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KHANDALA:
Situated at a height of 625 meters in the Sahyadri hills, this hill resort of immense beauty is a popular weekend getway from the hectic life of Mumbai. Located in the western part of the state of Maharashtra, Khandala is nestled in the Sahayadri hills. Situated 101 k.m. south east of Mumbai and 69 k.m. from Pune, the hill resort is 5 k.m. from Lonavala.
The original of Khandala is shrouded in obscurity. The hill resort formed part of the territory of the great Maratha Leader Chattrapati Shivaji, who is credited with organizing the Marathas into a formidable military power. Later, it came under rule of the Peshwa, during whose reign; Maratha Power reached its zenith. Khandala was taken by the British from the hands of Peshwas.
A small hill resort, Khandala offers breathtaking views of the green surroundings. The place attracts visitors in large numbers throughout the year. The best way to appreciate amazing scenic beauty of Khandala is by talking a walk around the hill station. There are various breath-taking views. Amruntanjan point at Khandala offers a mesmerizing view of surroundings. Another place to admire the fascinating hills is the Duke’s Nose.
Apart from being a place of major tourist attraction, Khandala is also a stating point for visiting a number of superb nearby places that are well worth a visit. Whether you are looking for anther hill resort, beautiful lakes or the historical places, you can be sure that you won’t have far to travel. Just 5 k.m. apart is the hill resort of Lonavala, which makes a spectacular tourist destination. Some of the beautiful lakes near Khandala are the Lonavala Lake, Tugauli Lake and Bhushi Lake. The Walvan Dam near Khandala is also worth visiting.
About 16 k.m. from Khandala are the famous tourist attraction of Karla and Bhaja caves. Situated on the hills, these rock-cut caves belonged to 2nd century BC and are the oldest and finest examples of Buddhist rock-cut temple art in India. Although as exquisite as the famous Ajanta & Ellora caves, these caves are less crowded and made for an extremely pleasant outing. While at Karla, the Bhaja and Bedsa caves are worth a detour. The beautiful carved Chaityas and Viharas take you on a journey back in time, narrating stories of the past.
The Karla caves are centuries’ old and probably have the largest collection of Chaityas. The caves with Viharas were excavated for the Buddhist monks, who used to gather here during the monsoons. Built in the of the Hinayana sect, during the Satavahanas rule, these caves do no actually show the Buddha. A steep 350 step climb leads to the caves. At the entrance there is a Temple, accompanied by a pillar from the Buddhist period. Carved temple screens, sculpted ornaments and human couples from the façade of the cave. The panels of the wooden doors and windows are finely decorated with intricate sculptures of couples embracing. You will also come across a 45 meter long Chaitya, possibly the finest of its kind of the country.
By the 7th century AD, the Mahayana sect took over and representations of the Buddha became more common. By the central doorway, you will find sculptures of the Buddha preaching while seated on a lion-supported thorn, along with magnificent carving of three elephants. On each side, 15 pillars separate the narrow aisles from the central arch. The pillars are adorned with motifs of elephants, men and women riding etc.
A few k.m. away, are two ruined forts of Lohagarh and Visapur. Both forts are 18th century structure and offers splendid views of the surrounding landscape.
For the adventure tourists, there are several trekking and hiking opportunities available in and around Khandala. The Karla hills, including the popular Duke’s nose peak, offer rock-climbing opportunities for the adventurous tourists.
Khandala does not have an airport of its own. The nearest airport to the hill resort is at Pune, at 65 k.m. away. While nearest railway station is at Lonavala. All trains plying between Mumbai and Pune stops at Lonavala. Khandala is well connected with Mumbai and Pune by road.
Khandala has pleasing climate throughout the year. The hill resort experiences mild temperatures during summers while winters are pretty cool. The best time to visit the hill resort of Khandala is between July to December.
Type of Travel: Weekend Getaway
Duration of Stay: 2 days only
Average Expenditure: Budget (less than Rs.1000/day)
Group Size: Couple
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel: June - Aug
Lonavla & Khandala - Best in the rains!
