Konkan Maharastra :
Planning for this trip started months ago and was suppose to be a meet of all college friends. As it happens most often trying to meet everyone's convenience, plan was made and remade and remade and eventually got cancelled. So it was eventually just 2 of us me and my wife. But since we had done so much planning in terms of place we decided to stick to the same place and go ahead with the trip.
We made our bookings and were waiting in anticipation for our first trip to Maharastra.
Day 1(6/11/17) :
Day 2(7/11/17) :
Planning for this trip started months ago and was suppose to be a meet of all college friends. As it happens most often trying to meet everyone's convenience, plan was made and remade and remade and eventually got cancelled. So it was eventually just 2 of us me and my wife. But since we had done so much planning in terms of place we decided to stick to the same place and go ahead with the trip.
We made our bookings and were waiting in anticipation for our first trip to Maharastra.
Day 1(6/11/17) :
Route map
We woke up at 3:00 AM and left home by 4:00
AM. Some trucks slowed us down till we exited Bangalore to Mumbai road. This
is a familiar route for us as we have done multiple drives on this road in the past.
We had carried coffee from home and we stopped at 6:00 AM for our first coffee
break. At 7:45 AM we stopped at Apoorva resort Davanegere for our favorite
"Benne dosa". But this time we realised that the quality of the food
has gone down here and did not enjoy it as much. May be time to look for
another breakfast place during next trip. We took deviation to blackbuck
reserve at Ranebennur as we could not enter the reserve during last visit. Even
this time we were greeted with disappointment. We had one more
disappointment waiting for us, camera was acting up on us and we tried click
photos as it kept on malfunctioning intermittently.
Sunflower fields at Ranebennur
We stopped at Coffee day, Dharwad at 10:45 AM for
bio break. There was hardly any traffic and going was smooth for us, we crossed
Belagavi at 1:00 PM.
Close to Karnataka state border we stopped for
lunch at a hotel call White House at 1:45 PM. This hotel is built on the
cliff edge and gives good view of the surroundings. Time for some malvani
food.
Post lunch crossed to Maharastra and headed
towards Kolhapur. On the way stopped for fuel and reached hotel room by 3:00
PM. During this drive we realised that all the toll booths had stopped
accepting digital payments and cash was king again, with in 1 year of
demonetization. In fact we had to skip a couple of petrol stations too as they
refused to accept credit card payment.
We took some rest and went out to explore
Kolhapur at 5:00PM. Looking at the traffic with in the city we decided to give
car some rest and take auto rickshaw or walk around the city to
explore.
Kolhapur city
We had tea and vadapav and took a rickshaw to
Ranka Lake. A large lake poorly maintained, can give a visit if you got nothing
else to do.
Ranka Lake
After sunset we walked back to the market and did
some shopping for bed sheets, malvani masalas and famous kolhapuri
chappals. Returned back to the hotel room in a rickshaw by 7:00 PM.
Had awesome kichdi for dinner and called it quits for the day.
Day 2(7/11/17) :
We woke up after a good night sleep around 7:00 AM, freshened up and checked out of the hotel at 8:30 AM. Our first stop for the day was New Palace. Reached palace at 8:50 AM, but the ticket counter to enter the palace was closed. As we had a long day ahead with multiple stops we didnt have the luxury of time to wait. We took some photos and left from there.
New Palace Kolhapur
We went to Hotel Opal as per recommendation from locals for Kolhapur special breakfast and we were not disappointed.
Post breakfast we continued our journey and reached Panhala Fort at 10:35 AM. We hired a guide here who showed us all the important monuments like Sajyakoti, Ambarkhana, theen dharwaza, Andher Bawdi.
Sajyakoti
theen darwaza
After walking around in hot sun for an hour to visit all these places we deserved something cold.
We left from here at 11:30 AM and had to contain with poor roads filled with potholes on our way. Hence the going was slow. As we had heavy breakfast in the morning, we decided to skip lunch and drive on. Once we reached Ambha Ghat road condition become bit better, 2 lane state highway with potholes for surprises from here.
We passed by this colorful temple on the way.
We reached Jai Vinayaka temple ( JSW) Jaigad at 3:00 PM. We stopped here for a quick visit.
We left from here in 20 mins and reached Jaigad Fort at 3:30 PM. This fort reminds you of Charpora fort in Goa in terms of the way it overlooks the sea, but very badly maintained to put it mildly. It almost had a look of a abandoned place. But we were pleasantly surprised to see a pair of grey hornbills in this fort.
We left from here in 30 mins and drove towards the resort we had booked. This drive was very nice as most part of the road is adjacent to the sea.
We reached resort Beach front villas in Ganapatipule at 4:30 PM almost exhausted.
Then we realized that we had very little time to see this place. As per our plan we were suppose to leave from here the next day morning. We decided to extend the stay by a day and check with resort staff for availability, once they confirmed we called the resort we had booked for next 3 days and asked them to postpone our booking by a day to which he willingly obliged.
