Pune to Tamhini–Mulshi–Kolad Ride

This is the route to pick when you want the ride itself to be the destination — the best adventure and monsoon route on this list, and the one where the road surface, not the scenery, sets the pace. Out of Pune, the run to Mulshi Dam is a gentle warm-up along the reservoir's edge, backwaters on one side and forested hills climbing away on the other. It's a popular ride on its own; here it's just the opening act.

Past Mulshi, the road climbs into Tamhini Ghat, and this is where the route changes character entirely. Tamhini is one of the wettest stretches of the Sahyadris — during monsoon it's genuinely one of the most dramatic rides within reach of Pune, with waterfalls cutting across the road itself in places and cloud cover rolling through the valley below. It's also, for the same reasons, the most demanding stretch: the surface degrades in the wet, visibility drops fast, and the tight, unlit curves punish anyone riding faster than the conditions allow. This is not a beginner's monsoon ride.

Past the ghat, the road descends toward Kolad, and the character shifts again — from the exposed switchbacks of Tamhini to a river valley that's become one of Maharashtra's main whitewater rafting hubs on the Kundalika river. If you're stopping for the day rather than turning around, Kolad's rafting operators run trips through most of the year (dam-release-dependent, so it's worth checking ahead rather than assuming a slot). Riders with an extra hour can push on toward Bhira and the Devkund waterfall trailhead, a short trek in from the road to one of the more secluded waterfalls in the region — worth it outside peak monsoon when the approach isn't a mudslide.

Fuel and food are sparser here than on the other routes on this list — Mulshi has limited options, and there's a real gap through the ghat itself, so top up in Pune or at the last town before the climb. Mechanically, this route is harder on a bike than most: expect patchy, sometimes gravelly surfaces in the ghat, occasional standing water, and enough elevation change that engine and brake temperature matter more than usual. Riders who treat this as a scenic cruise rather than a route that demands full attention are the ones who end up walking a bike out of Tamhini.

Outside monsoon, the ghat is far more forgiving — the waterfalls dry up but the road becomes a genuinely enjoyable set of curves through dense forest, without the standing-water risk. If you want the dramatic version, come in July or August and ride it slow; if you want the fun version, come in November and ride it with more confidence.