I traveled to Kandhla and Lonavla on 4th June 2006. Unfortunately it was too late, when my husband, son and our friends with their son left Mumbai at about 5pm. It is much better when you leave at
11am or noon so to avoid traffic jams on the main roads and highways.
Anyway, we arrived in Kandala at around 7:30pm. We stopped at Kamat Hotel that first showed up on arrival, gave our one year old sons their idli dinner and drank a cup of tea too warm ourselves up in the cold and windy weather. It started drizzling and we quickly then headed for Lonavla before the roads become very unclear and fog starts to rise.
Once we arrived in Lonavla at approximately 8:30pm, we couldn’t find any hotel with accommodation! I got frantic but still kept my cool. We searched for bungalows. But with bungalows you need about 10 people or more. Nevertheless, we didn’t lose hope. We searched every hotel and inn, at around 11:00pm we found a four star hotel called The Metropole with just one room available, and it wasn’t any sort of room! It was a suite that was going for Rs4,500 per night and to put an extra double bed in the room, it costed an extra Rs500. We weren’t worried about the money, we were just grateful that we found a big enough room for the six of us to stay in. The best thing of the hotel was that the owner of the hotel was using the suite for himself and when he saw that we had babies with us, he was very kind enough to give us his suite as he knew that the boys were now cranky and tired.
Before we moved into the room, the owner had it cleaned up in five minutes. When we moved in the air conditioned room, there was a lounge, a bathroom with hot water for 24 hours, a master bed and room service also was 24 hours, cable television, a flask with drinking water and lighting was excellent. If a couple comes on their honeymoon, it will be very romantic with the dim lighting! We settled our things quickly, ordered dinner in the room, bathed the kids and put them to sleep by midnight.
Before the dinner arrived, the house-keeping boys came in and set up a double bed at about 12:15am. By the time dinner arrived at about 12:30am we were relaxing. We ordered mutton masala, hydrabadi biryani with raita, and rumali roti. For my vegetarian friend, she ordered mixed vegetable handi and jeera rice. All of this came to about Rs700.
We chatted till about 4:30am then went to bed. The bed was very comfortable, with crisp white sheets and soft headboard especially for the boys.
Then the next day we went touring. We left the hotel at about 10:00am. First we wanted to go to Bushy Dam, but when we passed it, there was no water and so the dam was completely dry. I was told that when the rains come heavily, the dam will fill up and many people enjoy swimming in it.
Next we headed to a waterfalls at about 10:30am. While driving up the mountain, you can see large valleys from the top. At about 11:00am we stopped at a parking spot, to take in the fresh air and experience the fog. The fog was so dense that you didn’t want to move anywhere!
We reached the waterfalls at about 12:00 noon. It was amazing, it wasn’t too crowded, although the water was slightly chilly but you can still swim in it. The waterfalls are naturally made, and you don’t have to go all the way in to the centre of the pool. There are not many rocks with sharp edges where you can get hurt. Overall you can really enjoy yourself!
We arrived at the hotel at about 1:00pm and ordered lunch in the room. The boys had fresh tomato soup, french fries and rumali roti. The adults had mutton masala, sofiyani (chicken briyani), murgh tika (made in curd) and rumali roti. This came up to about Rs500.
After lunch, we packed up, checked out and went to buy Lonavla’s famous food - Chikki, Mahableshwar Honey, Jelly Golly and Jelly sweets, and Dry Fruit Gulkand. The jelly items are made from fruits. All are very tasty!
We left Lonavla at 4pm and arrived in Mumbai at 7pm.
Overall, I think this trip is best when you go with family, friends and as a couple - never alone. Always carry a pair of warm clothes, if you are going to go swimming. Make accommodation reservations at least a week before arriving. The bungalows are really worthwhile if you are 10 people or more, they are very cozily made and very affordable!
