It is spiritually cleansing drive where you realize the most beautiful places are in our backdoor and we go hunting all over the world for it. Wonderful temples on near empty beaches like Ganpatuphule and Kunkeshwar are far removed from the crass commercialisation plaguing most of our religious sites. Though the temples are popular amongst the locals, conspiciously absent are the nagging hawkers and priests. What sets them apart is their beuatiful setting. Travelers will realize what we mean when they suddenly land upon the vast spotless beaches of Ganpatipule and Bandharpule after being on the highway for endless hours. It takes you by surprise and leaves you gasping at the first sight of the vast expanse of our Arabian sea and the rightly famed white beach of Ganpatipule…
Itinerary (Google Maps)
Day 1: Bombay – Chiplun (280km) – Ganpatipule (100km)
Day 2: Ganpatipule – Jaigad (20km) – Ratnagiri (42km) – Ganpatipule (24km)
Day 3: Ganpatipule – Kunkeshwar (180kms) – Tarkarli (100kms)
Day 4: Tarkarli – Amboli (82km) – Vengurla (58km) – Tarkarli (40km)
Day 5: Tarkarli – Goa (138km)
Day 6: Goa
Day 7: Goa – Bombay (588km)
We started our trip early morning from Bombay amidst a heavy downpour. We got stuck in a big traffic jam in Panvel caused by a few trailers going kaput in the rains. However, once out of Bombay it was a smooth journey. We avoided taking the coastal route along Alibaug, Kashid and Janjira, deciding to stick to the National Highway. The coastal road is beautiful (I have done it before), but we were short of time. After a quick Maharashtrian breakfast of Misal Pav and Poha, we drove on till we reached Kolad (There are a few adventure camps in Kolad offering rafting, zorbing, rappelling etc. which we had done on a previous weekend). We had started this trip without any hotel bookings or itinerary. At this point I called up MTDC Resort in Harihareshwar but was informed it was full. We decided to drive further south reaching Chiplun by noon. We went straight to the Quality Riverview Hotel there. The hotel has an excellent location on a hill with fabulous views of the valley and meandering rivers. After the monsoons they start boating in these backwaters. The hotel had good facilities (Swimming, spa, steam, games etc) especially an excellent play area for children. We had lunch at the resort overlooking the valley beneath. We however decided to continue onwards to Ganpatipule. We really wanted this to be a South Konkan journey along the coast, so we decided to leave Chiplun for another day. Outside the hotel we visited the Parshuram Temple, the only attraction in Chiplun. The temple is very old in and they were trying to restore the place. Worth a look if you are in Chiplun.
The drive along a highway was a breeze and traffic was less on this stretch. Once you take the right turn at Nivali Fata, it is an empty road till Ganpatipule. The views are good but nothing compares to expanse of the Arabian Sea, which greets once you reach the destination. The best place to stay in the town center is MTDC which has a location right beside the temple on the beach. However, this is the main public beach and often crowded. A slightly more expensive but preferable option is Krishnali Resort. The place is 2km out of town in Bandharpule but has access to a clean and private beach and better facilities (Swimming pool, Steam, massage etc).
We started the next day with break fast on the beach. In this aspect the resort had good service and they served all meals for you where you preferred (Beach, Room, Pool). It was blissful to start the day sipping coffee and admiring the waves splashing the beach. We first paid a visit to the Ganpati Temple in the town center. It was normal Indian Mandir, but the setting was serene and peaceful by the sea.
The drive to Jaigad is all along the sea and there are many opportunities to stop and walk towards the beach for views. The fort itself is abandoned and in ruins. It is totally unkept as a majority of Indian historical sites maintained by govt. are. The JSW steel plant close to it is an eyesore and pumping affluent into waters. The workers use the fort as a smoking joint and an afternoon siesta place. It is a pity that we pay no attention to restore / maintain our cultural and historical monuments.
One of the best coastal routes in Konkan is the drive from Ganpatipule to Ratnagiri. Tugging the coast all the time, we kept coming across small hills, which give fantastic panoramas as you drive up and down. Ratnagiri town has no sites other than an old palace (Thibaw) and the birthplace of Lokmanya Tilak. But it is worth a trip just for the drive.
The plan for the next day was to leave for Tarkarli via Kunkeshwar. On the way we came across lovely mango orchards. Ratnagiri is famous for Alphonso mangoes and to get the best views you need to take the coastal road to Rajapur. This takes you right through the orchards near the hills of Rajapur, which produce the best mangoes in India. Kunkeshwar is nothing but a temple on a beach. It has nothing to do except the one view, which brought us there. However, it’s not much of a diversion and good Maharashtrian food made up for lack of activity. Tarkarli (Sindhudurg District) in itself is a crowded fishing village typical of the Malwan region. However, the MTDC as usual is right on the beach that is private to the place. MTDC always gives the best location in tourist places, only if you can manage with their dismal upkeep and facilities. Staff, however, is very helpful and try their best given the situation they are in. The beach is very good for a swim with excellent waves and clean sand. Being private it is also secluded and people free. We had a great time on the beach having a sunset swim. However, the food at the place is just about manageable.
Amboli is a quiet hill station, with none of the hullabaloo typical to Mahabaleshwar, Nainital or Manali. There is no lake, boating, mall road, shopping which define an Indian hill station. But you have lush green mountains, beautiful weather and numerous waterfalls. Amboli receives the third highest rainfall in India and during monsoons spontaneous waterfalls can be seen on the hills. The famous one called “The Waterfall” can be climbed up and it is fun to wet yourself here. We had lunch at the Silver Spring Resort. We had ordered our typical north Indian fare when the owner of the place insisted that we try Malwani cuisine. The meal was home cooked and the best we had on the trip. One should definitely try the local food if you make the trip to Malwan belt. There are a few points of interest in Amboli to cover. Mahadevgad point gives fantastic views of the Sahyadri Hills which are lush green at this time of the year. Hirenyakeshi is a small temple but the attraction is that you can see the starting point of a river from inside the caves. The walk to the place is also good. Other than this there is also the Nantergas waterfalls and a few other viewpoints. Amboli is all about relaxing as you enjoy the views and weather away from the hustle of Mumbai. There is next to zero pollution, which is the bane of many hill stations of India. We drove back to Tarkarli via Vengurla which was another fishing village but nothing much to write about.
Following day we decided to go Goa and since we had no reservations had to hotel hop a little bit. Club Mahindra at Varca beach was full, Alila Diva was good but no beach access and Taj Exotica had finished their monsoon offer. We finally chose the Park Hyatt and we were happy at the end that we came here. It is an absolutely gorgeous property with a white sand beach. There 2-3 pools with good service at the pool bar. We spent most of the next 2 days relaxing in the pools or swimming in the sea. We also did a spa session and I must mention that the Spa was of the most extensive I have seen in India. We did not venture out of the hotel till our flight out to Bombay on Day 7. Overall it was a very enjoyable journey along Konkan Maharashtra experiencing the small towns and villages. I have been told that the drive from Mangalore to Goa is equally spectacular and am eagerly waiting till we get the time.
