Of Waterfalls, Fog and Royalty
On the southern ridge of the Sahjadri Hills, at an altitude of 690 meters, is a quaint hill station called Amboli. Being the wettest place in Maharashtra, with an average annual rainfall of 750 centimeters (269 in), mostly between June and October, it is mostly surrounded by thick fog. This monsoon seemed like the perfect time to explore this restless paradise. On the way from Mumbai we covered 519 km to Amboli via Kolhapur, Sankeshwar, Gadhingla and Ajra. 
The journey to Sankeshwar in the Golden Quadrilateral was smooth but to the end 
Amboli was a bit of a road with pockets of highways. The weather was beautiful, cloudy and cool. We did the last 5 kilometers between the clouds, heavenly. 
We checked into the MTDC Green Valley Resort which, like all MTDC resorts, is in a prime location. It is about 500 m from the main road, above a wooded area. 
I drank tea and went to explore the resort. 
We found an abandoned research center with a botanical garden. 
The empty fields of the misty desert looked eerily straight out of a horror movie. We had an early dinner at MTDC run by the famous Vital Kamats. The food was quite good and the service excellent. Next morning we had idli / dosa breakfast at Vithal Kamath's next restaurant 
Take it to the ADP station and transfer 
Hiranyakesh Temple, 6 km away, which is the source of Hiranyakesh River. 
An idyllic spot with a small pond in front of the Hiranyakesh temple where the Shivling is located. 
Ganapati Idol and of course Hiranyakeshi Devi Idol. There is an entrance next to this temple 
in a cave we did not venture to explore, as we were told it was dangerous in the monsoons, when it becomes a safe haven for many crawling reptiles. 
Coming back to the main road is the Rageshwar Ashram. 
There is Swayambhu Ganesha Temple, 
The Naag Devata temple is in addition to the ashrama where Swami Rageshwar meditated and attained Samadhi. 
This place is heavenly on the bank of river Hiranyakesh. Spiritual Awakening After breakfast we went to the most famous waterfall of Amboli which is 3 km on the way to Sawantwadi. 
There are carved steps near the falls that allow people to climb to the middle of the falls. During monsoons, these corridors are also under running water. There are many people enjoying the whirlpool below this waterfall all day long. We went to Sawantwadi which is 30 km from Amboli. 
The road was beautiful there. 
I went straight to Shilpgram run by the Sawantwadi Municipality which is advertised as a place to see the wonderful handicrafts of Sawantwadi. However, to our dismay, we were told that only the restaurant was open and the artisans/craftsmen were only there to serve the tourists at the scheduled stops of the Deccan Odyssey luxury train. But the guard gave us directions to Kanekar Toys in Chitra Alley, the one and only 
a few km away, and there we will find the best samples of carpentry 
Sawantwadi is famous. And, frankly, Woodcraft was great. There were old cars, 
touring motorcycles and vintage airplanes, all in finely crafted wood. All the shopping made us hungry, we went back to Shilpgram and ate delicious malwani 
dine in a wonderful setting and served like royalty for a very low price. Now it was time to visit the royal family at Sawanwad Palace. 
Get a guided tour of the palace for Rs 25 each. The Queen sent you 
Durbar where the silver royal throne and some wild animals representing the queen are displayed along with some decorative swords and shields. There, you can watch and admire the craftsmanship of the artists who are busy making Ganjifa cards. 
In Persia, however, this art is practiced today only in Sawantwadi. This collection of handmade cards 
No. 120 is worth AMD 3000/-. It also has various other items found in the Sawantwadi state such as lever and other vintage artefacts. At the end of the royal tour, you will be taken to the Durbar Crafts Sale, where you will be able to see all the handmade papier-mâché items and some items created by the Queen herself. The queen still lives with her family in an area next to the palace. 
We left the palace and returned to Amboli. There were still lots of people dancing in the rain near the falls. Our next destination was Kavalesheti point which is 6 km from Amboli. It is a place with spectacular views, but unfortunately for us it was completely cloudy. 
After driving about 2 km on the horrible road we got there and didn't want to turn back until we saw the heavenly views. We waited for about 30 minutes, but the rain gods were no favors as the clouds refused to clear. 
Next on the list was the Nangartaas Falls, about 15 km on the way to Belgaum. The sound and sight of the falls is reminiscent of the fall of the great Draf. There are not many people here, because you can't just look at the waterfall and enjoy the surroundings. After diving in the waterfalls and living in the clouds, after a delicious breakfast at Vithal Kamat, we returned to Mumbai not too early but at 10:30 the next morning. . Our return was via NH17 from Sawantwadi. We had a lovely lunch at Alankar's in Hathkhamba and after a few days in the clouds we reached Mumbai, back on land. 
