Visapur fort doesn’t often get the limelight. The neighbour, Lohagad Fort, is an extremely popular monsoon destination because of its history and also the relative ease of the climb. The climb to the top of Lohagad fort (not to explore the entire top though) would take around 25-30 minutes and it is almost completely on proper stairs, whereas the Visapur fort requires at least an hour of moderate climbing over rocks and mud trails.

Our Visapur Fort story is spread over four years. Our first attempt was in 2019. I wasn’t aware of the waterfall route then and took the route usually not taken in the monsoons. We reached to the fort walls, but couldn’t find the steps to get inside. The same year, i had the chance to go with a group in the winter. We took the waterfall route (complete dry). Then in 2023, we finally did the waterfall route during the monsoon and it was an amazing experience.

Route to Visapur fort base: Two routes. One more on the highway and another, slightly longer, but more scenic.
The highway route: Straightforward from Pune on the old highway. Take the exit to Malvali village (little before Lonavala). Once you cross the village, you will see Bhaje Caves. Cross that and climb towards Visapur. This 7 km stretch is steep with lot of hairpin bends and poorly maintained (marked in a blue circle on the above image). If you have no experience driving on steep roads, avoid this route. Lot of cars get stuck on the turns. So, they leave the cars and walk the rest of the way (a waste of time and energy).
The scenic route: Go to chandni Chowk, get the on the Mulshi road. From Paud, take the turn towards Tikona fort. Cross tikona fort and Pawana Dam and then you should take the turn to Lohagad base. A little ahead of Lohagad base is the Vispur fort base parking.

Highway Route (from Magarpatta City) –> https://maps.app.goo.gl/96G7dYhvNVMKAf996
Scenic Route through Pawana Dam –> https://maps.app.goo.gl/xREm623zhmEmUnYi8

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Our first attempt was on Aug 15th, 2019. We took the route marked as (1) on the map above. It starts just behind the ticket counter of Bhaje caves (after you climb the steps from Malvali) and then proceeds until it hits the route (2) eventually leading the famous “stairs with water flowing on it”. Route (2) starts from Patan village and is in general not advised as the trail is not clearly marked and goes through forested areas making navigation difficult.

We were relying on satellite view and trying to make our way in the “direction of the fort”. The views were amazing, but we also ended up taking lot of wrong turns with some taking us to narrow ledges over waterfalls (quite risky)

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At the end, after 5.5 hours, we came back to the start of the trail having just managing to “touch” the fort walls. Was an amazing experience though.

The second attempt was through the waterfall route (3) with a group. It was December though and the entire route was stark dry. But it did help me that i got to know the waterfall route. The contrast in the trail between the winter and monsoon months can be seen in the images below.

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The third attempt happened few years later, in 2023. The waterfall route is clearly visible nowadays. There is a big parking and then a board points you away from the main road towards the trail. You have to walk through slush for around 20-30 mins mins before you hit the waterfall stretch. Then begins the thrilling exprience!

You are actually climbing up a waterfall route. The entire route is full of rocks, big and small. I am surprised that this is the most popular route and we haven’t had any rocks slip and roll down the path. When we climbed, it was raining, but not very heavy. So, we had water flowing down the rocks as we climbed. It was a very unique experience. Make sure that you wear proper climbing shoes or floaters. Normal slippers would just not work in these water+rock conditions.

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We spent close to an hour exploring the top of the fort including the famous stairs. These are at the other end of the fort (the place where route (2) meets the fort). But trails are very clear (with boards) on top of the fort. The villagers even setup temporary food stalls at the top (gpay accepted!). It had started raining heavily and the mist made the views amazing. There are lot of points to see on top including many ruins, few ponds and a temple.

Due to the heavy rain, the water flowing down the waterfall route increased a lot and it became very muddy. That is why you see the water as brown in the pictures below (when we climbed down) while it is normal in the pictures above (when we climbed up).

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I would highly recommend this trek. It is not very easy as it involves clambering over rocks and one needs to be careful, but it is not tough either as the distance is short. But the experience is very unique and will be remembered for long. Do not go on a very rainy day as it can make the climbing difficult. If you have energy left after this climb, you can also visit Lohagad fort next door!

The Pune-Mumbai train journey has always been famous for its “ghat sections” – the hills, bridges and tunnels. The stretch is even more beautiful in the monsoon when the entire route becomes green and there are waterfalls in every direction.

The introduction of the “Vistadome Coach” few yars ago has made this experience even better. The “Vistadome” is India’s equivalent of the “Panoramic Coach” seen in many trains across the world. The Pune-Mumbai Vistadome monsoon experience has become a part of the tourist itinerary, as much as the cliched Lonavala or Mahabaleshwar.