Type of Travel: Weekend Getaway
Duration of Stay: 2 days only
Average Expenditure: Luxury Deluxe ( More than Rs.5000/day)
Group Size: Five to nine
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel: June - Aug
Weekend Getaway- Matheran a perfect treat.
The Trip: From 6th April’07 to 8th April’07
It takes around 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours to reach Matheran. I preferred the Rail Route.
We left for Dadar at 6:40 AM from home, caught the 7:03 AM Karjat fast. The train stops at Kurla, Ghatkopar, Thane and Kalyan. After Kalyan it stops at all the stations, the fifth station is Neral. We reached Neral at 8:30 AM. You can also travel by Express trains like Deccan, Koyna and Sahayadri express. They all stop at Neral.
Earlier I had booked Neral - Matheran Mini train from CST, in advance. But that did not help. There are 4 trains from neral to matheran. Train 603, 604, 605 and 606. The first one leave for matheran as early as 7:15 AM and the next at 9:20 and the third again at 10:15 AM. We had booked the third one. It nearly takes 2 1/2 hours to reach top via mini train.
We decided not to wait till the 10:15 train leaves, as we reached neral earlier thant the scheduled time. We checked the rates for share a cab/taxi. it is Rs. 50/- per head. We joined another couple who agreed to share the fare.
We were three ,including my 14 months old daughter (She is quite mischevious), So decided to pay an extra Rs. 50/- for the kid to travel comfortably. Mostly the cabs/taxies take 5 passengers for a round figure of Rs.250/- in total. Cabs take around 30 mins to reach the point beyond which no vehicals are allowed and forest starts.
Travel Time:
It took about 30 mins. from Neral Station to reach Dasturi Naka (Taxi Naka). This is the place beyond which no vehicles are allowed. One can then hire Horses or hand driven/pulled rikshas. We decided neither of these. As they charge you more. The Horses are bit more expensive. Rs.200/- per horse till the hotel/resort; and the rikshas charge you around Rs.160/- per person.
There are porters available for Rs.50/- to Rs. 60/- for lifting your baggage. I would suggest one to hire these porters as they would allow you free movement. Trust me, the journey on foot, to the top of hill is not as easy as it seems.
Journey to the Top:
From Dasturi naka, we decided to climb the hill on foot. All four of us, including the couples whom we met at the station (By now we had become good friends and ofcourse my daughter mingled well with them). We decided to take the dusty road, with red sand(One can rarely see red sand these days.).
Later I regretted not taking the railway track. My advice would be to walk on track. No the train wont hit you as it moves slower than you move. People can easily climb in and out of it. While on our way up, we saw many beautiful scenes and also Monkeys.. They are no ordinay ones that we see on the street . they are Langoors and huge ones.. Beware, not to show them any plastic bags or else they will rob you of your eatables.. Yes Eatables. It took about 45 mins to climb the hill on the dusty /red sand path.
My Strong Advice would be to carry Sports shoes for both men and women. As the path is filled with red brick stones and pebbles with lot of red dust making it difficult to climb with chapples or sandals in feet. You might twist your ankle.
We reached our hotel by 10:15 AM approximately in 3 hours from home.
Accomodations:
I had booked Rangoli Retreat hotel from Mumbai. This one is exactly opposite to Matheran Station, the last stop for the mini train. The Hotel is 3 Star with swimming pool and garden. The Stay was a pleasant one. I had booked a Non-AC Super Delux room. The cost for couple is Rs.3200/- for two days stay, including of morning breakfast , lunch, evening tea and Dinner. 24 hrs Water supply and unlimited breakfast and food. I would strongly recommend this hotel for couples. The hotel is close to market area and also opp to the station. The Restaurant of the hotel serves Gujarathi thali and in the evening it is either Punjabi or Chinese.
For Rangoli Retreat - Reservations one can call the Mumbai Office: 23475556, 23475557, 56331191.
Contact Person’s name is Hakim Bhai and Jayesh.
