Places near Pune

14/07/2023

Serrano nature farm and adventure retreat - a nice place for a one day trip with family. Well maintained greenery, lot of places to just relax and some good adventure activities (not many that keep you occupied the entire day). All the details + more photos on the blog. --> https://placesnearpune.com/2023/07/serrano-nature-and-adventure-resort-near-mulshi/

10/04/2022

Maitri Farms - a great place for a do-nothing break. Located just off the Goa Highway on the way to Diveagar (30 mins from Mangaon and 1 hr to Diveagar), this farmstay is a nice place to go with family/friends and be in the midst of nowhere. Very tasty food prepared by the caretakers. There is a even a small swimming pool for the kids/kid in you! Check out www.maitrifarms.com for more details.

10/01/2022

Kulswami Guest House - a simple, yet great homestay at Diveagar. We have been there 3 times in the past 2 years and this will be our place of choice whenever we visit Diveagar.
Great location, great food and a very reasonable price - 1000rs per room. More details on the post on my blog (placesnearpune dot com)

23/03/2021

Viyoddha homestay near Satara. Simple, clean rooms with great local food. We stayed there in Jan for 2 nights - mainly to relax in a different setting during lockdown. Did a small trek to a nearby hill temple. Very reasonable price - around 1200 per night for a room. The family cooks up great options for meals.
A perfect option for an overnight stopover if travelling down south on the Bangalore highway from Mumbai. If you are planning to see places near Satara, this will be a great option for a stay (good food, clean stay, at a reasonable cost).
Check out the details of the homestay on my blog placesnearpune dot com (not being allowed to link!). Made a short video with my drone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udCmOEgJfro

Viyoddha Homestay - a simple, clean homestay near between Satara and Mahabaleshwar exit (on the bangalore highway). Best suited for overnight stay for people...

06/03/2021

A man and his drone - on the Siddheshwar Temple trail, near Satara

20/02/2021

When you are welcomed with a bunch of freshly plucked strawberries, you know that you in for a sweet stay!
Check out Gurusparsh Strawberry Farmstay in Panchgani. Was there for an extended weekend and it was wonderful.
I have put all details on my blog. Go over there and see all details ( you know the link --> placesnearpune dot com). For some reason, FB is not allowing me to post the link to my own blog!

28/11/2020

Kaajva Forest Stay near Gaganbawda - a beautiful place to take a break in the midst of nature.
Had been on a Diwali break to this place. The first trip since covid days. Gaganbawda is around 6.5 hrs from Pune, on the way to Ratnagiri. This forest stay is in an isolated area surrounded by farms , with a river running next to the property.
They have 5 rooms, 3 of which are in a heritage bungalow. The other two are riverside rooms. Simple and tasty maharashtrian fare. Lot of open space for the kids. The best part was the wind and the fresh air. Was a welcome break from the lockdown for many months.
Btw, the current owners are the 14th generation of the finance minister of Shivaji ! Right next to the stay is a 80 yr old wada constructed by the great-grand-father of the current owner.
Highly recommended for a much deserved break from the lockdown. Ping if you need more info/details. Their website is https://www.kaajvaforeststay.com/ . Contact the phone number on the top of the page.

12/09/2020

Went on a small trip again to Malhargad, this time with the drone!

Malhargad, also known as Sonori fort, is a relatively unknown fort very close to Pune city. This is supposed to be last fort built under the Maratha empire. ...

01/09/2020

Drove upto Shindawane Ghat (off solapur highway - Pune) last weekend. A short scenic ghat section. The added beauty to the place is the railway line nearby. You can spend hours just watching the trains pass through the monsoon scenery! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNzjhWHm-FI

Shindawane Ghat is a very scenic short ghat section off Solapur highway near Uruli Kanchan. The rail route from Shindawane to Ambale station climbs through m...

17/08/2019

Naneghat mountain pass near Junnar. A must-visit place if you are in that area.

Naneghat was one of the most important mountain passes between the Konkan and the Deccan plateau. It is located around an hr's drive away from Junnar town. T...

11/07/2019

Monsoon Magic!
This is a popular in Varandha ghat. At 4 pm, the sky was clear and we were able to get under the waterfall. By 630 pm, it was raining like crazy. The waterfall had a totally different menacing look! The kids though, called it a milkshake :-)

09/07/2019

The side roads of Varandha Ghat – Places near Pune and Mumbai

Done and dusted Varandha ghat?
Try the side roads ..better scenery ..much lesser crowds http://www.placesnearpune.com/2019/07/the-side-roads-of-varandha-ghat/

The side roads of Varandha Ghat by Rajaram Sethuraman · Jul 9, 2019 Varandha Ghat was considered very offbeat and remote until few years ago. If you haven’t been to Varandha Ghat, it is a must visit ghat section for the wild experience. Nowadays, shops have come up in front of every waterfall and...

28/06/2019

Diveagar Beach - a beautiful monsoon destination. You get to have the beach almost to yourself. No crowds, very clean, good food at the homestays - what else is needed for a vacation!
Do not forget to drive to Harihareshwar through the coastal road (Diveagar - Shrivardhan - Harihareshwar). A scenic 1 hr drive.

23/06/2019

The U-turn point, also known as the necklace view point. If you are going to Bhor (or to Varandha Ghat), don't forget to stop here. Location --> https://goo.gl/maps/eeQLT3s6pLCd3eGY7

15/06/2019

Waterfall near Varandha Ghat

A multi-layered waterfall on an offbeat route - where else can you see a waterfall without a dozen people under it!
Route: Parallel to Varandha Ghat road, through Pangari. Green village roads with amazing scenery.

This waterfall is not on the main Varandha Ghat Road. It is on the parallel road, through Pangari. This is a beautiful off-beat village road where you can en...

10/06/2019

All dirt trails look the same. When you are busy admiring the scenic beauty (yes, even the stark dryness of summer can be beautiful), sometimes you end up choosing the wrong dirt trail.
Then, you start feeling "This somehow doesn't look like the route we should have taken"..you look at the map and Google says "I also think so!"
Location: NOT near Temgarh dam, but inside Temgarh dam!

15/01/2019

TIMES Celebrate Pune Festival to start tomorrow...

13/01/2019

Wasooo

Wasooo

Very windy.. No problem, I will be extra careful!
On top of Rohida fort, known as the windy fort.

26/07/2018

The spray of the water, the force of the wind - Nature at its best!

19/07/2018

Drive carefully in Keshav Nagar, Mundhwa, Pune or you may fall in love :-) (From a friend on a travel WA group)

09/07/2018

The road here looks ok, let me see how it is beyond the turn! Somewhere near Raireshwar...

10/06/2018

Mahatma Phule Market. When you are out shopping without the kids, you get time to stop and admire the surroundings 😀

23/04/2018

CSK, Welcome to Pune!

10/03/2018

Pune smart city initiative kicks off in Magarpatta, with the launch of Ofo bike sharing.

31/01/2018

How to take photographs of the moon

Since people are going crazy clicking pictures of the Red Moon, here is a primer for those who are ending up with a dot on the screen :-)

Photographing the Moon The moon is a difficult subject to shoot for ones new to photography, but when you get a good shot of the moon, it would automatically find a place in your “best photos” folder. Most of our (meaning: amateurs) first shots of the moon would look like the one below, with a s...

24/01/2018

If you have friends/relatives visiting you in MH, gift them this amazing book. http://amzn.to/2GaT7WZ
Very nice information presented in a format attractive to both kids & adults. They are bringing out such books for all states in India. Have got all the ones which they have until now.