[bullet_chacha]

Hey pals!

It's been long since I've been on a longish ride because of miscellaneous reasons and majorly because I was recovering with a broken left knee.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...dventures.html (Chronicles of a Lone Biker | The Big One | Bhutan 2017 | Dominar 400 Adventures)

This is what I did back in 2017 and I plan to do something similar, solo... But this time I wanna ride through the entire state of Maharashtra for 13-15 days. However, I'm totally lost over where to start from,what to do, what to see. I'll be starting from Mumbai and will be getting my bike with me by train.

Please help me on the below:

1. Entire konkan itinerary. Plan to ride for 5-7 days in konkan. Information about ferry connections/services/timings that I might have to take during this ride.
2. Places to stay/halt in konkan region. Also advise if I can carry my own tent and pitch it on a beach or any other place without getting into any trouble.
3. Must see places. Must do things.
4. Waterfalls!!! The more the merrier. I'll prefer the ones where one can actually go for a swim
5. Camping spots for a night stay. Don't mind taking a detour. Can fit such places into the route
6. Food junctions not to be missed. I'm crazy for sea food and don't mind trying new cuisines/dishes/animals!
7. Places of historical interests. Museums are fine, but any place like Hampi or such will be a bonus.
8. Hostels/ budget homestays at night halts suggested. Will want to stick to these to keep the budget in check

All in all, I plan to do two long rides a year, each for 15-20 days and wish to cover one state entirely and I'm starting with MH. And I hope 15 days will be enough. Can spare a couple of more days if required. I've been to Mumbai, so can totally skip it. Or maybe just a night halt at the start and end of the journey.

Thanks in advance!

[RedTerrano]

When are you planning to undertake this journey? Monsoon is really not the right time for travel in Konkan.

Case in point:
Chiplun, a few days back. Yes those are buses.

[sahil624]

One place I was looking at for my weekend drive from Mumbai is Devkund waterfall. It’s around 3 hours from Mumbai and one hour trek to the waterfall. You may take a look at the video below for reference.

https://youtu.be/4paq0htjZF4

[bullet_chacha]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

When are you planning to undertake this journey? Monsoon is really not the right time for travel in Konkan.

Case in point:
Chiplun, a few days back. Yes those are buses.

Attachment 2186739

November end/December maybe!

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

November end/December maybe!

OK great! That is a great time to visit Konkan, although you will miss out on the of the lush green hues that are there in of just after monsoon. But nevertheless, you will have good weather and will enjoy Konkan that time.

A couple of things which I would say are "must do" are these:

1. Drive/Ride on the Arrey Warrey Road from Ganapatipule to Rantagiri
2. Drive/Ride on Maharashtra State Highway 4 (SH4) as much as possible. The above-mentioned Aarey Warey road is part of this SH4.
3. Visit Jaigad Fort (preferably on a weekday to enjoy the solitude and the clean views) and take a ferry from Jaigad to up north and continue driving on SH4.

I once spent a week driving around solo in Konkan. I have written a detailed travelogue. You could check that out for some of the places I visited and for my recommendations: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...karnataka.html (My monsoon solo: 2000 km & 7 days of wandering through Konkan, Goa and Western Karnataka)

[ramanan.skr]

We did the entire Konkan ride, right from *Shiroda till Mumbai*, this January(2021). And covered some of them on our Youtube Channel

What we have seen:
1. Shiroda Beach - Beautiful white sand beach with a lot of activities
2. Vengurla Beach - Calm Beach with very few tourists

Shiroda & Vengurla Beach

3. Bhogave Beach - Sunset of the lifetime. Very calm and lonely beach

Bhogave Beach

4. Tarkarli Backwaters & Tarkarli Beach - Backwater ride with few interesting sightings to watch. Also, you can go for Scuba Diving. Best place is MTDC Scuba diving institute.

