Netarhat is a popular hill station in Latehar district of Jharkhand.It is loacted at a height of 1071 metres and is referred to as the "Queen of Chotanagpur". It is famous for it's Magnolia sunset point, sunrise point, Netarhat Residential School and a breathtakingly beautiful view of the hills all around.
We visited Netarhat during our short winter trip to Ranchi at the end of December. We started from Ranchi at about 9:30am and reached our hotel, Ravi and Sashi Lodge, Netarhat by 1pm. The journey from Ranchi to Netarhat through the roads with eucalyptus trees on both sides takes away all the exhaustion and tiredness caused. After having lunch at the hotel of Netarhat, we decided to start for the sightseeing of the places at about 3pm in the afternoon. At first, we reached the Koyel View Point, a serene hilly place, from where the beauty of Netarhat can be seen.
Then, we went for the Upper Ghagri waterfalls, which turned out to be a complete disappointment as the source of water could only be seen and the rest of the waterfalls was hidden beneath the huge rocks and boulders.The road to the waterfalls at the beginning is through the naspati garden on its both sides with a great view,but as one gets near the falls, the condition of the road detoriorates becoming dangerous with numerous potholes and puddles.
After our futile to and fro journey of Upper Ghagri Falls, we finally reached the Magnolia Sunset Point at about 4:40pm. The huge crowd which had gathered there to experience the sunset made me realise that we were too late to find a good spot in watching the sunset. Though we managed to get a suitable spot, to add to the misery, some people had climbed up the railings of the sunset point and gathered in front of a tree,thus blocking the view of others.
Nonetheless, we were able to experience the beautiful sunset amidst all the odds. The sky was filled with different colours of blue,yellow and light orange. But as time passed by, the yellow ball of fire which was shining bright had become soothing to the eyes and painted the whole sky with its hues of orange.We could feel the temperature going down and the weather becoming chilly as the biggest star in our solar system merged with the sky and disappeared slowly in front of our eyes.It was one of the most beautiful picturesque sunsets I had seen in my life.
Netarhat is located about 156km from Ranchi and is well connected by roads.It a place of beautiful sunrise and sunsets in the middle of the hills. Summers are pleasant here but winters can be quite chilly. If you looking for taking a break from the monotonous life or planning a short trip away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, then you can definitely give it a try.