Options for Vistadome and how to book: There are three trains between Pune and Mumbai which have the vistadome coach. Deccan Queen (715 AM Dep), Pragati Express (745 AM Dep) and Deccan Express (325 pm Dep). For a day trip, only the first two make sense. No difference other than the 30 min late start. So, if you feel that 715 is too early for you, go for the 745 one. But i would recommend to go the Deccan Queen because it gives you an extra 30 mins in Mumbai.

You can book irctc and on the search page, you can choose “Vistadome (AC) EC” under the classes option. I have noticed that tickets are usually available even until 2 weeks before the travel date. This is mainly because the cost difference is huge (Second Sitting is 110, AC Chair Car is 390, and the Vistadome seat is 995) and this option is used mostly by tourists, not regular Pune-Mumbai travelers. Even discerning travelers who want the extra comfort avoid this as their peace of mind gets disturbed by enthusiastic tourists like me (and the gang) who spend the full 3 hours walking across the coach and loudly cheering the great views!

The huge windows are the main attraction. The seats also turn to face the window, but there is a catch. Adjoining seats both cannot do this turn. So, the earlier you get into the train, easier it is for you to get this turn done, hoping that the other party is not in a combative mood to do the same. Also, if you have really bad luck, your seats will have a column (and not the full window) next to them. I noticed four such seats. But then, there is pretty much nothing you can do about it. One option is find someone with a window who is sleeping (not interested to see outside), wake the person up and convince them that your seat without a window should be ok for sleeping purposes!

Another major attraction is the huge area at the back of the coach with big windows on all sides. We have done this trip 2 times and on both the trips, we spent most of our time in this place. In the last trip, our gang also had a birthday cake cutting ceremony here (and probably forced the other people back to their seats!). Note: we didn’t use a candle, for obvious reasons. This “cabin” is amazing. But check the location of the vistadome coach before you book. I know that the Deccan queen has this at the end, so you get to see the back. The return journey (Mumbai Pune) of the Deccan Queen has this coach at the start which means that the engine blocks the view (not good at all).

We booked the 510 pm Deccan Queen for the return journey because we wanted to have more time in Mumbai. There is an earlier train also if you want to do want to catch the sights again. If you come by the 510 pm train, the first 1.5 hrs until Karjat are flat. So, it does get dark by the time you start climbing the ghats. So, the luxury of the vistadome coach is more for the rest than the views on the return journey.

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The 3.5 hrs on the journey from Pune to Mumbai will happen in a flash. You can spend hours at the back cabin and just enjoy the passing views. Also, a great location for photography. Unfortunately, the food served in the train is pretty average (and is not included in the price). They serve cutlets, omlettes, and sandwiches. Pretty average taste. Due to the fact that this is the last coach, you can’t get down and grab something from the intermediate stations. So, better to carry lot of snacks with you.

We had a tight agenda in Mumbai for the 6.5 hrs. In the two trips that i did, one was exclusively cafe/food hopping whereas the another was a mix of all. In the cafe hopping trip, we were 2 families and all the places were close to CSMT. So, we moved around by local taxis from place to place. In the other trip, we had booked 2 Innovas (13 people) for 8 hr-80 km trip.

Trip 1: First stop by taxi from CSMT – Cafe Mondegar. Irani Cafe. Good Sandwiches, nice decor. Then, we went to Effingut (walkable distance). We had Garlic bread with Thecha!!! A Maharashtrian twist.

Then, we walked over to the Gateway of India. It was around 1 pm. Surprisingly, the crowd was very less and it was slightly drizzling. Also, took some photos of the Taj next door. Overall a good experience.

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Then, we took a taxi to Marine drive. Spent some time watching the waves and feeling the breeze. After that we walked over to K.Rustom Ice cream Shop (an old Parsi ice cream shop, supposedly very famous) and had their ice cream sandwiches.

Then, we took a taxi to the CSMT junction and went to Pancham Puriwala, again a very old establishment. I have a liking for such places even though they may be very cramped and not rate very high on the hygiene scale. They have a Puri Thali with five different types of Puris. After a plateful of Puris, we were back on the train for the return journey.

Trip 2: This time, we were a bigger group (13) and also with different interests. So, we had 2 booked Innovas to take us around. We started off with Sidhivinayak Temple. A very crowded Sunday. Option of free, 100 INR, 1500 INR for 4 ppl darshans. The 100 INR one had around 35 mins waiting. With kids in tow, we decided to take 1500 for 4 option. This queue doesn’t “merge” into the regular queue like most temples. It was almost like a walk-in, walk-out darshan. Very good if you are short of time.

