Maharaychond Forest
Shade, birdsong and spread-a-mat ground in the village country south of Ahwa, on the Wasurna side of the district.
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- Best months
- Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb
- Time needed
- ~1.5 hr
- Entry
- Free
- Hours
- Open area
- Effort
- Easy
Local families spread mats under a stand of shade trees in the village country beyond Temburgartha, and make an unhurried afternoon of it. Maharaychond is the south-western pocket's picnic forest. There is no gate, no fee and no development, the forest itself is the amenity, and the etiquette is the village's: leave nothing, light nothing.
It slots into the pocket's easy circuit, the Wasurna valley vista is three kilometres away, the Temburgartha dam's sunset ridge six, and works best exactly as locals use it: the shaded lunch stop between the pocket's viewpoints and falls.
Highlights
- ◆Canopy shade and picnic ground in open village country
- ◆Three kilometres from the Wasurna valley vista
- ◆The natural lunch stop of the south-western circuit
Traveller tips
- →Make it the lunch stop between the Wasurna vista and the dam's sunset ridge
- →Weekdays have the shade to yourself; local families claim Sundays
Safety
- ⚠No fires: this is standing forest
- ⚠Carry out all waste; there is no collection of any kind
Where it is
Approximate pin. The circle is the margin · 20.6771, 73.6819
Directions to Maharaychond ↗Getting there
Road · The Wasurna-side village roads south from Ahwa
Rail · Waghai (heritage narrow gauge); Bilimora Jn for broad gauge
Air · Surat (~145 km)
Last stretch · Level walk from the roadside into the trees
Practical detail
- The road
- Rural tar
- Parking
- Informal roadside
- Season
- Green and cool through monsoon and winter; leafless and hot by late spring.
- Visiting
- Open forest. Carry everything in and everything out; no fires.
- Photography
- Canopy light-shafts on clear mornings; birdlife is the quiet draw.
- Food
- None. Carry the picnic from Ahwa
- Toilets
- none
- Guides
- Not needed
Where to sleep
Devinamal Eco Campsite, Ahwa
The Forest Department's own bed nearest to Ahwa, 7 km out on the Saputara road and 3 km off it, ringed by forest above the Khapri. Cheapest roofed night in interior Dang, and the closest thing to a base for the Ahwa-side waterfalls.
Forest Department portal lists cottage rooms from ₹800 and wooden rooms from ₹2000 a night; run by the local Eco Tourism Committee, so meals are arranged rather than ordered.
Ahwa & Waghai Basic Hotels (various)
Function over charm. These towns are the practical overnights for waterfall-circuit and Ramayana-trail days that outgrow a Saputara base.
Simple lodges and guesthouses in both towns; walk-in or phone booking. Ahwa's matter for interior-circuit overnights, Waghai's for early ghat starts. Named alternatives now have their own records: see Pravasi Gruh in Ahwa and the government circuit house below.
Don Village Homestays (informal)
The only way to catch Don's dawn without the pre-sunrise interior drive. Expect village hospitality, not hotel service: carry cash, water and flexibility.
Informal village arrangements, a few families host visitors and cook meals; nothing is listed online. Ask at the village or via Ahwa contacts, and confirm before building a plan around an overnight
Maa Shabari Farm House & Resort, Subir
The practical bed on the Subir side, which otherwise has none, it puts the Ramayana-trail sites and the Purna sanctuary gate within a short morning drive instead of an hour from Ahwa.
Phone booking; food and accommodation both. Numbers come from a traveller writeup rather than an official listing, so confirm before building a plan around it.
Data confidence: Researched · facts last verified 2026-08-10 · 2 field(s) awaiting verification