About 110 to 135 Km from Mumbai and Thane, Malshej Ghat is a beautiful & scenic deccan plateau and a perfect Monsoon destination near Mumbai that welcomes nature lovers and mountain trekkers. A picnic day spent with family & friends with an overnight stay option at MTDC resort.
Malshej Ghat is a mountain pass which connects Konkan region to Deccan from Murbad to Junnar area. It is one of the very beautiful motorable scenic route of 12 Km with myriad waterfalls, deep green valley which makes it a perfect monsoon gateway and trekkers paradise near Mumbai.
Let Start With a Ride Video
This Deccan plateau (Ghat) is an important route that connects Thane & Kalyan area of Mumbai to Junnar and Ahmednagar and further Pune city. It is a picturesque location, ideal for a day picnic or a overnight stay. A perfect location for greenery & nature lovers who loves waterfall too. The Ghat area is similar to others like Bhor, Amboli, Thal, Varanda and Tamhini if you have experienced any before.
This 12 Km mountain ride starts at Sawarne village and ends at Deccan plateau location called flamingo hill which has the only resort for overnight stay, i.e the MTDC resort at an elevation of 700 meters above sea level. These zigzag roads comes under Maharashtra State Highway 2 and were initially built for transportation, But are open to public as lately attracted my people to malshej as a perfect Monsoon outing location to enjoy road side waterfalls. Here is the distance from Mumbai.
See Also : Malshej Ghat Photo Gallery.
Malshej ghat is one of the only monsoon destination which has so many tall waterfalls, Avifauna, Fauna and Flora. This makes it a perfect trekkers paradise too. Famous forts like Harishchandragad is well know for trekking and rock climbing activities here.
Apart from this fort, other mountains around are Naneghat, Shindolya, Daundya, Ghonya, Udhalya & Bhojgiri. Chattrapati Shivaji maharaj used to climb such mountains via some traditional routes which went into oblivion once the motorable road was constructed.
Monsoon is the perfect time to visit Malshej ghat, Tourists are seen at every other road side corners of this ghat which has small & large falls. During rainy season, visibility is very low due to dense clouds covering the plateau and so take proper care while on a ride here. Road conditions are very good and well maintained. Tall lush green mountains with waterfalls at every few Km adjacent to road are the main attractions with huge crowd gathering, specially during weekends.
A video that shows deep valley and the foggy climate
This ghat is also prone to Landslides and rockfalls in monsoon. Yet, considering the tourism demand and the crowd visiting here, Adequate measures are been taken every year to stop any incidents. During very heavy rainfall, Ghat is closed for few days to a week or two. so according to me the ideal time to visit here is the very early days of monsoon, June & early July, As usually from Mid July till end of August heavy rains are expected. Still, that is just a way of understanding and planning your picnic trip to Malshej. It is always better to enquire and move.
This 12 Km ride has just one 100 meter tunnel and exactly near it has 2 viewpoints which are very well constructed to enjoy the deep green valley amidst the cloudy weather and rains that changes every few minutes. So is why, this a perfect picturesque location and a serene place to be with nature.
One of the best funny experience while on the ghat drive is a fall right on top of the road area that drops a chunk of water on every passing by vehicle. A small temple of Lord Shiva and Ganesha can also be seen along road side within a tiny cave area. The weather here plays a perfect hide and seek game and if lucky, You will get to experience & enjoy the same during early monsoon days. A sudden sunshine off the clouds, Then suddenly some droplets of rains and fog around is what i wanted to explain about the playful climate here. Those viewpoints & MTDC location are 2 perfect place to enjoy the same.
MTDC Resort is the only accomodation available here. You can visit the restaurant for some food and snacks inside and use the washrooms if required. There are no other washrooms or eateries around. Small vendors can be seen selling some snacks, tea coffee etc at road side waterfall locations.
Some Mumbai Monsoon Videos if you like & here is the list of all Monsoon hangout locations near Mumbai.