Then, we went to Malabar Hill Elevated walk way (recently opened attraction). With the rains, it was a very nice experience. A 700 m walk, it requires a prior online booking (25 pp). We reached an hr earlier to our slot, requested the guards to let us in and they agreed to change the slot. Takes around 25 mins with photo stops. Good experience in the rains. The drive through the coastal road from Siddivinayak temple to the Malabar Hill Walkway was AMAZING! This is not the Mumbai i knew!

After that, we went to Marine Drive. It was a rainy day and quite windy too. So, we got to experience the “famous” waves splashing on the rocks. Was a nice experience.

Then we went to K.Rustom Ice Cream shop. Opens only at 3 pm on Sunday. A huge crowd was waiting outside. Two lines. When the shutter opened, everyone forgot that they were part of a line. Became a ration shop. Wouldn’t rate it wow, but nice ice cream sandwiches. Everyone in the area knew that the shop opened at 3 pm. The place was silent before 3. At 3 pm, everyone emerged. People of course. Add crows and rats to the scene. The rats were having a nice time moving from butterscotch to chocolate to hazelnut options from the melting ice cream. The crows were waiting for the rats to die from overeating! Tip: Dont order many (if in a grp). The problem is that he takes all orders, picks them up, takes money and then gives you the ice cream. By this time, many would have started melting.

After that, we went to Gateway of India. Was very very crowded and was also undergoing some renovation. So, wasn’t much of a delight! Back to the train then for an uneventful journey.

If you haven’t done this trip in monsoon, i would highly recommend doing it. Enjoy!

You have everything in this scenic road trip so close to Pune (near Saswad). Small hill temples (option to climb or drive to), remote rolling hills with kuchcha roads (but can be driven on by any car), a small village with a deep patriotic connection and finally a temple known for the samadhi of Maharishi Valmiki, the author of Ramayana.

Since we are covering so many places, it is important to understand the map first I have shared the map for the full trip (from Magarpatta), but maps might sometimes reroute you to the main roads (with good intention of course). But some of the places require you to go on roads which maps may not like. I will give the locations of the places individually, so that you can build your own map in case the default takes you elsewhere.

First locations would be two hill temples close to each other Shri Shankareshwar Mandir (https://maps.app.goo.gl/XPHgQBxk8g9fYwDx9) and Shri Rameshwar Mandir (https://maps.app.goo.gl/6kAGPgvebDXDTM1o8). Once you are finished with the visit, the tricky part begins. You have to zoom in a lot on maps to see a narrow road connecting these temples to Pingori (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fi1ogEtMeE9JSvir5). In fact, when i went on this road a few years back, i had to rely on the satellite view as this road was yet to be mapped. Expect lot of potholes on this road, but good enough for any car. After Pingori, the roads clear up and your next destination Walhe (https://maps.app.goo.gl/1zNQTEUwnqiXKw7g7). If you are already tired, catch the main road back to Jejuri. If you are in the mood for more nature, then choose the route i have given below as it will take you through super smooth roads through a valley famous for bird watching. Connect to Parinche (https://maps.app.goo.gl/NbEVKwAgEENpHC1Y6) and then to Pimpale (https://maps.app.goo.gl/fmNaiG1ZRbroGV139) and then back to Pune.

Ok, lets start the trip. Reach Saswad and then drive towards Jejuri. Take an exit towards Sakurde village. The village roads are narrow, but always interesting to drive through such lanes. After Sakurde, the hills open up and you wouldn’t believe that you are just 2-3kms away from a main highway. The twin temples of Shankareshwar and Rameshwar have roads until the temple, but after a 1 hr drive from Pune, it is a great opportunity to stretch your legs. So, the moment you see the first temple on your left (top of the hill), park your vehicle and start climbing, whatever way you choose!

Shakareshwar temple is a small temple, but has a big courtyard. Lovely views of the plains from the temple.

There isn’t exactly a walking trail. If you don’t walk to climb randomly, follow the kuchcha road up the hill.

Looks very far, but the climb is not more than 10 mins. We had senior citizens with us and hence they used the other car to drive up to the temples.

This (above) is how the road (up to the temples) was when we went. Good to drive on as well as to walk on!

Rameshwar Mandir was a bit bigger and more elaborate. The location was awesome. The road went amongst trees and the temple stood in the middle of a small forest.

There were lot of statues and inscriptions kept near the temple which do suggest that the main temple (before renovation) must be quite old. We spent close to an hr at these places as we walked from the base of the hill. On a cloudy monsoon day, the breeze chill would be awesome at these temples.

From there, we drove over to Pingori. This stretch is very remote through hills. I read that there were protests by the villagers few years earlier to get a pucca road. There was even a video of a politician driving on this route, to promise a better road. As of late 2023, the road was far from a pucca road, but the stretch is beautiful to enjoy nature. We reached the village centre (above).

