Friendship Day at Ganesh Fall: A Road Trip from Surat to the Green Heart of Dharampur
By Dr. Nitin Kanani | Move Without Map
“Some journeys are not planned for the destination. They are planned for the people you travel with.”
This Friendship Day, five doctor friends decided to take a break from our busy schedules and escape into nature.
Nitin, Manoj, Kashyap, Bharat and Mahesh — five doctors, one car, lots of music, endless conversations, good food and a beautiful destination: Ganesh Fall near Makadbandh, Dharampur.
It was not just a waterfall trip.
It was a day of friendship, food, driving, photography, laughter and spending almost an entire day away from the routine of city life.
🌅 7:00 AM – Leaving Surat
Our journey started early in the morning.
At around 7:00 AM, we left Surat with one simple plan — drive towards Dharampur, explore Ganesh Fall and enjoy Friendship Day together.
The morning energy was different.
Everyone was excited, and the car quickly turned into a small moving party. We connected our phones, played a long-drive music mashup, and started enjoying the road.
But before heading too far, there was one important thing to take care of.
Breakfast!
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🍽️ Breakfast at Adarsh Khaman – VIP Circle, Utran
Our first food stop was at the famous Adarsh Khaman around VIP Circle, Utran.
And honestly, this was the perfect beginning to the trip.
We ordered some of the local favourites:
Delicious khaman
Soft idada
Crispy petis
The food was delicious, but the real highlight was sitting together, laughing and discussing the plan for the day.
With our stomachs happy and our mood even happier, we continued our journey.
🚗 Surat to Dharampur – The Road Trip Begins
From Surat, we moved towards the Canal Road and then connected to NH-8.
The city slowly disappeared behind us.
As we crossed Navsari, the weather started to feel perfect for a road trip.
The sky was clear, the sun was shining and the roads were open.
Inside the car, our playlist continued.
Sometimes we talked.
Sometimes we sang along with the music.
And sometimes we simply enjoyed watching the changing landscape outside the window.
That is one of my favourite things about road trips — there is no rush to reach the destination.
The road itself becomes part of the experience.
☕ A Short Break at Sai Tea Point
After crossing the toll area, we decided to take another small break at Sai Tea Point.
We weren't really hungry after breakfast, but the smell of roadside snacks was difficult to resist!
We ordered:
Kanda Bhajiya + Tea + Samosa
It was a simple roadside snack, but sitting together and enjoying hot tea and bhajiya made the break memorable.
We spent some quality time together before continuing towards Chikhli.
🌿 Chikhli to Dharampur – Where the Journey Gets Beautiful
The road from Chikhli towards Dharampur was one of the highlights of the journey.
The scenery gradually changed.
The urban landscape gave way to greenery, hills and beautiful winding roads.
And then came the stretch from Dharampur towards Makadbandh.
This was probably my favourite part of the drive.
The road was surrounded by greenery, and every turn seemed to offer another beautiful frame for the camera.
Of course, we couldn't resist stopping occasionally for photographs and videos.
📸 A beautiful road.
🌳 Green surroundings.
☀️ Sunshine filtering through the trees.
🚗 A group of friends enjoying the drive.
These are the moments that make a road trip worth remembering.
🛣️ Reaching the Base Village
Eventually, we reached the base village near Makadbandh.
The road development has changed the experience of reaching the waterfall. A proper road is being developed, which means vehicles can now travel further than before.
That has reduced the traditional trekking portion of the route.
We parked the vehicle and prepared ourselves for the final walk towards Ganesh Fall.
Before starting the trek, there was one more important thing to do.
Change into clothes suitable for getting into the waterfall!
Because we knew that we weren't going all the way there just to look at the water.
We wanted to experience it.
💦 The Trek to Ganesh Fall
With our clothes changed and cameras ready, we started walking towards Ganesh Fall.
The surroundings became increasingly green as we moved deeper into nature.
The sound of water gradually became louder.
And then, finally, we reached the waterfall.
Ganesh Fall!
The feeling of reaching a waterfall after a road journey is always special.
The cool water, greenery, rocks and peaceful surroundings created the perfect atmosphere to forget about work for a few hours.
And that's exactly what we did.
💦 Three Hours of Fun, Water & Friendship
We spent almost three hours around the waterfall.
There was no hurry.
No phone calls.
No clinic.
No work discussions.
Just five friends enjoying the moment.
We got into the water, laughed, clicked photographs, made videos and enjoyed the natural surroundings.
Some moments were funny.
Some were peaceful.
And some were simply the kind of moments you know you'll remember for years.
Being doctors, our daily lives are usually filled with patients, responsibilities, schedules and deadlines.
So getting three uninterrupted hours with old friends in nature felt like a real luxury.
Sometimes the best medicine is simply good friends, fresh air and a waterfall.
📸 Memories That Stay Forever
One of the best parts of travelling with friends is photography.
Every beautiful road becomes a photo opportunity.
Every funny moment becomes a video.
Every scenic viewpoint becomes a memory.
And this trip gave us plenty of both.
From the food stops in Surat to the winding roads of Dharampur, from the greenery of Makadbandh to the waterfall itself — we captured the journey as much as the destination.
Because when we look back at these photographs years later, we won't just see pictures.
We will remember the conversations, jokes, music, food and laughter behind them.
🍛 Lunch at Shilavik Multicuisine Restaurant, Dharampur
After spending almost three hours at the waterfall, we started our return journey.
By then, one thing was very clear.
We were hungry!
So once we reached Dharampur, we stopped for lunch at Shilavik Multicuisine Restaurant.
And what a satisfying lunch it was.
After a morning full of driving, walking, swimming and exploring, the food tasted even better.
We enjoyed a delicious meal together and continued our conversations from the road.
The combination of good food and good company once again proved that a great road trip needs both!
❤️ Friendship Day Well Spent
By the time we finished lunch, we had already experienced everything we wanted from the trip.
A beautiful morning drive.
Gujarati breakfast.
Roadside tea and bhajiya.
Long-drive music.
Green roads.
Photography.
A waterfall.
Three hours of fun.
A delicious lunch.
And, most importantly, quality time with friends.
For me, this was the real meaning of Friendship Day.
Not an expensive celebration.
Not a big party.
Just a group of friends deciding to take a day off from their busy lives and create memories together.
🌿 Ganesh Fall – More Than Just a Destination
Ganesh Fall near Makadbandh, Dharampur, is not just about reaching a waterfall.
The journey towards it is equally enjoyable.
The drive from Surat, the changing landscape, the greenery around Dharampur, the winding roads, the village surroundings and finally the waterfall — every part adds something to the experience.
And when you travel with the right people, even a simple road becomes a beautiful memory.
🚗 Our Friendship Day Route
Surat → VIP Circle, Utran → Adarsh Khaman → Canal Road → NH-8 → Navsari → Sai Tea Point → Chikhli → Dharampur → Makadbandh → Ganesh Fall → Dharampur → Lunch at Shilavik Multicuisine Restaurant → Surat
✨ Final Thoughts
As we drove back towards Surat, the day felt surprisingly complete.
We had started at 7 AM with no complicated agenda.
Just five friends and a destination.
But somewhere between the breakfast at Adarsh Khaman, the music on the highway, roadside tea and kanda bhajiya, the greenery of Dharampur and three unforgettable hours at Ganesh Fall, the trip became much more than a Sunday outing.
It became a Friendship Day memory.
And perhaps that's what travel is really about.
Not how many places you visit, but how many memories you create along the way.
Until the next journey...
Keep travelling.
Keep exploring.
Keep making memories.
— Dr. Nitin Kanani
Move Without Map
Travel • Explore • Experience
