Bhandardara dam

bhandardara 

भंडारदरा  Bhandardara is a good place to go, especially in monsoon. I am from Pune so please note that all my references are with respect to Pune.This is roughly 190km away from Pune but takes"at least" 5hrs to travel by own vehicle. So keep this in mind and start early if you are planning togo there. Bhandardara could also be approached from Mumbai side but I dont have the details. One day return plan from Pune looksvery ambitious.If you are approaching from Pune then you will have to follow Pune-Nashik highway upto Sangamner. In Sangamner, you will need to takeleft turn for Bhandardara (Akole अकोले). In Sangamner, do not follow Google Map route, as its a very congested and small road. Instead asksomebody for bigger and longer road.Please do not take the shorter route that Google Map suggests from Pune to Bhandardara. It waslearned that road from Bote(बोटे) (or any other suggested route) is shorter but its very small road and road condition is not guaranteed.
 I have not traveled by this route, so this may not be correct. Use your own discretion here.If you are travelling from Pune do not miss the sharp left U turn before bridge near randha falls. Else you would reach Mumbai-Nashik highway. Its easy to miss this turn. Thanks to GPS, we didnot miss it.All hotels are located at Shendi(शेंडी) bhandardara. Actual bhandardara is a very smallvillage and is located in front of the dam wall. 
Shendi is at higher elevation on the right side of dam wall.Bhandardara is a small place so make sure that you have essential numbers with you. If you are planning to stay there, which you will if you are travelling from Pune, try to book the hotel beforehand. We went adhoc and had very difficult time finding a place to stay.Very few accommodation options are available including MTDC, Yash resort, Yash agri and Anandwan, which all were full when we went there(except Yash agri).Yash resort has prohibitive price in range of 3000 per night. MTDC would be much affordable. 
When we went there, it was late(10PM) and it was difficult to even locate hotels. Yash resort/MTDC was full but security guard there was kind enough to come with us allthe way to Yash agri to check the accommodation availablity. Yash agri is away from Yash resort and its near impossible to find it on your own if you are travelling after sunset.Yash agri has cottage like appearance but its not very good. There were different types of insects and lighting was less than adequate. Wehad no other option hence had to stay there, butI would suggest to avoid it. In all honesty, we arethankful that they offered accommodation but its very very difficult to stay there.Coming to site seeing, bhandardara itself is a dam so backwater, river, scenic view, boat ride isall there to be seen. There is also spill gate(overflow gate) which is unique in my opinion. I have not seen such gate elsewhere. When water overflows from there, it would be impressive for sure. In addition, there is garden located in front of the dam wall. In monsoon, when water is released, water flows over huge rock and you can see the umbrella fall from garden. Note that if dam is not full, water is not released and you wont be able to catch umbrellafalls. Hence travelling in mid-late august is suggested. Garden in itself has nothing special, but it has stunning dam wall view and river flowing nearby.
You can travel to Ratanwadi(रतनवाडी) which is 14kmaway. You will need to follow road on the left bank of the dam to reach ratanwadi. There is oldshiva temple of Amruteshwar mahadev (also called Rataneshwar mahadev, रतनेश्वर महादेव, अम्रुतेश्वर महादेव) there which is worth the watch. It dates back to 8th century. Its not a big temple, but its beautiful. Also the way towards temple is littered with waterfalls and road itself is very scenic. Road is ok in condition with small potholes here and there but nothing to worry about.You can go to Ratangad (रतनगड), Kalasubai (कळसुबाई, highest peak in Sahyadri range at the height of 1646m/5400ft), Konkan kada(कोकण कडा), ghat devi temple, agasti ashram if you have time. From konkan kada, you can see konkan and sahydri ranges from distance. We did not go there.There is also randha(रंधा) falls which is 8km before bhandardara. This is huge fall and has large water flow(if you travel at right time). Height is impressive too, but you cannot approach this waterfall from bottom. So you wont get complete and proper view of the fall, neither will you be able to witness its roaring sound. Never the less, its good place to see. 
There is also a small bandhara(बंधारा, small dam)  nearby where you can enjoy water.Overall, its a nice place to visit in monsoon for special reasons mentioned above, but in other seasons too, you can witness Sahyadri ranges and water. Make sure the you have place to stayand expect calm and serene environment, instead of man made attractions. If possible, trek to Ratangad, Kalasubai is a must do.