We also got details of other hotels and resorts in the vicinity. Two others which offer similar facility were Richie Rich Resort and Kumar Plaza, both are at the other end of the market just opp to a botonical garden, N Lord Garden. They are bit more expensive the charge range between Rs. 5000/- to Rs. 7000/- per couple for two day stay. The Lord garden is well maintained and has variety of plants. A Nice place to spend your evenings
What to Shop for:
Chocolate Fudge, Chikki and Leather Chappels.The Fudge and Chikkis are better than the ones in Lonavala.
Nariman Stores is one place where you would get best Fudge and Chikkis, also try their dry fruit Gulkand. I bet you would have never tasted such a gulkand here in Mumbai.
Climate:
As we recently visited the place , we didn’t need any woolen clothes. This time of the year the mornings are hot, but not humid; the evenings are pleasant with strong breeze flowing and later in the night it is bit chill but not Cold. Take Cotton cloths and make sure you do not take any whites (Trousers or pants) as most of the time you would be out and walking on red dusty roads/path.
Walking is something you will have to be mentally prepared. I Would prefer Denim or Cargos with Sports Shoes as footwear.
Sight Seeing:
There are around 12 points to view in Matheran. We only covered five of them and the lake. Mostly we preferred to stay & relax and make small trips to the market area.
Points you can consider visiting are : Alexander Pt, Landscape Point, Echo pt. , Lord Pt., Louisa Pt., Monkey Pt. (Lots of monkeys), Sunset Pt.(Porcupine Pt.) etc.. and the Charlotte Lake. The lake is not meant for swimming or fishing or boating , as this one provides water to the entire town.
We hired two horses for a sum of Rs.150/- each (Ofcourse bargaining power is required), for 1 hour for visiting 5 points, including the lake.
Return Journey: We started from Matheran at 9:15 AM. Better than the uphill journey. We hired a porter for a sum of Rs.60/- till Dasturi naka. I preferred the cab back to Neral Station. We started to walk on the railway track, easier than walking/climbing down the hill on the red dusty path. And We throughly enjoied the view and the scenic beauty on the way down. It took us about 40 mins to reach Dasturi naka. We hired cab where in they arranged for another couple to join us. Reached Neral station by 10:15 AM. Booked Tickets, on enquiing about the train, the clerk at the counter informed that Sahayadari express is due to arrive. We took the train. Reached Dadar station by 12:00 noon..
Over all it was a pleasant experience for us except for the tiresome walk from Dasturi to Matheran. Make sure you carry sports shoes and water bottles if you decide to climb the hill from the Taxi naka.
I would rate Matheran 8 out of 10 , a place to visit for recreation and rejuvenation.
Type of Travel: Weekend Getaway
Duration of Stay: 2 days only
Average Expenditure: Moderate (less than Rs.2000/day)
Group Size: Less than five
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel: Any time of the year
Igatpuri -golden resort:
Its was a gr8 experience altogether. We were group of 8 guys for weekend outing, so we planned for IGATPURI . One of the best hotels over there is GOLDEN RESORT. We were dicey on road travelling reason rain, so we took Express train from dadar at around 6.55am reached there at around 8.45 am & 10 minutes from station to resort by rickshaw charged us 50 bucks per rickshaw (only communication there in igatpuri). Dropped at resort, here i must tell u the resort itself is surrounded by mountains & good scenic view. We took charge of our room, it was domitory room (mean 12 beds in a room, seems like a hostel ;) immediately after freshen up had breakfast we left for trekking which was a gr8 gr8 experience(u know 8 guys & wat a fun, completely freak out, tension free from mumbai crap polution). we been to nearby waterfalls n all.After that straight to resort swinming pool been there for 1 hrs or so... then we had a call for our lunch (which was again in package with hotel)..... we were completely out of stock had to get more booze.....soo have to hire rickshaw again to station... from there we requested rickshaw guys for a good place to show >then we been to one huge waterfall a place which is completely isolated, no crowd nothing.. had fun... just we... & back to hotel.....WOW....
