Igatpuri, more than just a junction

Igatpuri has been a railway junction in my mind and mostly in everybody’s mind. But Igatpuri according to me has all the trappings of a convincing weekend getaway from Mumbai. Its cooler than Khandala at a height of 2000 ft all round the year, guarded by tall green hills that occasionally hide behinds lazy mists. I went in the monsoons and at that time its hills and deep river valleys burst into many shades of green.

Igatpuri gave me two choices either I can have a massage, watch others swim and eat or I can walk down curious valleys and fall a few times on the bright green grass, search for unnamed waterfalls and get wet.

On my way to Igatpuri from Mumbai is the Bhatsa River Valley less than 3 km from Manas Resort which is a stunning depth of extremely happy vegetation and rocks that run down a slope off the road, only to rise again majestically far away as proud hills. A river far down was cutting the curve into two to represent a perfect view of a beautiful valley.

After a few hundred feet before I reached Manas Resort there was Ghatandevi Mandir, dedicated to the goddess of the ghats. It was left as I came from and to the right of the highway was the most spectacular sights in this region- Camel Valley. I would have missed it out if the locals have not told me as I had to walk over and look down to find a slope that falls over 1000 ft. During the monsoons a waterfall cuts through the rocks in a violent descent. There were few mini plateaus that I walked up to, and which offered their own unique points of view. However in rains, Camel valley is full of waterfalls. Some are big and hard to miss, some have to be searched for. There was a railway track also.

About 6km from Manas Resort is Tringalwadi Fort that has attracted trekkers during the rains. In the monsoon, the farmers of Tringalwadi grow their crops over what is essentially a rough motorway that leads to the base of the fort. So in the rains vehicles cannot travel the last 3 or 4 km towards the ancient fort. However there was narrow pathway for a nice, long, wet walk, down to the calm Tringalwadi lake that looks more beautiful from the fort. A few kilometers away from Tringalwadi lake is Talegaon Lake, created by the small Talegoan Dam. Its worth the trip only if you really adore water bodies and the accompanying sound and smells and sights.

There are many options to stay like Manas Resort, Golden Resort, Hotel Ashwin etc.