Weekend guide to Panchgani
My earliest memory of Panchgani is spending an afternoon at the Table Land with my batch-mates during my tenth grade school trip. Though I’ve heard of Panchgani since I was a child and how it’s got great weather throughout the year, on my recent visit I was taken aback by its old world charm. It has colonial style bungalows, old boarding schools, hilly roads, countless bakeries, multiple views of valley and a lot of peace.
It’s easy for anyone to idle away time in a cafe with a cup of tea, and watch the world pass by. My most favorite part was taking long walks in the hills. It felt as I’ve never been to a city, let alone lived in one.
It was discovered by British during British Raj, and was their retirement place. It was a nameless place in the vicinity of five villages (Dhandeghar, Godavli, Khingar, Amral and Taighat) and hence was named Panchgani. I too found myself wondering how appropriate the place is for holiday home/retirement!
Here are the experiences that make me want to go back sooner than later-
- Table Land
- Sydney Point
- Harrison’s Folly
- Panchgani Market
- Strawberry picking
- Mapro Garden and Pure Gold Cheese Factory
- St. Joseph’s Church
- Devrai Art Village
- Guided cycling tours and treks
- Panchgani’s connection to rock band Queen
- Zostel Panchgani
Table Land
The most famous tourist attraction of Panchgani, the Table Land is a great place to witness sunset and offers a stunning view of the Dhom lake. It is the second largest mountain plateau in Asia, believed to have been formed due to volcanic activity. The fight sequences in ‘Mahabharat’ TV series and a few Bollywood songs have been shot at the Table Land.
We took strolls along the boundary to catch glimpses of the setting sun. But the beautiful horses at the Table Land caught our fancy and we started strolling in their direction. We were pleasantly surprised to spot a few water bodies, the horses stopped by them to hydrate themselves.
(In picture: Table Land, Panchgani)
Sydney Point
Sydney point is probably the best place at Panchgani to witness a sunset. It has views of Dhom lake, and is less touristy and crowded than the Table Land.
(In picture: Moments from Sydney Point)
Harrison’s Folly
On the way to Panchgani, one can visit the Harrison’s Folly view point. One can see Wai village from up there (houses in the background) and an almost 360 degree view of the mountains and valleys!
(In pictures: Harrison’s Folly point)
Panchgani Market
The nicest part of Panchgani is its homely little marketplace. It is stuck in time, and I felt as if I’m in another era. It is sprinkled with quaint Parsi cafes and bakeries like Lucky cafe and bakery, Roach bakery, Malabar bakery and Rustom’s Strawberry Inn. If you’re into traditional meals, outlets like Akbarally’s (for Parathas), Purohit’s (for South Indian snacks), Apsara hotel, and many small outlets for tea/coffee/ Vada Pav can be easily spotted. The food outlets and shops selling chikki, jams, crushes make up the tiny market. Old school advertisements of Mapro, Mala, Mazana, Pure Berry’s and Malvi fill up the streets.
Since the hill station is small, every walk invariably led us back to the market. Each time we passed by it, we were tempted to try something new the place had to offer. We especially loved brun maska-omelette-tea-cream roll breakfast we had at one of the Parsi cafes and homely pizza at Oregano — The Organic Pizza.
(In picture: Our breakfast at Lucky cafe and bakery, Roach bakery)
The streets towards Mahabaleshwar are lined with bright red strawberry stalls, also selling gooseberry and raspberry. We were fascinated with the vegetables that were being sold — red radish, carrots, cabbage and pumpkins in every color.
(In pictures: Panchgani market)
Tip: Don’t miss out on berries, jelly sweets, fudge and strawberry wine — they are absolutely flavorful!
(In picture: Berries, jelly sweets, chocolate fudge and strawberry wine)
Strawberry picking
Is it even possible to not be drawn to the vibrant fruit and vegetable farms one finds themselves enveloped in, in Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar?
Local farmers set up small shops outside the farms and excitedly sell fresh berries and vegetables from their farms. I had visited a farm for strawberry picking, and found myself learning so much more about agro-tourism in the region. It was one of the best experiences of the trip.
(In picture: Strawberry picking)
Mapro Garden and Pure Gold cheese factory
Mapro Garden is a grown up’s fantasy of a fruity Disneyland come true — it has a terrific restaurant, a fancy retail store, and is surrounded by fruit farms (sometimes not open to public for visit). Spend a couple of minutes in this beautiful property, and good vibes are sure to cheer one up!
If that wasn’t enough, there is also a cheese factory nearby that shows stages of cheese production and ripening. They sell Parmesan, Cheddar and Gouda variety of cheeses, and locally made honey, which they generously allow the tourists to taste.
(In pictures: Mapro Garden and Pure Gold cheese factory)
St. Joseph’s Church
This beautiful church is the first chapel of Panchgani, and was built in 1800s. It’s a small church on the way to the famous Table Land, and if you’re here in December, do not miss its Christmas decoration. The priest at the church was a kind man with generous laughter who let us spend ample time at the church.
(In picture: St. Joseph’s church, Panchgani)
Devrai Art Village
It’s a non profit organization that promotes artifacts made by Adivasi craftsmen. They use the combination of metal (brass in most cases) and stone to create traditional Indian artforms.
They encourage tourists to experience the process of creation of artifacts, by having open work-sheds.
(In picture: Devrai Art Village)
Guided cycling tours and treks
What better way to explore the hills than cycling along their picturesque roads? Or walk down to some scenic view points? Some groups organize offbeat treks and guided cycling tours in the hills, and probably that one reason is enough for me to start packing for this destination right away!
Panchgani’s connection to rock band Queen
Did you know that Panchgani has a small connection with the rock band Queen? Its lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury, spent few years at St. Peter’s School, Panchgani and had formed a boy band at the age of 12. Zostel Panchgani’s welcome wall is dedicated to the rock star, an artwork of his iconic pose at the Wembley Stadium in 1986.
Zostel Panchgani (not sponsored)
Zostel Panchgani feels like home now! I’ve been to a couple of Zostels in the country, and I’ve had one of the best stays at Zostel Panchgani owing to its polite admin staff, sweetest support staff, clean property, good WiFi and warm bath water. The meals are homely, and I absolutely looked forward to the bonfire every evening without fail. Tip: Don’t miss their coffee!
(In pictures: Moments from Zostel Panchgani)
Bonus:
Rajpuri caves
They are beautiful ancient caves famous of Lord Kartikeya’s temple and it’s believed that Pandavas made them their home during exile. Note: Apparently women are not allowed in the caves.
(In picture: Rajpuri caves. Source: Internet)
Big thanks to three of my friends who helped me plan this trip!
If you’ve read so far, thank you very much for your time.
If you wish to know more or offer a suggestion or would be interested in a travel guide, you can shoot me an email at nidhi.thehappychapter@gmail.com or connect with me on Instagram: @nidhigupta_
(All pictures are taken by me, unless mentioned)
(Originally published on January 24, 2019)
