Camping under million stars at Bhandardara.

I took Sinhgad express early morning 6.05 am from Pune station with my two other friends Shweta and Darshan, we reached Mumbai on time at 10 am. We had few plans to visit near by places in CST area but cancelled at the last moment as we were running late. While wandering in Fort area , we found one old Irani restaurant where we had brunch and headed back to CST again. Within an half an hour, we were at CST and took 12.28 pm local to kasara station. The main advantage of boarding local from CST is you get seats . Around 2.20pm , we reached to Kasara railway station. From @traversindia (event partners) Prateek and Lokesh both guys were already waiting for us and other participants too. After small introduction session& giving instructions about do’s and don’ts everyone followed Prateek and Lokesh.

To reach bhandardara, there is only one option and that is 7 seater or shared Jeep/Crusers. In Bhandardara the public transport can be done by these ways only or else you can do it with your private vehicle. Kasara ghat is having some sharp turns and road is smooth so one can enjoy fully. Within 15¬ to 20 min main highway ends. From this turn you can try to sit on top of the Jeep/cruiser to enjoy the beautiful view around . Sitting on top of the vehicle is not allowed in this area but at this remote place , you can enjoy the beautiful views of hills and valleys. It seems like riding a roller coaster but actually its not like that. You can have two options to reach Bhandardara. First, through AMK fort base village and kalsubai range which is too beautiful so I would recommend everyone to take this. Also in midway, there is bhavali dam which is serene and very calm place. Second way directly takes you to Bhandardara village.

We had halt at Bhavali dam for a while as the place is too calm and will give you a very desi feeling. It was yellowish everywhere because it was ending days of winter and last rainfall here at this place is below than average. We spent some time and did some photo shoot for self promotion on social media. Everyone of us got dozens of pictures to upload on social media sites. Normally we don’t get a chance to witness such a serene view in cities now.

Finally within hour, driving through dense forest and mountain we reached our final destination Bhandardara. As soon as we got off from vehicle we decided to step down at Arthur Lake, which is formed due to the construction of Wilson Dam and is fed by Pravara River. This lake is also known as Lake Arthur Hill or Bhandardara Lake.

The clear and placid lake is bounded by thick forests of the Sahyadri hills. This lake is around 34 km long and the stream features a wonderful waterfall, named Randha Falls that come down from over 45 m height. This lake also holds religious importance, as Agastya Rishi meditated at this place. Arthur Lake acts as a reservoir for the Bhandardara Dam or Wilson Dam. The construction work of the dam was started in 1910 AD and was completed in 1926 AD by the British. The dam is one of the oldest dams in India at a height of 492 feet and is famous for the nearby Umbrella Falls. When the gates opened, the outflow creates two huge cascades of water creating a spectacular sight. Boat ride on the placid waters of wondrous Arthur Lake is a memorable experience. The lake gets it water from the Pravara River and is bounded by thick canopied forests of the Sahyadri hills. The boat ride is enjoyable and offers spectacular view of the surrounding hills.

The terrain to lake from resort area was a bit slippery but its normal in such places. Everyone got amazed by the beauty of surrounding range of sahyadri's. This place is famous for fireflies. But it was month of January so spotting any fireflies was not less than a day dream. So without thinking much , we already decided to visit this place again in the month of May end or just before monsoon starts.

At the necklace garden resort near the dam we freshen up & had some snacks, coffee. By 7.30 or 8 pm everyone gathered around resort lawn for brief introduction and followed by Do’s and Don’t at camping site. With 5 to 10 min of walking distance , we came across camping site near Lake. It was full dark only head torch from team were flashing all the time. Staff from resort had already done all arrangements and tents were ready. Lokesh allotted all the tents and quickly everyone occupied. Finally everyone settled and it was time for some talk and sharing stories. Around the bonfire everyone gathered and started to share some of their memories of camping and photography experience.