Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road is a Scenic journey through Southern Maharashtra. This Trip from Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road is one of the best Road Trips in Maharashtra. It passes through rivers, mountains, and small villages.
If you want to travel from Pune to Mahabaleshwar by road then you are at the right place. This blog will help you on your trip as we will give you details like the stops you can take, photo breaks, hotels, and the places to visit nearby.
Distance From Mumbai and Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road
The distance between Pune and Mahabaleshwar is 125 km from Pune Station. The distance varies depending on where you start from.
| Starting Point | Till Panchgani Market | Till Mahabaleshwar Market |
|---|---|---|
| Wakad Hingewadi Flyover, Pune | 111 Km | 132 Km |
| Pune Station/Hadapsar | 104 Km | 125 Km |
If you are coming from Pune station or Hadapsar you will pass through the Old Katraj ghat and join the road trip after the New Katraj Tunnel.
This tunnel is around 1.25 Km on the Mumbai Bangalore highway NH48.
If you are coming from Wakad you will pass through the New Katraj Tunnel.
Both the roads join after this ghat.
If you are coming from Mumbai you need to drive till the Wakad – Hingewadi Flyover.
The Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar Road distance is 230 km from Dadar Railway Station via NH66. It takes around 5 and a half hours.
Dadar>Vashi>Panvel>Kolad>Mangaon>Mahad>Poladpur>Mahabaleshwar
The other road from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar Road distance is 270 km from Dadar Railway Station via NH48. It takes around 5 and a half hours.
Along the Way
After the Katraj Ghat, all along this road, you will find many eateries. There are snack joints, hotels, and restaurants. Kailash Bhel is one such place that serves Bhel. It also has a restaurant on the inside and is famous for its Maharashtrian Thali.
You will find many restaurants with veg or non-veg food. Since this was the beginning of our road trip we filled a few snacks and moved ahead.
The next stop was the Khed Shivapur Toll Naka. The fare here is Rs. 90 for one side journey for Car.
After Khed Shivapur, you can take a break at the McDonald’s and Cafe Coffee Day at a Petrol Pump towards your left.
This McDonald’s outlet has a drive-in facility but does not have McCafe. We bought a Happy Meal and got going.
If you do not want to halt here you will still have options ahead. After Khed Shivapur the scenes all along the way changed.
From Pune to Mahabaleshwar by road, you will find farms on both sides of the highway. In the months of September to November, you will find yellow and orange flowers all along the roads. Beds of these orange flowers look appealing.
As you move on the highway, you will come across many villages with mountains in the distant background.
Before the Bhima River bridge, on your left is the Amruta Hotel. It is an old hotel with South Indian and Punjabi Cuisine. Here you can try the lunch or snacks.
Behind this Hotel is the Bhima River. Bhima River is the river that divides the Districts of Satara and Pune. At this point, the river is wide as a 4-lane highway Bridge is built over it.
Bhima River also has a small boating service. If it interests you then you can avail the boating facility here.
As Satara district starts, you will find further changes in the horizon. Sahyadri Mountains covered with clouds will start appearing in the background. It looks as if the clouds are welcoming you from Pune.
The Trip from Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road will start becoming more beautiful from here.
Small villages and hillocks will draw your attention. You can stop over and click photographs at will. The roads without any turn seem endless.
You near the Satara Ghat (Pass through the hills) in front and wonder what’s beyond.
Before the Satara Ghat, there is another place where you can take a break at the Kamath Hotel. It is a veg Restaurant chain. Here you will get Snacks and South Indian and Punjabi food.
The Satara Ghat is a small ghat and the turns are smooth. The mountain is not too high.
Earlier it was a two-way Ghat. Now since they have built a tunnel for coming from Wai to Pune the side on which we are going is also one way.
As you reach the top you will see the beautiful view of the Pune side of the mountain. The Satara Ghat will take 15 to 20 minutes to travel.
Once you have come on the other side of the mountain you will see eateries on both your left and right. There are a few restaurants on the left side but even better restaurants await on the opposite side. But it would be advisable not to take U turn for the hotels on the right.
On opposite side of the Pune to Mahabaleshwar road, you will find the hotel Aaram. It has all kinds of food and many activities here. Zip Line and Zip Line Cycling, play area for kids. It is a complete entertainment place. You can plan to come here on your way back.
After a short distance and below the first fly-over bridge you will need to take a turn to the right. This is the Panchgani Mahabaleshwar Road.
This route is beautiful. Old trees will be everywhere along the road. You will find small shops selling sugar cane juice, different masala from nearby farms, and many other things.
You will find some restaurants here but you can give them a miss and keep driving. You need to move straight up and not take any turns to reach Wai.
You will now be approaching Wai. Wai is a beautiful land lying low in Satara. You will find farms all along. The soil of Wai is black in color as it is volcanic in origin. This soil is conducive to farming. You can even get down and visit a farm in Wai.
This soil is very different from the red soil in Mahabaleshwar which is rich in iron.
Before the Panchgani Ghat starts in Wai, there is a Farm that also serves food. This is the Natu Farms. It is on the road and serves Maharashtrian food. You can try Thalipeeth and Sabudana Vada for snacks. For lunch try the Veg or Non Veg Thali here.
They serve food on their farm and you get to eat sitting beneath the trees in nature. You can visit their farm too. From the months of August to March they grow strawberries here. Strawberries need around 2 and a half months for cultivation.
