Your fun-lane drive across Maharashtra

Sea-kissed villages by the Konkan, historic Maratha citadels and misty hill stations in the Saputaras should be good reason to hit the road, this weekend. Travel buffs Bindhu and Radhakrishnan Unny charted three leisurely road trips that crisscross milestones and memorable detours

Guhagar: Coast along virgin beaches
You'll be forgiven for ignoring the many arterial roads that shoot off the Mumbai-Goa Highway while driving down to Goa. Ignoring them has only one repercussion: you miss a few lovely beaches and the attractions, en route.



Tired of the popular, crowded beaches, we explored the coastal road and reached Guhagar and Velneshwar. We took a detour from the Mumbai-Goa Highway at Khed to hit Dapoli, which is 215km from Mumbai. From Dapoli, we reached a winding coastal road and stopped at Harnai, a fishing village, which isn't ideal for a stroll along the beach. But an assembly line of fishing vessels with colourful flags docked near the shore make for a good photo-op. You can spot the Suvarnadurg Fort at a distance, surrounded by the sea on all sides.

Our tight schedule did not permit a visit, which can be otherwise arranged with boats manned by local fisherman. We returned to Dapoli and drove along to Dabhol (35 kms). Over a decade ago, Dabhol was in the news for wrong reasons--the Enron project, Dabhol Power Plant, now owned by Ratnagiri Gas and Power Ltd. On the Dapoli-Dabhol Road, we hit a jetty, from where vehicles are ferried to the other bank, and the road continues to Guhagar (314kms from Mumbai).

At this quiet village withu00a0 a clean beachfront, we got a taste of the famed Indian village hospitality. We reached Guhagar by late evening, without hotel reservations. Being an extended weekend, all the rooms in the few hotels were taken. Even the handful of home stay options were full. Finally, an elderly lady at one of the houses we knocked at took pity on us and requested a friend to accommodate us for a night. We spent the night with that family for barely a hundred rupees. There is an inviting beach at their backyard, where we enjoyed an early morning dip.

Bidding adieu to our host family and Guhagar, we drove to Velneshwar (6km ahead). En route is the rocky and secluded but clean Hedvi beach. Velneshwar also is another pristine beach, ideal for taking a dip or simply lazing around. Next, we drove through the meandering roads fringed by mango trees to reach Chiplun (374kms). By now, it was time to head back to Mumbai along the highway.

No of days: 2; Best time: November to January
Route: Up -- Mumbai -- Khed -- Dapoli -- Dhabol -- Guhagar, covering about 300 km; Down - Guhagar - Velneshwar -- Chiplun -- Khed -- Mumbai, covering around 310 km
Stay options: A few one and two-star hotels and home stays. Check with locals for exact information.

Junnar: Proud keeper of Shivneri fort
Another detour from a Highway, this time the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, took us to sleepy Junnar and the two famous Ashtavinayaka temples, at Ozar and Lenyadri.


The view from Shivneri fort

The route we took was scenic, with vegetable farms and vineyards dotting the road on either side. At Wadgaon, we left the Expressway, took a left to Chakan and reached Narayangaon via Khed and Manchar. From there, it was another 20-km drive through the countryside roads before Junnar welcomed us. This tiny town has a proud possession -- Shivneri Fort, where Shivaji was born. After checking into one of the few hotels available, we drove to the fort. This well-maintained citadel is easily accessible and offers glimpses of history. Apart from the architectural beauty and the fort's impregnability, one can also get a bird's eye view of Junnar.

In the evening, we drove around the town and watched villagers going about their daily lives. Next day, our first destination was the Shri Vigneshwara temple at Ozar, about 27 km from Junnar. We returned to Junnar to visit the Sri Girijatmaka temple at Lenyadri, about 20 km from Junnar, off the Junnar-Malshej route.

