Malshej Ghat - Buffet of waterfalls

9th July was the date when i decided to finally get onto four wheels and drive off to an undecided location with my beast all tanked up and ready for yet another adventure / thrilling / scenic drives.

It wasn't raining heavily and clouds seemed to have given us respite in Mumbai. It was apt time to get out and drive hoping to get lesser traffic and mesmerize my eyes with the beauty that beholds in onset of monsoons and i wasn't left disheartened. Amazing landscape encountered during the whole drive.

Route taken:- Panvel - Asangaon - Malshej and back (160km one way) there are many different routes one can take. I choose for this specific route as i had to get delivery of my SLR and also pick up some things from decathlon. The drive started at around 10 in morning (which was a very bad idea) and i got stuck in traffic all through the drive till Kalyan phata. Management of traffic on this route is pathetic and kills all the fun one may have planned. Road conditions on few patches pathetic (near Biwandi crossing, near Kalyan phata, village road SH222 has few patches, Malshej ghat road). If someone wants to drive please hire a self drive car or maybe travel locally as the road condition on the ghat is not good, lot of bad potholes and visibility at peak of rains is almost nill.

Beauty of this place is just breathless. Waterfalls all round and so many colors of green will just remind you of "Hulk" (jokingly). Air is amazingly fresh and good to take in. One will literally drive into the clouds and touch them, feel the little drops of water touch you and lift you to completely next zone. Kudos to the ST bus drivers who transport people via this route. It's very much prone to land slides and water gushing over the roads. Nature at it's best and we don't do justice to the place, by parking cars on road sides (instead of designated parking spots), cross the roads without giving head to traffic, eat own stuff or stuff sold by sellers on the route (throw the waste on road assuming it will be cleaned) .

The drive though was peaceful once i crossed Bhiwandi and onto the Nashik highway. (i still don't understand why toll is collected in Mumbai area roads are bad, infra is pathetic). Series of straights and winding roads through some of really good agricultural land lead me to Malshej ghat.

From start of the ghat till the very top you will see unruly people parking their cars on road sides and enjoying the waterfalls besides the road. Best thing about Malshej is you don't need to wander off to find a good waterfall as it gives you various kinds of waterfalls and it seems like a "buffet of waterfalls" is being served.

Started from here

Enroute Malshej

Malshej Ghat