The route was picturesque with many descents on good roads, a distance of 545km.
The journey to Sankeshwar in the Golden Quadrilateral was smooth but to the end 
Amboli was a bit of a road with pockets of highways. The weather was beautiful, cloudy and cool. We did the last 5 kilometers between the clouds, heavenly. 
We checked into the MTDC Green Valley Resort which, like all MTDC resorts, is in a prime location. It is about 500 m from the main road, above a wooded area. 
I drank tea and went to explore the resort. 
We found an abandoned research center with a botanical garden. 
The empty fields of the misty desert looked eerily straight out of a horror movie. We had an early dinner at MTDC run by the famous Vital Kamats. The food was quite good and the service excellent. Next morning we had idli / dosa breakfast at Vithal Kamath's next restaurant 
Take it to the ADP station and transfer 
Hiranyakesh Temple, 6 km away, which is the source of Hiranyakesh River. 
An idyllic spot with a small pond in front of the Hiranyakesh temple where the Shivling is located. 
Ganapati Idol and of course Hiranyakeshi Devi Idol. There is an entrance next to this temple 
in a cave we did not venture to explore, as we were told it was dangerous in the monsoons, when it becomes a safe haven for many crawling reptiles. 
Coming back to the main road is the Rageshwar Ashram. 
There is Swayambhu Ganesha Temple, 
The Naag Devata temple is in addition to the ashrama where Swami Rageshwar meditated and attained Samadhi. 
This place is heavenly on the bank of river Hiranyakesh. Spiritual Awakening After breakfast we went to the most famous waterfall of Amboli which is 3 km on the way to Sawantwadi. 
There are carved steps near the falls that allow people to climb to the middle of the falls. During monsoons, these corridors are also under running water. There are many people enjoying the whirlpool below this waterfall all day long. We went to Sawantwadi which is 30 km from Amboli. 
The road was beautiful there. 
I went straight to Shilpgram run by the Sawantwadi Municipality which is advertised as a place to see the wonderful handicrafts of Sawantwadi. However, to our dismay, we were told that only the restaurant was open and the artisans/craftsmen were only there to serve the tourists at the scheduled stops of the Deccan Odyssey luxury train. But the guard gave us directions to Kanekar Toys in Chitra Alley, the one and only 
a few km away, and there we will find the best samples of carpentry 
Sawantwadi is famous. And, frankly, Woodcraft was great. There were old cars, 
touring motorcycles and vintage airplanes, all in finely crafted wood. All the shopping made us hungry, we went back to Shilpgram and ate delicious malwani 
dine in a wonderful setting and served like royalty for a very low price. Now it was time to visit the royal family at Sawanwad Palace. 
Get a guided tour of the palace for Rs 25 each. The Queen sent you 
Durbar where the silver royal throne and some wild animals representing the queen are displayed along with some decorative swords and shields. There, you can watch and admire the craftsmanship of the artists who are busy making Ganjifa cards. 
In Persia, however, this art is practiced today only in Sawantwadi. This collection of handmade cards 
No. 120 is worth AMD 3000/-. It also has various other items found in the Sawantwadi state such as lever and other vintage artefacts. At the end of the royal tour, you will be taken to the Durbar Crafts Sale, where you will be able to see all the handmade papier-mâché items and some items created by the Queen herself. The queen still lives with her family in an area next to the palace. 
We left the palace and returned to Amboli. There were still lots of people dancing in the rain near the falls. Our next destination was Kavalesheti point which is 6 km from Amboli. It is a place with spectacular views, but unfortunately for us it was completely cloudy. 
After driving about 2 km on the horrible road we got there and didn't want to turn back until we saw the heavenly views. We waited for about 30 minutes, but the rain gods were no favors as the clouds refused to clear. 
Next on the list was the Nangartaas Falls, about 15 km on the way to Belgaum. The sound and sight of the falls is reminiscent of the fall of the great Draf. There are not many people here, because you can't just look at the waterfall and enjoy the surroundings. After diving in the waterfalls and living in the clouds, after a delicious breakfast at Vithal Kamat, we returned to Mumbai not too early but at 10:30 the next morning. . Our return was via NH17 from Sawantwadi. We had a lovely lunch at Alankar's in Hathkhamba and after a few days in the clouds we reached Mumbai, back on land. 
The route was picturesque with many descents on good roads, a distance of 545km.- get there
- by train Nearest Railway Station - Sawanwadi (30 km) on Konkan Railway.
- By Road: Mumbai-Kolhapur-Sankeshwar-Gadhinlaj-Ajra-Amboli - 519 km or so
- Mumbai-Panvel-Chiplun-Hathkhamba-Savantwadi-Amboli - 545 km
- Accommodation: Green Valley of MTDC and other private hotels.
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