A Slice of Kashmir in Maharashtra ~ Tapola

In focus for this week’s #TravelerTuesday is Tapola in Maharashtra. This place is also known as Mini Kashmir, and you can gauge from the photo below, why it is so called.

This Diwali vacation, it was once again time for a family trip. There’s only one place we all agree on visiting for a family trip, i.e Panchgani+Mahabaleshwar. Though we’ve been there ample times, it is unanimously agreed upon as the destination because it is close to Mumbai and it suits all ages!

However, while there, we also decided to do a short one day trip to a place we had heard about and seen photos of.

The thing that excited me most about it was the ‘Triveni Sangam” which is a congruence of three rivers namely Koyna, Solshi and Kandhati .

 

The primary attraction in Tapola is the Shivsagar Lake – a 90 km long water body, which is infact the reservoir of the Koyna dam!! If you are a water sports enthusiast Tapola is the place to head to. Be it boating, water scooter rides, kayaking or swimming, Tapola is the best.

A short ride of 1 hour from Mahabaleshwar (approx 25 kilometers), this place offers adventures such as water sports, trekking spots and even pilgrimage spots with age old temples providing the backwaters as beautiful and peaceful backdrops to a quiet, quaint place.

We took a boat ride from the Mini Kashmir boat club which took us to one of the temples and to the Triveni Sangam spot.

There are camping options and even a few resorts where one can put up for an overnight stay to get more out of this slice of Kashmir in Maharashtra.

If you’re up for some adventure, you can even go for kayaking and motorboat rides in the lake. The village of Bamnoli on the shores of Shivsagar is worth a visit too. There are quite a few exhilarating treks around the area which one can undertake, including the most popular jungle trek of Vasola fort.

Tapola has myriad options readily available for its patrons. In addition to enjoying the serene beauty of this place, you can also indulge in a number of adventure sports in this region.

I’d highly recommend visiting this place as there’s something for everyone and people of all ages. So either try your hand at a number of adventure sports activities or simply visit Tapola to rediscover the tranquil beauty of nature.

Pro-tip: Visit before noon to avoid getting baked in the afternoon sunlight which can hamper the overall pleasant experience. Also, halt midway at the Shivsagar restaurant which offers great panoramic views and is a great spot for clicking picturesque photos (as shown below)