# Bhandardara

Bhandardara is a beautiful yet lesser known hill station near Mumbai in North Maharashtra state.

## Understand

Bhandardara is home to rich fauna and flora. There is a variety of attractions in Bhandardara, including a serene lake surrounded by hills, waterfalls, a dam, forts and a valley.

## Climate

Although it is situated in the hills, Bhandardara is not cool in summers. The best time, to witness the beauty of Bhandardara, starts from mid Monsoon season.
Bhandardara Season Summary :
| Season | Months | Temperature | Conditions |
| Summer | March–May | 20°C to 38°C | Clear skies, mild hot during days. Cool in midnight. |
| Monsoon | June–September | 24°C to 33°C | High humidity and cold winds. Plenty of rainfall. |
| Autumn | October–November | 20°C to 29°C | Clear skies, best time to visit. |
| Winter | December–February | 8°C to 19°C | Pleasant, cool sunny days, colder nights. |

## Get in

Bhandardara is well connected to other parts of Maharashtra by roads.

### By train

The nearest railway station is Igatpuri which is 45 km from Bhandardara. Igatpuri is situated on Mumbai-Nashik rail route. From Igatpuri, you can take state transport bus (commonly known as ST bus) service or private taxi to reach Bhandardara.

### By road

Bhandardara is easily accessible from all parts of Maharashtra by road. State highway 44 (SH# 44) goes through this town.
* From Mumbai/Thane
If you are coming from Mumbai, on national highway 3 (NH# 3), you have to take right turn after passing the Ghoti toll post. The distance from Ghoti to Bhandardara is around 30 km and the road has mild curves and bends.
* You can you local train too. Get off at Kasara station from Central railway. There are a number of tempos available to take you Bhandardara lake side camp, it roughly takes around 3 hours.
* From Nashik
From Nashik, take NH# 3 towards south up to Ghoti and take left. From here continue on Ghoti-Bhandardara road for around 23 km and then take slight left onto SH# 44 and you will reach Bhandardara.
* From Sangamner
From Sangamner, it is around 63 km towards west on the SH# 44.
* From Pune
From Pune, Bhandardara is about 175 km. You need to take Pune-Nashik road (NH# 50) up to Ghargaon. From Ghargaon, take left on the SH# 21 and continue driving up to Bhandardara. At Kotul, SH# 21 turns slightly left and becomes SH# 44 which takes you to Bhandardara.

## Get around

Maharashtra state transport buses ply around the nearby villages and towns. There are private taxis also running regularly but these are always overloaded.

## See

There are a lot of options for tourists visiting Bhandardara, including lakes, waterfalls, dams, temples and forts. Some of the interesting places are listed below.
* Bhandardara lake.
* Wilson dam. This dam was built in 1910 on the Pravara river. The Umbrella fall is just below the dam but the waterfall can be seen during monsoon or whenever the gates of the dam are opened.
* Umbrella falls.
* Randha falls. These falls are a great sight to see! The water falls from 45 m producing a marvellous scene. It is 10 km from Shendi Village.
* 19.51773673.722981 Amruteshwar temple, Ratanwadi, Maharashtra (Mumbai to Bhandardara via Igatpuri and Ghoti. Ghoti to Bhandardhara. From MTDC Bhandardara: Ratangad - Rajur road to Ratanwadi. It is 17 kms from Bhandardara to Amruteshwar Temple.). Amruteshwar Temple is an intricately carved Shiva temple in Ratanwadi. It is over 1200 years old and was built by the rulers of Shilahara dynasty in the 9th century CE. This is one of twelve Shiva temples built by King Jhanjha.
* Ratangad fort. Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji's favorite fort. Trekkers' delight.
* Harishchandragad fort.
* Kalsubai temple (1646 m). Kalsubai temple is situated atop mount Kalsubai which is the tallest peak in Maharashtra. A great place for trekking enthusiasts.
* Alang hill. This is good
* Madan hill.
* Kulang hill.

## Do

* Bird watching.
* Boating.
* Angling.
* Trekking.
* Pilgrimage.
* Sight-seeing.
* Tent stay by the lake side

## Buy

Most places including resorts and local shops do not accept plastic currency, and the nearest ATM is around 30 km from Bhandardara. Please carry adequate cash for food, hotel room rent and miscellaneous expenses.

## Eat

There are limited eateries in Bhandardara. You can find most of these in the main market. When you visit this place, you must try traditional village (home cooked style) fare at least once.
* Hotel Vaibhav (close to MTDC resort). A small restaurant popular among the tourists for its typical local dishes.
* Hotel Yashanjali, MTDC, Bhandardara dam, Akole, District - Ahmednagar (in MTDC resort), ☏ +91 2424 257311. Hotel Yashanjali offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food with local flavor. The restaurant is equipped with water purification plant and you get safe drinking water in this hotel, though packaged water is also available.
* Hotel Kaka (in the market area). This is the cleanest hotel in Bhandardara. It offers Gujrati Thali only. During off-peak season, you have to order in advance on the phone and you may have to wait up to an hour for your Thali.

## Drink

* Pravara hotel (Shedi chowk), Shendi (Near mtdc and village center), ☏ +91 8888269394. 14.

## Sleep

* MTDC resort, ☏ +91-2424-257032, +91-2424-257171. Check-in: 10:30AM IST, check-out: 9AM IST. MTDC resort gives you the best view of Bhandardara lake. There are various lodging options available. There are six cottages above the lake. Each cottage has a bedroom and a living room. In the living room, a mini fridge and a television set is available. Tariff per night is ₹3000.00 (₹2400.00 in off-peak season) for a cottage. There are 10 deluxe rooms which are really big. Tariff per night is ₹1600.00 (₹1300.00 in off-peak season) for a room. MTDC resort has 9 special rooms which are also specious. Tariff per night is ₹1500.00 (₹1200.00 in off-peak season) for a special room. If you are on a tight budget, then go for standard room. Tariff ₹800.00 (₹700.00 in off-peak season) a night. There are 2 group accommodations also. 12 beded accommodation is available for ₹2000.00 (₹1600.00 in off-peak season) per night and 20 beded for ₹3300.00 (₹2600.00 in off-peak season) per night. Group accommodations have 3 bathrooms and 2 lavatories each. All the rooms are equipped with specious attached bathrooms with hot water facility. Tax at 10% is levied on the tariffs mentioned above. Please note that MTDC resort does not have air conditioning in the rooms.
* Anandvan resort, Ghatghar Road, Village Shendi, ☏ +91-9920311221, +91-22-2604 7290, +91-22-4244 3300. If you want to splurge, then Anandvan resort is the right place for you.
* Bhandardara Camping, ☏ +91 9315818031, info@weekendfeels.com. 1099. (updated Mar 2023)
* Hotel New Samadhan, Shendi Bhandardara (Behind MTDC Bhandatdara), ☏ +91 9881723444. 8AM-11PM. Free parking, free Wi-Fi (common area), bicycle hire, nightclub, car rental onsite, shuttle accessibility. Dogs allowed, cats allowed. Private bathrooms with shower. Restaurant. ₹.1999/-. (updated Jul 2024)

## Go next

* Triyambakeshwar, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of India, is just 80 km away and it is worth a visitable place.
* Shirdi, a holy place of Sai Baba is just 90 km away.
* Shani Shingnapur, the most famous temple of Shani in India, is just 135 km away.