We turned on the keys to the journey from Pune, and a three-hour long drive led us to our destination for the weekend, Mahabaleshwar. A quaint, lush hill-station at the heart of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra. Located in the Sahyadri mountain range, Mahabaleshwar served as the summer capital of the erstwhile Bombay province. On the way to Mahabaleshwar, we stopped at The Lingmala waterfalls in Panchagani. It was one of the most beautiful places in the entire stretch of the road journey. The water was crystal clear and almost as cold as a chilly winter morning breeze. Spending time at the waterfall washed away all the fatigue from the drive and the cold water refreshed us for the rest of the journey up to Mahabaleshwar.
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Lingmala waterfalls, Panchgani
Upon reaching Mahabaleshwar, we revelled in the deliciousness of authentic Maharashtrian cuisine. The food was wholesome, tasted very different from the usual Indian food. The exotic spices in the food added to its deliciousness, taking our taste buds on a roller coaster ride.
On our way to Mahabaleshwar, we drove to Mapro Gardens. The garden park was set up by Mapro and is used to cultivate strawberries. They also produce chocolates there, along with different kinds of jams, squashes, and candies. I could not stop myself from cheating on my diet plan and munched on all the sweetmeats. It was totally worth it.
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Mapro garden
Lodwick and Elephant Head Points were the two main attractions that we covered around Mahabaleshwar. Lodwick Point is about 5 km to the west of Mahabaleshwar and the unique landscape of the place provides an exquisite view of the Pratapgarh Fort and Elphinstone Point. Elephant Head Point is a little further ahead of Lodwick Point and it gets its name from the rock formations that resemble the head of elephants. Visitors flock to these places all year round and it is an excellent spot for photography and witness nature’s scenic beauty.
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Lodwick point, Mahabaleshwar
Lodwick point, Mahabaleshwar![]()
Elephant head, Mahabaleshwar
Elephant head, MahabaleshwarOne of most splendorous experiences I went through at Mahabaleshwar was boating on the Venna Lake. A chill in the wind hit the mist covered lake, making it all the more romantic and jaw-droppingly beautiful.
The smart backpack that I had with me on this journey, is one hell of an invention by The Carriall Co. The anti-theft system is the most important feature of the bag. It comes with a Bluetooth device that you place in the bag, which can then be tracked using a smartphone through the Carriall app; so you’ll always know where your bag is. Another cool thing about the bag is that it has multi pockets to stuff everything that you need. The pockets make it is easy to organise your things and I had no problem fitting my camera, lenses, stabiliser, chargers and travel essentials into the backpack. Even though I had so many things, the backpack still had some space to spare. There was a continuous light drizzle at Mahabaleshwar and I was not carrying an umbrella; this was not an issue as the backpack is completely waterproof. Not a single droplet of water made it past the waterproof outer layer of the backpack. This is such a blessing for a place like Mahabaleshwar, where it can rain at any time of the day. As we hiked around clicking photos and shooting videos, my phone’s battery started to drain a lot of juice, but the Carriall Backpack came to my rescue. It has a USB port that can be connected to your power bank and you can charge your phone on the go. You get to carry everything you need along with an access port for your power-bank in this amazing backpack. It is a definite must-have for all travel enthusiasts who love carrying multiple types of equipment and essentials on their journey.
The journey was fruitful and relaxing, it was a calming experience smack in the middle of the year. The lush hills of the Western Ghats and the continuous drizzle made this getaway a very special one. India is truly incredible and a place like Mahabaleshwar just shows how incredible India really is. Hope you like the place as much as I did.
