Monday 24 August 2015

Monsoon Trip 2015 to Madhe ghat

Three years back, I have been to Madhe ghat and again I wanted to visit same place in this monsoon. It is a perfect combination of ghat, rivers, waterfalls, lush green nature and small villages surrounding them. A must visit place for nature lover and Photographers.

Travelers for this trip were Me, Wife Renuka and my parents.

Madhe Ghat waterfall
Madhe Ghat waterfall













About Madhe Ghat:
Madhe ghat is located around 55 km south west of Pune bordering Raigad district and in the vicinity of Torna Fort, Rajgad, Raigad and backwaters of Bhatghar dam. From this place, you can have a view of vast area such as Raigad fort, Lingana, Varandha ghat and Shivthar Ghal. This place is very cold and is a developing hill station.

In history, when the great warrior Narveer Tanaji Malusare died in the Sinhagad battle, his body was to be taken for last rites in his native village Umrathe near Poladpur. Tanaji Malusare's funeral procession was taken to his native place from this Madhe ghat route.

There are two routes to reach at Madhe ghat, Either by Pabhe Ghat or by NH-4 route.

From Pabhe ghat route is Pune -> Warje-Malwadi -> Khadakwasla Dam -> Donje Phata -> Khanapur village -> Take left after 1km from Khanapur -> Pabe Ghat -> on Nasarapur-Velhe Road, take right -> Velhe village -> Kelaad village -> Madhe Ghatwaterfall (Total one way distance is 62km route)
Another route from NH-4 is Pune -> NH-4 -> Khed-shivapur toll on NH-4 -> Take right turn at Nasarapur bypass -> Velhe village -> Kelaad village -> Madhe Ghat waterfall (Total one way distance is 82km route)

But I will suggest round trip route as Pune -> Khadakwasla Dam -> Pabhe ghat – Velhe village -> Madhe Ghat -> Velhe village -> NH-4 -> Pune.

9th Aug, 2015: Madhe Ghat (Distance traveled: 132 km)
We started our journey at around 7 AM on a Sunday morning by car. Weather was quite cloudy and we were expecting heavy rain. After crossing Khanapur, we saw left turn to Pabhe ghat. I was aware of route so quickly we drive to Velhe village via Pabhe ghat.

Once we reached near Velhe village, we were able to spot Torna and Rajgad fort but it was covered by clouds. Now we started feeling very hungry so took break at a small restaurant. Owner served us tasty Omelet and Fried Bread. Weather was freezing cold and we were having very tasty breakfast. That was awesome breakfast.

Pabhe Ghat
Pabhe Ghat

            After Velhe village, we took left turn for Madhe Ghat. Road condition is very bad except 8-9 km road patch. Forest was very dense and sometime it was difficult to spot road after taking some crazy curves. After crossing few mountains we saw spectacular view of Sahyadri ranges. You need to cross at least 4-5 Mountains to reach at Kelaad village. Sign board helped us to spot the Madhe ghat route and we took a left turn and crossed a small bridge. From here onwards either you have to walk for last 1.5km road patch. B’cos of monsoon, many people prefer a walk after that small bridge. We preferred to walk to reach at the top of Madhe ghat. The road ends at this point and offers you an amazing view.

Madhe ghat waterfall from Top
Madhe ghat waterfall from Top

            When we arrived at Madhe ghat, we saw that this area is very plain and flat reminding you of the table land at Pachgani. Entire area was covered with thick fog and clouds. We were neither able to view valley view nor waterfall. We waited for some time and then Proceeding towards the edge of this mountain, we are able to see a gigantic waterfall falling over the exposed rock directly into the valley of 2500 feet falling in the Shivthar River in Konkan. Due to clouds, I hardly manage to click photos of waterfall but we enjoyed weather. 

Madhe ghat

            We clicked many photos of waterfall and surrounding area spent some time with the small water falls. Many people are aware of this place due to social media hence you may expect crowd on weekends. I loved this place. We spent more than hour and then started with our return journey. Few kilometers ahead of Madhe ghat, you can see one more waterfall. To view that falls, you may need to some trekking. Due to weather condition, we skipped that but decided to visit again for photography and second waterfall.
           For return journey we choose NH-4 path. After 30-33km we touched national highway 4. We reach home by 5 PM in the evening. It was truly stress–relieving nature trip. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and planning to cover this lush green, breathtaking waterfall view spot in this monsoon.


Expenses
  • Car Petrol: Approx. INR 500/- (7 liter, Average 15 per liter) 
  • Breakfast at Velhe: INR 40/- per person for Omelet Pav and tea
  • Snacks (Vada Pav near parking area): INR 15/- per Vada pav
  • Toll on NH-4 (Khed-Shivapur): INR 80/-
Reference number:
  • Ankush Shinde for breakfast/lunch: 02130-218336
  • Balu shinde as forest route tracker: 9545299649 (Mobile range network is poor hence you may be able to connect him after evening)
Thanks for reading this Travel Blog. Happy traveling.

Pritesh Kulkarni
Pune

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