Welcome to the village of bravehearts! Pingori, a very small non-descript village, has sent more than 150 brave-hearts to our armed forces! This fact is mind-boggling. Right at the village square, you see a very old with the board mentioning names. The first one – Capt. Shweta Rajendra Shinde. Wow!! The village pradhan’s son and daughter-in-law are both in the armed forces.

The village has setup a memorial (Shahid Smarak Pingori) for all the bravehearts from the village who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Very touching! We spoke to the villagers and the stories of the bravery of the villagers kept on coming. Was a wonderful experience visiting the village.

We then proceeded to the village temple. We walked through the village and saw many old houses still maintained in their original condition. One of the villagers volunteered to become our guide to the temple and it was great listening to the history of the village.

We also visited the manmade Pingori lake which stores water during the monsoon season to provide water to the village during the summer.

We then proceeded to Walhe. Walhe is called so because of the village’s association with Maharishi Walmiki. Wow, such an important figure in Indian epics and his samadhi (also his growing up years) are so close to Pune. Read about the history of the place before visiting.

The temple has huge paintings inside which tell you the story of Maharishi Walmiki, of his earlier years as a villain of that area to his reformation that eventually led to the penning of Ramayana. There is a small hill called “Sat Ranjan” close by. Needs a guide to trek to (connected with Walmiki). We didn’t do the trek though.

Lot of interesting places visited on this short road trip, we were on our way back to Pune. As i wrote before, choose the route to Pune depending on your leftover enthu

Until about a few years ago, you had to park on the road going towards Wai (between Kenjalgad and Raireshwar). Now, they have made a motorable stretch towards the fort and the parking is done a little closer. It is only a 200 m stretch, so doesn’t take away much from the trekking distance. Once you park, it is a short, but interesting climb to the top of the plateau. This road was made because there is a proper village on top of the plateau and the people make the trip up and down on a daily basis. So, even though the reduction is small, it makes a big difference for the villagers.

The route from Pune (Magarpatta City) is not complicated. Should take around 2.5 – 3 hrs to reach the base. I prefer taking the Saswad route through Narayanpur, then hit the Bangalore highway, turn left, within a km turn right into Bhor. You will cross the famous “Necklace Point”. Do try to make a stop there, the view of the river making a U-Turn is worth a stop.

Go in the direction of Varandha Ghat. At a village called Ambeghar, you will see a small hanging bridge (biscuit break!). After this village, you will break away from the Varandha road and start going towards Raireshwar. This stretch is BEAUTIFUL.

The village roads are narrow, but in a pretty good condition. The last 30 mins of the travel before Raireshwar is amazing. Hills on all sides with yellow flowers in the middle (depending on season). August and later will get you lot of flowers. A steep climb with lot of u-turns would take you to the fort parking. Watch out a bit on these u-turns as the road condition usually gets worse during the monsoon. They don’t usually repair them until the monsoon gets over. But, any car can easily make the way to the top.

The climb is pretty easy. It takes around 30-45 mins with lot of photo stops on the way. And, you WILL take lot of photo stops as the view all over is amazing! If you are doing this during peak monsoons, you will see beautiful layers of clouds all over. If it is towards the later half (Sep), the place is covered with wild flowers. In fact, this is a very good alternative to the now-crowded-commercialized Kaas Plateau.

The highlight of the climb are the series of short metal stairs referred to as “Ladder of Heaven” on google maps! They are put up at sections which otherwise would have required tricky ascent of the cliffs. But the cool thing (not so cool for some ) is that there are sections of the ladder where the side railings are missing. This makes the climb a bit thrilling. But, nothing to worry about, these ladders though shaky have always felt perfectly safe.

Take it slow on the ladders and don’t forget to look back when you are climbing up/down. You can get some very nice photos

The ladder stretch is practically one-way, so if there is a crowd, you need to be patient!

The Raireshwar plateau is huge. So, what do you do when you reach the top? Take more photos obviously! The village folks have made a walking trail (stone path) which will take you around the plateau. The path will lead you near to the village temple. This is probably the most significant aspect of Raireshwar.

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took the oath of ‘Swarajya’ at this temple at the age of 16 along with his friends. He decided to act against the foreign invasive dynasties and establish a kingdom for the Marathas. This act at this temple was technically the foundation of the successful Maratha Kingdom. For the Marathas (and in Maharashtra), this temple is highly revered. One of the most important historical milestones for this area.

Read up on the significance of this temple before you go to the fort. That will help you appreciate its importance even more.

By the time you walk and reach the temple, you should have already been approached by locals asking you for having lunch at their place. Lot of locals provide tasty homemade Maharashtrian food at their simple homes. We accepted the offer of one such person and he also became our guide for the day. He took us to the temple, offered us some very tasty Chaas. We were there mid-Sep, so the sun was out a bit.

