Trip to Manali, Shimla and Chandigarh (6 Days)




Trip to Manali, Shimla and Chandigarh (2022)

Every person has some or other dream in life. I also had few things in my mind for long time. They were doing paragliding and river rafting. I knew some places in Maharashtra were that was possible but that plan was never executed. Finally got opportunity to travel to Manali were I knew these activities were possible and top of it enjoy snow activities and pleasant weather in hot summer.

Places to visit in Manali:
1. Manu Temple
2. Hadimba Temple
3. Manali Sanctuary
4. Arjun Gufa
5. Jagatsukh
6. Solang Valley
7. Tibetan Monastery
8. Vashist Village
9. Nehru Kund
10. Rohtang Pass (For snow point)
11. Atal tunnel ( 9.02 KM)
12. Koksar (For snow point)
13. Manikaran
14. Naggar Castle
15. Waterfalls
16. Mall road for shopping and local food.

Places to visit in Shimla:

  1. Kufri
  2. Mall road
  3. Himalayan Nature Park
  4. Scandal Point
  5. Jhakoo Temple

Places to Visit in Chandigarh

  1. Rock garden (Must visit)
  2. Rose Garden
  3. Sukhana lake

 

Tips for Rohtang pass/snow point:

  1. Recommendation is to carry winter dress, shoes from Manali on rent. (250/- per person)
  2. No need to book any activity. Don’t buy socks from them even though they insist you
  3. Go to snow point and then decide.
  4. Carry socks, Sweater, Jacket, winter cap on your own.
  5. Rohtang pass is charged at 500/- for car. But driver will ask you anything between 3000 – 5000/- depending on Rush.

Tips for Kufri:

  1. For Horse ride they charge 500 per person. If we walk 100 mtrs towards top, charges will come down.
  2. Do not book any activity at start point. Go to top and see what you want to enjoy.
  3. Personally I did not like anything except zipline
  4. Children will enjoy telescope ride (but you need to bargain for cost)

Day 1: Pune to Chandigarh (2.5 hrs)

We had booked car from Chandigarh for complete trip. Driver came in time to pick up us and we started our journey at 6:30 AM toward the road to the beautiful hill station of Manali (2000 meters above sea level).

Located in the Beas River Valley, Manali is a very popular hill station visited by tourists from across the country. Manali can be reached from the national highway that leads to the Ladakh region.

Before Manali near Bhuntar we stopped for Paragliding and Water rafting around 2 PM. It was one of the best experience in life. For Paragliding they will take you to start point in their vehicle and you will dive from there along with guide. Then they will pick you and take you back. Same way for boat ride.

After that we reached hotel by 8:45 PM.

Day 2:

We were very fortunate on second day as we came to know Rohtang pass was opened for tourist. Rohtang pass is closed for 7-8 months and opened in May. It is place were you can enjoy snow and even snow fall sometimes(if very lucky). We planned to go there. Driver took the required pass as vehicles are not allowed without pass. While going we took snow dress and shoes on rent. We also booked some snow activities there but that was mistake as same can be done after reaching Rohtang snow point.

We enjoyed snow activities for 1.5 hrs and started our journy back around 12:30 PM. It takes around 2 -2.5 hrs to reach there from Manali.

While return we saw Nehru Kund, Vashist Temple, Van Vihar, Tibettian Monetary and Mall road.

Day 3:

We visited Hadimba temple and then went to see Naggar castle. There we also visited Nicholos Rorich art gallery. We returned to Hotel by 2 PM and took some rest. In evening went to Club house and menu temple.

Day 4:

We started our journey at 8:15 AM after breakfast towards Manikaran, the hottest Sulphur Spring Waters in the world. We visited Gurudwar and hot water spring. This religious site is visited by both Hindus and Sikhs in large numbers.

We started towards shimla around 11:30 AM. Set in beautiful hills, meandering streets and mystical
woods, Shimla treats honeymooners and families to captivating natural beauty. What also attracts tourists here is the chance to go trekking, mountaineering, skiing and other adventure activities.

