Coming monsoon experience the less taken path to Mulshi backwaters. Mulshi dam is formed over Mula river in Pune district. Mulshi backwaters cover a huge expanse of land, winding along the array of hills.

Mulshi backwaters

The stretch is around 23 kms along the captivating landscapes. The deep blue water of the dam will catch your fancy and you will for sure halt at every other turn just for taking in the beauty of the place.

Koraigad fort with foreground of Sonki bloom

Bhira hydroelectric power project is operated over Mulshi dam. It is operated by Tata power supply. It was established in 1927. It supplies power to Mumbai.

Lily

Mulshi backwaters are stretched across the sahyadri hills which are rich with wildlife and birds. The dense forest patch compliments the sapphire colored waters. Many quaint villages lie across the Mulshi backwaters expanse. The villages are beautiful in their own way. Mulshi is an ideal location for a drive down holiday. Pack a lunch basket and head along to explore it. The location around Mulshi is purely remote and therefore don’t expect to get any restaurant or shops. The beauty of this place is, it’s still detached, unleashed, being so close to city like Pune.

Mulshi Backwaters

A photographer at work
Mulshi Backwaters

At Mulshi you can stretch along the velvety backwater banks and feel the breeze swaying the yellow sonki bloom (Yellow flowers which are seen only in monsoon in sahyadris), yell at the sky, run around, wet you feet in the water, take a nap, or sit endless hours watching the landscape change… there is no one to see you, question you or stop you. You can also camp along the banks of the backwaters close to a village. Watch the sky change colors and the starry sky all along the night. See to it that you are in a known company and the nearby villagers are aware of your camping as this is an isolated area and help is scarce.

After taking and unending concaves and convexes around the hills, a village sign board comes in sight. This is a place from where the water flows down the dam wall. The place gives a good panoramic view of the backwaters and hills and how far and stretched the backwaters are. The grasslands here can also be another camping site. Beware as you need to cross fields and a busy stream to reach here. Please check with the villagers on the route.

Mulshi Dam wall
For seeing the dam wall, we need to travel further down the winding main road. A 10 mins drive and we can see the dam wall in distance. We were on a day trip and had not plans of staying. By the time we reached the dam wall, the sun was setting and we had to leave without exploring the dam from near.

Mulshi dam wall
The evening rays
Mulshi dam is about 3 hrs drive from Navi Mumbai. Take the Pune expressway and once you get on to pune-banglore highway after expressway is over, about 15kms is chandani chowk flyover across highway from here get onto that flyover and turn for Panshet from there Mulshi dam is just about 30 kms.
A village house
Mulshi dam water is known among pune locals as a picnic spot but yet less explored as commercialization has not set in. Last we visited; the first resort was taking shape here. For a decent stay and food one has to rely on Pune city. So , take the Mulshi route this time and enjoy the coming monsoons.

For more photos visit - http://myodysseys.com/Trips/Maharashtra/Pune/Mulshi/Mulshi.html
Photos by - Amit Rane and Jyoti Rane
Text by - Jyoti Rane