Amboli: Best kept secret. Review on Amboli

Amboli looks like Maharashtra's best kept secret as far as hill stations go. Abundant with nature, a cool climate, laidback ambience and a pollution free environment make it a very attractive destination for a long weekend. Faced with a long weekend on Gandhi Jayanti, self and my better half headed to this lesser known beauty spot in the Western Ghats along the Konkan coast. We took the train route(Konkan Kanya) that leaves from CST and alighted at Sawantwadi Road Stn. From Swantwadi Railway Stn to Amboli is a 40Km road trip. Autos charge Rs.400. Sawantwadi Rly Stn is about 10 kms from the town of Sawantwadi, from where option of ST buses is also available(Ticket Rs. 20 per head).

The road from the Station to Amboli is pretty good in most parts, passing through villages along the way, where you can take a stop to bite on hot pakodas and chai. Further up, the ghat begins and you're treated to beautiful vistas of the forest and valley, and occasionally hear a gurgling waterfall along the roadside. Amboli is the Cherrapunji of Maharashtra, so expect to get wet. After about an hour, Amboli shows up with a greeting'Welcome to Amboli Giristhaan'(hill station). We stayed at the MTDC resort(Deluxe Room - Rs. 1000/night). The resort is pretty neat and located nicely with nicely groomed lawns, a decent restaurant and friendly staff. One of Amboli's claim to fame is the'biodiversity' the place offers. So, do expect to find some of it in the resort, your room and bathrooms:). We spotted an Atlas moth(i think) and some unique spiders on our many trips from the resort entrance to the room.

There are other lodges also, a better known one called JRD International. At Amboli, one must try out local cuisine at the many khanavals that are there on the main road. Food is reasonably cheap(Rs. 50-60 non-veg thali fish/mutton/chicken, Rs. 30 veg thali) and pretty delicious at that. One can try out the traditional Bhaaji-Pav or Missal for breakfast. We particularly liked the lunch at Balkrishna Cafe and breakfast at Ruchira. There's a 24 hr tea shall next to the Post Office, for exactly that.tea. Other than that, the local bus stand is the Central Mall of this place! The touristic highlight of Amboli is the Amboli Waterfall, a grand waterfall 3 kms from the village center. This place is almost always full of people frolicking in the many streams of the waterfall.

The feeling is amazing, sitting at a height with cold water falling on you and across the road, the sight of a beautiful deep valley totally mesmerizes. This combined with hot corn and pakodas with chai later at the roadside and I guess it describes the total monsoon experience in Maharashtra! Not to be missed for anything. We visited other vista points in the area which includes Hiranyakeshi(point of origin of the river Hiranyakeshi), Nangartaas Waterfall, Kavlesaad Pt, Sunset Point etc which are all within 3-12 kms from the resort. You can hire an auto for Rs. 300-350(depending on the no. of points that you want to cover).The transportation rate works out to approx Rs.10/km.

The valley views are amazing, with the cloud effect there almost all the time. Our local guide(the auto driver) explained that this cloud effect is caused by water vapour rising from the floor of the valley, that is condensed by the cool air and blown over the top by the strong winds. Some kind of a spray being pushed back to the mountain top. I think this phenomenon is also experienced at Malshej during monsoons. The guide also showed us some unique sights like Karvy in bloom(once in 7 years, this year is karvy year) and another plant that blooms once in 14 years(no flowers this year) and some unique medicinal plants that abound in this area. He provided us with quite a few insights into the local scene(culture, occupation and that made us feel more in touch with this place.

It rains a lot in Amboli, so do carry wind cheaters/umbrella, unless you absolutely like getting wet in the rain. Also a torch in case you're venturing out or getting in after dark. Panaji is 80 kms from Amboli, so one can also plan to hit Goa in case you have time on hand. Amboli is closer to Goa and Belgaum and hence most of the tourist traffic to this place originates from here.

Overall, it was a good weekend break for us, a laidback existence with endless cups of chai, local food and taking in the natural beauty of this place with more space available per person! Would definitely recommend as a place to visit at least once, for anybody who likes to be close to nature and experience real natural beauty.