QUICK TOUR OF RATNAGIRI - SATARA (FROM MUMBAI)

At a distance of 4 km from Ratnagiri Bus Stand, Ratnadurg Fort is a historical fort situated on the shores of the Arabian Sea in Ratnagiri. It is one of the popular forts in Maharashtra, and among the top Ratnagiri places to visit.

The fort of Ratnadurg was constructed during the rule of Bahamani Sultans. It was captured by Adilshah and then Chhatrapati Shivaji conquered the fort in the year 1670 AD. Later, the fort was controlled by Kanhoji Angre, and later handed over to Peshwas. The British captured the fort from the Peshwas in the year 1818 AD. It is among the must-visit places during your Ratnagiri trip.

Spread over a vast area of 120 acres, Ratnadurg Fort was once a stronghold of the Maratha Empire. The fort was used as a watchpoint for keeping vigil on the pirates. Ratnadurg Fort is .....

At a distance of 2.5 km from Ratnagiri Bus Stand, Marine Aquarium and Museum is located on Ratnagiri - Bhagwati Mandir Road next to Mandavi Beach in Ratnagiri Town.

The Marine Museum was established in 1985 by the Marine Biological Research Station of Ratnagiri. The Marine museum has some rare and beautiful specimens like Sea horse fish, Lion fish, Trigger fish, Sea turtles, Eels, Sea cucumbers, Star fish, Lobsters, sea snakes and many more. This museum also possess well mounted precious and age-old skeleton of Whale. The original length of the whale being 55 feet long and 5000 Kg in weight is strongly appreciated by everyone who visits this station.

Taking into consideration the growing demand of general public about aquarium, a beautifully arranged and well decorated separate freshwater aquarium section has been recently developed. In this section, along with beautiful and fancy colour fishes, one can also observe locally available freshwater aquatic species like prawns, .....

At a distance of 2 km from Ratnagiri Bus Stand, Mandavi Beach is located in the vicinity of Ratnagiri Town of Maharashtra. This is one of the most crowded beaches in Ratnagiri region.

Mandavi Beach is blessed with beautiful seashore, which extends right up to Rajiwanda Port. This fabulous beach is surrounded by Ratnadurg Fort in the west and the majestic Arabian Sea to the south. The beach is known for its black sand and hence, the beach is often referred to as Black Sea. This beach is also known as Gateway to Ratnagiri, owing to the presence of the bastion situated at the head of the bay.

Mandavi Beach is one of the busiest beaches in Maharashtra, as it is popular among water sports enthusiasts. Mandavi Beach although appears a little unattractive because of the black sand, compared to other beaches, yet it is the most sought after picnic spot in Ratnagiri.

Mandavi also has the Ratnagiri Jetty along with Gateway of Ratnagiri, which is a place for evening hang out. .....

At a distance of 2 km from Ratnagiri Bus Stand, Thibaw Palace is a historical building situated on a small hillock in Ratnagiri Town of Maharashtra. This is one of the major tourist attractions of Ratnagiri.

Thiba Palace is an architectural grandeur that was created for King Thibaw of Myanmar (Burma) who was in exile here. It is said that the Palace was built by the British in 1910 to keep the king of Burma under house arrest. The palace came into use from 1910 up to the king's death on 16th December 1916.

The palace is a beautifully constructed three storied structure with sloping roofs. Semi-circular wooden windows with beautiful carvings are the main attraction of this structure. There is a dancing hall with marble floor on the first floor. One Buddha idol is installed at the back side of the palace. This idol was brought to India by king Thibaw. Presently the palace is maintained by ASI and it is currently under renovation. There is also a museum in the palace which displays .....

At a distance of 3 km from Satara Bus Station, Natraj Mandir, also known as Uttara Chidambaram Temple, is a popular temple located off NH4, connecting Satara and Solapur. It is one of the places to visit in Satara.

The Natraj Mandir is dedicated to Lord Natraj, a manifestation of Lord Shiva performing the Tandava dance. The foundation for the temple was laid in 1981. Samanna, a resident of Satara gifted the land for building the temple. The funding was given by the state governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu while the timber needed for the entire construction of the temple was given by the government of Kerala. It is one of the popular temples to visit as part of Satara tour packages.

It is a replica of Sri Natraj Temple at Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, in a much smaller size, and is a desire of Sri Chandra Shekharendra .....

At a distance of 4 km from Satara Bus Stand, 58 km from Mahabaleshwar, and 52 km from Panchgani, Ajinkyatara is an ancient hill fort situated on one of the seven mountains surrounding the city of Satara in the Sahyadri Mountains of Maharashtra. It is one of the major heritage places in Maharashtra, and among the must include places in Satara tour packages.

Situated atop Ajinkyatara Mountain, at an altitude of 3,300 feet, Ajinkyatara Fort offers a panoramic view of Satara City. Among the top places to visit in Satara, Ajinkyatara Fort was built by Raja Bhoj of the Shilhara dynasty. In 1673 CE, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took control of this fort from Adil Sha and further Aurangajeb controlled this fort between 1700 CE and 1706 CE. In 1708 CE, Shahu Maharaj won Ajinkyatara, remained with the Marathas till .....

At a distance of 24 km from Satara, 37 km from Mahabaleshwar, and 50 km from Panchgani, the Kaas Plateau, also known as the Kas Pathar, is a vast volcanic lateritic plateau situated in the Satara district of Maharashtra. It falls under the Sahyadri Sub Cluster and is among the top Satara tourist places.

Popularly known as the Plateau of Flowers, Kaas Plateau is one of the famous tourist attractions in Maharashtra and also a popular picnic spot among nature lovers during late monsoons. The plateau is situated at an altitude of 1200 m and is approximately 1,000 hectares in area. The name 'Kaas' originates from the Kaasa tree. It is one of the most visited tourist places as part of Satara packages.

Kaas Plateau was formed by volcanic activities and is covered by a thin soil cover as a result of which, .....

At a distance of 6 km from Kas Pathar, 28 km from Satara, 41 km from Mahabaleshwar, 53 km from Panchgani, 144 km from Pune & 299 km from Mumbai, Vajrai Falls is a picturesque waterfall located near Kas Flower Valley in Satara district of Maharashtra. This is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Maharashtra, and also one of the top monsoon tourist places near Pune.

Vajrai Falls is a three-tier waterfall cascading down from a height of around 853 feet (260 m). This is a perennial waterfall but is very spectacular during monsoons. People from different parts of Maharashtra flock to this fall during the monsoons as part of Satara tour packages to watch the beautiful flow of the stream. Urmodi River is believed to start from the Vajrai Waterfalls. There are many small caves near Vajrai Falls which can be visited along .....