Day 5:

We started towards Kufri around 8:30 AM. Kufri is hill station and weather is quite pleasant. There you need to ride on horse or you should have some trekking experience to reach to top. There you will see lot of activities like zip line, walking on ropes etcs. Also you can see apple garden, valley and village.

Day 6:

We started towards Chandigarh at 8:30 AM and reached by 11:30 AM. We visited  Sukhana lake, Rock garden and Rose garden. That was end of trip.

Driver dropped us to Airport and we came back to Pune by 11:30 PM.

Charges for Paragliding and Boat rafting: 

  1. Paragliding cost between 2000- 2500/- including video
  2. Boat river rafting cost between 2000-5000/-
  3. More people in group more you can bargain.

Cost of trip for 6 days 5 nights : (60 k to 96 k for 2 people)

Hotel booking : 3 k to 4 k per day = 15k to 20k

Flight: 5k to 9k = 20 k to 36 k for 2 person

Cab: 16k to 22K

Activities – 8k to 14K

Meals/Food – 2k to 4k




Trip to Singapore Malaysia and Thailand (2018)

Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand 2018 (11 Days)

I got an opportunity  to travel Singapore Malaysia and Thailand  along with my Family and that was amazing experience. Taking out time for any trip is most difficult task to start with. And when you are going in group that is more challenging. Once everyone agrees on date, it is all about planning the journey. As we were planning outside India and that too with senior citizens included,  we decided to go via travel agency. We got information about few travel agencies and based on feedback and cost we choose one from Kolhapur.

November 2018

Day 1: Pune to Kolhapur by Bus . Kolhapur to Hubli by Car and from there by flight to Bangalore. (We were unlucky to get flight via Mumbai) It was wonderful start but i was worried about other family members as we had flight from Bangalore to Singapore at mid night. But then everyone managed. It was a hectic day for everyone.

Day 2: Landed at Singapore early morning.  Got refreshed at airport itself and then started the journey.

Singapore as a country is very small as compared to India but it’s very clean.  We started with Singapore flyer. Then had beautiful lunch. Then Singapore River, Merlion Park, the statue of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles and Orchid Garden. 

After that went to Hotel and checked in. Evening Gardens by the Bay (2 Domes) & after dinner halt.

Day 3:  After breakfast Sightseeing at Jurong Bird Park & after lunch Sightseeing at Sentosa Island – by cable car from Mount Faber, visited wax museum, saw underwater world and enjoyed Wings of Time show  musical fountains with fire show, Took a mono-rail ride. Arrived back to hotel at 8.30p.m. & after dinner free time

Day 4:  After breakfast enjoyed full day tour of Universal Studio. Arrived back to hotel & after dinner halt.

Day 5:  Time for shopping. Had lunch and then proceed for Kaulalumpur by bus. At Kaulalumpur dinner at Indian Restaurant.

Day 6: After breakfast went to Genting Highland by bus on the way sightseeing at Batu Caves, Chocolate factory, Watch Outlet.  Enjoyed Asia’s longest and fastest cable car & after lunch enjoyed indoor Theme park &  had free time at Casino and proceed for Kaulalumpur & had dinner.

Day 7:   After breakfast enjoyed City tour of Kuala Lumpur covering National monument, Kaulalumpur tower – magnificent view of Kuala Lumpur from Observatory Deck, Petromous Twin Tower, View King’s Palace, Dataram Merdeca square, Cricket field, High Court Building, outlet.

Then after lunch proceed towards Airport & took flight for Bangkok. After reaching Bangkok Pick up by vehicle & proceed for Pattaya, Check in hotel & after dinner halt.

Day 8: After breakfast Sightseeing at Coral island – enjoyed speed boat ride parasailing & under water  & after lunch visit Pattaya park with one activity  & in the evening enjoy Alcazar show & after dinner halt.

Day 9:  After breakfast visited Noong Nooch Village – enjoyed Thai culture show, Elephant show Tropical garden & Pottery Garden and free time for shopping at Gems Gallery, proceed for Bangkok & after dinner halt.