He then took us on a 40 min trail to see the “Seven Coloured Soil”. I would advise to skip this. The walk was amazing. Walking through monsoon slush is a very satisfying feeling. The walk took us through fields of flowers. But the seven coloured soil was bit of a disappointment. It was a small area and the locals had collected the coloured soils on a plate for us to see, that’s it.

There were symptoms of the soil having different colours, but nothing to wow about.

We were told that the locals are trying to maintain this place such that the colours are visible all-year round.

But, ask your guide to take you to different viewpoints or the cave. Walking on the plateau amidst the fields should not be missed. The small hills over the plateau offer great views. I also heard that the plateau has another way down with a longer stretch of ladders. Will probably visit this the next time i am at Raireshwar. The plateau is so huge that there are even 8 hr treks organised on the plateau which take you to the very western edge.

We started collecting flowers of all the types we could see. It was a nice flower bouquet! We did ask our guide before picking every flower!

After that we went to his house for lunch. Simple, excellent, hot food. Pithla Bhakris, thecha, rice and Dal. Amazing. Around 180rs a plate. Our guide was Srikant Jangam – 92201 52743. If you are a big group, you can call ahead so that they can keep the food prepared for you. Almost all the locals on Raireshwars had the surname Jangam. They all were proud of their link to Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and had lot of stories to tell.

The climb down is simple (More photos). There are two options for travelling back to Pune. One is the returning the same way, through Bhor. The other option is climb down the other side, towards Dhom dam backwaters. The advantage of this side is that you can visit Menavli Ghat (Wai), the site of many Bollywood Movie Shootings, have early dinner at Mapro Wai. If you are not in the mood for cheese, i would recommend Gandharv Pure Veg Restaurant on the same road a a km before Mapro.

I have been to this fort 2 times and have been on the road (through the base) multiple times. This is a great option for a monsoon visit and can be included on the monsoon calendar every year. If you have not visited it yet, plan it for the coming monsoon!

Panvadi Ghat is a place so close to Pune, yet so remote! My first visit to this valley was in 2016 and it has been a regular on my list for every monsoon since then. The stretch starts a few kms behind Saswad and goes all the way until the Bangalore Highway at Kikvi, around 28 kms of scenic beauty as far as the eye can see!

The most popular (don’t worry, the crowd is still very very less) spot is the place where the dam overflows and forms a waterfall. The local folks have put up a snack shop and made it family friendly so that people of all ages can enjoy the waterfall. But Panvadi has so much more to offer. Lot of remote temples on hilltops, small diversions from the main route into remote valleys and more.
On one such drive, i saw a rock formation far away on top of a hill. Got very curious abt it, looked it up on the map. The hill even had a name – Navari Navaricha Dongar. There was no close-up photograph of the rocks, but they looked very cool. Thus was made the plan to climb to those rocks. And what an adventure it was!

This trek is moderate in nature. A little tricky because there is no trail. You just have to make your own way. I will put up all the map locations below. Please do read the entire blog as you SHOULD NOT climb down the way we did! Before you start the trek, have a general idea of where the rocks are on the map so that you will have a reference when you are on the ridge.
The starting point where you park and start the trek is here. This is also a great view point. On one side you will see a small building on the hill, that is the direction you have to start climbing. No trail, just make you own!

In the photo above, you can see our cars parked in the distance and also the small structure. That’s where we started from. The climb is not so steep, but the lack of a trail can make it adventurous.

The begins the walk across the ridge. When we went, it was very foggy and visibility was down to few metres. This made it very scary as we didn’t know what was on the side or how deep it was. But once the fog started clearing up, we realised that it was not as steep or deep as we thought it was. But still, the ridge is narrow at places and requires caution, particularly if it is raining or there is lot of fog.

Keep having a loop on the map as to where the big rocks are, as you can easily lose track of the distance you walk on the ridge, From the point you reach the highest point, the walk on ridge is at least 15 mins to reach the rock formation. Up close, the rocks look really cool. They are quote tall, easily more than 25 feet. There are multiple clusters. You can keep crossing each cluster to go to the next.

Photo sessions over at the rock, now we needed to climb down. Due to the fog, our climb up was quite scary. We decided that the lack of a trail would make the climb down the same way very difficult (wrong assumption!). So we started thinking of other ways to climb down. The road below was visible. So we decided that we would take the shortest path down, through the hill side (as you can see marked on the photo at the top)

We had thought that what we did until now was an adventure, but we didn’t realise that we were about to do was was crazier that what we had imagined! What looked like small shrubs on the hillside turned out be 3-4 feet high grass. Thick grass, no trail. This meant that we had no idea about where we were putting our next step – could be a rock, could be a cut in the hill side! So, we decided to take it slow (and a bit of fun) and started slowly sliding down the hillside.
Try to imagine a bulldozer flattening grass on a hill side, that’s how it was. I went down first creating the trail, getting lot of bangs on rocks and ankle twists on the way. The kids came down next on the path created and then the rest followed the trail.

