WEEKEND COASTAL RIDE - FROM VELAS TO DIVEAAGAR (VIA HARIHARESHWAR & SHRIVARDHAN - MARINE DRIVE)
वेळास ते दिवेआगार
19-20th January 2019
Places Covered: Velas Beach, Bankot fort, Harihareshwar, Shrivardhan, Aaravi beach, Marine drive to Diveagar
Hit the Mumbai - Goa Highway from Vadkhal and reached the Lonere (a few km ahead of Mangaon) by 2.30 am. considering we have a Ghaat road ahead, decided to have a much needed sleep for around 2 hours..it was quite chilly outside..parked the car along the highway and slept till 5. It was very safe. Saw a police patrol jeep passing by a couple of times.
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| From : Google maps - the road we followed! |
Continue on the same road and then after the Veer village (well before Mahad), a right turn takes you towards Mandangad via the Ambet ghaat. google offline map was useful..condition of the ghaat road was excellent and it was a nice ride in that patch..however, could not spot a single car for almost 25 odd mins ghaat patch.so always better to travel in a large group, avoiding solo rides especially during such dark nights...plus, recollecting some scary ghost stories associated with this ghaat heard in the childhood added the thrill to our ride :D
Anyways, reached Mandangad by 6 am. subject to the time available and interest, one can also visit the Mandangad fort 3 kms from here...it is an easily approachable fort, you don't have to walk much, hardly 15-20 mins gentle climb but not much left atop so considering we had lesser time, we continued towards Velas via Bankot..Mandangad is a Taluqa town and therefore, you can easily have food, fuel, ATM here...we filled up 500 Rs. Petrol here and continued our journey..there are sign boards once in a while..after a few kms a left side road goes towards the famous Dapoli while we have to keep going straight...
As we move away from Mandangad, the road is in terrible condition, in patches ...so for 400 odd mtrs, we go smoothly n then for the next 1 km, we get the unwanted shaky body massage :( spoiling your trip schedules..Crossed the Bankot village by 7 am and moved towards the Velas village (3 kms from here)..the road from Bankot to Velas is very scenic and you are bound to stop to take the fresh air and some amazing pics...
Reached the Velas Village at 7.30 am..crossed the entire village and stopped over a bridge..parked our car and took a trail on our right which is surrounded by the mangroves. there are sign boards near this bridge.
In a 10-15 mins walk, you can reach the beach area. en route, crossing a small wooden bridge is a good photo stop..the beach is huge and is lesser visited so only 4 of us were there..
Velas is known as the Turtle village as the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles come here to lay eggs...normally they come here in the month of November, lay eggs and return to the sea..since last few years, the forest dept with the help of a German NGO and a local NGO have started conservation efforts to protect these animals. There is a nursery created on the beach where the forest officials safely deposit the eggs collected from the different locations beneath the sand, allowing them to hatch safely. In February / March, a Turtle Festival is organized to release these tiny ones back to their real home..shockingly, this year not a single turtle had visited in the November and December. We were lucky since just a night before the forest officials had found 3 lots of eggs laid which were added to the hatchery.... but the situation is not encouraging for sure...
Spent 45 odd mins here and then returned to the Velas village. Thankfully, there are no big hotels and resorts here so only home-stays and homely delicious food is available. We visited the ancient Shiv-Bhairav temple next to the ST bus stop and the School and ordered the breakfast at Daripakar's Homestay. Poha were really tasty with nice tea and coffee (almost 2 plates for 60-65 Rs Combo). Even we made the best of their washroom, a much needed thing :D Since it is not a running / full fledge hotel so it takes some time to make the fresh food so you can order before going to the beach in order to save the time. The hosts were friendly and learned that they also offer home-stay accommodation for 200 Rs per person...Mr. Aniruddh Daripakar 9850581022. (marked on the google maps)
As we move away from Mandangad, the road is in terrible condition, in patches ...so for 400 odd mtrs, we go smoothly n then for the next 1 km, we get the unwanted shaky body massage :( spoiling your trip schedules..Crossed the Bankot village by 7 am and moved towards the Velas village (3 kms from here)..the road from Bankot to Velas is very scenic and you are bound to stop to take the fresh air and some amazing pics...