I would recommend u guys to have a look at this place atleast once... untouch beauty...
n Last but not least Golden resort was gr8 at thier service... OK+ type food when u r in package.... but we were prepared for that... no issues....
Best Experience: Hightlights was the resort itself as it was surrounded by hills / mountains gr8 waterfalls & good for treking (careful after drinking)
AND can u imagine 8 guys in a rickshaw, it was a normal mumbai type rickshaw & that rickshaw fellow challenged he can take uptil 10 guys in one.... WOW.....
I simply LOVED it. ;)
Worst Experience: Worst experience was, we could’nt get to see Bhandara dam as its the famous place around there as rickshaw guys are too costly to make you reach there ( if u have ur own vehicle then no prob).
Then to get anything on eatables we had to go at station road by again hiring rickshaw which was costly affair but you can always bargain it out with them.
Type of Travel: Weekend Getaway
Duration of Stay: 2 days only
Average Expenditure: Budget (less than Rs.1000/day)
Group Size: Five to nine
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel: June - Aug
MALSHEJ GHAT -------PERFECT GETWAY
We were looking for a weekend trip around Pune. Our criteria were, it should not be very far (don’t want to get tired in driving), slightly less crowded and very close to nature. After couple of hour of research we found out Malshej Ghat. I must admit most of our findings were from mouthshut!
It was month of June (2006), monsoon was already arrived but not in its full strength. We left Pune one Saturday early morning. The Nasik highway is really nice with lots of trees on both sides, we also crossed a small but beautiful ghat (I don’t remember the name). We went through the grape cultivation of Narangaon, and then reached a place called Ale-Phata. We took a left turn here from the Nasik highway (this road goes straight to Kalyan, by which lot of Mumbai people come Malshej). Malshej ghat is around 30km from this place. This drive was extremely beautiful. within 10-15 km ghat started; and we were middle of the nature; small lake one side, less populated small picturesque village on one side! and ultimately we reached Malshej ghat section!
And we were spellbound! one side steep hills with clouds on their heads other side deep valley and lake! We reached there around 10am, not many people were there and we were kind of "woowww"!!
But there are couple off issues, one there were not many places to stay. We just two hotels, one is MTDC other is private! and that’s it! the booking of MTDC is also not very trivial. We actual did not book priory but because we reached early we got the reservation. We checked in around 10:30, when we came out from our room after light snacks I saw around 10 more cars outside MTDC. So you better be early! also room condition in MTDC is good (lot better than the private one) and priced around 800-1000 per couple per night. Food is also an issue as there are not many restaurants around so choices are limited.
Now coming back to nature!! As I mentioned earlier it is very less populated area and lot less crowded than any other hill stations in MH. No pushing vendors, no rubbing shoulders! About the tourist spot the whole ghat is extremely beautiful, you can park anywhere and enjoy. But best place is MTDC resort. They are located on a hilltop from where you can have full view of the ghat and valley. General people can go the hilltop without a booking in MTDC. Most popular location is small stretch of the ghat road, which is almost hanging from a steep rocky wall, magnificent! There is a lake, where you can simply sit and enjoy the breeze. Also if you cross the ghat (towards Kalyan) you will be middle of a forest; one can park there any explore.
Note that if you are going there for some kind of activities like boating horse/camel riding then don’t go the Malshesj! But if you want to be really close to the nature and spend some time in serenity its a perfect place. I would advice you to slow down and enjoy every elements that malshej has to offer.
Malshej is suited for both one day sightseeing trip and multiple day chill trip!
Type of Travel: Weekend Getaway
Duration of Stay: 2 days only
Average Expenditure: Moderate (less than Rs.2000/day)
Group Size: Less than five
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel: June - Aug
Malshej in the monsoons-An exhilerating experience :
I wanted to walk the heaven’s ...I went to Malshej Ghat !