DO NOT climb this way down. What we missed to think about was the fact that there could be snakes here. Tall grasses, no one goes on these slopes. I heard later from another wildlife group that these hills indeed have lot of snakes. Luckily, we came down to the road with just my shoe’s sole going missing! So, to go back to the parking use the same way you climbed up along the ridge. It is a rocky trail with no grass and hence visibility (of the ground) is quite good.

Overall, we enjoyed the adventure. I would definitely recommend this trek as a good half day trip from Pune.

A small temple with a huge compound on top of a small hill should not be given a miss. As usual, i was browsing around on google maps (in satellite view) around my favourite area (the hills near to Saswad). Curvy roads on a hill terrain, interesting. Zoomed in and found a temple. Never been there, time to go!

The location of the temple: https://maps.app.goo.gl/3vhYEoEffKbWiSgQ7 . The route to go there (from Magarpatta) was straightforward. Go to Saswad, take the exit towards Veer Dam road, go all the way near Parinche and then a short climb on the hill. I had been on this route before, but had taken a parallel internal road for the trek to Narsinha Temple near Hargude (yet to write about it). The road (called Indraprastha road) until Pimpale is almost like a runway and should be a biker’s heaven! Utterly butterly smooth and going through narrow valley with greenery on either side. The windows just had to be rolled down!

The entire route until Parinche is green and calm with very less traffic. You should be extremely unlucky not to see/hear a peacock (or your car stereo is blaring!). In fact, there are spots on this road famous for birding. Before you turn to the left near the village after Pimpale, have a Basundi chai at the big bus stop on the left.

As you approach the hill temple, you will see steps leading up to it (could be a hundred of them). But you don’t have to take the steps. There is a road leading all the way up to the temple. If you want a bit extra adventure, stop at the base and climb the steps. The road is perfectly ok for all types of cars. The temple as such is small, but the complex around it is huge and looks to be relatively new. A very well made boundary wall and stone flooring, the location is great for relaxing.

Since there are no hills nearby, the view is excellent and you can even see the backwaters of Veer Dam from here. There is a priest who lives permanently here (his house is just behind the temple). While seeing the temple on the map, i had seen two more structures nearby without a clear path to them. Had included them as a “short trek” to be done once we are here. There is a Kanifnath temple at the top of the hill behind the temple. You will be able to see a huge sign of “Mahadev Harni Mandir” (like I Love Pune) and a small temple. This is NOT the kanifnath temple. The kanifnath is on the hill behind this and hence not visible.

You have to trek (more of a short climb) to these temples. I have marked the trail in red in the above image, but very unlikely that you will be able to catch it on the way. The trail is actually the path of water coming down and hence is visible only from the top. Go towards the priest’s room and then start climbing up in the direction of the structure visible on top of the hill. You may have to scramble through at some place, but nothing complicated at all. Less than 10 mins needed. After that, it is a short walk to the Kanifnath temple.

These two temples are at a greater height than the Harni Mandir and hence give a greater view. Do not miss this trek as it will make a simple temple visit into an interesting outing.

The Kanifnath temple is an one shed small temple. It was refreshing to climb until here. I flew the drone, took a water break and we were back on our way down.

More photos and after some walking around near the boundary wall, we started out journey back.

As always, breakfast was planned on the way back. The earlier week, we had stopped at Shankutala Misal for Bhel and Misal. This time, we stopped at Asmita Vada Pav. The Vada Pavs were excellent, but i understood that the Misal was better at Shakuntala. Around a 7 AM start and we were back home around 1130AM. Good start to the weekend

Around Saswad, there are so many small hill temples. The entire region towards the back side of Purandar and Panwadi has lot of villages and invariably many of their have the local deity on top of a nearby hill. That provides opportunities for so many short trips (from Magarpatta). Some of the temples have a road up to the top while others need a short trek to reach.

Chaturmukh Shiv temple is one such hill temple. You have a road leading right up to it. Multiple ways to reach there, but the easiest is to use the Bopdev Ghat (going out of Kondwa) and then take a diversion from the road leading to Kanifnath temple. The location of the temple is https://maps.app.goo.gl/ySCX7pqZw3D2YKA99. If you start early in the morning (we started at 630 am on a saturday), it should take you around 40 mins to reach there (from Magarpatta).

I don’t think this is a very old temple. Maybe, they built on top of the old garbagraha. The temple has a big hall and lot of open space outside. It is right at the edge of a hill with ample parking. There is also a chai/vada pav shop outside The view from the temple all around is very good. There are lot of small hills nearby. In fact, we went and climbed one of them. It was fun. The weather was very good with a chill in the air.

