An evening at Ganpatipule Beach

In our endeavor to explore the coastal belt of Arabian Sea, we travelled Mumbai - Alibag - Kashid - Murud - Shrivardhan - Harihareshwar - Harnai - Dapoli - Velneshwar - Jaigad - Ganpatipule - Ratnagiri - Tarkarli (Malvan, Sindhudurg) - Devbag (Devbaug) and many other nearby places, but we didn't mind visiting Ganpatipule once again.

We started from Devrukh, and reached Ganpatipule within 2 hours. The route was full of fields of Rice, Cashew and Alphanso (Hapus) Mangoes. After that we visited Ganpatipule temple. We were lucky to get the darshan quite fast, surprisingly there were no queues! And then it was the time for our Pet-pooja (Lunch) Nearest best place for food is MTDC and there we were, for all our meals.

Ganpatipule beach is one of the most beautiful white sand beaches amongst the Konkan beaches. With the Ganapati temple on the shores rendering a peaceful atmosphere, Ganpatipule is as close as you can get to a perfect holiday destination in Konkan. Meenal and Smrati went for jet skiing at Ganpatipule beach. An evening spent at the beach gives a feel of Chowpati, a little too crowded over weekends and vendors lining the shore. The day was little hot and the best thing to beat the heat was coconut water!

Sunset at Ganpatipule: If you love watching sunset, This is one of the best place. This time we relaxed at this clean beach till sunset. The water and beach is so clean that we could take few reflection photographs as well. When the sun was about to set, I setup my tripod, and could manage a few beautiful clicks. You can explore this beach quite long by walk both sides from the temple.

Aare Ware Beach (Arey Warey Beach): We have been to this place during our last visit to Ratnagiri. The views across seaside is amazing, and you will love the drive following the seashore all the times. This route is highly recommended. Seaside Ratnagiri - Ganpatipule route passes through the twin beaches of Aare and Waare and the Aare sunset point. It is the best place to enjoy splendid sunsets, pulsating palms and wonderful waves in Ratnagiri ranges. We followed the same majestic views along-with sunset at Aare in our last visit. Many celebrities own land properties near to this beach. Certainly this beach will be a star attraction for tourist in near future.

Don't forget to visit Prachin Konkan Museum, if you are with kids or family or interested in conch. We also get to see India's biggest conch (Shankh).

Few other beaches/places to visit nearby Ganpatipule:
Malgund Beach
Nandivade Beach
Kunbiwadi Beach
Jaigarh (Jaigad) Fort and Lighthouse

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Windmills near Amba Ghat and Trip to Devrukh

Happy new year, We started our journey from Pune with Meenal, Ashish, Smrati, Paresh, Parul, Amit, Veena, and lovely kidos.  

Pune - Satara - Karad - Kale/Pachwad Phata - Undale - Ghogaon - Yenpe - Kokrud - Malkapur - Amba Ghat - Sakharpa - Devrukh

 

After the highway near Kale, our TT moved across beautiful curves till Devrukh. The best view during the drive was the one which had many windmills near Ghogaon and Yenpe hillside. Once we passed Amba Ghat, beautiful natural surrounding and cool breeze touched. Amba Ghat is famous gateway for its natural beauty, picturesque mountain-scapes and for pleasant climate throughout the year. During monsoon, thousands of tourist visit this place for waterfalls, and during winters, especially for bird watching. 

We saw many hornbills, kingfishers and other birds flocking from one place to another. Amba Ghat is surrounded by rain-forests and Bison Wildlife Sanctuary. We were also lucky to visit sunset while returning from same route, where all of us stopped-by one point closer to wind-mill. We had many group photos and 'windmills talking to sun' kind of photos. We had closer look to windmill, which were of 'INOX WIND'. These are really quite huge, and sunset light at moving windmills looks awesome.

