Tamhini Ghat to Mulshi Lake
Tamhini Ghat is one of the wettest stretches of the Western Ghats, and in the monsoon it earns that reputation in the first kilometre. The road from Pune takes roughly 45 minutes to reach the ghat entry near Paud, and from there the 25-kilometre descent to Mulshi Lake is continuous forest, cascading streams crossing the tarmac, and visibility that drops to fifty metres in the right cloud. The lake itself is a reservoir backed by the Tata Power dam, ringed by villages that see almost no tourist infrastructure. Carry your own food. The drive back via Pirangut adds variety to the loop. Total distance from Pune: around 80 kilometres. Best season: July through September, though the ghat road closes in extreme rain, check with locals before you leave.