Reached the Velas Village at 7.30 am..crossed the entire village and stopped over a bridge..parked our car and took a trail on our right which is surrounded by the mangroves. there are sign boards near this bridge.
In a 10-15 mins walk, you can reach the beach area. en route, crossing a small wooden bridge is a good photo stop..the beach is huge and is lesser visited so only 4 of us were there..
Velas is known as the Turtle village as the endangered Olive Ridley Turtles come here to lay eggs...normally they come here in the month of November, lay eggs and return to the sea..since last few years, the forest dept with the help of a German NGO and a local NGO have started conservation efforts to protect these animals. There is a nursery created on the beach where the forest officials safely deposit the eggs collected from the different locations beneath the sand, allowing them to hatch safely. In February / March, a Turtle Festival is organized to release these tiny ones back to their real home..shockingly, this year not a single turtle had visited in the November and December. We were lucky since just a night before the forest officials had found 3 lots of eggs laid which were added to the hatchery.... but the situation is not encouraging for sure...
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| the hatchery with the 3 wooden sticks indicating the locations of the eggs |
The beach has a dark chocolaty colored sand. Please note that this beach is not safe for swimming, there are many uneven pits and strong - misleading currents so please don't venture into it. Some playing equipment (swing, slide, sea-saw) are being installed for the kids and nice sitting arrangements are available so soon it could be a good family picnic area.
After getting refreshed and filling up our fuel tanks (tummies), we returned towards the Bankot. As mentioned, the road is very scenic. Bankot is a village dominated by the Muslim community. A steep road starting from the Grampanchayat office takes your vehicle towards the fort (you need to be a decent driver) or you may even walk for 40 odd mins....The car takes you right upto the fort gate. Restoration work is in full swing by the Archeological Survey of India. The fort is also known as the Himmatgad and the Fort Victoria. Being at a considerable height, it acts like a watch tower / observation point overlooking the Bankot creek through which the Savitri river meets the Arabian sea. View is simply awesome and you can take some nice picture here. A small fort and can be covered in just 20 odd mins. Canon near the entrance is interesting. There also lies a memorial 5 mins walk in the shrubs (right side of the fort) built by a British officer whose his wife and the daughter drowned in the Savitri river during a boat ride.
We finished the fort visit and now we had to reach the Harihareshwar! Velas is in the Ratnagiri District whereas Harihareshwar comes in the Raigad district. By car, it is a long tiring journey as we have the long stretch of Savitri river and the creek in between so we decided to take the route taken by the locals and the most popular one when you are in the Konkan i.e. crossing by the ferry boat. We moved towards the Veshwi (vesavi) Jetty which is around 3.5 km from the bankot . From this jetty, a ferry boat departs every 1 hour carrying the vehicles plus the passengers on board..Saves a lot of time, fuel plus, giving you a joyous ride. please check carferry.in/ website for the timetable and the fare.
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| From Google Maps: How to reach Harihareshwar from Velas/ Bankot |
We bought the tickets for our Car (165 for the big car incl. the driver) plus 13 Rs per peron X 3 total 204 for 4 of us and waited for the next ferry scheduled at 1 pm. The jetty area offers splendid view with the mountains and waters all around so you can't help yourself taking selfies and photos. 360 Degree shot also comes very good !
Just as we were about to reach the main temple road, there lies the Om shree Homestay on the left side (Kamat restaurant on the right)...a few blocks before this Homestay, lies the Konkan Khanawal by Mr. Deokar. A small place but offers awesome veg and non veg food. Highly recommended place. Rates are not cheaper than anywhere else in the Harihareshwar but when you are paying the same, at least have the homely taste. Veg thaali for 100 and Chicken for 180..fish thali ranges from 250-300. Roti at 10 Rs extra..rice 10 Rs extra..their son is very cute and serves you the food (when he is not in his school) with a sweet smile!
After having the lunch, we took the left turn towards the temple and explored a couple of homestays and checked into the Nandanvan home stay. It's location is very good. We got a 4 bed room at 1200/- (300 Pp)..the road towards the beach goes next from this homestay and you could walk to the temple and beach in hardly 2-4 mins. However, it does not give towel / soap :( ..parking is free and a large space is available.
