Tamhini Ghat & Mulshi Dam
Pick up from Dadar at 6 am and after a short session of HI’s and hello’s we will begin our road trip.
On the same day, post breakfast, we will head towards our first destination, which is the ‘Secret Place’. It is a waterbody that is only accessible when the water levels are low so that people can enjoy it. But if the water level is high we will instead take a short hike at Andharban Trail.
Next, we will visit Tamhini Ghat and enjoy the Tamhini waterfall from the Tamhini hilltop as well as the Palashe waterfalls. Overnight stay at Tamhini Ghat.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Get ready pack members, as it’s time to set your foot on the road! Once you guys are ready with packed enthusiasm and of course packed bags, we will meet you right at Dadar at about 6 a.m. Our HikerWolf representatives will then have a short meet-and-greet session with the excited trippers, after which we will begin our anticipated road journey towards Tamhini Ghat which will take about three hours and 58 minutes. We will have our breakfast en-route or after reaching our first destination, which is the Secret Place.
Do you have a feeling that you might get tired or bored in the 4-hour long journey? Then, you are highly mistaken because we will make sure that the road journey is full of fun fervour so that there’s not one dull moment! You will be amazed at how quickly time passes. A friendly bit of advice: do bring some of your favourite song albums as we will shuffle all the songs which you guys will bring on board, making it a road trip party! Be it a list of travel songs, desi Bollywood music anthems to sing along, or soulful ones to balance the chirpy mood, we will have it already so that even when a car passes us by, it catches our electric vibe! We can share some fun stories of our childhood, the embarrassing things we have done, pranks we pulled on our poor teachers, and stories of our first crush to our first heartbreak, we are all ears! A game of dumb charades and antakshari can also be played while we munch on comfort food like chips, chocolates, cakes, fruit juices, and biscuits! You can stretch your body or use the loo at the pit stops we will make at Ghatkopar and Vashi Old Toll. Thus, with fun, laughter, and loads and loads of gossiping we will reach our first spot for the day which is the Secret Place.
If the name, Secret Place sounds intriguing to you, wait till you reach the place. To reach the Secret Place, you have to undertake a short hike of about half an hour through the wilderness of dense forests, encircles with lush green hills, and high-rise grasses all around as if you are walking the paths of an abandoned territory with absolutely no civilization whatsoever. After walking along the trail, we finally arrive at the beautiful location of the Secret Place which has streams flowing down across gigantic rocks placed in different levels of height creating a wide, greenish pool that flows endlessly. The enthralling beauty of the waterbody against the backdrop of the dense forest is truly a hidden gem. You can hear the ruffling sound of the waters accompanied by the rustling of the trees and the chirp of various birds.
No matter how hot or humid the climate is during the monsoon period, once you dip your feet in the waters of the Secret Place, you will feel a rush of cold engulfing your whole body like a current! Once you have curbed that sense of chill you can have the greatest time of your life playing, frolicking, and swimming in the fresh waters, getting refreshed and rejuvenated at the same time. Once you are done enjoying yourselves in the waters you can click some amazing pictures here, in the lap of nature owing to the fantastic scenery, as if you have arrived in some woods depicted in a magical fairyland!
After frisking in the waters of the Secret Place, we will have our lunch, post which we will be going to the Tamhini Ghat. If you feel like changing your drenched clothes, you can do the same in the house of a locality near the Secret Place or you can wait it out till we visit Tamhini Ghat, where some water-amusement awaits you too!
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? It so happens that sometimes, during the peak monsoon season, the water levels of the Secret Place rise so drastically that it becomes inaccessible for visiting. So, if that’s the case, we have to drop that plan.
But hey, there’s no need to get disappointed because Plan B is always ready! What we will do instead is travel to Kundalika Valley to set forth on the trail to Andharban. It has a beautiful trekking path amongst the lush green forests with the lofty hills surrounding you, the gentle streams flowing by, and the magnificent waterfalls at a distance. You can admire the glorious beauty of Mother Nature while hiking upwards to reach the top. The monsoon climate will create a misty ambience which will make it a perfect spot for taking a stroll while listening to the silence of the forest, only interrupted by your tromping footsteps or the chirp of crickets. Once you reach the top of the hill you can gaze upon the spectacular view of the place and click some Instagram-worthy pictures to take back home with you, cherishing every moment of the trek.
After the fun-filled trek, we will again go straight to our final destination for that day which is Tamhini Ghat located just 14.3 km away from Kundalika Valley. The Tamhini Ghat offers a splendid view of the cascading waterfalls and valleys. The place is usually covered in a foggy mist, with the clouds floating lowly, and the rains transforming the land into a velvety green carpet which is splendid to look at! There’s the quaint Tamhini waterfall nearby where the water cascades down the rocks like tresses of hair to create a pool below, much like the Secret Place where you can spend some time swimming, plunging, and splashing waters at each other, having a gala time. Visiting the Palashe waterfall is also on the list where you can roam around a bit, breathing in the fresh air mixed with a little petrichor. After you are done absorbing the beauty of Tamhini Ghat, we will retire to our respective cars.
We will stay overnight at Tamhini Ghat. But don’t let that enthusiasm drop yet, as the fun is not over. Post dinner, we will have an exciting time playing indoor games like ludo, monopoly, or chess, and share creepy ghost stories to match the quiet and swampy environment outside! When all the haunted stories have successfully creeped us out and our eyes have become heavy with sleep, we will finally retire to our beds and dream about the adventures we will be having the next day.
