Bhandardara Tour Guide

Bhandardara hill station sits by the Pravara River in ahmednagar district 180 km north east of mumbai, near the highest peak in the Sahyadris and the third highest waterfall in India.

Bhandardara has a special charm. An easygoing sleepy rustic harm that offers a taste of rural Maharashtra and healthy dose of clean air greenery and natural beauty. Here you can relax in nature’s cradle and gaze out dreamily over a placid lake. Or if you’re an avid student of history or archaeology, Bhandardara can take you back a few millennia. The active should bring a line and tackle along and find a suitable spot for angling. But perhaps Bhandardara is most famous for the trekking on offer here. Ask any trekker who knows the Sahyadris and they’ll tell you you’re in the right palce to get into active gear and climbe a rugged fort or peak. From Bhandardara you can attempt the famous Ratangad and Harishchandragad forts. A little further afield are the famous Ajoba or grandfather peak and Ghanchakkar or perhaps you’re here with a predetermined aim to undertake a physically demanding hike up the highest peak in Maharashtra.

The huge expanse of Bhandardara Lake and the thundering Randha Waterfalls are the chief spectator attractions here and after ticking them off on your itinerary you can comfortably plot into an armchair an denjoy a lazy holiday.

There are jeeps available at the village square in Shendi just 3 km away to take you on a tour of the predetermined points of interest around Bhandardara.

Bhandardara Lake

Lake Arthur Hill the lake was created when Wilson Dam was built across the Pravara River. The dam one of the countries oldest and at a height of 492 ft was constructed by the Vritish to provide irrigation to the Ahmednagar region. When the sluice gates open they create two huge 60 to 80 ft cascades of water that gush down the rocks below creating a spectacular sight. The water released from the dam creates many tiney rivulets, which are channeled all around the park at the base of the dam before converging at the main stream and rushing downwards.

The garden is worth a visit and a walkabout. It is home to many species of birds and is also the nesting place of hundres of bats. You can walk past the water gushing out of one of the sluice gates and emerge near the top of the dam there’s no access onto the dam though.

Warining No one is allowed onto the dam and no photography is allowed within the park or near the dam.

Randha Falls

About 10 km down river the tranquility is shattered by the roar of the Randha Falls. The Pravara River plunges 170 ft down into a gorge creating a breathtaking sight and the third largest falls in India. There is a temple on the banks of the river and lately there’s been a mushrooming of several cold drinks and tea stalls. A lookout point just above the falls provides a great view and photo-op.

On the cliffs behind are about a dozen huge beehives. While interesting to watch do not go near them if you’re smoking or wearing strong cologne as strong smells may get them agitated and you in the first aid clinic.

Umbrella Falls nearby if you are here during or after the monsoons and the Agasti Rishi Ashram, mentioned in the Ramayana as the home of Agasti Rishi.

Angling

Set yourself up on the shores of the lake. There are large fish in there. Have a go at casting or spoon fishing. No boating or using dinghies on the lake though. The pools at the bottom of the falls are a good point to go fly-fishing or casting. You can also fish along the Pravara where you will see the occasional villager with his bamboo fishing line. The river has plenty of fish as well as the jumbo freshwater shrimp which come down the sluice gates when the water is released. Permits are a bit of a grey area but casting a line along the river and the lake has been done without any questions being raised about permits. The dam itself is out of bounds.

Trekking options

There are unlimited trekking opions here ranging from a simple climb up a nearby hillock to a tough climb up to Ratangad Fort or Mt Kalsubai. At 5,400 ft Mt Kalsubai is the highest peak in Maharashtra and the Western Ghats and it served as a warchower in Maratha times.

Car travel: Nasik Road NH3 to Ghoti past Igatpuri. Just beyond the bus station take a right and cross some railway tracks. After a while the road forks. Take the right fork to Vari Village. Further down the road forks again at Varangushi. Again take the right to Shendi and Nhandardara. The drive takes 4 hrs from Mumbai

Nearest Railway stations: Igatpuri 42 km 1 hour. Jeep to Bhandardara Rs 300-500. Alternatively catch a connecting ST bus from Igatpuri regular service throughout the dya.