The hill you see in the distance in the picture above is called “Gol Tekdi”, almost like a perfect cone when seen in satellite view on the map. We didn’t climb that as there was a already a biker gang well settled on top and the space on top was limited.

I also saw another temple in the distance. There was a kuchcha road going towards it. Found out that it was called Kalubai mandir (visible on maps). You should do the small diversion to this temple also. We have saved it for the next time! You can see this temple on the top right in the image below.

After spending some time taking in the cool air, our next stop was Siddheshwar Shiv Mandir (https://maps.app.goo.gl/bSFhxMXPyDyGCtqV7). This is just 2 kms away from the saswad pune highway, yet pretty remote. You have to cross a bridge over a stream to reach this temple.

The route to this mandir from Chaturmukh takes you through Khed Shivapur Saswad Link road and then branches off to small village lanes. When you take the turn from the main highway, the view is awesome.

The best part of the temple (apart from the scenic location) was the acoustics inside the temple. We tried chanting OM and the echo was awesome!

Ok, all the temple visits done. Time for breakfast. We came over to the Saswad highway and then went to Shakuntala Misal. It was our first time based on a recommendation. They have only Misal, Bhel and Onion Bhaji. The waiter heard i and my talking when we ordered 2 Bhels (one for each of us). He politely said that the portion is big and hence he will order one (and we can order another one if needed). Good customer experience. When the Bhel came, wow …huge and also very very tasty and it was just 60 Rs. The “Misal Thali” with the lassi, sweet and also the paan (wonderful idea) was amazing.

Even though we were full, we won’t lose an opportunity to visit Kiga Ice Creams as it is was just a few hundred ms away from Shakuntala Misal. Kiga is famous for its ice cream thali, a combination of many scoops of ice creams of exotic flavours.

It was a wonderful weekend morning trip. We were back home by 12 (5.5. hrs trip) with so many stops, photos and good food. We also saw a mongoose by the side patiently giving poses for our photos. Always seen one run across the road, never sitting quietly by the side

Not many know of Kenjalgad fort. But almost everyone would know about Raireshwar Fort, very famous for the fact that Chhatrapati Sivaji took his Swarajya Oath at a temple on this fort. Kenjalgad is Raireshwar’s neighbour. It is a small fort on a plateau, but interesting enough to trek to it. The fact that it is not well known helps as you don’t get the crazy crowds you get at Lohagad or Sinhagad.

The route to Kenjalgad fort from Pune is straightforward. You go on the Bangalore highway until Bhor, Turn right down Bhor-Varandha ghat. At Ambeghar, you leave the varandha route and turn left. Take a stop at Ambawade village to see the hanging/swinging bridge (visible from the road). The final ascent to the base village is very interesting and will give you lot of nice views.

The final km is rugged and Kuchcha. If that concerns you, you can leave your vehicle right at the point you take the exit to the base village (from the road leading to Raireshwar).

Once you reach the base village, you should be able to see the fort (photo above). The path starts between two houses beyond a small field. The villagers will help you find the path in case it is not clear. Once you get the starting point, it is easy. There are 2 paths to the top. When you cross the small field behind the houses, the one on the right is shorter, but steeper. The one on the left is lightly longer, but takes lot of switchbacks, hence not steep. We took the right to climb up and the left to come down. I would recommend doing the same as the steeper path is fun, especially if it is raining Also, if it is raining, the steeper would be very difficult to come down.

The best part of the trek/fort is yet to come. Once you reach the bottom of the fort, you should able to see a tall wall in front of you all around. Somewhere in there is the staircase. That’s the beauty of the construction. Such huge steps carved directly out of rock and yet you wouldn’t see them until you are directly below them. These steps would take you to the top of the fort. If it is raining and there is fog, climbing the steps is a beautiful yet eerie experience!

Kenjalgad is a small fort, so it won’t take long to roam around on the top. If it is very foggy, please be mindful of the edges as it is a big drop on all sides. You will see a griding wheel (intact) and few ponds on the top. On a clear day, the view is amazing from the top. After climbing down the stairs, if you take the lesser steep path (opposite direction to where you came from), you will be able to get the view of the fill fort from the side (the opening photo).

If you are looking for an easy yet interesting fort to climb, Kenjalgad is a great option. You can come back to pune the same way you took to reach there or climb down on the other side (you will cross Raireshwar) and then come back through Wai and maybe even stop at Mapro for a well deserved strawberry milkshake

Since it was heavily raining, i couldn’t use my mobile or the regular camera. Almost all shots were on GoPro. But that meant it was easy to put together a short video of the trip!

