[kunalsb]

With a weeklong leave ahead & looking forward to unwind, I & Manasi narrowed down to Diveagar. Located in Maharashtra & untouched by realms of commercialistaion, this is a wonderful beach for those in search of solitude.

Getting there We were located at Pune & took the following route:-
Pune – Mulshi – Tamhini – Mangaon – Mhasala – Diveagar (160 kms, 4-5 hours)
We found the entire drive to be pleasing except for the Tamhini Ghat. The road surface was badly pitted & we had sore backs negotiating the curves. With smoother roads this ghat will be a driver’s paradise. For those driving down from Mumbai, the entire drive is along NH17, a beautiful road to drive on. There are adequate restaurants & petrol pumps enroute.

Diveagar A sleepy beach side village in Konkan. It’s a watering hole for weekend tourists from Mumbai & Pune. Hence we decided to go on weekdays and found the entire place to be devoid of crowd. We really enjoyed the clean sandy beach & the inviting sea.
Rejuvenating mornings




Stay For hospitality, one has to bank on ‘Homestays’. The villagers are dead against the commercial exploitation of this place & hence there is no hotel except for MTDC let Exotica (nothing but Portacabins fitted with ACs and low value for money). Many villagers have built separate buildings next to their houses and termed these as Hotels, Resorts etc but the essence remains the same. There are a number of homestays available at very affordable prices. They are generally clean with all the basic facilities (Geyser, AC included in many).
We stayed at 'Oasis Resort' (Rs.800 for non AC double room) and found it to be okay (good rooms, poor service) but I recommend ‘Kunj Vihar’, a very comfortable homestay, near the beach.

Food Available at all homestays but prior order has to be placed. Authentic Konkani veg & non-veg (treat for sea food lovers) is available at very reasonable prices. Punjabi food is available at Exotica but nothing home to write about. ‘Bapat’ & ‘Kulkarni’(many eateries referred by surnames) provide delicious veg fare (Brahmin cusine) whereas ‘Patil’ is famous for their sea food. ‘Bapat’ is highly recommended but they do not open unless they receive atleast 25 orders.

Calming Sunset






Harihareshwar After soaking in the sun for 4 days at Diveagar, we moved on to Shrivardhan & Harihreshwar. Shrivardhan is just another town on the same coast as Diveagar. Many people also prefer to stay here(MTDC resort located here). What is not to be missed here is the drive from Divegar to Shrivardhan (20 kms). There is a road that runs parallel to the sea front & is a wonderful experience to drive on. The view is breathtaking and the drive is exciting(though the road is not that good).

The seaside road


Harihareshwar (further 20kms) is famous for Lord Shiva temple. The temple is located on a cliff overlooking the sea & the temple 'Parikrama' is approx 2-2.5kms going down the cliff to the sea. The sea eroded rocks form wonderful intricate patterns. Surely worth a visit if you have come as far as Diveagar. We visited the temple and moved back for Pune on the same day.

Part of the 'Parikrama'



Tips
There are two roads leading form Diveagar to Shrivardhan. Make sure to ask for the road that runs parallel to the sea coast.
Weekdays are peaceful & the cost of accomodation is also less (Haggling helps a lot!)
A golden idol of Lord Ganesha was found in Diveagar, which brought this village to limelight. Worth a passing visit.
Be wary of the waterline when driving on the beach.

[dot]

Nice travelogue. Brought me back the memories of our trip about three years back. Tamini ghat road was also better that time. It was very humid in Diveagar. Did you take the road up the hill next to the sea? The view is tremendous.

A funny incident was the pronunciation of Mhasala while trying to find the way. Could never manage it, still say it as masala.

[AvonA7]

@kunalsb : Very good T`logue.

Few queries :

When did you visit these places, now or before? If now, hows the weather, is it too hot ?

The first pic - is the pic taken from within your car, can we drive on the beach ?

The 3rd Pic - are these migratory birds ?
It would be a great scene to see 1000s of (migratory ?) birds, if I am correct in my guess , that too in summer, as I was aware that migratory birds can be seen in India (many regions -east, west ...) mostly during winters

[dot]

Originally Posted by AvonA7

The first pic - is the pic taken from within your car, can we drive on the beach ?

Yes, it is possible to take the car to the beach and drive along the coast. Even better if it is an SUV.

[AvonA7]

Originally Posted by dot

Yes, it is possible to take the car to the beach and drive along the coast. Even better if it is an SUV.

Thanks dot for the info.
Wasn't aware of this, it would be definitely a nice experience for me.
No, no SUV, I own a hatchback

[kunalsb]

Originally Posted by AvonA7

@kunalsb : Very good T`logue.

Few queries :

When did you visit these places, now or before? If now, hows the weather, is it too hot ?

The first pic - is the pic taken from within your car, can we drive on the beach ?

The 3rd Pic - are these migratory birds ?
It would be a great scene to see 1000s of (migratory ?) birds, if I am correct in my guess , that too in summer, as I was aware that migratory birds can be seen in India (many regions -east, west ...) mostly during winters

hi,
1. Made this trip last year around May. The weather in summers is a bit hot and winters would be the best time to visit.
2. The picture is not taken from my car but you can easily drive your car/bikes on the beach. Lot of people do it and its great fun. Just be aware of the waterline and the tide timings.
3. I'm not a pro with birds but my wife says that these are Sea Gulls. I really cannot confirm about the migratory pattern. It's a wonderful sight to see such a huge flock together.

