Bhandardara 2017: I stay in Mumbai & the usual weekend getaways from here are mostly either monsoon destinations or beaches. So, when my wife & I decided to go for a weekend trip in the month of January 2017 people mostly suggested beaches. However, we have had enough of beach trips & wanted a different experience this time.
That’s when someone suggested Bhandardara. I had heard of this place as a monsoon destination & hence had not considered it as an option in the month of January.
So, did some research online & liked the place. There are many options to reach Bhandardara. We took a train to Igatpuri & then an auto to Bhandardara. There are many trains that you can opt for from Mumbai to Igatpuri. The other options are bus from Kalyan to Bhandardara or you can come in your own vehicle by road.
I had booked a room at MTDC Bhandardara. There are few other options as well but MTDC is located right next to big lake because of which it offers some amazing views. Of course, there are home stays available from the locals but we only came to know of them once we reached there. However apart from the average food there was nothing more to regret at MTDC!!
We reached the resort around 11 am & decided to spend the rest of the day at leisure. In the afternoon, we went for a stroll around the resort. The lake was amazing. It’s actually a river that forms a lake due to a dam. There are boating facilities in the lake. However, it’s not the usual paddle boats but country boats fitted with motors that ferry the locals. You can also arrange bonfire near the lake or simply spend time on the benches near the lake. The best part about Bhandardara is that it offers various activities at different times of the year. There are many places around that offer homemade food.
The next day we hired a cab & went for sightseeing. In Bhandardara if you go during monsoon you can see number of water falls. However, in the month of January the falls had dried up but due to good visibility from the top of the dams & mountain peaks the views were spectacular.
For trekkers, there are some good options during winter. You can trek up mount Kalsubai OR trek inside Sandhan Valley. Mount Kalsubai is the highest peak in Maharashtra. We had gone for the trek inside Sandhan Valley. This is basically a dried-up river bed which ends in a waterfall at one end. This river bed is active during monsoon. However, this is not a flat river bed & that’s where the trekking comes in. It’s a moderate intensity trek. We trekked for a few hours & then came back. The full trek can take upto 12 hours & exits at Shahpur.
We also visited Amruteshwar temple. Legend says that this temple was built by the Pandavas.
You can also visit Ratangad fort which is a moderate trek. By the end of the day we took a train back to Mumbai with some beautiful memories of the trip.