Jannat I call - Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar is a popular hill station in Western India. Serene lakes and mystifying hills makes this place a paradise. Overlooking the Koyna and Krishna valleys Mahabaleshwar is truly a ultimate getaway from city life.

How we reached :

It took 3 hrs by car to reach Mahabaleshwar from Kolhapur. The drive was simply amazing with almost no traffic. Needless to say the highway was too good without any potholes. We stopped at Satara to pick few bakalwadi’s and chiwda.

Accomodations :

There are number of good hotels/resorts available in Mahabaleshwar accommodating both budget and big wallet tourists. To name a few....Lake View, Sherwood

Resorts, Ramsukh Resorts, Surya Retreat are few popular ones. Please avoid Hotel Anand Van Bhuvan if you are particular having clean rooms. The very sight of this hotel was not appealing but I must admit that this is located in a very scenic place overlooking valleys.

Places to visit :

Venna Lake - Attracts major tourists offering an unforgetable boating experience. Spread over by 25 acres and surrounded by greenery is a must visit destination in Mahabaleshwar.

Kate’s Point - Offers splendid view of Krisha valley and Dhom dam.

Lodwick Point and Elephant’s Head Point - Named after General Lodwick who was the first european to visit Mahabaleshwar. These points are located 1Km away from parking area. Visitors have option to either walk or take horse.

Arthur’s Seat - The view offers a geographical distinction between Konkan and Deccan territories of Mahabaleshwar. We weren’t so lucky to get the entire view of this valley as it was covered with fog. We waited for couple of hours for the fog to clear up but hard luck. I convinced myself saying that it was like any other point, but down deep I know that it is unique.

Connaught Peak - The view from this peak was nothing great. Moreover the entire area was stinking.

Shopping :

Mahabaleshwar is famous for Strawberry farms. Fresh strawberries are available during summer and winter; people visiting during monsoon should be satisfied with squash, crush and jams.

Around Mahabaleshwar :

Mapro Garden - Located on Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani road. Interested visitors can see the packaging unit of Mapro. Above all one gets to taste squash, sherbaths before actually buying them. Seeing a lady juggle with tiny glasses meeting all the demands of customers (who wanted to taste before buying them) was quite a Challenging job! Must buy from Mapro are Strawberry and Kiwi crush.

Tapola

Tapola is 25Kms from Mahabaleshwar and it takes hour and half to reach there. The drive on the high hill ranges with two rivers flowing by is truly an unforgettable experience. Tapola is also known as "The Mini Kashmir" of the west.
Boating club on the banks of Koyna offers a speed boat ride to three places - Triveni Sangam(where Kyona, Solashi and Kandati meet), Island Point and Datta Mandir. For those who have never seen Kyona River before can see it from Google earth. Arial view of this river looks simply amazing.

Pratapgarh Fort


– This fort was build by Shivaji and is located 24Km from Mahabaleshwar.
Uniqueness about this fort is that the two walls at the entrance were strategically built very close, so that an enemy standing at a distance would never know the entrance to the fort. I was pleasantly surprised to hear clarion blown during pooja at Bhavani temple.


Panchgani

- Panchgani is 20Km from Mahabaleshwar. This place offers a marvelous view of Krishna river on one side and the costal palins on the other side. We stopped at Parsi Point on the way back to Pune to get beautiful view of Krishna Valley.

I leave Mahabaleshwar with a promise to re-visit again.