Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth

Tripoto
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Day 1
Photo of Mumbai - Pune Expressway, किवाले, रवेट, पिंपरी-चिंचवड, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mumbai - Pune Expressway, किवाले, रवेट, पिंपरी-चिंचवड, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mumbai - Pune Expressway, किवाले, रवेट, पिंपरी-चिंचवड, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mumbai - Pune Expressway, किवाले, रवेट, पिंपरी-चिंचवड, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita

Once you enter the Mahabaleshwar range, there will be numerous view points from where you can look down the valley and sip on a hot cup of tea or chew on boiled spicy corns. Depending on which season you are visiting, the temperature will vary accordingly and during monsoons you will encounter continuous drizzles all along the way.

Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita

Day 1: Mahabaleshwar is approximately 265 kms away from Mumbai. You can cover the distance in approximately 6 hours in a car. Try starting a bit early in the morning to avoid traffic if you are travelling over a weekend. Once you pass Navi Mumbai and approach Khopoli toll naka, you have two choices to continue the journey. One route is via the Mumbai-Pune expressway through Panchgani which is amazing if you enjoy punching into your accelerator a little. The other way actually is more scenic through the country side passing across few smaller hills and approaches Mahabaleshwar from the other side. The country route takes approximately 30 mins to 45 mins to longer as it involves more hilly area.

Quick pit stop at Khopoli, there are a bunch of food places just in front of Adlabs Imagica/Novotel Imagica. Spare half an hour to fill your tummies as you are going to be travelling for 2-3 hours before stopping for lunch.

Quick pit stop at Khopoli, there are a bunch of food places just in front of Adlabs Imagica/Novotel Imagica. Spare half an hour to fill your tummies as you are going to be travelling for 2-3 hours before stopping for lunch.

Photo of Khopoli, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita

Continue your drive through the beautiful and well maintained state highways.

Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita

Reach your hotel by lunch time, freshen up and have some warm food. It is advisable to book your accommodation well in advance so that there are no last minute surprises. Relax for an hour or so before you go out in the evening to explore the nearby market/restaurants etc.

The sunsets are the most beautiful as the whole sky will be filled with colors. Pose and get clicking :)

Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita

While visiting the market don't forget to try out the excellent strawberry shakes, pastries and other desserts. All the local restaurants serve items with fresh and juicy strawberries and are very reasonably priced.

Day 2

Day 2: Wake up early in the morning to go for a quick jog and then have a nice & hot cup of tea. Stare into the lusty green hills, take a lungful of clean air and get ready to head out.

Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita

The Venna Lake which is frequently flocked by visitors from all over India. You can hire pedal boats or group boat to boat across the lake for 30-45 mins. On a busy day the queue for boat tickets are fairly long so you can opt to go for a quick horse ride by the lake instead. Also you can buy/eat fresh strawberries from the street vendors just by the ticketing counters.

Photo of Venna Lake, महाबलेश्वर, महाराष्ट्र by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Venna Lake, महाबलेश्वर, महाराष्ट्र by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Venna Lake, महाबलेश्वर, महाराष्ट्र by Arindam and Pawnita

Spend time in and around the lake till lunch time and have your lunch before heading out to the famous Mahabaleshwar market. It's at the heart of the hill station (near ISBT) and you will find items ranging from clothes, leather items, handicrafts, shoes, umbrellas etc. The sun comes down pretty quickly and so does the temperature. You will see fog settling down once the sun is about to set. Choose one of the restaurants in the market itself or come back to the hotel to have your dinner.

Day 3

Day 3: Today you can cover Arthur's seat, Wilson Point, Helen's Point and Lodwick Point. If you have more time you can go for the Arthur's seat trek as well. The trek takes somewhere around 5 hours from the bottom of the Arthur hill.

Photo of Arthur's Seat, महाबलेश्वर टू ओल्ड महाबलेश्वर मार्ग, महाबलेश्वर, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Arthur's Seat, महाबलेश्वर टू ओल्ड महाबलेश्वर मार्ग, महाबलेश्वर, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Lodwick Point Mahabaleshwar, महाबलेश्वर, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita

There is a big food stop before entering the Arthur's seat starting point. There are many vendors serving you hot maggi, spicy corn, hot tea/coffee, samosas and pakodas. If you are visiting during the monsoons, please be careful as the path towards the seat gets pretty slippery.

Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Day 4

Day 4: Before starting your return journey towards Mumbai, make sure to visit the Mapro Gardens for a quick shopping tour inside one of India's largest strawberry and strawberry items producer and seller. Shop till your heart's content picking up candies, jellies & squashes for your family and friends.

Photo of Mapro Garden, Mahabaleswar, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mapro Garden, Mahabaleswar, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mapro Garden, Mahabaleswar, महाराष्ट्र, भारत by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita
Photo of Mahabaleshwar - Photo Itinerary of A Roadtrip #notinnorth by Arindam and Pawnita

Return to Mumbai with lots of wonderful memories. In case you feel tired and want to take a less tiring road, opt for the route via Pune-Mumbai expressway. Not only it will save some time and effort but you also get to experience the other route via Panchgani.

All the photos are clicked by me and should not be passed on without permission.