Trip to a Unique destination in Maharashtra - Chikhaldara

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Want to explore a less crowded place? yet
Need to enjoy lush green scenery? and
Wanting to enjoy a short leisure trip? then

you are reading the right blog. Generally places like Goa, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Daman & Diu, Saputara, Alibaug, Malshej, Lonavla, Khandala etc strikes the thoughts of people staying in Maharashtra. But today I am elaborating a new, and not so explored destination which is a hill station located in Amravati district of Maharashtra (India) called ”CHIKHALDARA”. Full of Valleys, Greenery and pure Air is the best description of this hill station. This hill station is covered by bushy mountains and has a forest enriched with sound volume of wild animals. This forest - Melghat is declared as a Tiger reserve by the state in 1974-75. Teak wood and sandalwood trees are also seen in these forests. Being Chill, strawberry farming is done here and is the only place in Maharashtra where coffee plantation is done.

HOW TO REACH CHIKHALDARA?

  • By Train – Below are the nearest railway stations to reach our destination.
From Location
To Location
Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur
Badnera Junction
Mumbai, Thane, Nashik
Amravati as well as  Badnera Junction
Nagpur or beyond Maharashtra
Badnera Junction
  • By Road – Paratwada or Powerhouse, Amravati are the nearest locations where sleeper buses arrive from different places and also board to different destinations. You can also drive in your car to reach this spot using google maps.
  • By Air – The nearest Airport to reach this location is at Akola (150 kms) followed by Nagpur (250 kms). You can hire a taxi from Airport to reach here.
WHERE TO STAY IN CHIKHALDARA?

 Here I would be elaborating on 2 resorts which I explored in Chikhaldara.

1. Harshavardhan Inn, MTDC resort, Mozari point
Harshavardhan Inn is the name of the MTDC resort in Chikhaldara. On our way from Amravati to Chikhaldara, many boards with varied names such as Holiday resort MTDC resort were seen, but do not get confused. This is the only MTDC resort in Chikhaldara.





Image aside is the main building of the resort. Location of this resort is the key factor for booking a stay here. It is located exactly at the Mozari point. It has ample parking space.


 
This resort have 6 small villas with 12 Deluxe AC suites (each villa has 2 rooms) and 2 VIP Suites.The Deluxe suites have 1 entry room, 1 spacious bedroom and a curved balcony.



When you gaze out of the balcony a stunning view of huge valley pleases your eyes. Just Imagine, how awful it would be, if you enjoy this breath-taking view from the gallery of your room every morning you wake up. this view is worth the money paid off for your stay. A magnificent photograph from our balcony at Harshavardhan Inn, MTDC resort is pasted beside. 



Apart from the location, this property is very huge, it has a well-organized game zone. The area was beautifully horticulture. It has well maintained play garden for kids and has a proper restaurant which serves food that would satisfy your taste buds. A few snapshots of these are also put up for more clarity. I treasured my two days stay in this property due to its wonderful ambiance, spacious rooms, food quality and eye-catching view.

They also have facility to organize events. Have a stage area and a semi-circular place for sitting arrangements. As per my opinion this is an ideal location for office trips, school and college camps, family get together and destination weddings. I duly recommend a stay in this resort, if, at all, you are planning your trip to Chikhaldara.

    

2. Harshavardhan Hotel

     
      Harshavardhan is a totally different resort than Harshavardhan Inn. This is a privately owned and operated resort, located exactly in the core of the town This resort has a very attractive presence. At the entrance you are pleased with antique idols and uniquely designed items. Some mesmerizing clicks of these antique pieces are shown below. A few are also pasted at the end of this blog.


      The images below showcases the restaurant area of this resort. The restaurant is portrayed with beautiful carvings and paintings which is an appealing feature of this resort. They enlighten you with their variety of cuisines. They serve delicious Chinese stuff, tasty north Indian food and authentic south Indian dishes.On a scale of 10, I would grade them 10/10  for the food quality and taste. Wherever you stay in Chikhaldara, I would advise, to have a munch at this restaurant at least once and experience the place yourself. I would rate them a 5 Star in terms of hospitality and service. 
                                                                                       


         





   


                                      
      Ancient copper utensils displayed on the wall of the resort exhibits the prehistoric times of India. This resort is the best example of the combination of ethnic and modern culture. There are twelve cosy rooms which makes your journey comfortable and relaxed. I loved my one day visit to this resort and would surely recommend anyone to blindly move ahead with them if you ever land into Chikhaldara.
WHAT TO SEE IN CHIKHALDARA? TOP 10 SPOTS FOR SIGHTSEEING
When we visit a location, we are eager to explore the area and want to cover up as much as possible. So here are the key points that one should watch during their sightseeing in Chikhaldara.

