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How to Get There:
• By Road: Catch a Deluxe bus for a 2 hr 30 min trip from the bus stand just down the road from the railway station. Another point of origin is Swar Gate bus stand, 8 km away.
• By Rail: Reach Pune and catch a bus. You could catch a bus from Mumbai, but that would be tiring. Buses also come in from Satara if you happen to be thereabouts. Satara is a railway station on the Mumbai-Bangalore route, 47 km from Mahabaleshwar.
Where to Stay: The Dina Hotel, Hotel Rajesh, Hotel Templeview, MTDC Resort New Mahabaleshwar, Ramsukh and Hotel Girivihar are economy hotels, one level better than budget resorts. Valley View, Surya Retreat and Hotel Saket Plaza are in the 2-3 star category, while Sherwood Hotel Pride is high-end. |
What to See:
Arthur's Seat, Babington Point, Wilson Point, Kate's Point, Bombay Point (Sunset Point), Elephant's Head Point and Sunrise Point. One name that invariably finds mention in any conversation about the history of Mahabaleshwar is Colonel Lodwick, who later in his life became a General. He brought a lot of focus to the hill station, which is why a monument was named after him in Mahabaleshwar, Lodwick Point. A tour to Mahabaleshwar can possibly not be called complete without a trip to the cascading waterfalls, such as the Lingmala waterfall (6km), Dhobi waterfall (3km) and Chinaman's waterfall (2.5km). There is also the Venna Lake, which is 2.5 km long and has boating facilities. Close to the lake are strawberry stalls and people can even go for little horse riding.
Trips Out of Mahabaleshwar: Most holiday packages include a tour to Panchgani, Pratapgarh Fort, Tapola and Satara. Panchgani is situated 19km away from Mahabaleshwar, and is at an altitude of 1,334 m. It is another famous hill station in Maharashtra and derives its name from the five hills around it. At Panchgani, one can visit Sidney point, Parsi point and Graves Point. There are other places too worth a look, like the Cave's Kamlagad fort and Devil's kitchen. Another favourite spot, Pratapgarh Fort is 24km from Mahabaleshwar. It is the site where Shivaji won a battle over the Mughal General Afzal Khan. Tapola, also known as 'mini Kashmir', is 25km from Mahabaleshwar. It has a big lake with small islands and there tourists can take a boat and visit the various islands. At Satara, one can take a tour of the Shivaji Maharaj Museum and the Wasota Fort and learn interesting facts about the Maratha era and see a collection of some really fine relics from history.
Where to Eat:
Almost all hotels have their own restaurants. Hotel DreamLand, Hotel Panaroma & Hotel Shreyas have nice restaurants and good food, and all three are close to the State Bus stand. Hotel Templeview, a vegetarian restaurant at old Mahabaleshwar serves excellent parathas, as well as Rajasthani favourites. Hotel Woodland is another good option.
Mapro garden restaurant offers a decent menu. Most tourists stop here. Mahabaleshwar is known for its Strawberries and Mulberries. If you like Strawberries, buy the 'sweet charlie' variety of strawberries from the main Mahabaleshwar Market. Alternatively, you can also venture into the interior to handpick your berry from the strawberry farms.
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