Sunday, 7 September 2014

Monsoon Ghoom : Trip to Varandha Ghat

Around Pune in monsoon is such a bliss that once you get a flavor, you will be compelled not to sit back at home and watch the rain falling through your balcony! This year I was a bit disappointed firstly because of delayed rains and then the scarcity of rains. But good heavens that end of July it gradually picked up and the entire landscape turned a green carpet.
I was not able to move around in August because of much anticipated trip to Leh Ladakh materialized and was away for it. May be I would write down the travelogue in another blog and would keep this blog for the trips made around Pune.
Back from the trip I was getting desperate to move around and not just killing time sitting on the couch. After digging around the internet, I zeroed down to Varandha Ghat. This place was on my list for quite sometime but was not able to do it due to unforeseen reasons. This time it was decided: Varandha Ghat it is.
Varandha Ghat is one of the passes in the western Ghat mountain ranges, which connects the NH4 to Konkan. This is however less travelled and traffic is thin. A word of caution: No mobile network is available once you steer ahead of Bhor and being less on traffic, it is suggested to travel in group of two cars or more.
Once on the Pune Bangalore highway, cross the Khed Shivapur toll plaza till you are at the left turn to Narayanpur Balaji temple. Just 50 meters ahead to your right the road goes to Bhor. Varandha Ghat is approx. 35 kms from Bhor
Google maps attached for your reference.

 Road is an absolute treat to your eyes. You will see the gates of Bhatghar Dam as you approach Bhor


Once you cross Bhor you will have Deoghar for your company for next 15-20 kms. The road to Varandha infact travels through the edges of this dam and it is a pleasure driving.
















 The road conditions till Bhor is good but once you start climbing the ghat because of recent rains you will run into occasional bad patches still you would be able to do 40-50 kmph. Over all loved the 200 km round trip to Pune. Since we started late from Pune it was post 4 PM that we reached varandha so we decided to visit Shivthar Ghal in the next trip.

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