – Ratnagiri road). It would be an unseen beauty!! .. it is a descending narrow unpaved route passing inside the local village.. and you can feel the local life passing by you and you are one of them .it was just awesome to be there!!

After running 50 kms, we were on Amba ghat. Had a treat of our life riding through this wonderful stretch of Amba Ghat. A small S-Curve between two cut sections of a mountain and as they were over my eyes were left wide open. It was something like being shot out of a cannon right into space.

Amba Ghat is situated on the Western Ghats at the height of 3100 feet. Amba is actually a reserve forest area that falls in the buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and Dajipur Bison Sanctuary. Today, Amba Ghat is a beautiful Hill Station in Maharashtra, unlike other hill stations it has limited tourist traffic and was recently awarded world heritage status. Amba’s serene and natural surroundings make it a complete de-stress zone and one can spend hours staring at the silent valleys below. Amba ghat is blessed with a rich variety of flora and fauna and being amidst the Dajipur Bison sanctuary, it is a bird watcher’s paradise offering a wide variety of wildlife.

Ratnagiri is hardly 60 kms from Amba ghat. Roughly about 01h30 min of driving, you will start feeling the humidity in the air and understood that we are in Ratnagiri – Home of Alphonso mango, the birthplace of Lokmanaya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, prime leader of India’s freedom movement, a port city on the Arabian sea coast, untouched & beautiful beaches & Konkani cuisine!!  Situated in the pretty surroundings, Ratnagiri is blessed with hills, seashores, creeks, beautiful rivers, hot water springs, forests and waterfalls and offers a rejuvenating experience to travelers.   

Our quest for the ocean was full filled once we saw it from Ratnadurg fort. It looks like it was an endless journey of the ocean to meet the sky and at the end, there is a clean, flat line where the earth seems to meet the sky..!!

We will pass through a small deserted road into the hillock to arrive at Ratnadurg fort. 

Ratnadurg Fort is located on a hilltop in Ratnagiri surrounded by the Arabian Sea on three sides. This fort was built during the Bahamani rule. In 1670, Shivaji conquered the fort from Bijapur ruler Adil Shah. In 1790, one Dhondu Bhaskar Pratinidhi rebuilt the fort and strengthened its ramparts. The fort has the shape of a horseshoe, with a length of 1,300 meters and a width of 1,000 meters. It is also popularly known as the Bhagwati Mandir as there is a Bhagwati Mata temple in the fort premises. The fort was used as a watchpoint for keeping a vigil on the pirates

The distance from Ratnagiri to Ganapatipule is around 20 km (follow the coastal road),  it felt like it’s heaven, and you don’t want to be out of heaven, so you will not want that road to the end. it was the pure coastal road, with land at a high place. The view of the sea was so beautiful, the best road you have ever been on. Upon arrival, check-in at the hotel. Later proceed to see the awesome sunset of Ganpatipule. Overnight stay at hotel.

Early morning experience the visit of Lord Ganpati temple (Ganpati Bappa Mourya) on sunrise. It is a neat temple having carvings of Astha Vinayak Ganpati on its outer walls along with other Goddesses. There is a huge mouse at the entrance of the way to the temple. The temple has a shining ‘Kalash and ‘Trishul’ on its top. The temple is overlooked by the mountains behind it and the shining clean beach and the sea in front. We were lucky enough to be present as the aarti started. You feel like “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea”.

Back to the hotel after breakfast proceed to Harihareshwar.  it will be quite a good coastal ride of 20 kms from Ganpatipule to Jaigad. On the way, we can stop at Malgund beach for a while. The secluded beach of Malgund is worth viewing. Malgund beach is one of the most underrated beaches we had ever seen.  If you are someone who feels that nature gives you peace, or you want to stay away from crowded places then this is your best gateway!!! Malgund is also the birthplace of well known Marathi poet – Keshavsoot. On the way to Jaigad, you will drive-pass through the Jindal power plant & the beautiful Jindal Jay Vinayak Temple. Jaigad, from where we will take our first ferry to Tavsal. Before taking the ferry, we will do the visit to Jaigad fort. Jaigad fort is quite nearby from the place, against at a high hill. There were no entry fees, and there is nothing much to see, but the view of the sea was awesome, with the main reason being, the fort was located at a hill with one side completely covered with sea. There is a lighthouse and a Ganesh temple on the premises of Jaigad fort.