After freshening up and a coffee we walked to the beach and watched the sun set. Here we had a lot for seagulls for company.
We returned back to resort and decided to drive out to the town for dinner. One of my friend had suggested a specific hotel for a specific dish, so we went in search of it.
These kothambari vadis were the best thing i had eaten in a while and we ordered few plates of these and we had equally amazing Solkadi here. This hotel is near the Ganapatipule temple and we highly recommend this place for anyone who visits. After walking around a bit we were feeling hungry again as we had skipped lunch. We had authentic maharastrian food for dinner at Hotel Swad.
Once we ate to our heart's content we returned to resort and retired for the night.
Day 3(8/11/17) :
Woke up at 6:00 AM and went to beach for morning walk. Just like previous evening beach was full of seagulls, so we spent time taking pictures and observing these birds.
We returned back to the resort when the temperature started rising, took bath had breakfast and left to explore Ganapatipule at 10:20 AM. Road throughout was hugging to the beach and it was one of the scenic routes and wonderful to drive. However it was very hot weather.
We reached Aare Ware beach at 11:15 AM. We spent about 30 minutes here and decided to return back to town.
We went to Ganapati mandir for a quick darshan.
After dharshan we did some shopping for delicacies made from mangoes. We went back to Bahu Joshi Bojanalay and had kothambari wadi and solkadi again. Our next stop was Prachin Konkan, a museum setup as a yester year's konkan village. Here you get a guided tour of model village where they explain the social fabric of the then society. We also had our lunch in their restaurant.
Post lunch we returned back to the comfort of resort for some respite from the hot sun.
Evening was a drive again to Aare Ware beach as we wanted to watch sunset from there.
We thoroughly enjoyed our extended stay in Ganapatipule.
We returned back to the resort when the temperature started rising, took bath had breakfast and left to explore Ganapatipule at 10:20 AM. Road throughout was hugging to the beach and it was one of the scenic routes and wonderful to drive. However it was very hot weather.
We reached Aare Ware beach at 11:15 AM. We spent about 30 minutes here and decided to return back to town.
We went to Ganapati mandir for a quick darshan.
After dharshan we did some shopping for delicacies made from mangoes. We went back to Bahu Joshi Bojanalay and had kothambari wadi and solkadi again. Our next stop was Prachin Konkan, a museum setup as a yester year's konkan village. Here you get a guided tour of model village where they explain the social fabric of the then society. We also had our lunch in their restaurant.
Post lunch we returned back to the comfort of resort for some respite from the hot sun.
Evening was a drive again to Aare Ware beach as we wanted to watch sunset from there.
We thoroughly enjoyed our extended stay in Ganapatipule.
Day 4(9/11/17) :
We woke up at 6:00 Am and went to beach to watch the sun rise and seagulls.
We returned back to the room, freshened up, had breakfast and checked out at 9:30 AM.
We drove closer to sea and along side some backwaters and mangrove forests. Road quality was average, but lack of road quality was more than compensated by the surroundings.
We reached Ratnagiri Fort in an hours time.
PS : Ignore the date/time stamp on these pics
We returned to Devbaugh at 8:15 AM. On our way back had breakfast at Teapot cafe. Once back in resort, we got freshened up and left from here at 10:00 AM to Sindudurg Fort. We took a ferry ride from Malvan beach and reached fort at 10:45 AM. We were once again disappointed by the condition of this fort. It looked like a small town with all the shops and houses inside the fort.
We returned to resort at 12:30 PM. Had lunch and took some rest post lunch. Evening was spent at the beach collecting shells and watching the sun go down.
Day 7(12/11/17) :
We woke up at 6:00 AM, got ready, had breakfast by 7:30 AM. We settled our bills and checked out at 8:00 AM. We drove through some average roads and reached Sawanthwadi Palace 9:45 AM. Half of this palace is still used by royal family and other half is the museum.
After palace visit we did some shopping for snacks and wooden toys and left from here by 11:00 AM. Our next stop was at Amboli ghat waterfall at 11:45 AM. We also had sabudana wadi and tea here.
Ghat section was filled with potholes and the drive was slow. We finally reached Belagavi at 1:30 PM. We struggled to find a parking spot here, finally found a space and bought some snacks at Anand Purohit and had lunch at Adarsh Palace. We left after lunch at 2:30 PM. We had completed just 160 KMs since morning and had a long way to back home. From here it was quality and familiar road and we picked speed. Stopped for some fruit shopping at Dharwad and coffee break at CCD near Ranibennur at 5:00 PM. We stopped for dinner at 9:00 PM near Tumkur and reached home by 11:15 PM. All in all a great trip with scooba diving and shopping for snacks as its highlight.
We woke up at 6:00 Am and went to beach to watch the sun rise and seagulls.