Tarkarli Backwaters

5. Sindhudurg Fort, Malvan - Gigantic fort inside sea built by Shivaji Maharaj

SindhuDurg Fort

6. Rock Garden, Malvan - Rock filled Beach
7. Chivala Beach - Very Calm beach close to the town

8. Kunkeshwar Temple
9. Devgad Fort & Beach

10. Ganeshgule Beach: Mesmerising Beach and if one wants to enjoy peace, one can go here. A very calm beach located far from the highway

GaneshGule Beach

11. Ratnagiri Sightseeing - Bhatye Beach, Mandovi Beach, Thiba Palace, Ratnagiri Fort

12. Aare Ware Road: Must See. Don't miss this one!
13. Neware Beach: Flat Beach with less crowd

Aare Ware Road & Neware Beach

14. GanapatiPule Temple & Beach: Beautiful Vinayak Temple. Nice Beach, but was quite rough when we went.

15. UnMatched Ferry Rides: Don't miss these.

Maharashtra Coastal Ferry Rides

16. Velneswar Temple & Beach: Rough Beach and a temple near the shore

17. Guhagar Beach: Nice Flat Beach

18. Palande Beach: Flat Beach. Here, one can get a lifetime opportunity to spoil nature by driving cars/two-wheelers on the beach itself. Otherwise it is very nice beach to spend time.

19. Harnai Beach/Fort
20. Kelshi Beach: Beautiful Beach like Ganeshgule

21. Harihareshwar Temple/Beach:
22. Srivardhan Beach
We missed both these places due to the lack of time. But ppl say, these are definite ones

22. Diveagar Beach: My experience is very bad here. I have covered this in the video. Instead choose Aravi Beach or go southwards 3Km from the Diveagar where the same beach is very good

Diveagar Beach

23. Murud Janjira Fort:
We didn't go here.

24. Kashid Beach. Beautiful White sand beach with lot of activities

Kashid Beach

25. Alibaug Sightseeings: Lots of beaches/places here to see eg: Nagaon Beach, Birla Temple near Kashid Beach, Kihim Beach.

26. M2M Ferries: Icing on the cake. Best RoRo Ferry ride that I have taken in my lifetime. We, as a family enjoyed it a lot.

M2M Ferries

Note: Please check the weather and Covid restrictions before venturing. Be safe. All the best.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

Hey pals!


Please help me on the below:

1. Entire konkan itinerary. Plan to ride for 5-7 days in konkan. Information about ferry connections/services/timings that I might have to take during this ride.
2. Places to stay/halt in konkan region. Also advise if I can carry my own tent and pitch it on a beach or any other place without getting into any trouble.
3. Must see places. Must do things.
4. Waterfalls!!! The more the merrier. I'll prefer the ones where one can actually go for a swim
5. Camping spots for a night stay. Don't mind taking a detour. Can fit such places into the route
6. Food junctions not to be missed. I'm crazy for sea food and don't mind trying new cuisines/dishes/animals!
7. Places of historical interests. Museums are fine, but any place like Hampi or such will be a bonus.
8. Hostels/ budget homestays at night halts suggested. Will want to stick to these to keep the budget in check

15 days is quite a nice time to be in Maharashtra. I am assuming that you have 15 full days in the state and this doesn't include your time taken for the ride to and fro.

I'd split these into 3 itineraries:

1. Coastal ride
2. The mountains
3. The plains


Coastal ride:

Start your journey early am from Mumbai and follow Maharashtra state coastal highway 4 till Guhagar. This will take almost a 10 hour run from Bombay to destination. Not sure how much time you'd save on the ferry but I'd hug the coast from Alibaug - Diveagar - Shrivardhan - Dapoli to Guhagar.

All places have good seafood places. I stick to a fish thali since it is usually a hot selling item and you'd expect a freshly prepared fare. If you want to take it slow you can break your journey at Diveagar too. Places worth a visit enroute:

- Murud Janjira fort
- Diveagar beach
- Harihareshwar temple

From Guhagar it's a breeze to get to Malvan. But don't miss the scenic rides exploring konkan coast enroute:

- Hedvi beach
- Ferry crossing between Tavasal and Jaigad
- Jaigad lighthouse
- Aare ware road
- etc etc. Tons of places to stop at.

Break your journey at Kunkeshwar.

Day 3, take a leisurely ride from Kunkeshwar to Shiroda beach. This is pretty much the southermost part of the coastal ride. Don't miss Bhogwe beach, Chivala beach, Sindhudurg fort, Vengurla lighthouse enroute.

Day 4 or 5 start your run to the mountains. Climb up the Sahyadris from Amboli ghat and visit Sawantwadi, enroute. Stay in Amboli and explore the hillstation.

Take on NH48 towards Pune and stop by by at Karad / Satara / Kolhapur to get your dope on the kingdoms of Marathas. There are ample forts, palaces in this region to keep you engrossed.

Around Karad you could try and get to Koyna dam area and stay at Chandoli forest resort.