Day 10: After breakfast sightseeing at Safari World & Marine Park- Had a great experience of wildlife viewing at Safari Park & then visited Orangutan Boxing Show, Sea Lion Show, Hollywood cowboy Stunt Show. Explored wildlife like Giraffes, Zebras, Tigers, Lions & many more at the Safari Park. Lunch at Safari Park & enjoyed City tour including Golden Buddha & Reclining Buddha & after dinner halt.

Day 11:     After breakfast free time for shopping & proceed for Airport. Back to Mumbai airport(lucky this time). From Mumbai to Pune by Bus.

 

Cost: 1,12,000/- ( Person person) that includes everything.

Trip to Akkalkot, Tuljapur and Pandarpur from Pune





Akkalkot:

Akkalkot was the home to Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj, a 19th-century saint who is believed by his devotees to be an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya..

Tuljapur:

Tuljabhavani Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Bhavani. It is located in Tuljapur in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra and is considered as one of the 51 Shakti Pithas.

Pandarpur:

The Pandharpur temple was built in the middle of the thirteenth century by King Visnuvardhana of the Hoysala dynasty.

The Vithoba Temple, Pandharpur, officially known as Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir. There is also a small temple of Shri. Vitthal-Rukmini, which is as old as the main Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir, in Isbavi area of Pandharpur known as Wakhari Va Korti Devalayas and also known as Visava mandir, the Hindu temples in Pandharpur in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

 

Duration Of Stay:
Min: 4 hrs. enough to visit Akkalkot place.
Max: 1 day

Min:2- 4 hrs enough to visit Tuljapur temple
Max : 1day

Min: 2- 4 hrs enough to visit Pandarpur temple
Max: 1 day

Route and time taken to reach Akkalkot:
It takes 4.5 -5 hrs to reach from Akkalkot from Pune.

How to reach Akkalkot
From Pune

Drive up to Hadapsar

Take Solapur highway
Reach Solapur.
From Solapur, take road to Akkalkot.

Map:




Spots to visit:
-Tuljapur Temple
-Akkalkot Temple
-Pandarpur Temple
-Siddheshar temple (solapur)

Last month I got an opportunity to plan a trip to 3 of the well-known pilgrimage places in Maharashtra.
We planned our trip from Pune. To make it easy and less hectic we started the journey on Thursday around 5 PM. I normally travel to Tuljapur on weekends but since last few years I have seen that there is huge crowd to any tourist place, so this time planned it for week days.

How was the plan:
Pune- Start on Thursday 5 PM
Akkalkot – Reach akkalkot via Pune Solapur highway. It takes around 3.5 – 4 hrs to reach Solapur and from there it takes 45 minutes to reach Akkalkot(Stay)
Tuljapur – Reach Tuljapur via Nuldurge road.
Solapur – Reach Solapur via Tuljapur Solapur road.
Bale – 5 kms from Solapur
Pandarpur – via Mohal
Pune – Via Phaltan

Toll till solapur on Solapur highway:

5 tolls – 290/-




Dubai Trip 2017




Dubai

Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf and is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the country. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country’s Federal Supreme Council.The city of Dubai is located on the emirate’s northern coastline and heads the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.Dubai emerged as a global city and business hub of the Middle East.

Recommended Min and Max stay:

I would say you need minimum 4 days and maximum 7 days as there are plenty of options to see. It all depends how you want to plan things.