Come rain and a long weekend and you can be sure that half of Mumbai would be chilling out at lonavla or Mahabaleshwar.
However, our group - a group of 7 enterprising buddies decided that this time around we would celebrate our long weeekend at a different location. A place whose serenity and solitude is unmatched, where the ills of commercialization do not bother us and where the rustling of leaves, the song of the brook and the whistling of the breeze and the pitter-patter of the rainfall are the loudest and purest sounds you can hear !
We thus chose Malshej Ghat - a place pure and unspoilt from the vagaries of humankind.
We hired a Tata Sumo and all the seven of us began our eventful journey. On our way, at Kalyan we came across the devastation that the recent flood had caused. Uprooted trees, overflowing water-bodies and filth and garbage were a common sight. The road however was surprisingly clear and hassle-free. We reached Murbad and halted at the outskirts to treat ourselves a hot and sumptuous breakfast of vada-pav and cutting chai. Cool breeze, slight hint of rain in the air , a plate of hot vada pav and cutting chai !!! Life cannot get any better than this. J
After about an hour from Murbad and we reached the ghat. Mountain tops covered with palls of misty clouds was a sight to behold ! Soon the tata Sumo was lost among the wispy clouds and the visibility tapered down to almost zero. Driving among the clouds was an amazing experience. The fact that visibility was a zero on the ghat road with a treacherous drop on one side of the road made the drive even more adventurous and enthralling.
At one point on the road we could see clouds rising from beneath the mountain. It was as if we were up and above the clouds on the road that seemed to take us through paradise. We could see at least seven waterfalls from one point. It was truly amazing. We then saw a board by the roadside that said MTDC resort, however the resort was nowhere to be seen with dense clouds all around us.
Somehow and by some sheer luck we saw a silhouette of what seemed like a building right out of a Ramsay movie.It was an eerie sight. Not a single soul around, a large and long compound wall with barred gates. It seemed that we had come across what seemed like a graveyard. However we soon saw a guard walking towards us with a large rifle stylishly slung across his frail shoulder. A rather gruff voice greeted us and informed us that this was indeed the MTDC resort and not a spooky graveyard. We suspected otherwise until we actually entered the resort gates only to find families and kids hanging around the green environs of the resort.
I cannot describe or rate the resort as it was totally under a thick cloud cover. We however did hang around the place only to lose ourselves in the mist. It was a strange experience to get lost in a forest with thick clouds all around. However, after a lot of deliberation and feedback from each one of us, we finally found our way back to the resort. After having a nice cup of hot cutting chai we started off towards Shivneri fort. The road to Shivneri fort aint the best one to drive on. But we did manage to reach the base of the mountain and then trekked up the fort. It was an exhausting experience for some of the fellows not used to trekking.
The mountain top holds the dilapidated ruins of the fort that is said to be the birthplace of Shivaji. An uneventful journey of 3 kms from there took us to Lenadri village that has an ashtavinayak Ganpati temple. You again need to climb the hill as the temple is situated in the caves on the mountain top. Lunch at Lenadri is highly recommended as you get to eat sumptuous village food at a good deal.
We then returned to the misty mountains of malshej and this time stopped near a waterfall to enjoy bathing in the cold and freezing water battering down through the slope and the rocky terrain.
Malshej is a fantastic experience and an ideal place to visit in the countryside. Water everywhere, greenery, rapids, brooks the birds and bees - all there with the most crucial elements - Lack of commercialization and pollution that grips Khandala and Lonavla and very few people to boot.
For the trekkers, theres this road over a HUGE reservoir that leads up to Harishchandragadh mountain.
This is still the right time as all those who have not been there yet, please do visit before it stops raining !.
How to get there - Malshej Ghat is about 160 kms from Mumbai. The best way to get there is by road.
