Malvan - a seaside fiesta

A visit to Malvan has been on the cards for a very long time, but procrastination is yet another trait inbuilt in us. So after a lot of deliberations we set out for Malvan to experience authentic Malvani food food first hand.

Summer of 2011 was bidding adieu and monsoons was closing in, the weather was sultry and i had already started looking forward to the onset of monsoons. The ride through Kumbharli ghat instead of the Mahabaleshwar - Poladpur route pleasently surprising. The road was in qyuite good condition and the ride smooth. The view maybe not as pretty as the ones in Gaganbawda route was refreshing. I wondered how the hills managed to stay as greenas it was even after the scorching summer. Once we reached Chiplun I realized how long a ride I had bargained for. We were just midway after about 4 hours of riding!

After Chiplun the ride was on the NH17 and not very exciting for me. After reaching kankavli we spoke to a few people to ascertain the route to take. After confirming the route and umpteenth number of chai we continued on our ride. From Kasal we took the deviation to Malvan and in about another 45 minutes we were in Malvan.

Malvan has a series of beaches. Chivla lesser known Kolamb and The Sindhudurg fort is straight ahead of the Malvan bus depot. I decided to take a left towards Tarkarli. I continued riding to find the end of the road. The little peninsular that it was with the sea on one side and the backwaters on the other couldnt help but wonder how long are we going to have this piece of land before the sea claims it or a tsunami strikes! (only to find out later that there is an island named tsunami island off the coast from here!!)

The road ends at the Devbag sangam an absolutely beautiful place with the backwaters meeting the sea. I wished that i had carried my tent, this place could make an absolutely beautiful camping ground!! Snorkeling is done here also however you are better off doing it in Malvan. Boating in the backwaters is also a possible engaging thing that you could engage in here!! but i passed, boating is not my thing!!!


Anyways after a good nights sleep at Gananayak resort the next day we decided to explore Sindhudurg fort and Chivla. Chivla is one of the most beautiful coves in the entire stretch! This small fishing village is an ideal place to watch the sun go down.

Sindhudurg fort stands on a rocky island, known as Kurte, barely a km, from the Malavan is 510kms south of Mumbai and 130kms north of Goa.  Sindhudurg was built in 1664-67 AD by shivaji when all his attempts to take the island fort of Janjira proved futile.  The construction was done under the supervision of Hiroji Indulkar, an able architect.  Shivaji had invited 100 Portuguese experts from Goa for the construction of the fort.  It is also recorded that 3000 workers were employed round the clock for three years to build Sindhudurg.  It was the body from the Sack of Surat that went into the building of Sindhudurg.
(excerpt Maharashtra Tourism Council)


During a vacation in Malvan the must see places are Tarkarli and Devbag beaches, the Devbag sangam, Sindhudurg fort and sunset at Chivla. One thing that you cant miss out on is snorkeling here which is the one thing that would differentiate it from any other beaches in Maharashtra and make the long ride worthwhile!!


Hotels and Resorts in Malvan

Gananayak Resort - Devbag
Siddhivinayak Resort - Devbag
Aai Beach Home - Devbag
Tian Beach Resort - Chivla
Manorama Nivas - Tarkarli

Velneshwar - A secluded cove

This summer was a hectic affair for us traveling from one place to another bringing you hotels and resorts in various beaches around Pune.  Now that the monsoons is setting in I think its a good time to sit back and review the beautiful destinations that i was lucky enough to spend some quality time in!

Lets start with Velneshwar a secluded cove with a beautiful temple and an amazing beach. The beach is roughly just over a kilometer long. An arc with rocky ends at either ends. The beach is lined by coconut trees and the fine white sand beach makes it a postcard like picture.

Velneshwar Temple, is the primary landmark in Velneshwar, this ancient shiva temple like most other Shiva temples is frequented by devotees during the Maha Shivratri.


The Velneshwar beach itself is absolutely amazing and is a white sand beach with fine sand. If you are looking for a peaceful vacation away from the crowds then this is the place to head to.

Near by Attractions 
Hedvi 5 Km - a rocky sea shore, not really a beach, its a rocky stretch with a temple. You can walk around the rock and it offers some very beautiful views.


Guhagar 26 Km - This beach far more popular than Velneshwar and with far more tourist is a long stretch of beach. With few famous temples spotting the landscape Guhagar is more of a temple town.


Hotels and Resorts in Velneshwar
Jeevan Sugandh Beach Resort
A small, but clean resort overlooking the blue ocean. It also has a restaurant by the edge of the beach. The location is the biggest asset of the resort. For more details visit www.velneshwarbeachresort.com


Getting There

I had travelled to Velneshwar from Dapoli. From Dapoli a 37 km ride gets you to Dabhol. Ferry across the Dabhol creek to reach Veldurg. Guhagar is approx 15 km from here. Velneshwar is 26 Kms from Guhagar


From Pune


Pune - (pune Satara highway) - Bhor - Mahad - Poladpur - Khed - Chiplun - (Guhagar Route) Velneshwar


From Mumbai



NH 17 till Chiplun - (Guhagar Route) Velneshwar