The ferry boat services from Jaigad to Tavsal carry light vehicles along with passengers across the creek. Jaigad creek is actually meeting of the Shashtri river and Arabian sea. Jaigad creek is lined with beautiful palm & coconut trees along its course. For protecting Jaigad creek, two forts were built – Jaigad fort to the south & Vijaygad fort to the north. While sailing on a ferry boat, you might experience Indian dolphins.

The 15 km road patch from Tavsal to Velneshwar was very bad and congested. En-route visit Velneshwar temple, it was located at the bottom of the hill, at the seashore only. We parked our bike in front of the temple, under a peepal tree. Velneshwar Shiva temple is famous and thronged by many devotees throughout the year. There are other temples such as Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu & a Nandi bull within the premises.

Velneshwar is a small village, largely populated by the fisherman community. Here there is not much to do except for relaxing, swimming in the sea, watching Dolphins and enjoying the delicious Konkani cuisine. Velneshwar gets its name from the temple of Lord Shiva.

After having a pleasant cum spiritual time in Velneshwar, we will drive towards the next destination, Guhagar, which was roughly 18 km from here. The road condition still remained the same, very bad and it’s something like before making the concrete road, pave the road with stone.  However, while driving on the road, you will feel the musky smell in the air, this is the season for the Alphonso mango trees to bloom.

Guhagar – A white sand beach. It was a quaint little village, primarily dominated by the Brahmin community engaged in the trade of mango and betel nut. At the center of Guhagar lay the Vyadeshwar Shiva temple, a deity of many Brahmin families. Guhagar has a long & wide golden sand beach, unspoiled & serene. The beach is sparkling clean.  There are benches placed at the tree shades, and also some arrangements for children to play. Quite a good place to time pass, and also with the strong wind from the sea, it was a good experience.

After having a pleasant time on the beach we will proceed to Anjanvel , roughly 13 km. From here at Dhopave jetty we will take our second ferry boat to cross the Vashishti river and hop off at Dabhol jetty.

Proceed Dabhol jetty to Dapoli (roughly 27 km), this is a coastal route with amazing scenes around. Dapoli has one of the longest stretches of beach in the entire Konkan stretch. The beaches starting from Dabhol stretches through Ladghar and Karde right until Kelshi. Most of these beaches are connected but for a few creeks in between and the adventurous can try a bike ride over the rocky stretches to reach the adjacent beach. Dapoli is also called camp Dapoli as the British set their camps in Dapoli. Many high-rank British officers’ graves are in this town. Dapoli also has an old abandoned church from British time. 

Then to Anjarle is 26 km from Dapoli and it’s a small port located near the mouth of the Jog river. Anjarle is famous for the Ganpati temple, situated on a hilltop overlooking the beach. Ganpati temple is known as “Kadyavarcha temple”. You can get a magnificent view of the thick plantation of coconut trees, betel nut trees, Suvarnadurg fort, blue sea and surrounding hills from the top.

Later drive to Bankot, from where we will take our third ferry boat to Bagmandle (took 8 to 10 min sail us to another side). After minutes of drive, we will be in Harihardeshwar. Check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Next day morning after a decent breakfast at the hotel and walked to Harihareshwar temple, which was just a walking distance from the hotel.

Harihareshwar – A land believed to be blessed by Lord Vishnu and proclaimed as “Devghar” “house of God”& Harihareshwar temple is of foremost importance religiously.  Promulgated as the “Dakshin Kashi” (Kashi of south India) Harihareshwar with its temple complex deities of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma along with the temple of Kalbhairav & Yogeshwari is an important pilgrim centre. Harihareshwar is surrounded by four holy hills Harihar, Harshinachal, Bramhadri & Pushpadri. Harihareshwar is a region in Konkan which is amazingly beautiful with hills playing the perfect foil for a long stretch of pristine beach. 

Behind The Kalbhairav mandapa, a sign read “Pradakshina Marg” and pointed to a flight of stone steps that climbed into the adjoining hill. Please check with anyone around the temple about the conditions of the tide as it’s quite dangerous to go on this terrain during the high tide. The trail starts off with around 60 steps – 60 long steps & then you have to climb down around 140 narrow steps between a beautiful cut in the cliffs down to the sea. As you go around the cliffs, you see a lot of interesting sea caves. The waves were quite strong and the splashing of the waves against the rocks was wonderful to look at.

The Harihareshwar beach is itself not recommended for swimming as there are strong currents close to the coast and the general public are advised against swimming.

After a blessed visit to the temple, we were off to Alibag. Our first stop was Shrivardhan within 30 min drive and 20 kms from Harihareshwar. 