[kunalsb]

Originally Posted by dot

Nice travelogue. Brought me back the memories of our trip about three years back. Tamini ghat road was also better that time. It was very humid in Diveagar. Did you take the road up the hill next to the sea? The view is tremendous.

A funny incident was the pronunciation of Mhasala while trying to find the way. Could never manage it, still say it as masala.

Thanks. The trip was wonderful for us too & it will always be a pleasure going back. We did take the road next to the sea and the view is really magnificent.
Also most of non-Maharashtrians find it difficult to pronounce 'Mhasala' in the right manner as the syllable is only present in Marathi language. But as Shakespeare said "What's in a name?" as long as we all enjoy these great trips

[parsh]

Short and sweet travelogue. Was looking forward to Srivardhan/Harihareshwar sometime. Yours revives the urge more.

Is Tamhini Ghat that bad to limit you to speeds of 20-30s and any idea how long is it and how long it take you to maneuvour it?

[kunalsb]

Originally Posted by parsh

Short and sweet travelogue. Was looking forward to Srivardhan/Harihareshwar sometime. Yours revives the urge more.

Is Tamhini Ghat that bad to limit you to speeds of 20-30s and any idea how long is it and how long it take you to maneuvour it?

1. You should definitely visit the place.
2. Tamhini Ghat is approx 20-25 kms long & it took us a better part of 1hr to negotiate it. While coming from Pune, you'll come across 'Hungry Bites', last restaurant before the ghat. The road also worsens after this & speed gets restricted.
3. Try the route from Mumbai, if possible, its all along NH17.

[mdsaab]

read this from post 1 upwards and as i finished the OP i thought hey nice sweet and short travelogue.
scrolling my way to the top i read the last post by @parsh at the time, and he said the exact same thing.
Enjoyed reading your travelogue and the tips have been noted.
These virgin beaches of Maharashtra are magnificent.
It's a very different experience from Goa, and is more laid back and village like.
Although Goa is our favorite beach destination, the last time when we made a trip to Karde, we had a wonderful, laid back relaxed time. and were totally rejuvenated.
We shall definately try out Divegar sometime. thanks to your post.
Actually my dream road trip is a west coast trip, hopefully it will be realized soon.
Drive Safe!

[kunalsb]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

read this from post 1 upwards and as i finished the OP i thought hey nice sweet and short travelogue.
scrolling my way to the top i read the last post by @parsh at the time, and he said the exact same thing.
Enjoyed reading your travelogue and the tips have been noted.
These virgin beaches of Maharashtra are magnificent.
It's a very different experience from Goa, and is more laid back and village like.
Although Goa is our favorite beach destination, the last time when we made a trip to Karde, we had a wonderful, laid back relaxed time. and were totally rejuvenated.
We shall definately try out Divegar sometime. thanks to your post.
Actually my dream road trip is a west coast trip, hopefully it will be realized soon.
Drive Safe!

I too share your dream about the west coast trip.There are a lot of beaches along the west coast & you only have to move along NH17 to enjoy these. I would also suggest Tarkarli (they even have house boats), Ganpatipule etc., the list is endless. Hope your dream realizes soon

[StreetRider]

Nice, short and sweet log.

Originally Posted by kunalsb

There are two roads leading form Diveagar to Shrivardhan. Make sure to ask for the road that runs parallel to the sea coast.

Regarding this road, earlier when I had travelled more than a year back, the road along the sea was in a very bad state. How is it now?

Also for others, Idea has a very good coverage in the area, the other I think was BSNL.

[kunalsb]

Originally Posted by StreetRider

Regarding this road, earlier when I had travelled more than a year back, the road along the sea was in a very bad state. How is it now?

Some patches on the road were under repair & its a mix of both. I have heard from the locals that the road has improved over the year & I found the effort (of absorbing the potholes) to be worth the view.

[rajarams]

When i made the trip to Diveagar this Feb, i was asking for directions to "masala" (as in panneer butter masala!). People were laughing yet giving directions. One nice gentleman corrected me by saying that it is pronounced as "Maasla" and not "masala" :-)
The road along the sea particularly as you get down to Aaravi beach is amazing.

[selfdrive]

Great choice of destination kunalsb
I agree that the drive from Diveagar to Harihareshwar by the coast is amazing. After Diveagar, when one climbs and descends the first hill/ ghat, there is an amazingly serene beach.
Do you have the contact details of the homestay that you mentioned - Kunj Vihar. It would be great if you could share for our benefit (and theirs!)

Originally Posted by dot

Yes, it is possible to take the car to the beach and drive along the coast. Even better if it is an SUV.

When we went to Diveagar in Jan 2010, the locals had put up barricades to prevent 4 wheelers from entering the beach area. We also witnessed an argument between them and a 2 wheeler owner who wanted to get onto the beach. Apparently they were sick and tired of people who got stuck in the sand. Their point was that the tide moves in quick and can pose a huge risk.

Originally Posted by mdsaab

Actually my dream road trip is a west coast trip, hopefully it will be realized soon.

mdsaab, I am considering doing this trip with family later this year (tentative for September; depends on the monsoon really!). Do you want to make it a TBHP drive/ vacation?!