With rustic hamlets, sandy beaches, ancient temples and touristy little cities and towns close by, Ganpatipule is one of the most remarkable places you would want to visit on a holiday. Be it as a pilgrimage or an outing filled with adventure and fun with family or friends, Ganpatipule has all of it.

There are numerous beaches, water adventures to be had of various kinds, trekking trails that lead to ancient tumbledown forts and well maintained country roads that can be used to have a long drive to the towns not far away. Indulge in bird watching or participate in the festivals of the Syambhu Ganpati temple right at the beach.

We will tell you of some of the most attractive things you can do while on a trip to Ganpatipule.

Ganpatipule has a number of spectacular beaches lying not far away from the main town. The oft visited Ganpatipule beach, on which sits the Syambhu Ganpati Mandir against the backdrop of a densely forested hill, is a charmer. Aare Ware beach about 9 km from Ganpatipule is located near Nevare village and is a place to go if you are looking for some solitude. The quiet beach, distracted only by the sounds of the waves on the moss coated boulders is a must visit.

About 3.5 km from Ganpatipule bus station is the picturesque Bandarpule beach, which is one of the most charming locales of the Konkan coast. Fringed with Suru trees, the bluish green waters at Bandarpule are scenic.

Waters at Bandarpule are rough and have no water sport activities or swimming, but the beach at Ganpatipule has a wide array of water sporting facilities of offer. Try your hand at scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skiing, parasailing or kayaking.

There are rides on a banana boat or a quiet sail across the beautiful waters on motor boats or pedal boats if you would love just a serene trip through the waters. About 6 km from Ganpatipule is the charming beach of Malgund that has more water sports in store. The beaches have a number of beachside shacks where you could taste the local Malvani cuisine.

The Magic Garden near Prachim Konkan Museum is a fascinating place to spend an evening with kids. The cozy little garden has amusement sections with a horror house, 3D shows, amazing magic shows and a vortex tunnel as well. The Magic Garden is Ganpatipule's first theme park and its proximity to Prachin Konkan makes it ideal to drop in for a tour.

The Magic Garden makes for an ideal entertainment for children and grownups as well. There is a little well maintained garden with flower arrangements and a cafeteria where you could have a coffee with spicy vada pav, samosas or bhel. The Magic Garden has nominally priced tickets and is open from 8.30 am to 10.00 pm.

Malgund is a small rural town about 3 km from Ganpatipule that lies along the coastline. Go for a drive to Malgund which has one of the finest beaches of Konkan. Malgund is the home town of Kavi Keshavsut, a renowned Marathi poet. The ancestral home of Kavi Keshavsut has been converted into a memorial by the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad.

There are a number of small places of worship in Malgund, like the Rameshwar temple and Nivendi Bhairi Bhagwathi temple. You could also visit Patil’s Fish World Aquarium which has a variety of aquatic creatures that children would find interesting.

A city with unsullied antiquity, be its ruined seaside forts or temples and its most beautiful beaches, Ratnagiri is a town that is tempting to drive to from Ganpatipule. The white sands of Pander beach and the blue waters of Bhatye’s beaches, the most oft visited Mandvi beach that gives a spectacular view of Ratnadurg Fort are some of the touristy things in Ratnagiri.

You could visit the ancestral home of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the mango farms where grow luscious Alphonso mangoes, the Kanakaditya temple for Surya the Sun God, Patit Pawan Mandir and the Ratnagiri Marine Museum where you’d find a variety of fishes including sea horses and sea snakes.

Check out the hot water springs at Rajwadi, enroute Sangameshwar to Chiplun on the Mumbai – Goa Highway. Manmade kunds like bathing rooms, have been built at the thermal springs for people to have a dunk in. The hot springs at Tural at the banks of Shastri River has a quaint little Shiva temple close by which you might like to visit after a soak. The hot springs are not oft visited and in early mornings you could find yourself a hot spring to soak up in solitude.

There are more hot water springs at Aravalli village near Ratnagiri and another one at Unhavare in Dapoli Taluk. The landscape is rather charming, with a vapory steam rising from the hot springs and is one for a photo shoot. The locals consider the hot springs a cure for skin diseases and rheumatism.

Radhanagari which is a World Heritage Site, is a forested region that connects the south and north Western Ghats. The ecosensitive zone has a rich and varied wildlife including sloth bears, sambar, leopards and a wide variety of birds and flora.

The region has a rich repository of various land forms including grasslands and laterite plateaus with densely forested areas and marshes as well. Situated close to the Radhanagari dam, the Wildlife Sanctuary would be an interesting place to visit. The Sanctuary is in Kolhapur, about 170 km from Ganpatipule.

If you are in for a long drive along the roads of Ganpatipule to the coastal regions in the neighborhood, you are bound to find a few of the most beautiful waterfalls, that are as common as the Konkan regions’ beaches and hot water springs.

Nested among the dense backdrop of hills are the Sawatsada Waterfalls that is visible from the Mumbai – Goa Highway, about 5 km from Chiplun. The waterfalls are at their best during the monsoons and get a number of tourists during weekends.

Ganpatipule’s beaches and the forested regions of Ratnagiri and Chiplun offer some of the most interesting places for avid bird watchers. Come monsoon and winter, and you would find a plethora of endemic and migratory birds in the Konkan region.

Right from the Oriental dwarf kingfishers and Black hooded orioles to Indian pitta and white bellied drongos, there are birds aplenty in and around Ganpatipule. Most of the resorts arrange for bird watching camps and excursions if you are planning a bird watching trip to the beach town.

Swami Swarupananda, warmly called Rambhau or appa was a saint who had, after taking an active part in the Indian struggle for Independence, travelled through a path of spiritual progress under the tutelage of his Guru Sadguru Babamaharaj.

Swami Swarupananda later settled down at Pawas where he attained sammadhi in 1974. The ashram is a very serene, tranquil place and is a must visit. After the aarti at noon, followers and tourists are served a mahaprasad of hot kichdi. The Samadshi Mandir is at Pawas, about 40 km from Ganpatipule.