105: Panchgani with Atul Maharaj

The Musafir Stories - India Travel Podcast

This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to Atul Maharaj as he takes us down the memory lane to the dreamy town of Panchgani!
Today's destination: Panchgani, Maharashtra
Nearest Airport: Pune International Airport, PNQ
Nearest Railway Station: Pune Junction, PUNE
Prerequisites - n/a
Packing - pack according to the weather
Time of the year - June to January can be a good time to travel
Length of the itinerary - Weekend itinerary is optimal
Itinerary Highlights:
- Atul shares his experience of growing up in Panchgani and his experience of life in a boarding school. He also touches up on the different residential schools in Panchgani and the history behind some of them.
- Atul also talks at the different experiences at New Era High School including being a part of Bournvita Quiz contest and the Aamir Khan starrer, Taare Zameen Par!
- We discuss important points of interest in Panchgani including popular hang outs like Table top, view points like Parsi point, Sydney Point and Harrison's folly.
- There are also caves believed to have been used by the Pandavas during their final ascent to the heavens.
- Apart from places to interest, there are also several farms that grow berries - primarily Strawberries and gooseberries. The popular factory Mapro, provides a great getaway to spend some time at the factory and park. The factory is also popular for being a completely organic operation as well as being run by solar energy.
- Apart from Mapro, there are options to make a quick trip to Mahabaleshwar which has several points of interest, including a temple that is the source of river Krishna, the Kamalgadh fort - a popular hiking destination, view points like Dolphin's nose, Elephants trunk, adventure activities like paragliding, Devrai art village, that is an artisan's village, Kaas plateau which is popular as the valley of flowers of Maharashtra.
- Finally, Atul calls out some must try eating joints in Panchgani including some iconic tea stalls near the city centre, Lucky's bakery for chai and bun maska, Vada pav by Shivaji Statue, Lakshmi Vilas hotel for Maharashtrian meals, Akbar Ali's for aloo parathas and street food, MV Roach's bakery for some fulsome fresh breads and cakes, Hilltop ice cream for gulkhan and green chilli ice cream, to name a few!
Links:
Atul's blog: https://socialmaharaj.com
Panchgani blog posts:
https://socialmaharaj.com/2020/04/01/memories-of-new-era-high-school-panchgani/
https://socialmaharaj.com/2018/07/18/short-getaway-vacation-visit-to-mapro-garden-panchgani-must/
https://socialmaharaj.com/2016/10/14/breathtaking-panchgani/
https://socialmaharaj.com/2016/01/29/panchgani-in-natures-lap/
Follow Atul on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/atulmaharaj
IG: https://www.instagram.com/atulmaharaj/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Atulmaharaj/
Photo by Shubham waghulde on Unsplash
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