Offbeat Road trips near Pune

My earliest memory of road trips near Pune was my father taking us with him on a few of the trips with his office staff. One was to Konkan which was pretty memorable! But there was this family road trip I remember. We took an impromptu road trip to Mahabaleshwar in our Fiat Premier and had a great time sightseeing. But as the day ended we had a lot of trouble finding a decent hotel to stay. So we came all the way to Satara and stayed there overnight or whatever was the remaining of the night. The next day we visited Sajjangarh and were able to call it a pretty successful trip!!

I love road trips for this reason – the journey and the memories are so much better than the destination itself!

As the rains turn every nook and corner of Pune into a beauty, there has to be a plan to roam around to play in waterfalls and rains.

Planning the road trips near Pune

These road trips are most fun when you take your own vehicle. Depending on your enthusiasm for adventure, it can either be a bike or a car. Ensure that the vehicle is in extremely good condition and that you don’t have to spend time in repair work en route.

You can also opt for local travels as many of these routes are covered by the Maharashtra State-owned ‘Shivneri bus’ or many other private buses. Taking a local bus can, of course, be more responsible saving on fuel and a lot cheaper. But if you want the flexibility of stopping anywhere you want, it is always better to carry your own vehicle.

Here are some of the road trip essentials, I would like to suggest –

• Playlist in either your mobile or USB drive, as you sure miss it if you don’t take it with you!
• Maps – either a hard copy 0r if you are going for google maps, then please do carry an offline version. No never know when you would be stranded without a network.
• Power bank for your mobile phones – although there is some glamour to getting lost, I am sure you do not want to be lost without your mobile phone!!
• Slip Ons – the footwear has to be comfortable during the road trip so slip-ons are best!
• Snacks – and a lot of it, because road trip and traveling in a car sure makes you a lot hungrier than usual!

Road trips near Pune

Here are some road trips near Pune I absolutely love to take and hope that you will like them too –

Read this blog about a road trip near Pune you will love – Fratelli vineyard visit

Road trip from Pune to Lonavla

This is the best road trip from Pune you can take which cannot go wrong!! There are so many things for everyone near Lonavla. There are adventure rides in Della Adventure or trekking on Tung – Tikona – Lohagad – Visapur forts. You can relax in a homestay in Lonavla or camp near Pavna Lake camping. This is an essential road trip near Pune you should not miss! I love to have my breakfast at ‘Hotel RuchiPrayog’ in Manashakti.

Road trip from Pune to Goa in monsoon:

We all have that mischeif filled holiday in Goa in some point in our life. However, Goa in the rains is a treat for all those who want a Do-Nothing kind of holiday. The beautiful roads, the waterfalls on the way at Amboli can be a complete treat. You can plan a stay at Amboli and then head to Goa. You can take a stop at Kolhapur and binge on the Misal or tambda rassa-pandhra rassa.

It takes around 8 hours to reach Goa from Pune. Book hotels at cheap rates as it is the so-called “off-season” in Goa. You can spend time resting in your hotel enjoying the rains or do offbeat Goa by exploring the quaint villages in Goa or taking the heritage tour! The Dudhsagar fall turns magnanimous in rains and is a perfect travel activity to include in your road trip!

Read our blog on ‘Offbeat travel in Goa‘ to ensure you do not miss important places!

Road trip from Pune to Amba ghat:

If you are looking for a different kind of holiday, head to Amba ghat. The place provides a completely unique experience. Have you ever traveled on Jeep tops? No, you say?! Then get this unique travel experience here! The hotel stay comes with a package. You get to visit a dam, sunset point, and get a unique experience of hiking at Pavankhind! Climb down the khind to witness the great history of Baji Prabhu Deshpande! This is an experience in itself! Also enjoy the misty weather, clouds, and waterfalls during your road trip to Amba ghat.

Road trip from Pune to Bhandardhara:

Bhandardhara is a heaven for nature lovers. Go to Kokan Kada and see heaven step down on Earth. Kokankada is the place where Konkan starts. The well-known attraction here is the Randha fall which featured in the Hindi movie “Ram Teri Ganga Maili”. There is another fall -The Umbrella fall which basically is the water released from the gates of the dam falling on the rocks below which gives it a beautiful umbrella shape and is really huge. If you are a trekker, then go hiking to Ratangad or head to the highest peak of the Sahyadri range- Kalsubai. The roads are so beautiful in Bhandardhara and there are small waterfalls everywhere. You can just stop at any place and enjoy the weather.

You will also like our blog on 9 fun ways to be a traveler in Pune!

Road trip from Pune to Saputara:

Saputara is Gujarat’s only hill station that has a beeline of tourists in the rains. The hilly terrain at the hill station gets covered in milky white clouds in the rains. The main attraction of Saputara is Saputara Lake which has a wide variety of stalls and boating activities. The cable car ride in Saputara is not to be missed which takes you to the sunset point and has a panoramic view of the Saputara Lake from the top. The waterfalls are a major attraction here. The Gira waterfalls which are around 50kms from Saputara are a major attraction here.

So where are you planning to go on the long weekend?