Sinhagad is a picturesque hill fort very near to Pune, and serves as the perfect location for a quick trek or half day picnic. Located at 4300 ft above sea level, its weather is pleasant to mildly cold throughout the year except summers and becomes ridiculously heavenly in the monsoons. It is a short drive from the Pune city on the Sinhagad Road and one can enjoy the views of the Panshet lake on the way as well.

The fort gives a breathtaking view of the valley beneath its ramparts and still has some of the garrison buildings intact. Besides its association with the Maratha Empire, the fort was also home to Bal Gangadhar Tilak who spent a long time here to recover his health.

Sinhagad gets crowded and noisy on weekends so if you plan a trip on a weekend, start really early in the morning to beat the weekend revellers. While you are there, do not forget to try hot chilli and onion bhajiyas that the local hawkers sell there!

Standing at 4,472 feet above sea level, this hill fort figures repeatedly in the accounts of Shivaji’s struggle against the Adil Shahi dynasty. The fort is more than 1000 years old, tracing its origin to the Yadava dynasty of the 11th Century. After the fall of the Yadavas, the fort was occupied by the Bijapur and Ahmednagar Sultanates. In 1646, a 19 year old Shivaji captured Purandar in one of his first victories and since then remained mostly under the control of the Marathas. It is also significant for being the birth place of Shambhaji, Shivaji’s son. During the British Raj, the fort was used as a sanatorium and served as a PoW camp for German prisoners of war during World War II.

Purandar is so close to Pune that it is a surprise that many Punekars have never been there. It is 50 KM Southwest of Pune near Saswad. The village Purandar at the foothills derives its name from the fort. Purandar has a twin fort named Vajragad, which is smaller in size.

The fort has two levels, the lower part called Machi consists of the cantonment and hospital. There are some temples as well as the statue of Murarbaji Deshpande, the fort commander who gave his life to protect the fort in a battle with Mughals. The upper level is called Ballekilla, it has Dilli Darwaza, and an ancient Shiva Temple. There is a memorial for the Kolis who were martyred during a revolt against Aurangazeb. One can get a impressive view of the bastions and countryside from this level.

Varandha Ghat is a mountain passage in the Western Ghats. It cuts the Western ghats to join the town of Bhor to Konkan and thus connects Pune and the Konkan region. The place has an abundance of natural beauty and lush green forests, tall mountains, wildlife and waterfalls in monsoons are common place.

To reach Varandha Ghat from from Pune, one needs to take to Katraj and then continue on NH 4 for sometime till Kapurhol and then take a turn towards Bhor. From Bhor, the road gains altitude (and also deteriorates in condition) once you take a right to the Varandha Ghat road.

During the monsoons, the scenery is very beautiful, lush greenery covers the mountains and the Western Ghats are at their best during this period. Numerous waterfalls form during this season, both at a distance and some right on the road. There is a point at which the mountain takes a U-bend. On one side the roads goes, cut into a hill bend and on other side, beyond the valley are steep hills, so green that they almost look photo-shopped. Combined with clouds, some mist and waterfalls, it makes for perfect landscape photography.

From Varandha Ghat, one can go further towards Shivthargal and visit the beautiful ashram of Swami Samarth Ramdas.

Read more on Varandha Ghat and Shivthargal HERE

Tamhini Ghat is a mountain passage which cuts the Sahyadri range to join Pune and the Kokan region. Located on the crest of the Sahyadris, Tamhini Ghat is famous for its natural beauty with high mountains, green valleys, lakes and waterfalls. Mulshi lake and dam lie on the route but they are often very crowded during the weekends.

One drawback for anyone going to Tamhini from Pune is that, unlike Varandha Ghat which is accessible via Katraj, the route requires one to make a full round of the Pune city, over to Chandani  Chowk and then to the Ghats. The road is too narrow at places and there is always a risk of getting stuck in huge traffic jams.

Read more on Tamhini Ghat HERE

Lavasa is a privately planned and managed hill town labelled as India’s newest Hill Station since the British left the shores. After its completion, it will consist of a number of townships spread across seven hills of the Sahyadris. While the ecological impact is a controversial question, the town is nonetheless beautiful.

The  city is impressive (sometimes bordering kitsch). Built with a typical European feel around a lake; with a town hall area and a beautiful promenade along the lake and the colourful houses can be from any beautiful town in Europe. A great place to take photographs and be photographed, it has a number of shops and good restaurants, a refreshing change from the wilderness of the surroundings.

Neelkantheshwar is a lesser known destination near Pune. Located on a small hill around 40 KM from Pune near the Panshet-Varshgaon dam, this beautiful place is a great destination for a quick drive and visit.

Neelkantheshwar is a unique place in a sense. It has a big temple of Lord Shiva at the top of a hillock, but what makes the place really special is the hundreds of sculptures that dot its landscape. The statues are associated with the Hindu mythology like Ramayana, Dashavatar etc and even Shivaji and Jesus Christ. It is said that a forest ranger, Sarje Mama found a Shiva Lingam at this place and founded the temple. Some amount of hiking is involved in reaching the temple but the difficulty level is not high. Thousands of pilgrims visit the temple during Mahashivratri, and it is not very crowded otherwise.

The view from the top of the hill is amazing and one can get a great panoramic view of the Panshet as well as the Varsagaon dams, Khadagvasla, Sinhagad and Torna forts and the valley below.

Located around 600 mts above sea level and halfway between Mumbai and Pune, Lonavala and Khandala provide for great climate and views during the monsoons. Established as Colonial Retreats by the British to escape the sweaty heat of Mumbai, these hill stations still manage to provide some of the old charm with their bungalows and viewpoints like St. Mary’s villa, Duke’s Nose and Tiger’s Leap. The hills are dotted with waterfalls during the rains and provide great views for the revelers.

The major places of interest are Rajamanchi Point, Duke’s Nose, Lion’s Point, Valvan and Bhushi Dams, Lonavala Lake and Tungrali Lake. Surrounding Lonavala and Khandala are many places of historical importance, including rock cut caves like Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves and Bedsa and hill forts like Lohagad, Visapur and Tunga forts which provide great opportunities for a trek.

Lonvala and Khandala are quite famous, a little too famous for their own good. The twin hill stations are a great place to spend a monsoon weekday, and a nightmare on a weekend, due to traffic snarls and often unruly revelers. Best avoided in weekends!

Kaas Pathar is a plateau made from volcanic rocks in the Satara district of Maharashtra, and comes under the biosphere of the Western Ghats. Hailed as Maharashtra’s answer to the Valley of Flowers, Kaas is famous for its carpets of flowers which are swept on the landscape by the end of monsoons in the region. During monsoon, the plateau receives an average rainfall of 2000 mm, much of the water seeping through the porous laterite rocks.  The whole area is covered with flowers of varying colours, the dominant colour changing with the time of the year.

Spread over 1000 acres, Kaas is a protected bio diversity reserve and has been designated as World Heritage Nature Site  by UNESCO. The ecosystem of the plateau is very fragile, the layer of soil over the volcanic rocks is at times just a few centimetres thick, and many of the plant species endemic to this area are already in the endangered list. More than 450 species of flowers, orchids and even carnivorous plants such as Drosera Indica are found in Kaas.

Read More About Kaas Plateau HERE