Type of Travel: Weekend Getaway
Duration of Stay: 1 day only
Average Expenditure: Budget (less than Rs.1000/day)
Group Size: Five to nine
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel: June - Aug
MAHABALESHWAR:
On my recent vacation to India, I thought of getting away from the tiresome and polluted life of Mumbai, after hearing few good words from friends I decided to drive up to Mahabaleshwar, woke up at 5 in the morning 23rd July and on the road by 6:00, I took the Mum-Pune expressway uptil pune from there the pune banglore expressway till sata/vai and then to Mahabaleshwar approx 270 Kms (4 hrs of drive ) was there by 10:00 am, the weather was so pleasent with no signs of rain fortunately. friends had suggested a few place to stay over (Ramsuk resorts which is probably the most expensive resort), (hotel rajesh which was closed for renovation), (Saket Plaza owned by TPH travels which was appearing to be a haunted block of bricks). Finally I decided to stay at Brightland Holiday Village which is around 5 kms frm the market on the kates point road. As soon as I entered the resort there was a feeling of freshness and enthusiasim. The deal they gave me was too mouthwatering INR 8,500/- for 3 nights/4 days with buffet Breakfast. they have various types of suites, Bt I chose the poolside upper simply coz it had a seperate balcony attached with it with a panaromanic view of the krishna river valley.
After checking in i went out sight seeing (it is actually foolishenss to hire a guide as all the places have proper maps giving directions to various points. Most of the points being on the high mountains were Foggy, so could nt get a proper view of the the mountains. After lucnh I prefered staying at the resort relaxing and in the evening we went to the Gym (the Gym is fully eqquiped with all the modern equipments) As the package didnt include lunch/dinner I drove to the market for lunch. after have few conversations with one of the shopkeeprs I decided to dine at hotel sagar. The Roasted chicken and chinese which they offered was will of taste. After the Dinner as we were back to the resort we met some other guest. The resort has a well maintained library which has many good books, a tenis court, a swimming pool, Jaccuzi, TT and carom etc.
On our second day we had a healty breakfast (onion Poha, omllete, dosa......) around 10 we headed towards Pratapgarh a hill fort built up by Shivaji. the car goes uptill the main entrance of the fort. being several hundreds years old yet the walls of th fort are rock strong. however, the authorities are not taking proper steps as regards the maintainence of the fort. at 1 pm we started towards TAPOLA (they call it mini kashmir) there is a sangam of 3 rivers and various variety of water sports. a speed boad ride for 2 hrs costed us INR 350/- they show of couple of points and the place where the 3 rivers meet each other, again a breath taking view. after exploring prataphgarh and tapola we went back to the resort and took a well deserved rest. However, couldnt stop ourselves from dining ath sagar) the third day was a bit lazy after the breakfast (again a nice buffet - Upma, Vada, Omlttee, Dosas, Fruits, Juices) we thought of going to the SPA (they have a a well maintained SPA with Kerala Ayurvedic Massages. My wife was too keen on having a facial massage which costs around 1000 INR but again its worth it, the rest of the we spend in the swimming pool and jacuzzi, for the dinner we decided to dine at the resort they charge INR 400 per person for a buffet lunch / dinner (with varities of starters kebabs, grills, soups, moglai and chinses dishes and mouth watering desserts with juices / soft drinks). it was time to pack our bags as we had to leave for Mumbai the next morning.
on 26th july we left the resort at 10:00 for Mumbai wih some pleasent unforgetable moments of Mahabaleshwar in our hearts. The same time we made up our mind to visit the place every year on our vacation to India. the drive back to Mumbai we took the same route (Mahabsleshwar-panchgani-vai-pune (3-4 hours at pune to visit our friends) a small stopover at Lonavala (how can i forget to get the Maganlal Chikki) and back to Mumbai by 9:00 Pm.
The sweet memories of this small stay in Mahabaleshwar will be always there in within me.
Cheers
Touughy
Type of Travel: Adventure Travel
Duration of Stay: 2 days only
Average Expenditure: Luxury (less than Rs.5000/day)
Group Size: Couple
Best Suited For: No Comment
Best Time to Travel: Any time of the year
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