Route and Time taken to Travel:

There is 1 mode of transport:

By Air: Pune to Dubai or Mumbai to Dubai

Best Places we Visited in and around Dubai:

  1. Dubai City
  2. Desert Safari
  3. Dolphinarium Show
  4. Dubai Mall
  5. Burj Khalifa
  6. Abu dhabi city Tour
  7. Bollywood and Motion gate theme park





Details of Dubai Trip:

Day 1 – Dubai city tour and Desert safari:

Day 2 – Dolphin show Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa Tower:

Day 3 – Abu Dhabi city tour:

Day 4 – Bollywood and motion gate Theme park:

Day 5 – Dubai Museum and leisure time:

 

Dubai Trip Hotel details:

Raviz center point : (http://www.ravizhotels.com/)

 

Approximate Cost of  trip from Pune:

68500/- per person (including flight)



Our Memorable Family Trip to Kerala 2016 | Plan Your Trip to Kerala




If you are planning a Trip to Kerala, I suggest you to go through details below. This is written after my memorable trip to Paradise on earth Kerala and truly Gods own country. This article will definitely help you in deciding/Planning your trip. We enjoyed 6N/7D at kerala and i have included all the details:

Kerala:

Kerala is known as Gods own country. Every where you will see greenery. Kerala is all about nature and natural beauty. Kerala is one of the best tourist destinations of India, with backwaters, beaches, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions. People in Kerala speaks Malayalam and English.Kerala is situated on the southwestern coast of India, a country in South Asia. This tropical paradise enjoys a unique topography with Arabian sea, a part of the Indian Ocean on the west and the Western Ghats on the east.

Distance:

The distance of Kerala from Pune is 1123 Km.

Recommended Min and Max stay:

I would say you need minimum 4 days and maximum 8- 10 days as there are plenty of options to see. It all depends how you want to plan things.

Route and Time taken to Travel:

There are 3 mode of transport:

By Air: Pune to Cochin or Pune to Trivandrum
By Train : Pune to Ernakulam(Cochin)
By Car/Bus

Best Places we Visited in Kerala:

  1. Cochin
  2. Athirappilly
  3. Munnar
  4. Thekkedey
  5. Kumarakom
  6. Alleppey

Details of Kerala Trip:

Day 1 – Cochin:

We started from Pune around 9 AM and and reached Pune Airport. Flight was scheduled at 11.00 AM. Flight was on-time and we reached  Cochin Airport by 2 PM. Our cab was ready outside airport and so did not had to wait there.

We had a lunch/snacks in one restaurant on the way.Cab  Driver (Jayesh) was very friendly and could speak English and understand hindi which was plus. There are lot of places to visit in Cochin but we visited below places:

  • Museum/Art Gallery (Private) Entry Fee 100/- per head.
  • Dutch Palace (Open till 4:30 PM)
  • Chinese fishing nets
  • St Francis Church
  • Cochin backwater

Stay in Hotel near Ernakulam railway station.

Day 2 – Athirappilly:

Got ready by 8 AM and had nice south Indian Breakfast. Had a walk around for a while and then checked out from Hotel. We started from Cochin around 9: 30 AM towards Athirappilly . Cochin to Athirappilly  is around 80 Km and takes around 2.5 hrs.

Athirappilly is South India’s most beautiful waterfall with amazing natural beauty. It’s famous for the ever green forest covered with and a rocky upper part in the river for bathing and other activities. Athirappilly is the most favorite song shooting location for Bollywood and other south Indian movies.

First we visited the charpa waterfall. We need to buy tickets to get in. There is entry gate and you need to walk around a KM to reach to waterfall. Bit difficult for senior citizens as we need to walk done as well. As it was holiday week, there was lot of crowd and so long queues every where and had parking issues.  From there other water fall -Vazhachal falls is 6-7 km’s away.

We had light  lunch around 3: 45 PM and checked -in to hotel around 4: 30 PM.




Day 3 – Munnar:

Today after nice breakfast we checked out from hotel and started towards Munnar, the most praised paradise like hill station of Kerala.

Munnar is approximately 150 KM from Athirappilly and takes around 4 hrs to reach Munnar. Its lays like a typical green painting with thousands of acres tea plantations hugged by the mist of Western Ghats & Cool foggy climate throughout the year makes Munnar is really a heaven of Kerala.

On the way you can enjoyed the view of Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls. No ticket here and they are on the road side. No walk needed.

Then we stopped at Wooden Art gallery and Spice Garden. Both were private and you can buy as you like. For explaining spice plant information they charge around 100/- per person. We reached Munnar around 1 PM.