Sai Lodging Homestay and Sahydri are also nearby and all range in the same price range 900-1000 for 3-4 pax non A/C..1500-2000 for A/C.
we took a rest for 2 hours and went to the temple for darshan. Harihareshwar is considered to be a very sacred yet simple place and is known as the Southern Kashi. The Kalbhairav and the Shiva temples are very pleasant and give you positives vibes. thankfully, the temple area is not that commercial and the shop owners do not haunt / tout you ! There is also a Bhakt Niwas in the premise which offers very cheap accommodation ( 5 bed decent room for just 500/-) so you can stay here and save further. However, you might have to pay extra for the common parking outside and have to bear the aarti/ mantras played on the speakers (for a few mins in between).
For booking the Bhakt Niwas: Mr. Mandar Lidkar 9545252964 / Mr. Gurav 9260044139
In hardly 5-10 mins, you reach the top of the hill and the steps descend towards the seashore. This is what the Harihareshwar is known for. the entire pradakshina route is full of fun..it is safe too but since you need to walk over the rocky shore, be careful and use a proper footware.
Witnessed the unforgettable sunset, took many pictures...saw the naturally created attractions like Vishnu -pad (foot print), Kamdhenu teerth and returned to the temple in half an hour.
We did have so much food in the afternoon that none of us wanted full meal for the dinner so had some nice Amla soda, raw mango (Kairi Pandhe) sharbat etc (10-15 Rs per glass)..had nice Amul Ice cream (30 Rs per cone) near the temple, bought some Konkan special food items and hit the bed at 11 pm.
Next Morning, got up early by 6.30 and went to the beach at 7 am. Tourists start coming after 8 when the watersports and adventure activities begin so there were only 10-15 people having a stroll around.We also enjoyed the view of the sun rising above the mountain behind the temple.
Spent around an hour at the beach. Returned to the Home-stay at 8 am, finished the morning chores and checked out at 9 am. Again, went to the same Deokar's khanawal for B/F and enjoyed Pohe and Upma (30 per plate) with tea (15/-) and coffee (20/-)
Started towards Shrivardhan which is around 22 km / 35 mins and en route you can see some huge banyan trees near Kurvande village. There is a 20 Rs. entry fee for the tourist cars entering Shrivardhan. We first visited the Somja Devi, the Main deity / goddess of the Shrivardhan town and then reached the Peshwa Memorial. It is built in the memory of the first Peshwa (Shri Balaji Vishwanth Bhat), father of the well known Bajirao Peshwa who was born in the Shrivardhan. Both the places can be covered in 5 mins each.
We then headed for the beach. It is quite long and wide so we visited two different ends by our car. No parking fees. As expected for a Taluqa place, lots of crowd bringing in lots of unwanted things. Beer bottles, plastic :( However, there are nice seating arrangements made along the beach promenade where you can stay away from the crowd and relax. Many watersports available here...Even saw a camel and horse ride facility.
After relaxing at the beach for an hour, we visited the Jivna bunder and the Jivaneshwar Mahadev temple. These places are well marked on the Google maps and going there through the narrow roads surrounded by coconut and Areca catechu (Supari/ betel palm) plantations is super fun. There is a jetty at the Jivna bunder where you can witness the Kolis (fishermen) going for fishing on their boats. A unique experience. Fishermen here are very friendly. Ladies were seen selling freshly caught fish. Being a typical KoliWaada, you can expect the air filled with the smell of fish etc so no wonder tourists avoid coming here but we simple loved the place and the Koli brothers :) Lovely photo opportunities!
We then visited the Jivaneshwar temple. (landmark is the well known Sea wind Beach resort and Mumbai Masala Restaurant) This temple is hardly visited by the tourists. An ancient temple renovated 3 decades ago. a very calm place where you can have the peace of mind and the soul. The artwork on the pillars is adorable. Again, the temple supervisors were very friendly. We had reached at noon so the inner part was closed. The caretaker came and opened it for us :)
From the temple, a short cut goes towards Diveaagar but we had to have lunch so returned 1.5 km to Shrivardhan and had the Veg thali (80/-), chicken (110/-) and Fish Surmai thali (250/-) at the newly opened Kokan Kinara Restaurant. It is located on the main road going towards the beach (close to Somjai devi near civil hospital). The rates are very reasonable and the taste and service is too good! They also have lodging facility.
