A bike trip was pending since a long time and finally I planned one. We decided to head to Mahableshwar over the long weekend, thanks to Gudi Padwa. It was scorching heat in Pune and Mahableshwar / Panchgani seemed to be the ideal destination for a good weekend break provided it was cooler, and fortunately it was.
We started from Pune (Pimple Saudagar) at approximately 5:30 AM. Super wide and smooth roads ensured I was able to consistently maintain speeds around 90-110 kmph on my bike. 2 hours continuous ride and I saw a KFC board but unfortunately it was to be opened only at 10 AM. So we took a half hour break to have breakfast just before taking the right turn from the highway towards Wai. As soon as we started our drive on the Wai- Panchgani road, we could feel the coolness in the weather. We headed straight to Mapro Garden for a 2nd round of breakfast which included the awesome sandwich & irresistible Strawberry with Cream (Never miss this.)
After relaxing for some time we decided to check-in into the hotel (Shivsagar Farmhouse in Panchgani). I have to mention that this place is complete value for money. The suite room is super spacious, the staff is very friendly and the food is delicious. What else do you need.., oh yes, they have a strawberry farm of their own too!
Afternoon time we relaxed at the farmhouse and start to explore the points at Mahableshwar. Most of them are kind of commercialized now with lot of shops and hawkers. Following are some of the points we covered:
– Kate’s point
– Elephant’s head point
– Lingamala falls (There was no water in Mar)
– Parsi point
– Babington point
– Wilson point (Famous for Sunrise)
– Mumbai point (aka Sunset point)
We had booked the farmhouse only for 1 night, and for the next day we had booked a tent at Terra Camp. We started our journey to Terra Camp from Shivsagar Farmhouse at around 9:30 AM. The roads were small with a very picturesque view of the Ghats so we kept driving for around an hour when we got a feeling of being lost. We reached a lovely spot where it was a small road, just enough to for one car to pass with valleys on both sides. Finally we thought of turning back only to realise we had one turn pretty early in our journey. Thanks to absence of signboards. Soon we got onto the right track and reached Terra Camp. It is speciality lodging site where-in you get to stay in tents. We spent entire time exploring the areas around the camp and relaxing. I would have loved to spend couple of days at Terra Camp rather than visiting the points at Mahableshwar. It has a lot to offer in form of treks and other activities. It’s a different experience altogether. Next day early morning (6:00 AM) we started for Pune, capturing the beautiful sunrise on way back.
Following are some snaps captured during the trip:
HI thr, nice blog with pics Me and my hubby are also planning to visit Mahabaleswar on our Activa from Pune. It’s something we would like to explore ourself on two wheelers. Was wondering if the ghat roads were safe to ride as I will be riding in parts. Did you guys used to switch off the engine on downhill there? Need some tips, Regards, Kusum
Hello Kusum, thanks.. Glad you liked the blog.
Two wheeler is the best to explore the area, I am sure you all will enjoy.. Roads are pretty safe that ways.. We travelled in March 2014 and roads were super smooth. May be you can check with someone who has travelled recently for the road conditions post monsoon. And no, we did not switch off the engine. It helps in being in control.
Regards,
Rudra.