Well, it is not exactly in the middle of nowhere. This farmstay is in the middle of a huge forest plot (even has a hill) around 2 kms away from the main road from Mangaon (on the Goa highway) to Diveagar (beach). When you go on this 2 kms road, you are transported from the busy state highway to a calm, remote patch of land. Since the plot is huge, the actual stay is around a 150 m away from the gate on the village road. This makes the place totally isolated and peaceful.

Maitri Farms was started by few ex-IT friends. Currently, the main stay has 2 rooms and a dorm, capable of handling 12-14 people comfortably. They are in the process of adding another bungalow within the plot, a little further away. The house is built in a very traditional style with a big verandah. All the “tools” lying around the place make it feel like a farmstay. They also have a small pool – but good enough for few ppl to laze around.

Directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1yeYgv2GWXSQXWuf8 . This is the location of the place. If you are travelling from Pune, take the tamhini ghat route, reach mangaon, proceed towards Diveagar. Then when you reach Chandore, a road to the left (for 2 kms) will take you to Maitri farms. Overall, around 4 hrs drive from Pune.

There is a caretaken family living on the same premises (a house nearby). They make the food for the guests. The package is per person inclusive of all the food/snacks and the price is very reasonable. We loved the home cooked food. It included lot of village items. They also prepared a “Popti party” for us. It was the first time for us and we loved it.

It is a great place to spend couple of days with friends/family. Lot of sit-out options along with the pool make it a great place to relax. One can also visit Diveagar beach (45 mins away). It was Diwali time and we wanted to say “Happy Diwali” to our homestay friends at Kulswami Guest House in Diveagar. So, we drove over to Diveagar. We also visited a nearby hill temple of the village of deoghar (a steep drive on a narrow hill road ). Also, the weather was beautiful in the evenings and we just kept on clicking pictuires.

Since it is away from the main road and surrounded by lot of trees, you get to see tons of insects and birds. In fact, Shereesh, the owner of the farmstay has kept brochures to help you identify the various birds seen there. The insects which swarmed us in the evening were HUGE. Tons of insects, we did get bothered a bit at the start, but them we settled down along with them and even started including them in our photo. See one photo below to see the size of that praying mantis!

A great option for a relaxed weekend stay. Even better if you have a gang to go with!

Ramdara Temple near Lon Kalbhor is a small yet famous temple. My first visit to this temple was many years ago. Since it is quite close to Magarpatta, we go there often, in all seasons. The reflection of the temple on the lake is a very soothing sight.

Though we had been there many times, we had never trekked to the hilltop behind the temple. Last monsoon (2023), as part of our “quick trips on weekday mornings”, we drove over to the temple and did the trek. This post is about the trek. It is a very easy trek and it should not take more than 2 hrs to and fro, from the temple (including dozens of photo breaks!)

The route to Ramdara (from Magarpatta) is very straightforward. Google maps will take you directly to the temple gate. A short drive on Solapur Highway and then a right near Loni will take you to Ramdara road directly.

The above photo is from a bridge you would cross on Ramdara road. The temple is near the 2 small orange towers. From there you climb towards the small Shiv temple on the right and then turn to the left the climb on the ridge reaching all the way to the top of the hill. The below is the aerial view of the same route.

The temple gates open only at 7 AM. If you are reaching after 7 am, then you enter the temple premises, exit it at the back gate and reach a point where you turn left and start your trek. If you reach before 7 am, park your vehicle at the parking lot (showing in map below) and go around the temple at the back to directly reach the starting point of the trek.

On the way to the temple, be on the lookout for farmers on the fields. This is a great opportunity to get fresh vegetables at a fraction of the price of the regular market. And, if you are from Magarpatta, you would jump in joy at this difference!

We went on a cloudy/windy day where it kept drizzling from time to time. This made it wonderful. Heavy rains might make the trail slippery as it is all loose soil/rocks. We took close to 2 hrs for the round trip (trek from the temple) as most of the time was spent on photos/just sitting and admiring the views!

The trek is overall on the easier side. There are few patches where you can climb over the rocks. All these sections had easier bypass routes by the side, but we chose to climb over the rocks

We also found 2 eggs on the ground. They were almost fully red in colour. Few kids who were also on the hill took these eggs, created a nice shelter under a tree and moved them there (away from the open space).

You get great views of the city from near the top. The cloud made it extra scenic. If you are from Magarpatta/Amanora, you will recognise the Amanora skyline in the last pic below.

On the way back, do no forget to stop at Kiga Ice Cream. They have got ice cream thalis (Yes, thalis) – 6-7 scoops of different flavours of ice creams (very unique flavours) and the entire thali ranges fro 220 to 350 rupees. An excellent place to stop if you are with a gang. After 11 am, they also serve sandwiches and other snacks.

I will end this post with a time lapse of clouds moving across the ridge, was a beautiful sight to watch!