Parshwa Pragyalay

Place: Parshwa Pragyalay
Route from Pune: Pune > Dehu road > Parshva Pragyalay
Distance from Pune: 27 kms (Approx).
Places to eat: various places on old Pune – Mumbai Highway
Places to stay: -
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Experience: Parshwa Pragyalay is a Jain temple situated on a Hill slope near Talegaon on the old Pune-Mumbai highway. It offers a fantastic view of Talegaon and surrounding area. The temple is still under construction but the pillers that are already in place have beautiful sculptures carved on them. The idols in the temple are also very beautiful. The environment is very peaceful.

Prati Shirdi

Place: Prati shirdi
Route from Pune: Pune > Dehu road > Shirgaon > Prati shirdi
Distance from Pune: 25 Kms (Approx)
Places to eat: Various places on old Pune – Mumbai Highway
Places to stay: -
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Experience: The temple is exact replica of Shirdi. It also has the replica of Dwarkamai along with the ever burning flame. Nice place to visit.

Rohida (Vichitragad)

Place: Rohida Fort
Route from Pune: Pune > Katraj > kapurhol > Bhor > Bajarwadi > Rohida.
Distance from Pune: 65 kms (Approx).
Places to eat: Plenty of places between Pune- Bhor.
Places to stay: Hotels at Bhor
Best time to Visit: Monsoon.
Experience: Rohida (Vichitragad) is at a distance of 5 kms from Bhor. We started early in the morning and reached Rohida base at around 9:00 am. Had a break in between for a misal pav at khed shivapur. Also spent some time at Bhatghar dam. It is the longest dam that I have seen in my life.

At the very first glance of Rohida, we knew that the trek is going to be difficult. There is not even a single tree on the entire Hill. The sun was killing us by the time we reached near the fort. Vaishali was very tired and so we had to quit before we could reach the fort. Sushil continued. He then told us that the view from the top is very good though there is not much to see on the fort except one temple which is also in a bad shape.

Rohida

Sinhgad (Kondhana)

Place: Sinhgad fort
Route from Pune: Pune > Khadakvasla > Donje > Sinhgad
Distance from Pune: 30 kms (Approx)
Places to eat: Lot of hotels on the fort that offer Maharashtrian food (especially Pitla Bhakri).
Places to stay: Lot of options available in and around Donje village.
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Experience: Always pleasant and rejuvenating.

Tikona Fort

Place: Tikona Fort
Route from Pune: Pune > Chandni chowk > Paud > Hotle > Tikona
Distance from Pune: 35 Kms (Approx)
Places to eat: Hotels between Pune - Paud. No Food or water on the fort.
Places to stay: Nil
Best time to Visit: Anytime except summer.
Experience: One can go to Tikona either from the Khandoba temple at the base or from Tikona maval. The later route is preffered by many because it takes you very close to the fort and is suitable for vehicles as well. We took the route from the temple. The path is long but very scenic. Finding the way to the fort is a little difficult. We took some help from locals.

Tikona

Tikona is in ruins but has some good spots at the top. It offers a splendid view of the Tung fort. Some parts of the fort are very steep, so extreme care is required. Few Sadhu's live in a temple on the fort. There is a Gurudwara near the fort which can also be visited.

View of Tung from Tikona

Baneshwar

Place: Baneshwar
Route from Pune: Pune > Katraj > khed shivapur > Nasrapur > Baneshwar.

Alternate route: Pune > khadakwasla> Donje phata > khalapur >Baneshwar.
Distance from Pune: 35 Kms (Approx), Khadakvasla route: 60 kms (Approx)
Places to eat: Small hotels at Baneshwar. Lot of places enroute if you take forst route (Pune - Satara highway)
Places to stay: Nil
Best time to Visit: Monsoon.
Experience: First route (Pune – Satara Highway) is the easiest way to reach Baneshwar but the alternate route is much more scenic. The lush green rice fields and the water flowing through them make the place very beautiful. After around 45 kms from Pune comes a point where you can take a right to Rajgad & Torna or a left to Baneshwar.

The place has an old shiva temple. The place is also well known for the garden and waterfall in the temple vicinity. Though not a very clean place, people come to this place mainly due to its proximity to Pune. The stones near the waterfall are slippery and one should be extremely careful.

Pavana Dam

Place: Pavana Dam
Route from Pune: Pune > Pirangut > Paud > Kolvan > Hotle > Pavana dam. Alternate route : Pune > Nigdi > Kamshet > Bedsa >Pavana nagar > Pavana Dam
Distance from Pune: 45 kms (Approx). 65 kms (Approx) by kamshet route.
Places to eat: No place to eat between Paud – Kamshet.
Places to stay: Girivan at Hotle village.
Best time to Visit: Monsoon.

Experience: Pavana dam is is not too famous among tourists. Nice place to just sit for some time and enjoy the view along with the breeze. The route to pavana via Paud is very beautiful, especially in monsoon. Tikona fort is close to the road, while Tung can be seen on the other side of the Pavana backwaters. Backwaters of Pavana provide a wonderful view. There are no places after paud where one can have some food so carrying food and water is necessary.

Pavana Dam

Tikona Fort