Shrivardhan is a small town and is famous for its beaches & Shri Laxminarayan temple. Its also famous as the “Town of the Peshwas” – the first Peshwa, Balaji Vishwanath hailed from here.  Shrivardhan is blessed with majestic white sand beaches and a clear sea. The town has been of historical & religious importance. It believe Pandava warrior Arjun visited the town during his pilgrimage.

After having some time on the beach we started driving to another famous beach Diveagar. A wonderful drive on the coastal road for around 30 min. This isolated road runs parallel to the sea with the cliff on one side and the sea, just off the cliff, as far as you can see, on the other side. The road stretches for a good 30 kms affording views of virgin beaches, fishing villages, natural rock formations, etc. You will drive by some of the virgin beaches like Aaravi beach & Kondvil beach. If you are a fan of seafood, then the fish market of Bharadkhol is for you..!!  you can make a quick stop in Bharadkhol fish market while going to Diveagar. Every morning about 8, the fisher boat ported near this village. from here Diveagar is just 7 km ..!!

Diveagar shot up in popularity after a serendipitous discovery of a golden mask of the elephant god Ganesha. Diveagar has a long stretch of black sand beach and the village is full of beetle nuts, jack fruits, and banana plantains. The access to the beach is covered with “Belu” plants and looks like a fence on the beach. Lord Suvarnaganesha temple is the main attraction of tourist visits. We were unfortunate that, couldn’t able to visit the temple. However, we kept it for our next trip..!!

After spending some time on the beach, we were on our route to Dighi (15 kms) to board the ferry to the other side at Agardanda jetty.  From here Rajapuri village is hardly 4 km, within a minute of the drive we were in Rajapuri to visit Murud-Janjira fort.

Janjira is a local name for a fort situated on an island just off the coastal village of murud. Janjira fort is situated on an oval-shaped rock off the Arabian sea coast near the port town of Murud. Janjira is considered one of the strongest marine forts in India. The fort is approached by sailboats from Rajapuri village. 

After the visit to the fort proceed to Kashid beach, on the route you can also stop for a while at Nandgaon beach – a very silent and secret beach. The coconuts trees planted on the side of the beach really adds beauty to the beach. Within a minute from Nandgaon beach, we will be on Kashid beach, just stop for a while and enjoy the charm of the beach, refreshed and drive towards Alibag. Kashid is popular mainly because of its white sand, curvey beach shape, the mountain behind beach and beautiful sea.

Now onward you will find all crowded beaches till Mumbai as they are the famous weekend gateway for Mumbaikar..!!

After 40 km of drive from Kashid beach, you will reach Alibag, upon arrival, check-in at the hotel. Late afternoon proceed for the visit the Kolaba fort, overlooking the beach right in front of us in the middle of the sea was a grand castle ” the Kolaba fort”. The Kolaba Fort was built by Shivaji Maharaj in 1652. Its located 2 kms into the sea at Alibag’s beach.

Late afternoon is a good time for the visit to the fort due to low tide. One can walk to the fort during low tide in less than ankle-deep water. Instead of walking in the water, we chose to go by horse-cart… it’s worth going by horse-cart and you will surely enjoy the ride…!! while riding we could see the pattern left by the water as it had receded. Though it must have been a grand fort at one time, built to keep an eye on the naval activities of the British, Portuguese  and Siddhis, the fort lies in ruins now, except the temple in the centre, which is fairly well maintained. It’s still possible to walk on some portions of the fort walls, and the view from there is breathtaking!!

After coming back from fort. Enjoy the sunset. Overnight stay at hotel.

Woke-up at our own pace. After a decent breakfast, drive to Rewas jetty which was 22 km from here. It was normally highway drive and in 30 min we were in Rewas jetty. There are two points, to go to Mumbai by ferry from Alibag. One is Mandwa jetty & another is Rewas jetty. From Mandwa, you will catch the ferry to Gateway of India but you can’t carry your vehicle, it’s not allowed on it. But from, Rewas jetty you can take your vehicle (only motorbike or bicycle- maximum 5 or 6 motorbikes at a time) but the ferry will go to Bhaucha dakka.  

The ferry operates every 1 hrs (roughly) from Rewas.

The ferry takes roughly 1 hrs to reach Bhaucha dakka. It was a different experience sailing in the Arabian sea. We will pass through many huge ships, cruises and yachts. Seeing coal loading activity from the ship into the small boat using a big crane from a few feet of distance was a great experience. Upon arrival, proceed to the hotel. Check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

On-time proceeds back to the airport to board the flight for the return journey.

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