Further up in Satara, fork to the twin hillstations of Panchgani and Mahabaleshar for a day or two. Pune just an hour or two from here. Spend time to go around the city and explore the culture of this historic town.

I'd pick my interest from hereon on ride east towards Ahmednagar and onward to Aurangabad to visit Ajanta Ellora caves. Aurangabad also has quite a few historic monuments of interest that will keep you busy.

Lonar crator is not too far from here. Do give that a shot as well.

All in all, there's a lot to explore. Just depends on what gets you excited.

[bullet_chacha]

Thank you guys for all the valuable inputs. I'm waiting for comments from few more members and then would sit and sketch an itinerary and jot it down here for further improvisation.

Till then, keep pouring!

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

November end/December maybe!

Here is something which might interest you if ancient history or something off the beaten track rocks your boat.
Petroglyphs.

A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art

Not many know, Konkan is home to many petroglyphs, many of which are still visible (and decipherable) even today, despite being exposed to the elements.



Check out this article for more details, including village names and locations.
https://kevinstandagephotography.wor...-introduction/

Like gysers or fountains? Never mind. Even if you don't I am sure you will like to explore Baman Ghal at Hedvi. It's kind of difficult to explain what this natural phenomenon is.
Let this video do the talking.

https://youtu.be/cjreIeeJIPI

A word of caution though. When I visited, the gyser ejected, along with the water, a crab which landed almost on my feet and for a moment scared the hell out of me.

Guhagar to Dabhol is a very scenic drive, especially on your steed. On your way, don't forget to check out the light house on the left. Some years back they did allow tourists entry in the top portion where the light is (but only at specific times). Apparently the light can literally blind you or burn you.
Or both.

The road meanders over the mountains and after a certain point, you start seeing Dabhol port down below. Port means fisherman and you can be assured of delicious freshest fish if you are into that thing. Also, you can load your bike on a boat and sail to Mumbai.

At Guhagar beach, ask the locals about "Pulan" (पुळण) in Marathi. I will leave it to you to find out it's meaning.

If you are a foodie, in Konkan, you can eat at homestays where they serve authentic local cuisine. (Advance intimation must). If your visit coincides Ganpati festival, local Modak are a must try.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Like gysers or fountains? Never mind. Even if you don't I am sure you will like to explore Baman Ghal at Hedvi. It's kind of difficult to explain what this natural phenomenon is.
Let this video do the talking.
https://Youtu.be/cjreIeeJIPI

A word of caution though. When I visited, the gyser ejected, along with the water, a crab which landed almost on my feet and for a moment scared the hell out of me.

Baman Ghal (a small valley named after a Brahmin who lost his life here, as per a local story) is best adored from distance. It sometimes attracts selfie crazed crowd risking their lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCtRpXoGmCM

In fact, a couple lost their life at Baman ghal at the beginning of this year.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/80078679.cms

Around that time, I was driving in front of the road that goes to Baman Ghal, but dropped it at the last moment, otherwise I too would have witnessed the sad event. Be careful of the adventurous places, there is hardly any infra to help one out.

[Venky03]

Just came back from my native yesterday and the condition of NH-66 was horrific, there were more potholes than there was road. Also the internal roads connecting Diveagar - Shrivardhan - Harihareshwar have craters(not potholes)
And you're not allowed to enter the beaches as per coast guards, we went out to Shrivardhan on a clear sunny day during low tide but the red flag means you can't enter the beach :



You can visit Konkan for staycation now but if you wish to travel and cover spots, this is not a good time as your travel time will be stretched by hours due to bad road conditions.

[anjan_c2007]

From Raigad there is a motorised ferry service (not sure whether these still ply due to the partial lockdown) to Elephanta Caves. This requires nearly a full day. Elephanta Caves are marvellous and worth a visit.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

All in all, I plan to do two long rides a year, each for 15-20 days and wish to cover one state entirely and I'm starting with MH. And I hope 15 days will be enough. Can spare a couple of more days if required. I've been to Mumbai, so can totally skip it. Or maybe just a night halt at the start and end of the journey.

Team BHP and BHPians are a great source for recommendations. However, let me add one source of destinations that will come in very handy (from my personal experience). Get a latest copy of Lonely Planet's Guide to either India or Maharashtra (if you get one) and then plan your destinations, routes and eateries. Don't rely much on youtube as those are mostly biased or too +ve for anything they cover. So I skip youtube usually.

I know it sounds old school but it is a good and reliable source and you can get a soft copy too, I believe.