We returned back to the room, freshened up, had breakfast and checked out at 9:30 AM.
We drove closer to sea and along side some backwaters and mangrove forests. Road quality was average, but lack of road quality was more than compensated by the surroundings.
We reached Ratnagiri Fort in an hours time.
There was a temple inside the fort
Excellent view of the fishing port
And the sea from the other side
There was a light house too
It was a very hot day, so decided against walking to the light house and left from here in 30 minutes. Our next stop was Tilak Ali, a village where Great Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born.
We visited their house and it was a wonderful experience.
We left from here and came out and had a awesome vada pav in a small hotel near by. We left Thilak Ali at 11:50 AM and headed towards our next destination , Thibaw Palace and reached here in 15 minutes. This palace is built more than 100 years ago for King of Burma. Currently this place is completely in shambles and work for restoration is in progress.
We spent very little time here and left immediately at 12:30 PM. From here we went through some of the most deserted roads i have ever been hardly seeing anything other than grass land all around.
We had to manage with the snack we had bought the previous day for lunch as we did not find any decent hotel to eat. We finally found a fruit seller and bought few bananas to eat. We reached Vijaya Durga fort at 3:00 PM. This is the biggest fort we have visited in this trip but again with zero maintenance. Felt sorry to see such a wonderful monument in condition like that. We also felt all that distance covered to visit this place was not worth it.
Surprise here was to see octopus in sea on the edges of the fort, this day being my birthday this was the best gift i could have asked for.
We drove back through those deserted narrow roads back and finally reached the visava beach resort at Tharkarli at 5:40 PM. Once we reached the room , freshened up and went for a walk on the beach to relax a bit after a full day of drive. Had an early dinner and wished the day good night.
Day 5(10/11/17) :
We woke up at 6:00 AM and went for a morning walk on the beach. We returned back and had our breakfast. Post breakfast it was time for which i was waiting for whole of this trip, time for Scuba diving. We left resort at 9:45 AM in a boat to the diving point near Sindudurg fort. Once geared up and in water for basic training heart pumped in excitement and nervousness. I soon realized not knowing swimming is a boon here as you dont really have to curb your swimming instincts. Next 20 mins was amazing to say the least. Water here is bit off color so cant expect say Andaman kind of experience. But non the less wonderful first diving experience.
Witnessed some colorful fishes and coral underwater for about 20 minutes and returned back to the boat. Once back in the resort took bath and went out in search of lunch. Did not find any good hotels around and on our way back to resort did some shopping for mango products. Post lunch, took some rest. Evening was spent on the beach watching sunset.
Had dinner and called it quits for the day. After a long day yesterday, it was much needed relaxing day.
Day 6(11/11/17) :
Woke up at 6:00 AM got ready and went to Devbaugh beach at 7:10 AM. We had booked a boat from here to go in search of dolphins. In this boat journey we saw Bhogwe beach, Tsunami Island, Karli river merging with sea and seagull Island. How ever even after an hour into the ride the dolphin's remained illusive. May be next time.
Woke up at 6:00 AM got ready and went to Devbaugh beach at 7:10 AM. We had booked a boat from here to go in search of dolphins. In this boat journey we saw Bhogwe beach, Tsunami Island, Karli river merging with sea and seagull Island. How ever even after an hour into the ride the dolphin's remained illusive. May be next time.
We returned to Devbaugh at 8:15 AM. On our way back had breakfast at Teapot cafe. Once back in resort, we got freshened up and left from here at 10:00 AM to Sindudurg Fort. We took a ferry ride from Malvan beach and reached fort at 10:45 AM. We were once again disappointed by the condition of this fort. It looked like a small town with all the shops and houses inside the fort.
We returned to resort at 12:30 PM. Had lunch and took some rest post lunch. Evening was spent at the beach collecting shells and watching the sun go down.
Day 7(12/11/17) :
We woke up at 6:00 AM, got ready, had breakfast by 7:30 AM. We settled our bills and checked out at 8:00 AM. We drove through some average roads and reached Sawanthwadi Palace 9:45 AM. Half of this palace is still used by royal family and other half is the museum.
After palace visit we did some shopping for snacks and wooden toys and left from here by 11:00 AM. Our next stop was at Amboli ghat waterfall at 11:45 AM. We also had sabudana wadi and tea here.
Ghat section was filled with potholes and the drive was slow. We finally reached Belagavi at 1:30 PM. We struggled to find a parking spot here, finally found a space and bought some snacks at Anand Purohit and had lunch at Adarsh Palace. We left after lunch at 2:30 PM. We had completed just 160 KMs since morning and had a long way to back home. From here it was quality and familiar road and we picked speed. Stopped for some fruit shopping at Dharwad and coffee break at CCD near Ranibennur at 5:00 PM. We stopped for dinner at 9:00 PM near Tumkur and reached home by 11:15 PM. All in all a great trip with scooba diving and shopping for snacks as its highlight.