After reaching Munnar, there are multiple options available like Jeep Safari, Adventure Park and site seeings. We decided to spend time in Adventure park. Ticket was 600/- per person and there were different activites to enjoy like Rope way, monkey jumping, Slope climbing, Bicycle, Scooter Mirror house, Horror House, 3 -D show , Climbing on Tree etc.

Munnar is also famous for home made chocolates and they cost you around 1200/- per KG.

In the evening we went to Kerala Martial Arts show from 6 – 7 PM. They charge 200/- Per person.

From there we went to Hotel and stayed overnight.

Day 4 – Munnar:

Today after breakfast, we started towards Eravikulam National park; where the endangering NilgiriTahr is conserved. There was huge queue there for ticket as well as Buses that takes you to national park due to holiday week. While going we had a photo session in tea plantation.

We reached there around 10:30 AM and came back around 3 Pm.

After that we went to see Mattupetty Dam; a beautiful place to visit. You can also go to Kundala Lake- a natural lake with recreational facilities like boating and having excellent view of Western Ghats as well as the ever green forest surrounded with.  Also visit Eco point and tea plantations.

After seeing Dam we had refreshing snacks and started back . While going we visited the rose Garden on the way. We heard about strike next day and so decided to go back to Hotel so that we can leave early next day.

Day 5 – Thekkedy:

We started early around 2: 30 AM towards Thekkady. Thekkedy is around 120 KM and takes around 3.5 hours to reach. We checked-in to Hotel around 6 AM and took rest for couple of hours. Then we got ready, had nice breakfast and went for Elephant ride. It was nice 20 mins ride.

We also bought Musical fountain ticket for evening show. 150/- Per person

In the afternnoon we went for boat ride in the Periyar River flowing through the Tiger Reserve which will bring rare opportunities to watch wild animals roaming in their natural habitat very closely. You can very often find Wild elephant, Bison, Deer, different types water birds etc.

Day 6- Kumarakon:

After breakfast we started towards Kumarakon. On the way we stopped at Tea factory. It was good experience to learn tea processing.

Kumarakom bird Sanctuary is the major attraction nearby for the nature lovers as its located on the shore of main lake with several water birds and migrating birds. We reached there around 2 PM. We need to walk through the sanctuary for 1 Km and come back.

While walking we saw Birds, tortoise, snake and Monitor Lizards. Later we went back to resort and leisure time.

Day 7 Alleppey House boat:

We started early around 6:30 AM towards Alleppey to board the world known Traditional Style Kerala Houseboat. It was memorable backwater cruise through the beautiful lagoons for 2.5 hrs. From there we started towards Cochin airport and reached around 1:30 PM.

From Cochin we had flight at 3:25 and reached Pune around 6:30 PM.

Some tips for your journey/Suggestions for Kerala Trip:

Kerala Trip Hotel details:

  1. COCHIN – CASTLE ROCK (http://www.castlerockhotels.in/)
  2. ATHIRAPPILLY – AYUR SOUKYAM (http://ayursoukhyam.com/)
  3. MUNNAR -GREAT ESCAPES (http://www.germunnar.com/)
  4. THEKKADY -GRAND THEKKADY (http://www.grandthekkady.in/)
  5. KUMARAKOM -KERALA PALACE (http://www.somakeralapalace.com/)

Approximate Cost of Kerala trip from Pune:

  • Stay and cab cost: 30 k to 40 K ( 2 people + kid on sharing basis).
  • Plane ticket: 3K to 5 K per person (one Way)
  • Entry tickets: 1.5 K per Person
  • Other : 2K

 

!!!Happy Journey!!!




Kerala Tourism | All about Kerala | Best of Kerala




Kerala:

Kerala is known as Gods own country. Every where you will see greenery. Kerala is all about nature and natural beauty.
Kerala is one of the best tourist destinations of India, with backwaters, beaches, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions. People in Kerala speaks Malayalam and English.
Kerala is situated on the southwestern coast of India, a country in South Asia. This tropical paradise enjoys a unique topography with Arabian sea, a part of the Indian Ocean on the west and the Western Ghats on the east.