This ensured we were moving towards Mumbai, which was just 200 km away. As the name suggests (Leni: cave, Adri: hill), the temple at Lenyadri is located inside an ancient Buddhist cave carved on top of a hill. There are steps leading to the temple, making it easily accessible. The view from the top is beautiful. Picturesque Malshej Ghat is 35 km from Lenyadri, with winding roads flanked by unending green meadows and valleys. From Malshej Ghat, we took the much-used route to Mumbai, via Kalyan

About Shivneri
Jijabai gave birth to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Shivneri in 1627. Shivaji spent his childhood in the Shivneri Fort; his education and training here played a major role in shaping him as a sharp tactician and ruler. The architecture within the fort is worth a mention. One has to cross seven huge gates to gain access to the fort. In the middle of Shivneri, lies a small water pond, known as Badami Talav.

No of days: 2; Best time: July to November
Route: Up -- Mumbai -- Chakan (Pune) -- Khed -- Manchar -- Narayangaon -- Junnar, covering about 257 km; Down -- Junnar -- Lenyadri -- Malshej Ghat - Kalyan -- Mumbai, covering less than 200 km
Stay options: Private hotels in Junnar, Hotel Ashiana (Rs 500 per night)

Konkan Kalaeidoscope : Harihareshwar via Murud-Janjira
Drive from Mumbai to Alibaug (140-145 kms from Mumbai) and then to Murud (38 kms from Alibaug). One option is to stay overnight at Murud. Though the beach is clean, it might get overcrowded on weekends. A better option would be to continue to Harihareshwar (116 kms from Murud) on the same day.



Take the narrow roads through various villages to reach Shrivardhan and proceed to Harihareshwar. Harihareshwar has a lovely MTDC resort with the beautiful beach that borders one end of its property. There are a few private resorts as well. Head back to Mumbai next day around lunchtime.

Must carry
>> Personal medication
>> Cap and sunglasses
>> Names, blood groups, emergency contact numbers, medicine allergies of people on the roadtrip
>> At least 10m of strong nylon rope for towing
>> Powerful torch with spare batteries
>> Camera and batteries
>> Transparent yellow plastic sheet, if they vehicle does not have fog light
>> Duplicate car keys, to be kept in the handbagu00a0/ pocket of any co-passenger

Saputara: Driving through teakwood territory
The rain-soaked Kasara Ghats and its neighbours, Igatpuri and Bhandardara, are beautiful getaways. But too familiar. So we drove off to the tiny hill station at the southern tip of Gujarat. Located in the tribal district of Dang, Saputara is accessible via Nashik, Dindori, and Vani, and is at a distance of approximately 260km from Mumbai.
At Nashik (188kms), we took the road to Saputara. Past the small townsu00a0 of Dindori and Vani, the misty Saputara Lake welcomed us (264 kms from Mumbai). Post monsoons, Dang is dressed in shades of green. We checked into Gujarat Tourism's cottage that overlooked the valley.
Saputara, unlike a few of Maharashtra's hill stations is different in that it does not have a colonial hangover and retains its natural landscape. It must have been the 'abode of serpents' earlier, hence, the name Saputara. While we were there, no serpents were in sight, thankfully. You can cover most of Saputara on foot, from Sunrise Point and Sunset Point to the lake. The Tribal Museum, though not well maintained, is worth a visit. Another attraction is the Artists' Village, which displays art and craft by the locals. A ride on the ropeway overlooking the valley is a treat for adventure buffs.
Our return trip was via Waghai (64 kms from Saputara), Vansda, Chikhli, Valsad where roads snake through teak forests and occasional tribal hamlets. A detour near Waghai took us to Gira Falls. Another stop was a botanical garden with rare species of flora. Vansda National Park is en route, but since we did not have permission from forest authorities, we couldn'tu00a0 explore the park. Also, this would have meant having to extend our two-day trip. The drive from Saputara to Waghai and Vansda through spooky teak forests gears one for traffic on the Ahmedabad- Mumbai Highway.