A Scenic Drive to Panchgani

Route Map

We had spent a day in Lonavala (previous post) and decided to drive to the next hill station on the following day. We could have stayed back and explored a lot more in Lonavala, but we wanted this trip to serve as a template for longer road trips in the future. Most of the popular hill stations, in Maharashtra, are all within a couple of hours of each other. This route (Mumbai – Panchgani/Mahableshwar) is quite a popular route for tourists (from Mumbai or Pune) and can be easily covered in a day. We had broken the journey and cut down travel time significantly. Panchgani is a three-hour drive from Lonavala and the route takes you through some stunning vantage viewing points in the Western Ghats.

Breakfast @ Lonavala

We generally start very early in the morning to avoid traffic or travel fatigue — that creeps in by early evening. Most local restaurants were closed in Lonavala and we managed to find a food court just before the Expressway. It’s better to mark the point you want to take your break because once you’re on the Expressway — it’s hard to find a pit stop until you find the nearest exit (next to a city/town). We shared puri bhajji (vegetable gravy) and chai for breakfast. We also picked up some vada-pavs for the way.

Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway (Mumbai-Pune Expressway)

Back in the day, while I was pursuing a specialisation in Astrophysics, I’d have to make multiple trips to the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. Volvo Buses had just been launched along with a spanking new Expressway between Mumbai and Pune. I remember everyone being excited about this new Expressway and how reaching Pune was quicker than one could imagine.

The Mumbai – Pune Expressway cuts down travel time between the two cities significantly. However, speeding and overtaking is quite common on this Expressway leading to horrible car crashes — some proving to be fatal. I do feel nervous on this Expressway because drivers don’t follow designated lanes and travel at speeds exceeding the prescribed speed limit (lesser than 100 kmph). Add fog (before sunrise) and rain to the equation — and I was at my wit’s end until we reached Pune.

Pune

The Expressway eventually joins National Highway No. 48 at Pune. It’s a wise idea to drive through this section rather than taking a pit stop. The highway passes through the city (I’m not sure if it’s on the outer edge) and many Punekars will be seen using it for their daily commute. This is also the route that you can take to travel from Mumbai to reach Goa or Bangalore (in the south). Traffic tends to build up during rush hour and you could lose a good hour or two doing nothing. If you’re going further down south, it makes good sense to cross this area before rush hour.

NH48 (Mumbai- Pune -Satara Road)

Once you pass through Pune, the view and the drive is truly enjoyable. Since we weren’t in a hurry, we could drive at a pace that was comfortable to enjoy the scenery outside the window and enjoy good music. NH 48 is also part of the Golden Quadrilateral (a 4-lane Highway connecting important cities at 4 corners of India). Since this trip (August 2022), we have made multiple trips along different sections of the Golden Quadrilateral (between Mumbai – Goa/Mangaluru and Mumbai — Ahmedabad/Udaipur/Delhi). I’ll explain more about the Golden Quadrilateral when I write a post on those trips. Sections of the 4-lane Highway are already being transformed into a 6-lane Highway and the driving experience is definitely the icing on the cake.

The hills come alive to the sound of raindrops in Maharashtra. They were painted a bright parrot green and this stretch (along New Katraj Tunnel) reminded me of one of our road trips in South Korea. The rain had stopped and the sun was in hiding, but I didn’t care (or have a care in the world) because the climate was perfect for road-tripping.

The scenery outside our window quickly changed from scenic lakes to bucolic farmlands. The sky dominated the earth for a change and the land looked incredibly flat without the presence of towering skyscrapers.

We came across these majestic trees along the divider of the highway. I’m not sure what they were but the shape looked truly enchanting. Traffic is rarely a problem in these parts because each side has two/three lanes for cruising. You have to be careful at villages because of grazing cattle and villagers trying to cross at exit/entry points.

Khambatki Ghat

Khambatki Ghat has to be one of my favourite Ghats in the Western Ghats (in Maharashtra). Honestly, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the roads (better than Mumbai City) at this stretch of mountain. Never would I have imagined 3 lanes designated for upward traffic and the other three for traffic descending downwards. Maintaining these roads can prove to be quite a task because of seasonal rains and landslides.

