Mahabaleshwar Weekend Trip: Land of strawberry
After some costal line trips, we planned to visit a hill station. Mahabaleshwar is a perfect place in the lap of the majestic ranges of the Western Ghats. You can visit Mahabaleshwar in a day or over a weekend
About Mahabaleshwar:
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Mahabaleshwar was the summer capital of the Governor of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency during the colonial era. It is easily accessible from Pune (120km) and from Mumbai (285km). It is one of the most popular weekend destinations. It is also important religious site as it is the base of five rivers (Krishna, Koyana, Venna, Savitri and Gayatri River) and famous Mahabaleshwar temple.
Tourist gets attracted towards Mahabaleshwar because of breathtaking valley view, nature, adventurous sports etc. This place is also known for its honey and strawberries production. Another popular hill station, Panchgani, is just 20km before Mahabaleshwar. Mostly, the tourists visit both places together.
Pune to Mahabaleshwar is a 2 to 3 hours’ drive. Best way to reach Mahabaleshwar is Pune – National highway 4 – After 75 km journey on NH4 Take right at Surul – Wai – Panchgani – Mahabaleshwar. There are many signboards which guide you to Mahabaleshwar and at all tourist points.
We (Me and my wife Renuka) planned our visit for 2 days i.e. on 31st March and 1st April 2012.
Day 1 (31st March 2012): Pune -> NH-4 -> Menavali Ghat, Wai -> few points/spots -> Mahabaleshwar.
Our journey began the early morning at 6.30. We took a pit stop for fuel on NH-4 and then moved ahead for Wai. The highway is in a good condition – it’s smooth and wide. That helped us to touch 100km/hr. speed easily. Driving on a highway in the early morning was a good start of our trip. We decided to have a look of Menavali Ghat and the temple which is famous for many films like Swades, Dabang, Gangajal and many more. This place is not clean and is not maintained by local people.
Swades’s Ramcharan mandir (Manavali ghat,Wai)
It was 8.30 am and we were too hungry so we took our 2nd pit stop at Mapro garden. It is very popular halt for tourist for breakfast/brunch and some Mapro product shopping. It is located just 6 km ahead of Panchgani. The ambiance of Mapro garden is very beautiful and you get yummy food. Classic grilled sandwich and Fresh Strawberry Cream with Ice cream are my favorite dish for breakfast. You can also visit the chocolate factory or buy Mapro products.
