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Day trips
Matheran
Mahabaleshwar
Mulshi
Baneshwar, Pune-Satara Rd. A favorite picknicking spot.
Shirgaon, Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Shirgaon is home to a temple dedicated to Sai Baba.
Chateau Indage Winery, Narayangaon. A pleasant 80kms drive through toll roads and ghats. The Chateau has a good restaurant as well.
Shirdi, Pune-Nashik Highway. Shirdi famous for Sai baba temple. Also residence of Sai baba.
[edit] Weekend getaways
Alibag
Lonavala and Khandala
[edit] Hill forts
Pune is surrounded by numerous forts, built by the Peshwa king Chhatrapati Shivaji who trained his army on lines of Guerilla warfare. While most of these are half-ruined, the views from the top are simply awesome.
Sinhagad Sinhagad stands 25 Kms from Pune, formerly known as Kondhana, once being the most impregnable fort in western India. It’s literal translation is the "Fortress of the Lion". The fort has changed hands many times from Mohammed Tughlak in 1340 A.D., to the British in 1918 A.D. Legends says, 300 years ago Shivaji’s Gen. Tanaji Malusare scaled this sheer precipice with ropes and giant lizards. He was killed in the battle and a memorial exists. It is an ideal place for a day long picnic and site seeing. The main attraction is climbing the fort on foot.
Nil Kantheshwar Near to panshet dam. A must see place near @ 45 km from pune.The main attraction beautiful sun set and large amount of statues showing different events of mythology.
Rajgad 42 kms from Pune, Rajgad is truly the King of all forts. It is famous for its structure. Rajgad is surrounded by Sinhagad, Torna, Mangalgad and Purandar. Shivaji Maharaj spent nearly 30 years of his life here. The fort is 1400 mts above sea level and a difficult one to climb. The Padmavati temple which is of immense historical value is the only place where one can rest. The top of the fort offers panoramic views of Purandar, Sinhagad, Mahabaleshwar, Raireshwar, Torana, Raigad, Manmohangad, Makarandgad, Varanda Ghat, Lingana, Lohegad, Visapur, Tikona and Pratapgad. Bale Killa which is one of the most difficult forts to climb in Maharashtra is another nearby attraction. Rajgad gives you a true trekking experience. To reach Rajgad get down to Vinzhar on the Pune-Velhe road. The steep trek begins from this small village. An alternative route connects Torna to the fort.
Lohagad & Visapur A ridge separates the twin forts of Lohegadh and Visapur with a km between them. At an altitude of 1350 m, Lohagadh was Shivaji's stronghold during his reign. A local from Pune takes you there; you have to get down at Malavli, the nearest rail head (10 kms away) is 45 minutes from Pune City Stn . A waterfall in the trek to Lohagad is the highlight of the trek. A number of mischievous monkeys can create trouble so watch out. Though not much remains of the fort, the trek to the top is still worth it. While Visapur might be right next to it, there is not much to see! Dating back to the 1700s, visiting these forts (one kilometer apart), which were taken and lost by Shivaji, makes for a strenuous hike. The Bhaja caves , situated in Bhaja village, are nearby and it is a 4 kilometer walk from Lohagad to the Bhada Main Road.
Torna One of the highest forts in Maharashtra, this fort was Shivaji's first major conquest. He rebuilt it by repairs and made it his base. Shivaji had apparently abandoned this fort for Raigadh after finding it to be vulnerable due to its open summit. This fort offers a lot for trekkers, as it has one of the most exciting treks. A two-hour bus ride from Swargate will take you to Velha, where the imposing fort rises out of the outskirts of this village. Not a fort for everyone, this trek needs to be attempted only for true-blue trekkers. Biking up to the fort is a good option but it is best to make sure the tyres are designed for rough sloping terrain.
Jejuri Situated 48 kms away, Jejuri is known for the Khandoba deity and is considered a religious place by the Hindus. Large congregations attend the annual fair held here. There are eight Ganesh temples or ashtavinayakas where the idol is self formed. Five of these are in and around Pune Sri Moreshwar, Sri Chintamani, Sri Mahaganapati, Sri Wighnahar and Sri Girijatmak. Khandoba, the deity at Jejuri is the fighter God of the Marathas. He is shown astride a horse and has a angry warlike look. This was reason enough for the Muslims to repeatedly destroy the temple. Even Aurangzeb attempted to destroy the temple a second time in 1690. He however was thwarted in this attempt when the Mughal soldiers while trying to attack the temple disturbed a nest of hornets. The hornets so harassed the besieging Mughal soldiers that Aurangzeb was forced to lift the siege and spare the temple. The Bigoted but God-fearing Aurangzeb is said to have placated the angry bees by offering one hundred and twenty five thousand silver coins to God Khandoba |
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