The Best Route to Reach Malvan from Mumbai on Bike

The Best Route to Reach Malvan from Mumbai on Bike

I would probably say a dream coming true, yes for me It was my wish to do Konkan coastal drive on the Himalayan bike. It was not less than 450 km from Mumbai. I had seen many bikers going towards Konkan and Goa. I did my Goa coastal drive on Honda Shine and now it was time for Himalayan to shine and that is nonetheless than Mumbai- Malvan-Ratnagiri- Mumbai. Malvan is 450 km from Mumbai and there are lots of options to reach here from different places but, the one and only way that most bikers will prefer, it is a scenic drive from Mumbai to the Konkan region. I said it is scenic because it gives you the picturesque beauty on the route. There are so places in Malvan that can be explored in 2-3 days. The white sand beaches, watersports activity at the beach, and Scuba diving, this is the only activity that has attracted many tourists from around the world. Malvan is the coast located in Maharashtra, India.

How to reach Malvan?

Malvan is not a small village, I must say it is the beauty capital of Maharashtra. There are lots of routes that usually prefer to travel to Malvan. Malvan can be reached by Air, Train, Bus, and also by Bike.

By Air

The nearest International airport is Dabolim. Dabolim is a majorly accessible airport in Goa state. This airport can be easily reached from countries other than India. Malvan is further 150km from Dabolim airport. It is majorly connected with the state transport route and can be easily reached.

By Train

The nearest station to reach Malvan is Kudal. Being a major tourist destination Kudal can be reached by many express trains across the state. The trains that go to Goa take a halt at Kudal railway station. Malvan is a further 30km from the Kudal railway station. There are regular bus runs to and from Kudal to Malvan. One can book a direct cab to reach the destination.

By Road

The national highway of Mumbai- Goa will easily take you to the coast of Malvan. If you are planning to travel by bus then hire MSRTC buses and their booking is also easily available on the sites. AC and non AC buses run from the major cities of Maharashtra state.

A road trip to Malvan from Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and Goa would be a delightful trip. A journey from Mumbai will take you across the ghats of Lonavala, Amba, and Amboli. This offers a picturesque beauty to travelers.  A road trip to Malvan is long but it is adventurous.

My Road Trip Experience of Mumbai-Pune-Malvan-Ratnagiri-Mumbai

Day 1 (Pune to Malvan drive-400 km)

As per my plan, I along with my wife reached Pune a day before the Malvan drive. We stayed at one of our friend's places in Wagholi. The next day was all set to have a ride from Wagholi in Pune to Malvan via Amba ghat. The 400km journey route was Pune-Jejuri-Satara-Karad-Malkapur via Anuskura Ghat-Rajapur and then to Malvan. The scenic Anuskura Ghat driving through the western ghat descends you to the Konkan region from Kolhapur. Though the drive was scenic, there were hardly any petrol pumps to the 50km distance. We were left short of petrol in Amba ghat and were looking for locals to help. Just to save some petrol, I switched off the bike while descending through the ghat route since it was a slope and somehow managed to reach Anuskura village and got a petrol pump to a full tank.  Sometimes when we think about what travel teaches us then this is the unique experience that travel teaches us. We started at 7 am in the morning from Pune and by the time it was 6pm we had reached the Malvan and headed to find out the budget stay for two days. I never prefer to spend an amount of money on a stay. However, Malvan is one of the major tourist spots so locals from this area converted their houses into homestays for tourists with basic amenities. Rutu homestay was the most reasonable we found and moved to stay. He charged us 1500 INR for two nights. It was quite a decent stay. After getting fresh up we moved to see Rock Garden in the central area of Malvan. It was located next to Chivla beach in the central area of Malvan. It was only 2km from our stay. It is one of the most beautiful spots to explore at the night. The musical fountain is the peculiarity of the rock garden. The musical show happens After every 15 minutes and that too only for 15 minutes. I found this 15-minute musical show so relaxing. We end up the first day with dinner.

Musical fountain of rock Garden

Rock Garden has many coconut trees inside with artificial fish

Day 2 (Exploring places of Malvan)

The day started with the special breakfast of Malvan and that's Amboli Chutney and Ghavna. Post breakfast we moved to Dandi beach of Malvan. It is one of the famous beaches for fishing. We went for scuba dive at Dandi beach. It was the second time for me and the first time for my wife. Dandi beach is a unique beach on the Malvan coast but, I would not recommend it for scuba diving. We went back to the room to get a change and moved to Jalsateri temple. If you are a spiritual person then you must give visit this gorgeous temple located in the middle of the water. This was located at a distance of 12km from Malvan. We also got to explore the Angnewadi temple constructed with white marble. We end up the evening at Sindhudurg fort with mesmerizing sunset view. You have to take a boat from the Dandi beach ferry point to reach Sindhudurg fort.