Grassland of the Melghat tiger reserve in winter. It has the same color as that of the skin of a tiger.
  1. Melghat Tiger reserve – Melghat tiger reserve is considered to have 72 tigers. This Jungle is on a hill station and is covered with dense forest and mountains from all sides. This jungle provides safaris from two points one is Vairat jungle safari and the other one is Semadoh jungle safari. Among these, Vairat Jungle Safari is a new one and was started in February 2017. This gate is within Chikhaldara, whereas Semadoh gate is 25 to 30 kms far from Chikhaldara. Melghat has a huge area compared to other tiger reserves like Tadoba & Pench. Apart from tigers, other animals habituated in this jungle are Bears - as there are many fruit growing plants here, Deer - as it is filled with massive grassland, few Leopards, Peacocks, Eagles, Owls, Kites to name a few. The terrain here is not plain and hence it is difficult to spot an animal easily. The animals stay deep in the valleys and normally do not climb up without a reason.
    The best time to visit this reserve is during summers i.e. in the month of April and May. During summers the water in the forest dries out but the forest department have made artificial water ponds and so these animals come out of the dense forest in search of water and can be spotted near or around the water ponds. When I went to the safari I took the Vairat Safari, but was not lucky enough to spot any tigers as it was winter time.But did saw the marks of PAWS of the tiger just after we saw a male reindeer. So if we would have reached the spot slightly early, then who knows, I would have been the luckiest one to sight a Tiger.
                                    
  2. Bhimkund waterfall – Huge long spread mountains with a deep valley and water slashing down the highlands is the scene flashing in front of the eyes. But waterfall is seen only during rainy season i.e. in the month of June to September.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
  3. Mozari point
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      At the top of the mountain and a view of an astonishing sunset, what else is required to make your evening memorable and delightful. Since I was staying at mozari point, this view was simply relishing and I would advise not to miss this as it’s the most lovely scenic beauty driving you close to nature.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
  4. Hariken point -
    There are sitting arrangements done here so that you can spend some leisure time with your loved ones, family, closed ones and enjoy the amazing sight of the valley.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
  5. Thakur point – From this point you can have a drone view of the jungle. If you carry binoculars you could be able to sight a few animals in the forest from this location. When I went to this point we heard monkey calls – monkeys intimate their members of the danger i.e. when a wild dog or tiger or leopard is sighted by them. If I would have had binoculars, I would have been treasured with some wild animals.                                                                 
  6. Devi point -
    The goddess is called Amba Devi of Chikhaldara. The idol is placed in a small cave and the exclusivity of this temple is, round the year, water is dipping inside the cave whether its summer/ winter/ rains. This place is a must visit if you are at Chikhaldara.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
  7. Boating - 
    Exactly opposite to the Devi point you have a small pond where they offer pedal boating and it could be fun if one loves boat ride.      
                                                                                                                 
  8. Gavilgad Fort
    Located in Satpura range at about 1103 mts above sea level Gavilgad fort was built by the Bahamanis in the year 1425-26. It passed through many hands after the Bahamani kingdom split up. Starting with Imadshahi (in 1488), Nizamshahi (in 1574), Mughals (in 1600) and Marathas (in 1744) before finally falling into the     hands of East India Company in 1803. This fort served as the capital for some, because of the fact that it is located in such way where it is in the possible to control the entire Melghat region.

    Gavilgad fort

  9. Plantations – You can have a visit to a Strawberry garden and a Coffee plantation and also buy some for yourself. They also offer you their coffee and I must say it is worth drinking it. It refreshes you for sure.
  10. Animal rides – You have Elephant safari, Horse ride in this location, but I personally didn’t visit them. As there are many other locations in India where these rides would be a pleasure. {Elephant safari in Kerala and Horse ride in Mahabaleshwar}.
So far you would have understood how to reach, where to stay and what to see in Chikhaldara through my blog. As written earlier this is a not so crowded place and you can find mental peace here and will certainly get refreshed after your visit. I surely recommend this place to all the artist viz. painters, writers, poets, authors, as they could find the right mood in this nature friendly location. I am immensely happy to share my thoughts of my visit to Chikhaldara and hope you would give a thought to it as well. Few more snapshots of this location which are worth sharing are pasted below.
   
antique idol

MTDC resort from Mozari point
Sun during our morning safari
view from our balcony



antique idol
Villa in MTDC









Location: Chikhaldara, Maharashtra 444807, India
About Me ???? Ammmmmm!!!, I barely got a chance to write about myself and that's why I have to think a lot on who I am? This blog is going to help explore & understand myself completely. As and when I would realize, this column would get filled up gradually.

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