On the wide open road, we’ve realised that most heavy vehicles (barring commercial passenger buses) tend to follow lane discipline and understand the importance of maintaining an average speed. Small cars tend to speed and overtake without a care. The ghat had gentle turns and Basil did a wonderful job of not making me feel queazy on our way up.

The scenery gets more picturesque after crossing Khambatki Ghat. Faint peaks start dominating the landscape and lush green farmlands run parallel to NH 48.

Wai

Wai – Surur Road

It’s important to take a detour from NH 48 as you approach the village of Wai. Google Maps is pretty accurate and we didn’t have a difficulty making the turn. There are signboards (possibly in Marathi) to cross-check or you could ask a local for directions. Internet could be an issue, it’s better to download the route map offline to avoid getting lost.

We were happy to stop at D-Mart to stock the car with snacks and water. It’s also a good place to take a bathroom break because as you go away from the main highways/cities — it’s hard to find food courts and public restrooms. The other best option would be to have lunch at a local restaurant and cross your fingers to find a clean loo.

Wai itself is a holiday destination. I couldn’t quite get over the Banyan Trees that lined up the arterial village road. The roads were empty and it was as if we were the only people in this enchanted village.

The neighbouring hill stations of Panchgani and Mahableshwar border the village of Wai. On a clear day (on our way back), the undulating peaks make a splendid backdrop with powder puff clouds and blue sky.

Wai – Panchgani Road

Way Up Pasarni Ghat

Pasarni Ghat connects Wai to Panchgani . This is how I remember most ghats to be (from my childhood): two-way narrow roads that go up a circuitous mountain path. The roads were freshly tarred and I prayed to the rain gods to grant us some good weather.

Cars are driven on the right-hand side of the road in South Korea and left-hand side of the road in India. On two-way roads, like these, a small confusion can be quite scary. The blind turns (unlike other ghats) don’t have mirror reflectors and it’s wise to honk at the turning. Whenever possible, we keep another big car as a reference point (follow it) on such ghats because bigger cars have to be more careful on blind turns and can only go at a particular speed.

It’s hard to enjoy the view on the way up because all your attention has to be on the road. There weren’t any designated viewing points to stop the car and soak in the vantage views. There’s no way you can stop the car (no matter how empty the road looks) and click pictures. However, you can make up for those missed views on the way down (after visiting Panchgani and Mahableshwar) the ghat.

Going Down Pasarni Ghat

We spent about 4 days exploring the wooded roads of Panchgani and Mahableshwar. I will write a more detailed account of those trails in the next couple of posts. Pasarni Ghat had managed to give me a fright on the way up and I searched from alternate routes from Mahableshwar (to Mumbai) to avoid traversing the same route on the way down. The hiked up prices of hotels in the region left me with no choice and we decided to follow the same route back. Looking at these views — I’m so glad we did.

Local villagers (from Pasarni and Wai) seem to have mastered the art of negotiating their way around the snaking curves of this ghat. In the bigger cities, wearing a helmet is compulsory (even for a pillion rider), however, over here, locals seemed to live life on the edge. We (unintentionally) followed this pair of friends/acquaintances, for a good distance, riding at a steady pace down the ghat. We were amazed by their bravado. Quite possibly, for them, it might have been just another day at work.

The view gets all the more scenic as you approach the base of the ghat. I believe, there might have been some points where you can stop and take pictures of the valley and village. However, we had to go back to the city and didn’t want to lose time when the road was clear.

The villages of Wai and Pasarni have been popular shooting locations for Bollywood movies. Had we had more time, we could have considered exploring these quaint villages on our way back.

Panchgani

The main town of Panchgani lies deeper in a wooded forest and the tarred roads transform into dirt roads in the monsoon. There’s an entry fee to visit this hill station and you can keep this ticket for a couple of days. They might ask for this ticket when you exit Panchgani. There are many scenic points on the way to the main town (where most hotels are located) and it’s wiser to mark these points before entering the hill station because vehicular traffic is a nightmare on the narrow roads.