I have been to these places year after year and know them very well now.
BHPian Dr.AD recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Monsoon Drive (2025 edition) in Maharashtra
After my monsoon drive across the Western Ghats and to the West Coast of Karnataka (covered in my posts a couple of weeks ago), it was time for the annual monsoon drive to Maharashtra. Year after year, sometimes solo and sometimes with my driving group, I have been driving around in Maharashtra in the monsoon, and each year, it has been a magical experience.
This year was no exception. None of the places I visited were new to me. I have been to these places year after year and know them very well now. I know these roads very well too – I know every corner of these roads. This drive is not about exploring new places. Instead, this drive is about reliving the same magical experience year after year, almost as if I am addicted to it. And indeed I am addicted to the monsoon charm of Maharashtra.
So in some ways, it is the “same old” story. But on the other hand, the magic of monsoon in Konkan is such that I enjoy it each year as if it was my first time. Konkan is where I grew up as a kid. This land has a special place in my heart. All those childhood memories make every Konkan drive special. While driving around in the villages of Konkan, when I see school kids walking to their schools, holding umbrella under the heavy rain, walking on those rain-soaked water-filled roads, I see my own childhood in them. That was me, exactly like that, a few decades ago. Those memories are very special to me.
So then, please allow me to share this 2025 edition of the “same old” story again, with the same enthusiasm as if this was my first drive there.
This year’s drive was not planned in advance. I had to visit Pune for work, and decided to use time of either side of the Pune visit to drive around to different parts of western Maharashtra in the peak of the monsoon season.
For the first leg of this trip, I was solo. And later my wife flew in to Pune and joined me for the return leg via coastal Maharashtra.
Let me cover these separate segments of my roundabout driving in Maharashtra in subsequent posts below.
Part 1: Satara-Gas-Bamnoli-Tapola Area
I spent a day, in second half of July, just randomly driving around this scenic area under heavy rain. This was the solo part of my trip.
The landscape here is a fantastic mix of lush green plateaus and green hills, with plenty of water bodies (there are some 3 large dams and backwaters in this area). And the roads vary from butter smooth two-lane roads to broken down, single lane forest roads. But every road here has a charm, and I love driving around in this area.
Let me share the story through pictures now.
Dusty on the hills, enjoying the rainy day:
Foggy view of the Kanher dam water: 
Dusty on the backdrop of Kanher dam water:
Exploring the hills and trails, enjoying lovely views all around: 
The views like this: 
Random small roads, going around the hills, soaked in the rain: 
As I drove through Kaas Plateau, the entire scenery was hidden in fog: 
From now onward, from Kass towards Bamnoli, it was a foggy drive, with intermittent spells of heavy rain.
Views of Kaas Lake in my window: 
Dense forest and dense fog created such dramatic scenes in my front windshield: 
One of the many foggy corners: 
The locations, the fog and the rain was all very dramatic; loved every bit of this drama: 
More dense fog ahead: 
My favorite shot from that day – Dusty in that dramatic setting:
Mystical settings indeed: 
One more windshield shot to show the scenes ahead: 
The stepped gates of Kaas Lake (the only place where I saw a few tourists and vehicles; else it was all desolate with almost zero traffic): 
Finally, on this rainy and mystical day, my lunch was this fresh hot Vada Pav from a roadside shop near Kaas: 
Loved every bit of this monsoon drive. Enjoyed the breathtaking views and scenery all day long.
Please read on below for the Parts 2 and 3, the Konkan leg of this trip.
Part 2: Pune-Mulshi-Tamhini Ghat-Ganptipule
My wife flew to Pune to join me, and then the two of us started our Konkan wanderings, via Tamhini Ghat.
Mulshi dam backwaters: 
Fresh hot breakfast (sabudana khichadi) with lake views – a perfect start to our trip: 
Dusty at the exact same location where I photographed my OG Dusty, my SX4, 3 years ago: 
The water body was beautiful enough to demand another photo: 
Lovely roads and fantastic weather as I drove on to Tamhini Ghat: 
Dusty in Tamhini Ghat: 
Typical monsoon landscapes from the hills: 
One of the countless number of waterfalls we saw on the roadside: 
From thereon, we took the “Bombay-Goa Highway” (NH66), and drove to Ganpatipule. As soon as we reached there, the very first place we drove to is our most favorite spot, the “Aare-Ware” Road and the sea views from the road.
Nice steps to walk down to the scenic beach: 
And the mesmerizing sea views:
Customary photo of Dusty at that location, overlooking the majestic sea: 
In the evening we visited the famous Ganpati Temple at Ganpatipule, and also did the peaceful 1km “pradakshina“, which is essentially a very scenic hill walk and we always enjoy that: 
We spent the evening at a beach side resort, enjoying views of dark monsoon clouds on the sea, like this: 
Continue reading on BHPian Dr. AD’s monsoon drive for BHPian comments, insights and more information.