As you move from here, you will have to drive on the Panchgani Ghat. It is a two-way ghat. The turns are steep and you need to be careful as the vehicles coming down are fast. The scenic views on your right will keep getting better as you go higher.
Before you enter Panchgani on your right, you will find a small plateau. This is used for Paragliding during Winter and Summer. You can check out this place. It is very small compared to TableLand Plateau in Panchgani.
Tableland is the most visited place in Panchgani. It is Asia’s 2nd Largest Plateau. Panchgani’s Table Land consists of 5 Pathars (for the plateau in Marathi). Some say Panchgani the name is due to these 5 Pathars (panch means 5 and Gani means land).
The official version is that the British during the 1860s discovered Panchgani as a Summer Resort. With Rustomji Dubash, they named this nameless land as the land of 5 villages such as Dandeghar, Godavali, Ambral, Khingar, and Taighat.
Check Out the details about Panchgani here on the Maharashtra Tourism Website.
As you reach the top of the ghat, you will enter Panchgani. Panchgani is a satellite hill station to Mahabaleshwar. It is warm compared to Mahabaleshwar and has a pleasant climate throughout the year.
It is famous for its boarding schools which are more than 50 years old. Many of the rich and famous have their kids learn here. Also, Mahabaleshwar does not have any renowned English Medium Schools hence kids from Mahabaleshwar study at Panchgani.
You will have to pay a small toll tax which is taken by the local municipality for maintaining Panchgani. On paying this, you will arrive at the flat land atop the mountain that you climbed.
You will find advertisements for hotels on both sides. You will start seeing local restaurants as you enter Panchgani Market. Once you move ahead you will see the Parsi Point on your right.
Moving ahead, you will travel with the valley beside you with beautiful views on both sides. You can take a break here to check out the breathtaking views of the valley at Parsi Point. It is a beautiful evening walk place. You can even have a tea break here.
Soon you will be between Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. Here you will see Mapro Gardens where you get everything related to Strawberries. You can also have awesome sandwiches and Pizza.
Now our Pune to Mahabaleshwar Road Trip is in its final stage with half an hour to go. Many hotels and resorts will be passing by.
You will then reach a checkpoint and again will pay for toll tax of Rs. 150 (as of Oct 23) for Mahabaleshwar. This is valid for 5 days at many checkpoints in Mahabaleshwar.
After that, you will find the beautiful Venna Lake to your right.
After a short uphill drive, you will have reached Mahabaleshwar Market. This marks the end of the Trip from Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road.
Places to See Along the Way
1. Bhima River Boat Services
After Amruta Hotel on the edge of the Pune and Satara border, on the Bhima river you avail of this service. You can try Kayaking and other boats here. Many agro-tourism companies promote it.
If you are within time limits then you can visit it. We tell you to take complete information of this place and only then visit as you can get misguided.
2. Prati Balaji
After crossing the Khed Shivapur Toll, you will be crossing Kapurbol village. If you take a left turn from here you can visit the Prati Balaji Temple which is the exact replica of the Balaji Temple, Tirupati. There are a few other temples here too.
3. Farms in Wai
You can approach any farm owner and check out their farms. It would give you an idea about the soil and climate in Wai and Mahabaleshwar.
4. Paragliding Plateau
Before reaching the Panchgani Entry point on your right you will find this mini plateau. You can visit this place in 30 mins.
5. Sydney Point
On entry in Panchgani, towards your immediate right is the Sydney Point. It is accessible by road. You can visit it in half an hour to one hour time.
6. Parsi Point
A beautiful view of the Panchgani valley with the Dhom Lake in the background. You can even view the Kamalgad fort from here. It would take you a max of 20 to 30 minutes of your time to this point which is right on the road after the Panchgani Market.
7. Mapro Gardens
An all-time favorite of people visiting Mahabaleshwar is also this food mega joint. It awaits you on the road between Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar. If you intend to visit this place it would take an hour including your eating time.
8. Venna Lake
Towards the end of your journey, from Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road, you can also visit this serene place. It is beautiful the entire year around here.
You can park your car after the Mahabaleshwar Check Point and visit here. It would take you around 30 minutes for a stroll but if you do boating then add 30 mins to an hour.
The Pune Mahabaleshwar Road Trip is a beautiful road trip which takes more time than the normal of 3 hours. You will spend time in the natural beauty around you all along the way.
We advise you that any place that you see along the way will result in extra time. You should consider this extra time in your journey.
Best time for Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road
This is one of the Best Road Trips in Maharashtra and you can travel any time of the year.
The rains normally stop after September and every place is green. Between the months of September to November, the flowers are in bloom. If you travel during this time, the road trip will give you lasting memories.
All in All our Opinion
Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road is a journey one must experience. It forces you to take time out to view its wonderful pleasures all along.
The beautiful places to see are the best in Maharashtra. You will love the countless eateries on the way. The only thing that we didn’t like on this road trip was the uncontrollable hoardings and posters on the way. These hoardings block beautiful views. They give the Mahabaleshwar by Road Trip a shabby look.
Apart from this one point, we can rate this Road Trip as one of the best road trips from Pune or Mumbai. Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road is without any doubt one of the best road trips in Maharashtra.
Check out our Youtube Video for a quick look of the Trip from Pune to Mahabaleshwar by Road.
If you would like to Know more about other road trips from Pune and Mumbai then Click Here for the Murud Janjira Road Trip.
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