Amba Ghat: A Mountain Pass

Amba Ghat is a mountain pass on Ratnagiri-Kolhapur road in Maharashtra, India, at a height of 2000 ft above sea-level, This ghat lies in the Sahyadri mountain ranges and has picturesque mountain-scapes and a pleasant climate. This is surrounded by rainforests and Bison Wildlife Sanctuary. It is excellent for a nature centric getaway and bird watchers (Winters). Jeep Safaris in reserve forest around Amba Ghat is possible. Amba Ghat is a popular ex-Pune (260 kms) getaway.

Amba ghat is blessed with a rich variety of flora and fauna and being amidst of the Dajipur Bison sanctuary, it is a bird watcher’s paradise offering a wide variety of wildlife. Similarly, there is a large variety of plants and trees and one will find the rare Tamhan flower tree here, which has been declared the state flower of Maharashtra. To add to the tourist’s delight they will get great pleasure in plucking and eating fruits like Java plums (jamun/jambhul) or Rose-apples which are found here in abundance.

Things to do at Amba Ghat

Treks and walks in jungles, bird watching, day & night jungle safaris, horse riding, wildlife photography, paragliding.

Best time to visit

Amba has pleasant weather, which makes it more enjoyable for the tourist to visit all round the year.In summer’s (April – May) the temperature during the day is 24 to 28 degree Celsius, while at night it falls to 16 to 18 degree Celsius.

Getting there : Amba is about 65 km from Kolhapur on the Kolhapur – Ratnagiri highway and from Ratnagiri it is about 60 km.
Getting around : Resorts and hotels provide car services for sightseeing,Jungle safaris are organized by the resorts on their own vehicles.

Where to stay

A few comfortable resorts & home stays are available in Amba village or Shahuwadi village, the best are mentioned below.

Where to eat

Since Amba ghat is an new upcoming holiday hill station in Maharashtra, and tourist traffic is less so you will not find many eateries or restaurants around.But the resorts and hotels in Amba ghat serve excellent food both veg & non – veg, Kolhapuri cuisines and other mouth – watering dishes.

How To Reach

• By road: Amba Ghat is located in the Kolhapur district at a distance of 386 km from Mumbai. It falls on the well-traversed Ratnagiri-Kolhapur route and is easy to reach by road. The drive from Mumbai will take around 7 hours and you will pass through some very scenic places on the way. Here’s the route:
• By train: The nearest railhead from Amba Ghat is Sangameshwar which is around 50 km away. You can take a train from Mumbai, Pune or any other railway station on the route to get to Sangameshwar and then take a bus or private vehicle to reach Amba Ghat.
• By flight: The nearest international airport to reach Amba Ghat is Pune airport which is at a distance of 260 km and takes around 5 hours 15 minutes to cover by road. The nearest domestic airport is Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak Ratnagiri airport which is located at a distance of 75 km and takes around 1 hour and 45 minutes to cover by road.