The ferry ticket cost is around 100 INR per person

Scuba diving at Dandi beach 

Sindhudurg Fort is too large in geography

Jalsateri Temple at Malvan which is located on the edge of the River

Day 3 (Malvan-Devgad Fort-Purnagad-Vijaydurg Fort-Pawas-Kasheli-150 km drive)

As per the plan third day was to explore another exquisite beauty of Malvan and that's nonetheless than Devbaug beach. A white sand beach with an Island in the middle of the sea surrounded by blue water looks astonishing. Devbaug is the only cleanest beach among others on the Malvan coast. After exploring the Devbaug beach early in the morning, we had our breakfast and started the further journey towards Ratnagiri. The very first place we explored was Devgad Fort. It was not part of our planning but one of the local guys suggested visiting Devgad fort also since it is located en route to Vijaydurg fort. Devgad fort is located 50 km from Malvan and Vijay Durg was further 30km from Devgad fort. On route, we headed to Purnagad followed by Pawas where Swami Swarupanand Temple is situated. We had our lunch in Pawas since it is a place of swami where you are served free food in the form of prasad for all devotees. Post lunch we left to explore another sea fort and that nonetheless  Vijaydurg Fort. One of the wonderful forts built by Shivaji Maharaj. This fort is so large and took two hours to explore. The beauty of the fort is expanded on the coast of the Arabian sea. After clicking some beautiful pictures we started moving towards Kasheli village which is India's gorgeous beach. Kasheli village has got attractions from Kasheli beach and is it is famous for its sunset. Unfortunately, we couldn't reach here for sunset. Since it was late in the evening we moved to Mahakali temple's Bhakti Niwas in Kasheli village for a stay. Bhakti Niwas is the only stay option on a lower budget. We paid 400 for one room for one night's stay.

Devbaug Beach of Malvan is 10 km from Malvan

Purnagad is one of those places with a sea view in the background

View of the Vijaydurg Fort

Sea view of the Vijaydurg Fort

Day 4 (Kasheli-Thiba Palace-Ganpatipule-58 km drive)

We got up early and headed to witness the beauty of Kasheli beach. There was no one in the early morning so we could grab this opportunity to click on some beautiful pictures and videos. Besides this island, there were small caves with some historical importance.

Post beach visit it was time to see the temples which were emotionally connected to the Kasheli beach. Kanakaditya temple was built in the name of Kanaka (devotee of Lord Sun who lived in Kasheli) and Aditya (another name for Sun). This Temple is a 1000-year-old temple. The temple was so beautiful. We also visited the Mahakali temple where we stayed. We had our breakfast at Mahakali Hotel and moved to Pawas which is located 20 km distance. It is another destination for devotees. Pawas is the place where Swami Swarupanand took his Samadhi. We had our lunch at Swamis place and moved toward the Ganpatipule. It is one of the fascinating places which offers a temple view of Lord Ganesh devotees along with the fun activities at Ganpatipule beach.

Kasheli Beach in Kasheli village of Ratnagiri 

Thiba Palace of Ratnagiri

Day 5 (Ganpatipule to Panvel- 310 km drive)

We started with the morning view of Ganpatipule beach. It is one of the cleanest beaches in India. Water rides like Parasailing, Motorbiking, Speed Boats, Camel Riding, and Horse Riding majorly happen on this beach. By the time it was 10am, we checked out of the room and started back journey towards Mumbai. The return route was Ganpatipule- Chiplun- Guhagar- Mangaon - Panvel. I must say it was one of the most fascinating road trips. we ended our trip with cherished memories.

Ganpatipule Beach located right behind Ganpatipule Temple

Ganpatipule Temple

Himalayan Bike ride of 900 km

What is the must-try food on your Malvan visit?

Malvani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the South Konkan region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian dishes.

prawns masala thali and veg malvani thali for royal tourists is the peculiarity of Malvani cuisine.

You can get fresh fish and prawns here in a reasonable amount.

Things to keep in mind before you go to Malvan

• Get an immediate bath once you get exposed to salty beach water.
• Do not do Scuba diving at Malvan or Dandi beach, you better head to Tarkarli or Devbaug beach.
• You must try deep scuba diving once in a lifetime.
• The washroom, Bathroom, and lockers are available at the beach on pay and use basis. Below are the mentioned charges.

        Washroom- 20 INR

        Bathroom with normal water- 30 INR

        Bathroom with hot water- 50 INR

        Lockers-50 INR