Finally, the monsoon has arrived in Pune! With the rains, the Sahyadris surrounding Pune change colour and convert to a green haven. Hit any road going out of the city and within 20 minutes you are in paradise – lush green forest patches, waterfalls, paddy fields and foggy & misty ghats. Tourists generally throng the regular places like Mulshi, Lonavala and Sinhagad. But the real fun is to explore a place which not many people know about. Madhe Ghat is definitely one such place.
Madhe Ghat is located around 70 km from Pune near the Torna and Rajgad Forts and is surrounded by dense forests. The main attraction is the stunning waterfall which drops for almost 400 feet into the Shivthar River in Konkan. This drop, off the cliff, makes Madhe Ghat one of the most beautiful places around Pune. You can explore the area on the plateau and enjoy the stunning views of the Konkan valley from atop the plateau. For the adventurous lot, make your way through a ravine into the valley and find yourself right at the place where the water falls! A safety tip here - Make sure that you don’t try any stunts in and around waterfall and are extremely cautious while wading through the water. It is advisable to travel in a group.
Madhe Ghat has an interesting historical fact attached to it. When the Maratha warrior Tanaji Malusare died in the Sinhagad battle, his funeral procession was to taken via this route for the last rites in his native village Umrathe near Poladpur. In fact, the ‘madhe’ in the name Madhe Ghat translates to ‘dead body’ in Marathi.
To get to Madhe Ghat, hit the Mumbai-Bangalore highway (NH-4) towards Satara. At the Nasrapur phata take a right and follow the road to Velhe village and then to Kelad village. Alternatively, take the Khadakwasala Dam road and continue on to Panshet Road at Donje Phata and then on to Pabe Ghat, Velhe village and finally to Kelad village. At Kelad village, you can park your vehicles and then the waterfall is just a short trek away!
Distance from Pune: 70-80 km
Best Time: June to September
Route Maps:
NH-4 Route - https://goo.gl/maps/wwMsLXEPXtz
Pabe Ghat Route - https://goo.gl/maps/1uJ1hqUcsgo
Note:
The article was originally published in Whats Hot Pune. Read about it HERE