Major highlights of Kerala tourism:
-In 2012, National Geographic’s Traveler magazine named Kerala as one of the “ten paradises of the world” and “50 must see destinations of a lifetime”.
-In 2012, it overtook the Taj Mahal to be the number one travel destination in Google’s search trends for India.
-Kerala’s beaches, backwaters, lakes, mountain ranges, waterfalls, ancient ports, palaces, religious institutions and wildlife sanctuaries are major attractions for both domestic and international
tourists.
-The city of Kochi ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourists in Kerala.
-Kerala not known until early 1980’s and in 1986 the government of Kerala declared tourism an important industry and it was the first state in India to do so.
-Asia’s largest, and the world’s third-largest, Naval Academy-Ezhimala Naval Academy-at Kannur is in Kerala.
-Idukki arch dam, the world’s second arch dam, and Asia’s first, is in Kerala.

Popular hill stations:
Popular hill stations are at Munnar, Wayanad, Wagamon, Peermade, Paithalmala, Nelliampathi and Ponmudi.

Wildlife sanctuaries and two national parks
Kerala’s ecotourism destinations include 12 wildlife sanctuaries and two national parks: Periyar Tiger Reserve, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Eravikulam National Park, and Silent Valley National Park are the most popular among them.




Kerala backwaters
The Kerala backwaters are an extensive network of interlocking rivers (41 west-flowing rivers), lakes, and canals that centre around Alleppey, Kumarakom and Punnamada (where the annual Nehru Trophy Boat Race is held in August), Kollam, Ashtamudi, Chithari, Payyanur, Valiyaparamba

Beaches:
Kochi beaches, Kovalam beaches, Kasaragod, Kappil Beach, Kannur beach, Kolavi Palam beach, Kollam beach, Ernakulam beach, thrissur beach, Thiruvananthapuram beaches, Malappuram beach and varkala Beach are few of popular beaches in Kerala.

Waterfalls:

Below are list of waterfalls in Kerala:

Keezharkuth waterfalls, Idukki
Madammakkulam waterfalls, Idukki
Chethalayam Falls, Wayanad
Dhoni in Palakkad
Kalakkayam waterfalls at Thiruvananthapuram
Kanthanpara Waterfalls, Wayanad
Adyanpara Waterfalls, Malappuram
Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls, Kottayam
Aruvikuzhy Waterfalls, Pathanamthitta
Athirappalli and Vazhachal Waterfalls, Thrissur
Attukad waterfalls, Munnar
Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls, Idukki

Heritage places:
Padmanabhapuram Palace and the Mattancherry Palace are two notable heritage places in Kerala

Airports in Kerala:
Thiruvananthapuram International Airport
Cochin International Airport (CIAL), Nedumbassery
Calicut International Airport, Karipur




Nature Trails | Durshet – Nature Trails | Review of Durshet Nature Trails





Durshet – Nature Trails

Nature Trails is one the best outing spots for corporates or group of individuals. It is placed against beautiful Sahyadri range. They have developed the place quite well from last 2 – 3 years.  This place is near to adlabs imagica, which is very well know to most of us by know. This place is know by different names like Durshet Forest Lodge or Durshet – Nature Trails. The Natural Waterfall that appears in the monsoons is one of the best thing to enjoy.

They also provide A/C and Non A/c accomodation. They have 16 Premium A/c Rooms 11 Non A/c Rooms. 4 Bunk houses and 8 Tents accommodation. It is ideal for day picnics, corporate outdoor training programs of longer duration and for families over the weekends.

Distance of Nature Trails from Pune/Mumbai:
Durshet Nature trails is around 100 km from Mumbai and less then that from Pune. It is around 10km ahead of adlabs imagica on Pali road.

For adlabs image refer Trip to Adlabs Imagica in 2015.

