Monsoon bike ride: Madhe ghat waterfalls
About Madhe ghat
My first knowledge of Madhe Ghat came from a friend who visited this waterfall and posted a few pictures. I Googled to read more about the place and see the route. I had been to Velhe on this route and since the distance was 98 kilometres one way, I decided to do the ride and found another offbeat place around Pune.
The Route
To reach Madhe ghat, I had to take the Bangalore highway and exit at Nasrapur.
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Pune to Madhe ghat: Link to the route
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Total time to ride: 7 hours
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Total distance, one way: 98 kilometres
The Ride
I started at 8 am and reached Nasrapur in an hour and exited towards Velhe. Once I crossed Didghar village the scenery changed to farm fields and mountains on another side. The road condition was great and I ripped the throttle to enjoy the twisting and turning roads.
After reaching Velhe village, the road started to climb and a thick fog cover welcomed me. I stopped at Kolambi village that had views of the mountain on which Torna fort is situated.
Continued ahead and reached Madhe ghat by 11 am. There is a small forest check post and I had to pay an entry charge of Rs 10.
The waterfall was another 500 meters away. The steep climb allowed me some well-needed offroading. Once I reached the top, parked the bike and walked for 10 minutes to reach Madhe ghat waterfall.
The waterfall was not in full force so I could find a quiet spot and sit. There is a plateau which allows you to see the beautiful views of the valley below.
After walking around for an hour and having a cup of tea from a local vendor, I decided to commence my return journey.
Places to visit on this route
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Torna fort: The largest fort in Pune with the historic significance of it being the first one that was captured by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
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Rajgad fort: Literally means ruling fort it was the capital of the Maratha Empire
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Gunjavane dam: An earth dam with backwaters to look at the mountains in the vicinity