From here, there are two roads available to Diveaaagar. One that is recommended by the Google map takes you out of the town and is a long cut whereas the other one is passing over the Jivnaeshwar temple via Walvat village so we took the later one and reached the Aaravi beach.
If you love calmness and don't like the crowd (just like us), then this the beach you should head for! People hardly know it as you have to leave the main road towards the Diveaagar and take a left to reach it. Park you vehicle at the end of the village near the primary school and take the trail starting next to the school building to reach the beach in 2 mins walk. Looks a perfect place for camping. The white sand here is eye catchy. However, you can see the waste material along the beach (carried by the high tide)...but, overall a gem of a place ! only 4 of us enjoyed at the beach..like our private beach! What else you want!
After spending well over 60 mins at this beach (playing flying disc, making castles), we started our journey towards Diveaagar. Immediately after we leave the Aaravi village, the famous marine drive along the sea begins. Definitely, a highlight of the trip. Looking at this view, we can understand why Konkan is often compared to California! So many similarities in both the places...we only lack the Infra and discipline. The view is amazing but the road is shaky and bumpy, spoiling our mood a bit...
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| That's how the google map shows the route; however, there is a short cut / alternate road that goes from the Jivaneshwar temple to Aaravi via Walvati..straight north! |
This scenic road passes through coastal villages such as Kondvil, Shekhadi, Bhadarkhol and Borli Panchatan. You can even visit 1 by 1 these beaches if you have time! A view point is there overlooking the Sea just before the Pebbles beach. A sure photo stop ! on your left you can see the road passing through the mountain and on your right is the huge expanse of the Arabian sea..you can have coconut water here! This is almost the end of the Marine drive as you are nearing the Diveaagar.
By 4 pm, we entered the famous Diveagar village. At the entry of the village, a shilalekh can be seen (Watch my youtube video - link at the end). We headed first to the Suvarna Ganesha temple. It is the identity of this village. Unfortunately, the Golden idol was robbed 6-7 years ago but the temple is really nice. Sugar cane juice, coconut water, Ukadiche sweet Modak, snacks like Wada-paav, Tea etc are easily available near the temple.
Next stop was the Rupnarayan and Sundernarayan temples. Ancient Vishnu temples, recently renovated. The Jambha stone looks solid impressive. The ancient water tank with steps in front of the temple is also noteworthy. A must visit place. 10-15 mins are enough as the temples are quite small.
At 5 pm, we were at the Diveaagar beach...It is so much praised by the travellers that we were expecting something very nice but, yes, we were disappointed...the rush of tourists has made it like the Juhu beach of Mumbai. Numerous food and other stalls may be providing a livelihood to the locals but not at the cost of spoiling the serenity of any place. You can see people throwing used food plates and garbage. The beach is hugely spread and you can actually start visiting it right as you enter the diveaagar (1 km before the main beach) but for the water sports and adventure activities you have to come at one point of the beach near the Rupnarayan temple. Banana and many other boat rides are available. Parasailing can be done with the power of a jeep (not inside the water). ATV / Quad biking, horse cart facility available. So I am not saying that Diveaagar beach is dirty and avoid it..all I can say is that the mad rush of in-disciplined people are responsible for this so those who love and respect nature should just make a quick visit to the beach and spend more quality time at places such as Aaravi, Harihareshwar or Velas which are lesser visited and equally pretty!
Did dinner at Kamath's Govinda restaurant on the highway at Nagothane...great food, fast service..a bit expensive but a good value for the quality and service they provide!
We were back in Mumbai at 11.30 pm.
the 4 Group members (Left to right)
Madhav Upadhye (a travel enthusiast, Numismatist, teacher by choice)
Makarand Pandhe (an IT professional and a sports- travel lover)
Aditya Kanade (a self taught designer & artist working for the environment)
Gautam Khetwal (a mountain goat)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAfnFovHHgY5Als-5jnjb7g)
Per head expense was just 1050/- Rs for Vegetarians and 1500/- for Non vegetarians! the cost includes, CNG+ petrol for A/C car + Accommodation + all taxes and Tolls + Food + Ferry ride ...We did not do any adventure activities...
if you need any details, please feel free to drop a message..
Link to the video documentation of this trip -
You tube - Madhav Upadhye
Comments, suggestions are most welcome :)
Happy traveling...please keep the nature clean :)