For Aqua Magic refer Wonderfull day at Adlabs Aquamagic

For Imagica Snow world refer Imagica Snow Park

Map:

durshetforestlodge

Nature Trails Address
Village Durshet, Khopoli Pali Road, Taluka Khalapur, District Raigadh, Maharashtra

Other sight seeing options:
Pali Ashtavinayak Ganpati (Around 20 km)
Mahad Ganpati
Adlabs imagica
Aqua Magic
Unhere Kund near Pali




Activities at Nature Trails
Rappelling,
Zipline,
Burma Bridge,
Tarzan Swing,
Laddering,
Wall Climbing (Only in Winter/Summer)
Kayaking ( only in monsoon),
Night walks in the forest,
Barbecues and campfires.

Swimming pool

Note: we had top 4 activities included in package and we enjoyed them a lot.

Details:

We started from Pune around 6:45 AM and reached there around 10: 20 am. Our total group was around 75 people. Had breakfast there. We requested for changing rooms 1 for ladies and another for gents. Changed clothes and got ready. Then we have to walk to other side to start the activities.

Activities starts with Tarzan Swing then we had Burma Bridge. After that Zipline and finally Rappelling. After that we enjoyed lot under waterfall and had photo session. All the activities completed by 3:30 PM. Then we had lunch. Even after lunch we enjoyed in swimming pool till 4:30 PM.

Then they provide evening snacks. Tea/Coffee and bhel or something.

Review of Durshet Nature Trails:
-Ideal place for day picnics for corporates/families
-Climate/Nature is awesome there.
-Do carry extra pair of clothes/shoes. They provided couple of rooms for changing on request.
-Heavy rain in monsoon season, so plan accordingly.
-We did not stay however accommodation looked good.
– Breakfast and lunch was good. Had multiple options like idli, wada, sandwich, shira, egg omlett and bananas.
-Confirm which all activities are included in you package.




Jejuri | Jejuri and Morgoan | Trip to Jejuri





Jejuri:

Jejuri temple is dedicated to Khandoba, also known as Mhalsakant or Malhari Martand or Mylaralinga.Khandoba is regarded as the ‘God of Jejuri’ and is held in great reverence by the Dhangars, one of the oldest tribes in India.
Distance from Pune to Jejuri:
Distance from Pune to Jejuri is around 50 km. It is situated on Pune Pandharpur highway.

Duration Of Stay:
Min: 3 to 4 hrs enough to visit this place.
Max: 1 day

Route and time taken to reach Jejuri:
It takes 1 -1.5 hr to reach from Pune.

How to reach jejuri
Take Solapur highway
Drive up to Hadapsar and take right turn to Saswad.
On the way to Saswad, you have to cross Dive ghat.
From Saswad, take road to Jejuri.

Map:

JejuriMorgoan
Spots to visit:
-Jejuri Temple
-Kadepathar Jejuri
-Morgoan Temple (20 km)



Details:
Jejuri is very well known for Lord Khandoba. It is situated around 50 km from Pune on Pune Pandharpur highway.
Khandoba temple is situated at the top of the hill. The best season to go there is the winter. There are stairs to reach there from the bottom of the hill. The temple is almost covered in yellow colour because of turmeric. Temple is surrounded by wall which have windows from which you could see beautiful scenary from all sides.This is must visit place if you are thinking of visiting the temples around Pune. Everyone circles the temple, waits patiently in line for their turn. And during all of that, hundreds of pounds of turmeric is flung in the air all around you
while everyone shouts, “Yelkot, Yelkot, Jai Malhaar.”

Morgoan Temple:

Shri Mayureshwar ,Morgaon is associated with Sant Shri Moraya Gosavi. It is mentioned the temple is dated sometime in 17th century. The presence of a Nandi(bull, vahana of Shri Mahadev) is noteworthy here. Not too far from Jejuri (20 KMs), so once can visit both places in a day.

Check this link Morgoan Temple

Thinks to Remember:
– Try to wear normal clothes while visiting as there are chances of your clothes getting harmed by turmeric powder.
– You will need to stand 1-2 hours in the queue. VIP passes for 50 rs. are also available.




