After our beach stay at Harihareshwar, (Read my experience in Harihareshwar.) the unknown serpentine road took turns through various places. Again some through the locality while others through the hills and then the highways. We were heading towards Guhagar. So geographically we were travelling from the district of Raigad to Ratnagiri.

Chiplun is the nearest city that connects Guhagar to the other part. We too followed the route through Chiplun. The long drive was sometimes fun but at times tiring. The scorching sun was more bothering even through the closed window panes.

The roads frequented by eateries most of which claims to offer “Gharguti Zewan” (Homemade food in Marathi). “Gavran Komdi” (Country Chicken) was also a common item written on the front board. They all offer Konkani cuisine. It was already lunch time. Though we did not stop before we reached Guhagar.

An afternoon is not a good time to visit any beach. Unfortunately, we did. It was just a stopover on our way to Ganpatipule. The long stretch of beach was almost empty. The beachside shacks too were mostly closed. No place to have lunch. So what? There were coconuts. Drinking the sweet water and later scraping the soft meat of these large coconuts were filling enough.

The stall selling coconut provided us with food as well as shade from the sun to sit and watch the sea. The long stretch of golden beach was reflecting the sun rays. It was difficult to capture some good shots of this beautiful beach.

The beach is lined by Shuru trees enhancing the beauty. We were taking a leisurely walk under the shades of the trees when I watched an Eagle flying through the lofty branches to reach its nest. I couldn’t locate the nest. Skyward facing me grabbed the attention of the coconut seller. He asked me to take a look on the other side where there were a few Kingfishers and Little Green Bee Eater.

Guhagar is located between the river Vashishti and the Jaigad creek. The Anjanvel fort or the Gopalgad Fort along with the lighthouse is another attraction here. Located at a distance of approximately 11- 15 km.

Although the fortification of the fort remains intact but there is very little left of it. Climbing the lighthouse claims to have a magnificent view of the sea and the creek. Besides the lighthouse, the temple of Tolekeshwar is situated on a hillock with the backdrop of the sea. Few more temples of historic importance are also located around this place.

This Anjanvel village is situated on the south bank of the river Vashishti. The Enron Gas and Power plant is also located here. On the other side of the river is the Dabhol. It can be reached by ferry which also carries vehicles.

We had to reach our next destination by evening and it was a long way to go. So we left these spots to be explored on our next trip. Then moving on through the hills we reached Velneshwar. A beautiful temple managed by a trust comprising of local fishermen. Although Lord Shiva is the presiding deity of the temple there are many other deities within the temple. Then moving on towards Hedavi through road even narrower we reached the Dashabhuja Ganesh Temple. Again we gave this temple a miss. And also the magnificent natural gorge at Hedavi beach. During high tides, water gushes into it forming a cascade.

We hurried to get our vehicle onto the Tavsal ferry. Else we had to wait an hour long for the next ferry. The vessel was waiting and we boarded soon to avoid the rush. But to our surprise, there were few vehicles headed for the other side.

Gliding through the calm backwaters in the late afternoon was a pleasant experience. Soon we reached the other side. The Jindal power plant of Jaigad was visible. Few trawlers were waiting by the jetty. Supposedly to venture to the sea by the night.

Road signs showed that the Jaigad fort and lighthouse was at a distance of 3 km after taking a turn from the divergence. I have a strange thing for a lighthouse. I always tend to get attracted on hearing about a lighthouse. We stopped to give a thought but controlled my temptation. I shoved it in my bucket list for next visit and we move on to reach Ganpatipule before sunset.

Read My Experience in Ganapatipule, my next destination.
Ratnagiri at a glance, with travel information.