The Maharashtra state of India has a few hill stations, Chikhaldara and Bhandardara being two. These are not too far from Mumbai or Pune, with Chikhaldara being close to Nagpur. Maharashtra hill stations look much better and pretty in rains as the whole area comes to life – the greenery becomes a tad more obvious, slowly disappearing as rains squeeze out to winters. There are lakes and waterfalls to see, which are against a beautiful backdrop-the falls are in full glory in the rainy season.

8 reasons why you must visit Bhandardara and Chikhaldara:

• Chikhaldara, known as Keechakadara, has beautiful viewpoints like Hurricane Point, Prospect Point, and Devi Point. There are few other worthy places to visit like Gavilgad and Narnala Fort, the Pandit Nehru Botanical Gardens, the Tribal Museum, and the Semadoh Lake.
• The Gwaligarh fort, one of the few three forts in Chikhaldara, is a historic fort because this fort has seen many wars.

• Chikhaldara is surrounded by Melghat Tiger Reserve, which is home to tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and other wild animals. You can visit to see some tigers in the Reserve.
• Bhandardara is a lovely hill station for getting views of some points like Arthur Lake, Wilson Dam, Umbrella Falls, Randha Falls, and Ratangad Fort.
• 400-year-old Ratangad Fort, one of the favorites forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, overlooks Ratanwadi and Bhandardara lake. From the Top of the fort, one gets to capture Mount Kalsubai and the lake in the forefront.

• Bhandardara has two famous falls – Umbrella and Randha Falls. Umbrella Falls is at Wilson Dam and are a sight to behold in monsoons. Randha Falls is of a height of 170 ft-must visited again in Bhandardhara.
• Arthur Lake is a reservoir of the Wilson Dam on the Pravara River, which offers an excellent opportunity for boat rides and is equally breathtaking in terms of scenery with hills and forests.

Location: Bhandardara and Chikhaldara are 160 and 600 km approx from Mumbai/Pune, respectively, and Chikhaldara is about a 250 from Nagpur-another prime city of Maharashtra.

Tourist Attraction on the spot:

Chikhaldara – Gawilgad Fort, Shakkar Lake, Bhimkund Point, Panchbol Point, Harisal ;Bhandardara – WilsonDam, Ghanchakkar, Kalsubai Peak, Umbrella Falls, Arthur Hill Lake

Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:

You can visit Nagpur, Mumbai, Pune, Pachmarhi, Bhopal, Lonavala, and Khandala from these places.

Distance Charts:(Bhandardara | Chikhaldara)

• Mumbai(170 | 670 km)
• Hyderabad(700 | 600 km)
• Chennai(1330 | 1220 km)
• Bangalore(1010 | 1190 km)
• Kanyakumari(1680 | 1850 km)
• Delhi(1350 | 1120 km)
• Nagpur (670 | 230 km)
• Vijayawada(980 | 870 km)

How to Reach Bhandardara and Chikhaldara:

Road Routes:

Mumbai/Pune-Igatpuri-Bhandardara-Aurangabad-Jalna-Khamgaon-Chikhaldara

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MY EXPERIENCE:

1)Rainy season-July to October are the best months to be here because you’ll see lush greenery with gushing waterfalls.

2) The hill stations have lakeside and green pastures, so these spots are good picnic spots to spend a day or two.

3) Bhandardara becomes pretty warm during summers, so having an umbrella and some water helps you feel better.

4)Having a local private pillion or car is optional, but some tourist spots are far off each other. Hence, local transport being scant-need to take up private transport. However, it’s worth it if you come in monsoon time!

5)Public transport will help you reach right up here, but you’ll wish you had your car to drive. If you can ride up here if your home is Mumbai or Nagpur-it will be much better. Calculate what’s costing you more – a car with four people in or shared public transport with local sightseeing by a hired car!

RAIL: Igatpuri/Amravati is the nearest rail station to these hill stations

AIR: Aurangabad/Mumbai/Pune/Nagpur are some airports to get to Bhandardara and Chikhaldara.

ROAD: A laid out road network with smooth roads connecting big cities like Mumbai, Nagpur, and Pune to these hill stations. MSRTC has many bus services to reach here

Map:

Time to Visit:

June to February is a good time to be here.

Spend Time With:

Friends, Groups, Family, couple, Solo

Food and Lodging:

The number of hotels at these hill stations is pretty few. Bhandardara can be covered in a day leaving from Mumbai early morning. In contrast, Chikhaldara can be a day’s trip from Nagpur, so you make Mumbai and Nagpur as a base, and if you are tight on a budget, make Nagpur and Igatpuri your base.No booking needed. Hotels are an issue in these hill stations for food and snacks-better to have snacks and water with you.

Expense:

A 2-day trip to Chikhaldara/Bhandardara costs:

Food: INR 100/person/day(3 times a day)X2
Transport: Buses and trains will help you reach here. INR 1000 for state buses and for local sight seeing,hire a pillion which will cost around INR 800 at each of the place(you can actually let go off Bhandardara but still consider adding both costs)
Lodging: INR 700/day X1(only in case of Chikhaldara; Bhandardara doesn’t requires a stay)
Entry Fees :Nil is what I can say, INR 100 for safe side.

Total: 4000 INR(can be brought down to INR 2500 if you can leave out a few spots in both hill stations and walk real long!)

Nearby Attractions(Bhandardara | Chikhaldara)

• Mumbai (170 | 670 km)
• Hyderabad (700 | 600 km)
• Pune (160 | 600 km)
• Nanded (470 | 330 km)
• Daman (230 | 630 km)

Panchbol Point

• Aurangabad(220 | 360 km)
• Raipur(960 | 510 km)
• Mahabaleshwar(290 | 720 km)
• Matheran(170 | 690 km)
• Ratnagiri(470 | 880 km)