We reached Devrukh, which is a very small town situated in Sangmeshwar Taluka (Dist. Ratnagiri). We stayed at O'Nest Home Stay at Devrukh which is quite and peaceful. Many honeymoon couple love to stay here, though place is good for family and group stay too. They also organise few cultural programs like, Jakhadi (folk dance), Lathi Kathi Banati, Avatya Bhovatya, Sangameshwari Boli from time to time. On additional payments, you can opt for multiple activities like traditional fishing, trekking, nature walk in farms, bird watching, pot making, backwater boating etc. Overall we had great time at O'Nest with lots of games, playing cards, at times, and of course lots of photos. 

 

  

There is also a beautiful Soljai Gramdevi temple, don't miss to visit if you are in Devrukh. It is quite colorful, clean, and one of its kind in this area. Devrukh is for sure a place to spend some good time away from regular routine and relax.

Also few other nearby sightseeing can be done to below places from Devrukh:
Marleshwar Temple and waterfall, Maral
Karneshwar, Sangmeshwar
Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri
Ratna Durga Fort, Ratnagiri
Ambaghat - Pavankhind
Mahalaxmi Temple, Kolhapur

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Gateway to romantic beaches in Dapoli - Konkan

Dapoli: 

If you are looking for a holiday with beautiful sun-kissed beaches, away from the hustle and bustle of city, a trip to Dapoli in Konkan should be the right choice. The place, with a very wide and clean beach range, is blessed with intense natural beauty, the tender sand and coconut tree cultivation. We the lovers of this untouched nature thus welcome you at this lovely paradise to experience the warmth of sand, sweetness of coconut and bliss of Lord Suvarnaganesha.

Dapoli and its numerous beaches are just across the Savitri river. The shore, experiences the sacred peace and no threat of dark. Unbelievably long stretch of wide beaches in Dapoli range are the gateway to romantic beaches in Ratnagiri, Konkan region: Velas Beach, Kelshi beach, Anjarle Beach, Harnai Beach, Palande Beach, Murud Beach, Karde Beach. We covered most of them during our visit to Harihareshwar and Harnai village and beach.

Dapoli can be reached from Mumbai, Pune, Alibag, Mahabaleshwar or nearby areas following below route:

Harnai Palande Murud Karde Beaches in Dapoli

Palande Beach:

Palande is a flat beach, typical of the beaches in this region and recently is being promoted as a water sports and adventure destination. Boat-rides dedicated for watching Dolphins is most popular in Palande; and although seeing a dolphin is a matter of luck most of the tourist get to see schools of dolphins here! These beaches, many of them unexplored even by the most ardent tourist, have an uncharacteristic appeal that has started drawing hordes of people from all walks of life. We had lots of fun with friends and spent lots of time at the long stretch of the beach here. Group of small birds can be easily seen at the sea-shore. Crystal clear sea-water provoked us to capture reflection moments. A panoramic display of Kanakdurg fort and Harnai port can be enjoyed from here.

Murud Beach:

Often confused with the Murud Janjira beach, the beach at Murud Harnai is worth a visit. The long soft white sand beach has been remarkably spruced up to realise the dreams of every Water Sports adventure buff. Murud beach is just the option if you are wondering how it feels to cut the waves at 100 mile an hour or Para glide on the surf or even surfing on the clear water waves of Murud. You can enjoy water scooter rides and various other rides here. We opted for Quad-biking! and had a round of it. Camel riding, horse riding are also available with plenty of food options. And if one relishes sea-food, there is no dearth of delicacies to sample here. We had our lunch here. You will probably be able to watch, the white bellied sea eagle, white backed vultures and sea gulls. Dolphins can be spotted near Murud and Karde early in the morning. You have to be lucky enough at the same time. Motor boat rides are available, who take a group of 20 for Dolphin spotting.

Karde (Just Do It) Beach:

Gentle winds, soft sand and inviting waters make Karde beach irresistible to beach lovers. Karde beach is almost an extension of the Murud beach and ahead of it is the Ladghar beach. Some group organize team and family events at this place. Some people prefer a stay at the sea resorts and seafacing hotels and enjoy night parties with music & dance with campfire or simply take a long walk.

