TRIP TO TUNGARLI AND
PAWNA LAKES (270 km)
DESTINATION :
TUNGARLI AND PAWNA LAKES
1. "Once the Travel bug has bitten , there is no know antidote and i know i shall be happily infected for the rest of my life "_Micheal Palin
2.
So this is my
state right now , all I know is that I wanted to see all the places that I
could have seen till date but somehow missed out on all of them .I wanna make
amends to it and I think I am on the right track.
3. This is a brief travelogue on a single day trip to two lesser known lakes of Maharashtra which in reality has numerous lakes spread all over its length and breadth. This day I was journeying to see Lake Tungarli and thereafter Lake Pawna.
4. The trip log stated 60213 and the time was 0700 as I set the INDOMITABLE rolling. It was still fresh from the SPITI EXPEDITION but I guess it too was bitten by the bug as I was .Anyways there is nothing much on the Mumbai to lonavla stretch worth mentioning and I have covered the same earlier. We reached Lonavla by 0920 hrs and thereafter had breakfast at Hotel Rama Krishna, this particular hotel I have been seeing since over a decade and it is still going strong judging by the amount of people who were thronging the place.
5. Post a quick breakfast I enquired about the route to Tungarli Lake and was directed to take a left from the second petrol pump which was just ahead. I followed the directions and soon came to fork and I was directed to take the road going upwards on the right. In no time I reached Tungarli Lake on which a dam has been constructed. The lake looks after the water requirements of Lonavla town. The dam was constructed in the 1930s and is in the foothills of the Sahyadris.In the monsoon this is the place to be, we did meet a group who were organizing a weekend camping for clients and based out of Mumbai.
6. I did indulge in a lot of photographs and also climbed the local hills overlooking the lake to get a view of the entire surrounding. It was a real peaceful time that I enjoyed to great deal with hardly any more people to intrude upon my solitude. My phone too fell in to the water and for close to thirty seconds it was in the water of the lake and my heart was in my mouth but as they say luck was smiling upon me as I took the simple path of opening everything up and drying them in the sparkling sun.
7. After spending close to two hours we then proceeded to Dhaba Kinara Village which is on the old Mumbai Pune highway just after exiting the town. A magnificent place it had great food and service coupled with ambience and I strongly recommend it to everyone. Had a leisurely meal and then we proceeded towards Pawna Lake which is 22 kms from Lonavla towards Dudhiware Khind.The route is pretty simple and goes through the villages Kusagaon and Aundholi.Around 5 kms before the lake one come across a path cut through the mountain and on the left side of it there is a jungle trail quite predefined which is the trek to Lohagad fort which overlooks the Pawna Lake. Due to paucity of time I did not attempt the trek but it is quite popular amongst the local trekkers.
8. After Dudhiware Khind one can see the lake which is a vast expanse of water and the three forts of Lohagad, Tung and Tikona which used to guard the entrance to the valleys below in the times of Shivaji and Mughal Dynasty. We stopped at the Lohagad resort and Boating club which also has accommodation in case anyone wishes to stay and a small restaurant .I spent close to three hours at the lake and saw the sunset, wanted to also capture the full moon but the drive back was also there in the back of my head so after spending an enthralling time out here which included a ride on one of the boats, I bid adieu to a splendid spot so close peaceful tranquil and exotic.
9. The drive back was routine and I reached Mumbai by 2235 hrs.
10. Odometer for the trip .Mumbai -60213 >Tungarli > Pawna > Mumbai-60483
3. This is a brief travelogue on a single day trip to two lesser known lakes of Maharashtra which in reality has numerous lakes spread all over its length and breadth. This day I was journeying to see Lake Tungarli and thereafter Lake Pawna.
4. The trip log stated 60213 and the time was 0700 as I set the INDOMITABLE rolling. It was still fresh from the SPITI EXPEDITION but I guess it too was bitten by the bug as I was .Anyways there is nothing much on the Mumbai to lonavla stretch worth mentioning and I have covered the same earlier. We reached Lonavla by 0920 hrs and thereafter had breakfast at Hotel Rama Krishna, this particular hotel I have been seeing since over a decade and it is still going strong judging by the amount of people who were thronging the place.
5. Post a quick breakfast I enquired about the route to Tungarli Lake and was directed to take a left from the second petrol pump which was just ahead. I followed the directions and soon came to fork and I was directed to take the road going upwards on the right. In no time I reached Tungarli Lake on which a dam has been constructed. The lake looks after the water requirements of Lonavla town. The dam was constructed in the 1930s and is in the foothills of the Sahyadris.In the monsoon this is the place to be, we did meet a group who were organizing a weekend camping for clients and based out of Mumbai.
6. I did indulge in a lot of photographs and also climbed the local hills overlooking the lake to get a view of the entire surrounding. It was a real peaceful time that I enjoyed to great deal with hardly any more people to intrude upon my solitude. My phone too fell in to the water and for close to thirty seconds it was in the water of the lake and my heart was in my mouth but as they say luck was smiling upon me as I took the simple path of opening everything up and drying them in the sparkling sun.
7. After spending close to two hours we then proceeded to Dhaba Kinara Village which is on the old Mumbai Pune highway just after exiting the town. A magnificent place it had great food and service coupled with ambience and I strongly recommend it to everyone. Had a leisurely meal and then we proceeded towards Pawna Lake which is 22 kms from Lonavla towards Dudhiware Khind.The route is pretty simple and goes through the villages Kusagaon and Aundholi.Around 5 kms before the lake one come across a path cut through the mountain and on the left side of it there is a jungle trail quite predefined which is the trek to Lohagad fort which overlooks the Pawna Lake. Due to paucity of time I did not attempt the trek but it is quite popular amongst the local trekkers.
8. After Dudhiware Khind one can see the lake which is a vast expanse of water and the three forts of Lohagad, Tung and Tikona which used to guard the entrance to the valleys below in the times of Shivaji and Mughal Dynasty. We stopped at the Lohagad resort and Boating club which also has accommodation in case anyone wishes to stay and a small restaurant .I spent close to three hours at the lake and saw the sunset, wanted to also capture the full moon but the drive back was also there in the back of my head so after spending an enthralling time out here which included a ride on one of the boats, I bid adieu to a splendid spot so close peaceful tranquil and exotic.
9. The drive back was routine and I reached Mumbai by 2235 hrs.
10. Odometer for the trip .Mumbai -60213 >Tungarli > Pawna > Mumbai-60483
 |
| EARLY MORNING MARINE DRIVE MUMBAI |
 |
| THROUGH THE TUNNELS TOWARDS LONAVLA |
 |
| MUMBAI-PUNE EXPRESSWAY |
 |
| TUNGARLI LAKE |
 |
| CALM WATERS |
 |
| BEYOND THE LAKE |
 |
| TRIED PANORAMIC IMAGE |
 |
| THE LAKE |
 |
| PATH LEADING TO THE LAKE |
 |
| KINARA VILLAGE DHABA |
 |
| LAKE PAWNA |
 |
| THE CAPTION SAYS IT ALL |
 |
| GATEWAY THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN |
 |
| ALL STABLE |
 |
| CLASSIC VIEW |
 |
| DEEP IMMENSE AND PLACID |
 |
| DAM ON PAWNA |
 |
| ANOTHER VIEW WITH TIKONA FORT IN THE BACKGROUND |
 |
| LOVE HIM |
 |
| LOVED THE COLOURS |
 |
| ONE MORE OF THE ISLAND IN THE LAKE |
 |
| DONT KNOW THE NAME |
 |
| TREK POINT TO LOHAGAD FORT |
 |
| THROUGH THE DENSE GROWTH |
