Monsoon holiday to Thoseghar Waterfalls

The monsoons are cherished by all picnic lovers looking out for scenic picnic spots to visit during this season. Thoseghar is one such place. Located 135 km from Pune, it is famous for its high waterfalls, serene and quite surroundings, a clean lake, and wooded, hilly surroundings.

The best season to visit Thoseghar is between July and November, when a plethora of small waterfalls, falling from heights of 15-20 m, enchant visitors with their natural beauty. There is also a bigger waterfall, 500 m in height, which is the star attraction.

We decided to go on an excursion to Thoseghar on Independence Day, for what better way can there be to celebrate it than to become truly independent and move away from hectic city life, even for a day or two?

The journey

The journey began early in the morning at 6:30 am, with the four of us (Kiran, Karan, Vipin and Jai, on two bikes). I set my bike’s distance meter to read zero so as to track the distance travelled. It may sound like a long journey to cover 135 km on a bike, but then, when it comes to going on picnics, we are pretty adventurous.

As the journey began, a cool breeze and slight drizzling made for just the right riding atmosphere. The roads, as usual, were pathetic, especially the section that began as we passed through a tunnel just on the outskirts of the city. The road was full of potholes and my bike’s suspensions were put to extreme limits of endurance. I would like to suggest this road to bike manufacturers for their testing routines.

After covering a distance of about 45 km, we halted at a restaurant for breakfast. The television was broadcasting the prime minister’s address to the nation. As the national anthem began, we all stood up to pay our respects. I heard the restaurant owner chastise a waiter, asking him to stand up as well. The fact that we did not miss the Independence Day celebration even while on our way to a picnic made me feel happy. A "2-in-1 independence" is how I would call it.

The next section of the journey was more exciting with a long, smooth road that seemed to ignite our passion for speed. I began cruising at high speeds, while my friend on the other bike stuck to the decision of not exceeding a speed of 60 km / hr, as per the manual guidelines, before it had travelled at least 2,000 km.

It felt awesome riding through lush, green valleys, reservoirs, and hills, even as we shouted ‘Oooooo!!’ all through the way. My bike’s reading now showed a reading of 80 km. It was time to confirm our route, so I stopped near an old man. He confirmed we were on the right track. Our next stop en route was Satara. After enjoying some snacks here, we resumed our journey.

After riding for another 35 km, we began looking out for banners that displayed route names. I tried to confirm the location of our friend on the other bike. It looked like we had lost them, as even they could not confirm their exact location on a mobile call. An interaction with a traffic policeman added to the situation when he went ahead to interrogate us. It seemed like the best way was to try and reach Thosegar independently.

The road we were on passed through a tunnel that led to a steep hill. As rain kept pouring at regular intervals, the view from the place became scenic. Yet there was danger, for there were no side barriers, and a slip could land one right at the bottom of the hill, trashed into pieces. Dense fog at certain place reduced visibility to just a few metres, with steep curves at some places, and made riding with caution a necessity. Yet the roads were smooth and the ride comfortable.

We stopped at a dhaba for a cup of garam chai and I tried to contact our friends on the other bike whom we had lost some time back. But there was no mobile network available — no way to ‘express’ through Airtel, no ‘connectivity’ with BSNL, no ‘idea’ on Idea Cellular! Technology was at its worst at the isolated place. I unsuccessfully rode back about 5 km to look out for them, and then decided to go ahead and reach our final destination.

Indeed, as we reached our picnic stop at around 1:00 pm, we found them at Thosegar. They overtook us some time back without our knowledge. This has still remained a mystery. For there was, and is, only one route to the top.

The waterfalls

After a sumptuous meal of rotis and egg curry, we went to see the waterfalls. The view of the biggest waterfall, 500 m in height, was breathtaking. It began to rain and no matter how much one felt like taking a dip below the fall, it was not allowed for recently, someone met with an accident here.

After taking our fill of the beautiful and serene surroundings, it was time to go back. We rode together till Satara, and from there it was a straight ride to Pune. The climate now was at its best, with a cool breeze and the setting of dusk adding to our happiness. We took short breaks for snacks and tea, it felt heavenly as we were all wet and shivering with cold.

We returned to Pune around 8:00 pm and had dinner together. It is always so pleasant to go to sleep after a long and tiring day. Incidents of the day kept flashing across my mind as I fell unconscious into a deep slumber.

Thanks to: www.tataworld.com for editing my write-up.

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