Introduction
Ratnagiri, a town that moves at its own pace, is situated about 330 km from Mumbai along the western coast in the Konkan region of the state of Maharashtra. Konkan is a narrow coastal belt which covers about 720km from north to south and is approximately 50km wide. The strip is sandwiched between the Arabian Sea in the west and the Sayhadri or the Western Ghats range to the east. Ratnagiri, lying in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, has great importance and is famous for Alphanso mangoes, cashew nuts, fisheries, rice and mineral bauxite. People from all over the country visit the place to capture the appealing charm of the place.


Reaching There
» By Air : Ratnagiri airport connects the city to various important cities of the country.

» By Rail : Ratnagiri railway station connects the city to various cities of the country.

» By Road : A well developed roads connect the city to other parts of the country. The distance between Ratnagiri and the nearby cities is as follows Mumbai ( 375 kms), Pune ( 331 kms).


Sightseeing in Ratnagiri
» The Beaches : The beaches in and around Ratnagiri are both beautiful and preserved in their pristine form. The Ratnagiri beach is unique, as a mountain penetrates the sea, and the colour of sand on two sides is totally different where one beach is made of White sand whereas the other beach has complete Black sand. All along the coastline of Konkan there are innumerous virgin beaches, of Chiplun, Dapoli and Guhagar.

» Ganapatipule : Ganapatipule is an ancient pilgrim centre located in Ratnagiri district about 25-km from Ratnagiri. Ganapatipule is still in its nascent stage whose immense beauty is enhanced enormously by six km of virgin beach on the alluring Konkan coastline. Ganapatipule is one of the Ashta Ganapatis (eight Ganapatis) of India and called the Paschim Dwar-Dewata which means the Western Sentinel God. The temple is nearly 400 years old and the idol is believed to be Swayambhu; a naturally or self formed idol.

» Murud Janjira : The Murud-Janjira beach near Alibaug, another sea town is located close to Mumbai. There are semi-ruined fort of Janjira, which is a perfect backdrop for photographs. Murud houses a three-century-old fort, a great piece of architecture and is a quiet palm fringed beach.


Other attractions
Savantwadi, one of the most popular towns of Sindhudurg district, is graciously decorated with lush green forests and hills from the three sides. It has got various waterfalls and is also adorned with beautiful sea to its west and is famous its wooden articles and mangoes.

Sindhudurg Fort, an island fort was constructed by Shivaji in 1664 AD on a low rocky 48-acre island off the Malvan coast. Speaking about the glory of the Maratha Empire, it is perched in the southern part of Konkan, nearly 150 km from Ratnagiri. The fort is said to have the hand and foot prints of the legendary Shivaji. There is a 300 year old small temple dedicated to him and was built by his son.


Shopping in Ratnagiri
The Konkan region to which Ratnagiri belongs to is blessed with some of the finest horticultural fruits where one can buy a variety of local preparations- like `ambapoli' (thin pancakes of dried and crushed mangoes), `phanaspoli' (thin pancakes of dried and crushed jackfruit), cashewnuts, coconuts etc. During Summers, the most famous variety of mangoes in the world - the Devgad `hapus' mango is available here and moreover they are exported the world over.


Accommodation in Ratnagiri
Tourists must be rest assured as far as accommodation facilities are concerned as there is a large variety of of hotels available from budget to luxury category.
Some of the hotels in Ratnagiri are listed below:
» Hotel Gateway Riverview Lodge
» Ratnagiri