Mainpat, a hill station and a hidden gem of Chhattisgarh. Mainpat is a surreal beauty, and a paradise for nature lovers. At Mainpat you can explore dense forest, mountains and hilarious mysterious things which is hard to believe, but we lived it. Mainpat is known as Shimla of Chhattisgarh, because you can observe snow fall in winter season at Mainpat, the only place of Chhattisgarh to witness snow fall.
Mainpat is a place where gravity doesn’t work, a place where ground jumped along-with you, and water falls in backward direction. Isn’t it strange to listen to, but it’s true.
In this blog, will explore all mysterious places, natural beauty and the Tibetan culture which is rare in Chhattisgarh.
Let’s begin the journey……
Travel to Mainpat
In this blog we planned a budgeted trip, thus will provide a cheapest options and best way to explore Mainpat.
Let’s see the distance from nearest places to Mainpat:
- Distance from Ambikapur – 50km.
- Distance from Raigarh – 160 lm.
- Distance from Raipur – 370km
- Distance from Bilaspur – 249 km
Don’t worry to see the distance conveyance facility is good and at Ambikapur the facility of trains & airports is available. For your information, Ambikapur is nearest place to Mainpat. If you are planning to travel from Train, then Durg Ambikapur Express is good option to proceed with. The train fare of 3rd AC is only Rs. 1520/- per person. After reaching Ambikapur Railway Station, head towards Bus Stand. Taxis are readily available at railway station which charges 25/- to 40/- per person.
Once you reached Ambikapur Bus Stand, take rental bike or car. The Bike charges for one day is approximately Rs. 450/- for a day. We are planning for 2 Days and 1 Night Trip, thus we need Bike for 2 days and the charges are Rs. 750/- for 2 days with No Halting Charges. You can return the vehicle to the owner late night by 8:00 PM. The shop owner asked you to fill the form for security reasons. I would advise you to make a video of the bike before use, to avoid chaos. You need to fill the petrol with your own pocket. It’s a village, so helmet is not compulsory, but for safety reasons, better to buy one.
If you want to travel through flight the options are available, reach at Maa Mahamaya Airport. The rental services of vehicles are available, as mentioned above.
Places to Explore in Mainpat
DAY 1
Tintini Pathar
At this place you will hear different voices comes from a Huge Stone. Isn’t it strange!!! Yes, It Is!!! There was an old man who was well versed in playing music from this big stone. The first voice we heard through this stone was Pot (Matka), then Temple Bells, School Bell, Steel Plates, and many more. We tried to play it and the experience was fabulous. The reason behind the voices from this huge heavy stone was due to Iron Ore, but we feel it’s magical, though it has a scientific reason.
From there we moved to other place of Mainpat and the view was amazing. The roads of Mainpat Valley are well maintained with lots and lots of turns which feels like you are actually in Shimla or in a valley. The view throughout the journey was splendid.
Ulta Pani
After crossing the dense forest and extremely beautiful viewpoint, the destination is here. You will be amazed to hear this, at this place, Gravitation doesn’t work, that’s the beauty of Ulta Pani. I am trying to show this with some images, and in the image, you can see that the driver walked out from the car, still the vehicle is going forward at peak. Usually at peaks places, if we loose starring the vehicle goes backwards, that’s called the gravitation. I hope with the below images you can understand my thoughts.
Now we are moving forward to other place which is in walking distance to this hilarious place. Here, you will astonish to see the water is moving backwards. A boat was made from paper and the boat starts moving backwards, that was hard to believe, but this is the magic of Chhattisgarh’s Mainpat.
The local snacks and the serving style show the village lifestyle. You can have chana chat masala, Pani Puri which is known as Gupchup in Chhattisgarh.
Jaljali Point
Mainpat’s another unbelievable tourist point, where ground jumped along-with you. Here, when you jump at ground, the ground jumps up and down. A group came over there, they make a big circle and starts jumping, the view was implausible.
You won’t believe it, if you go from bike the entry and parking charges for two person is just Rs. 5/-/ and for Car it’s around Rs. 30/-.
You can take below rides also with or without help of the trainer.
- ATV Ride – Rs. 100/- per person
- Horse Riding – Rs. 50/- per person
Sunset Point
While on our way to Buddha Monastery, we reached Sunset Point which offers breathtaking view. The sky turned into Bhagwa color, the mountain filled with snow and the greenery of the valley is amazing.
Buddha Monastery
You must have heard that Tibetan’s are based in hilly areas of North India, especially Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. You will be amazed to hear that in Mainpat you can find Tibetan people and culture.
The location is very peaceful, a place to introspect yourself and various monasteries to pray. At this place you will observe various colourful prayer flag.
DAY 1
Machli Point
The first tourist point of Day 2 is Machli Point. The place spread in vast area and after parking of vehicle, the first beauty you will see is a big stone, basically found in river areas and waterfall, where you can take a bath.
The water is crystal clear and moving forward you will witness small colourful fishes. At a height of around 90 feet with barricades to avoid any mishap, where you can click photographs.
Mehta Point
The next point is Mehta Point surrounded by surreal beauty, where you can do camping and bonfire. The place is spread across 2kms. and view throughout the journey is amazing. After reaching Mehta Point, register yourself by jotting down your details in the register.
The view is not different from the beauty which was enroute to this place. A chaupal has been made to sit there which is surrounded by mountains.
Tiger Point
Another popular place of Mainpat situated in dense forest and waterfall is Tiger Point. You can hear the voice of waterfall from the parking lot, now imagine the height of waterfall.
At the parking lot, you can go for ATV Ride, cost Rs. 100/- per person. The best part is you can drove for 1km and in the middle of jungle too. Restaurants are there which serves delicious and authentic local food.
There is a selfie point which usually occupied to click photographs as the view is next level. But be careful while clicking selfies, though there is a boundary with iron road which is painted with the images of animals.
The beauty is when you go downstairs, the stairs are in snake shape in the middle of the dense forest. You will reach at the pond where the water falls down from the height of 90 feet and make a crystal-clear pond. Here the fishes are in large size, and you can bathe.
Hotels in Mainpat
The options of hotels are not much, but hotels are very well maintained with amenities.
- Hotel Centre Point: The room was spacious and available in different sizes, with the increase in size, the amenities are getting better. The cost of rooms starts from Rs. 2000/- to Rs. 5000/-. For extra bedding, you need to pay extra charge of Rs. 300/-.
- Hotel Anmol Resort & Spa: The room was spacious with good amenities, and this hotel is reasonable too. If you are with friends, then a room with a price of Rs. 300/- per bed/per person is good. The private AC Room charged Rs. 2500/- and non-AC Room charge is Rs. 1500/-. They have a facility to accommodate driver at dormitory. In winters, you don’t need AC Room, so go for non-AC Rooms. They have their own restaurant which serves home like food.
Best Season to Explore Mainpat
Mainpat, Shimla of Chhattisgarh is famous for winter like Shimla, and the snowfall. With this statement, it’s clear that summer is not a good choice for travelling. The Best Season to explore Mainpat is from August to January, so plan accordingly.
Final Thought
In this blog post, I have explained the hidden gem of Chhattisgarh, Mainpat. The beauty of Mainpat and the unbelievable places which exists in Shimla of Chhattisgarh, Mainpat. I have explained a Budgeted Trip which cost not more than 4000/- per person, if you go with the itinerary I shared. If you plan a flight ticket, then the cost will increase. This time explore this small village in winters and share your experience.
Pack your bag and explore an unexplored place with Hema…
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