Dapoli romantic beaches, temples, seaforts, hotsprings and archaeological sites (that we couldn't cover in this trip) makes it a complete holiday destination. Don't forget to get original Ratnagiri Hapus mangoes for dirt cheap rate from here. Again it was an awesome trip with Meenal, Tara, Komal, Sameer, and Manisha.

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Weekend trip to Shrivardhan Harihareshwar Beaches

First weekend of the year, with the winter at its best, we visited Konkan stretch of beaches near Raigad and Dapoli. We started from Pune and paved through Mulshi Lake, zig-zag routes of Tamhini ghat, breaks at some points, and reached our first destination - Shrivardhan. 

Shrivardhan stands for "increase of prosperity". This little gem Shrivardhan, is located at the connect of three Raigad beaches - Diveagar, Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar. With a long stretch of black sand beach and a village full of beetle nuts, jack fruits and banana plantations, Shrivardhan has a very fresh feel about it.

I decided to enjoy the breeze in the shade of trees, while others took a stroll along the beach. Starfish are observed on shores in winters, whereas crabs can be seen in summers. We could find quite a few Starfish on impregnably silent, "Kondivali beach". Shrivardhan Taluka is an ancient place of historical importance and is mentioned as being visited by Arjun in his pilgrimage. Some people used to visit Shri Laxminarayan Temple, and other temples of Kusumdevi, Somjai, Bhairavnath and Jivaneshwar in the town. Another important accessory to remember is Mosquito net/repellent if you are planning an overnight stay along the sea.

After that we moved to the 'house of God' - Harihareshwar. Below route can be followed if you are coming from Pune or Mumbai.

Pune - Chandni Chowk - Mulshi - Tamhini Ghat - Mangaon - Mhasala - Shrivardhan - Harihareshwar

Mumbai - Pen - Kolad - Mangaon - Mhasala - Shrivardhan - Harihareshwar

Shrivardhan-Harihareshwar Trip

Harihareshwar "The devghar - the house of God":

It is called the Kashi of South India (Dakshin Kashi) because of a Shivling and is an important pilgrim centre. The town is surrounded by four hills named after Lords Harihareshwar, Harshinachal, Bramhadri and Pushpadri. The town of Harihareshwar is known for its tranquil and picturesque beach and is also famous for the ancient temple of Harihareshwar. Harihareshwar beach is also a very clean and excellent beach with many water sports activities. The place offers one of the most splendid melange – deep dark woods, unruffled and silent seashore, pristine beaches and lovely temples by the beach side.

We had a visit to the temple, and then much needed lunch at a nearby resort. Then we followed the less travelled route - Harihareshwar Pradakshina Marg, not to be missed if you are visiting this place. It was a great fun to watch sea from the hillock and natural extravaganza during the sunset. At twilight, its an experience in its own to watch the sun moving towards horizon leaving the sea in saffron colour. 

Pradakshina around the temple is highly recommended. As you keep walking through the Pradakshina route, you get to see some of the most splendid views:

Eye-catching view of the temple from hillock

Eye-catching views of the Harihareshwar beach from hillock

Kaamdhenu Teerth

Shulkateerth

Vishnupad sthan

Interesting rocks having salt threads

Sunset views

Rocks in the face shape
Mountain shaped as rockstar man with specs

Ganesh Gully: It is a culvert which is very narrow of about 3 feet wide in between two hard Rocky Mountains. At the end of the culvert, there is a holy niche, a place where Lord Ganesh Idol is placed, that becomes clearly visible at low tide. As soon as we came to this place, backdrop of natural beauty and smoothening winds refreshed us.

Truly in all sense Harihareshwar is a place of enormous beauty with the pleasant ambience, temples, beach, dense woods and not to be missed Pradakshina route. We had a cup of tea and moved towards Harnai village and the gateway of romantic beaches in Konkan region.

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