Situating 33 km away from Ranchi city center, Patratu valley is a beautiful hill station, known for its charming ambiance, lush green hill beauty, and entertaining Patratu lake. Far away from the city crowd, it’s an ideal gateway for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts.
Although most tourist plan a half-day trip to Patratu just for attending the lake and hill peak, one-night halt at Patratu is much worth it (or even a couple of days); this lets you reveal the real flavor of the place.
Things to do at Patratu Valley
Patratu Valley and Patratu Lake are two major attractions of the place and mass tourist-gathering is noticed in these two spots. Nevertheless, you can expect even more from this beautiful destination. Patratu offers you the opportunities to spend peaceful holidays in the lap of serene nature, lazing around, and adventure touring across the green hills; don’t you think these are so special for a fantastic holiday experience?
Palani Waterfall, Bagda Valley viewpoint, Rarha Waterfall, and Chandra Waterfall are some other nearby attractions, which you can attend by off-roading followed by short hiking.
Patratu is well known in the industrial world also, that is for the presence of Patratu Thermal Power Station in the northern part of the region.
Also visit: Netarhat — The Queen of Chhotanagpur
Patratu Valley view
Overtaking the traffic jam of Ranchi city, when you enter the serpentine valley road, the lush green beauty starts blossoming around the hill road; certainly, you can reveal the fresh air with a pollution-free fragrance, noticing the arrival of Patratu valley.
Drive a little more and reach the peak; you can experience the breathtaking valley view from this point. On a clear morning, the whole canvas presents a picture-perfect sight with an alluring combination of green, blue, and white. The enchanting green valley spreads to the utmost edge, approaching the pristine blue sky, while the floating clouds connect them together. Lonely Patratu Lake twinkles at the right, hosting the reflective heaven on her whole body.
In the morning hours, this spot remains overcrowded by many four-wheelers; the hill peak remains loaded with plenty of tourists. Under such situation, you can take some photo snaps standing at the edge and then move one step downhill to breathe in the fresh air.
Have you seen Mesmerizing Jonha Falls?
Patratu Lake
Apart from the valley view, Patratu Lake is another hotspot in Patratu, which is actually a big reservoir attached to the corresponding dam. This is the same lake that you can see from the hilltop.
The entrance of Patratu Lake is attached to Patratu Lake resort (Sarovar Vihar). The whole complex is beautifully decorated with wall paintings, artistic sculptures, kids’ park, and a blossoming garden. However, the maddening tourist crowd in the daytime makes the place too noisy, especially on the weekends and national holidays.
If you want to avoid the crowd, visit the lakeside in the evening session when most of the away tourists leave the place and the peaceful ambiance returns around the lake.
The bank of Patratu Lake is overwhelmed with plenty of boats, offering you joyrides in the lake water. Both speedboats and sailboats are available, you can choose any for your water adventure. Speedboating is more exciting as it bumps with the waves and takes sharp turns to give you special fun. On the other hand, sailed boat is ideal for spending a longer time in the middle of the lake.
On the night of full moon, the lake area becomes mesmerizing with the combination of reflective moon and rows of boats. If you visit Patratu Lake on such an evening, you should stay there till the disappearance of daylight. Usually, tourists are not allowed inside after sunset, but you can specially request the gateman.
Related: Lodh Waterfalls — A memorable road trip towards the highest cascade of Jharkhand
Midnight Sky from Patratu Valley
The pollution-free atmosphere of Patratu Valley offers a very special gift to every visitor; the crystal clear midnight sky of Patratu remains overwhelmed with plenty of unseen stars, creating a marvelous sight. I personally discovered many stars in the sky of Patratu that generally remain unseen in cities and towns.
You can’t experience this incredible sight without halting there for at least one night.
How to reach Patratu Valley
Nearest Airport: Birsa Munda Airport
Nearest Railway station: Ranchi Junction
Patratu valley viewpoint is approximately 33 km away from Ranchi city, while the distance of Patratu Lake is approx. 40 km. If you are planning a customized Ranchi trip, you have 2 options to reach Patratu Valley; either by hiring a local rented car or traveling with your personal car.
For booking a local cab contact your hotel authority in Ranchi; they’ll arrange it for you. Usually, the car driver knows everything, so you just tell them your tour plan and sit back.
In case you are traveling by your personal car, you can follow Google Maps to reach every spot. In this region, Google Map directs perfectly.
If you start from Ranchi city, GMap shows you two different routes to reach Patratu. The shorter route remains congested mostly, sometimes you may face heavy traffic jams (as we faced during festival season). The longer route is a two-lane bypass road, which is a super fast way. But in this route, you have to count extra fuel. It’s your decision which way to follow.
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Where to stay at Patratu
In Patratu, you can stay near the valley or beside the lake. The lakeside resort, Sarovar Vihar is operated by the Jharkhand Tourism authority (Govt.), and it is more popular due to direct access to the Lake. However, I personally feel, it’s not a good idea to stay there, especially if you want some privacy and peace. The crowd of Lake tourists disrupts the peaceful ambiance in the daytime.
For a disturbance-free holiday experience, you can choose accommodation near the valley.
Below are some suggestions for the best hotels/ resorts near Patratu Valley or the lake.
Note: The given contact numbers may be altered with time.
- The Eternity Resort (92327 97948)
- Midwaay Resort (82986 00043)
- River Valley Farms & Resort (70338 76900)
- Alex Resort (89694 96954)
- Sarovar Vihar (9905900149)
- Jindal Cottage Guest House (away from the valley)
Also visit: Dassam Falls: The pride of Jharkhand
Foods in Patratu Valley
All the resorts in Patratu Valley are featured with in-house restaurant/ kitchen facilities, serving good quality foods; so, you don’t need to think much about food outsourcing. You’ll get almost all the common dishes that you expect in a city like Ranchi.
Wrapping up
So, it’s all about the beautiful Patratu valley and the corresponding lake. As I mentioned earlier, it’s worth halting there for at least one night to reveal the real thrill of the place, which most tourists skip unfortunately.
You can plan 3-4 days of Ranchi trip, including one-night stay at Patratu. If you love to expose yourself into pure nature, you can halt there even for 2 nights; also, you can plan an exciting hiking trip across the trails of Patratu.
Dr. Suvankar Das is a scientific advisor by profession, associated with a CRO organization. He pursued his doctoral degree in Chemistry in 2015. Later, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher & scientist in a couple of institutes/companies.
Besides his scientific journey, Dr. Das is also a passionate traveler and travel blogger. He loves to share all his travel experiences with other travelers so that everyone can enjoy hassle-free holidays with their own tour plans.
He believes, the most beautiful thing in this world is the WORLD itself. so there is no way to live like a clock; rather live it like a compass!