Trip to Buleshwar Temple Pune




At Buleshwar there is mahadev temple and is one of the best anciest temple around Pune.The carving on the walls and the structures here are very inspiring. Bhuleshwar temple is a wonderful place for a weekend outing during monsoons or in winters.
It is situated on top of hill and road going there is steep. You need to cross ghat to reach there. After crossing ghat you will see a road to right after few kilometers.
Make sure your vehicle condition is good and have experienced driver.

In shravan month, people do visit this place and you will see small shops for pooja material and pedas. If you are lucky, u can get prasad as well.
You can also plan meal outing there. Bring tiffin from home and can have lunch in Buleshwar vanrai.

Distance from Pune to Buleshwar Temple:
The distance of Pune to Buleshwar Temple is around 60Km. Pune to yavat is 50 KM and from there 10 KM to right. It is on Pune solapur highway. Just 2 Km before Yavat there is right turn for Buleshwar temple. From highway it is 10 Km inside. Keep looking for Buleshwar mandir sign before Yavat.

Buleshwar temple Map:

BuleshwarTemple




Duration:
Bhuleshwar is a nice option for a short half day trip out of Pune.

History of Buleshwar Temple:
Temple was built during the period of 1230 AD during Yadava Rulers. The fort on which the temple is situated is called as Mangalgad. Black basalt rock was brought to construct this temple which is different as compared to surrounding brownish color basalt which has high percentage of calcium.The fort was constructed in 1629 by Murar Jagdev who, in 1630, looted Pune. He then built the fort to keep a watch on the city

Other Option:
Theur Ganpati on Pune Solapur highway.

Things to remember:
To avoid traffic and to reach temples on time, it is better to start your journey early in the morning.
Crowded on shravan sundays and mondays and Mahashivratri.
Bring tiffen from home and can have lunch in Buneshwar vanrai.
As road to temple is small and stiff, make sure person driving has good experience.




Ashtavinayak darshan from pune




Ashtavinayak means 8 ganpatis and they are located in Maharshtra near Pune region. All the eight ganpati idols are believed to be swayambhu i.e., self originated. Each temple has its own history.

Ashtavinayak darshan from pune total distance:
The total Ashtavinayak tour distance from Pune comes to around 650 – 700 KM.If you plan to visit temples in their religious sequence then distance will be more.It is believed to be for completion of Ashtavinayak Yatra visit the first ganpati after visiting all the eight ganpati’s again, to complete the yatra.

Ashtavinayak yatra by Religious sequence:
Day One: Start from Pune
1. The Moreshwar Temple, Moregaon
2. The Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek
3. The Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali
4. The Varadavinayak Temple, Mahad
487 KM

Map    1:

Ashtavinayk3

Day Two
5. The Chintamani Temple, Theur
6. The Girijatmaj Temple, Lenyandri
7. The Vighnahar Temple, Ozar
8. The Mahaganapati Temple, Ranjangaon

250 km
Again visit 1.The Moreshwar Temple, Moregaon to complete your Ashtavinayak Yatra.
370 KM

Map 2:

Ashtavinayk4




Ashtavinayak yatra Shortest route from Pune:
Day One: Start from Pune
1. The Moreshwar Temple, Moregaon
2. The Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek
3. The Mahaganapati Temple, Ranjangaon
4. The Chintamani Temple, Theur
You can come back to Pune
255 km

Map 3:

Ashtavinayk1

Day Two
5. The Vighnahar Temple, Ozar
6. The Girijatmaj Temple, Lenyandri
7. The Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali
8. The Varadavinayak Temple, Mahad
Back to Pune
325 KM

Map 4:

Ashtavinayk2
List of Ashtavinayak Ganpati and there names:
Morgaon – Moreshwar,
Ranjangaon – Mahaganpati
Theur – Chintamani
Lenyadri – Girijatmak
Ojhar – Vighneshwar
Siddhatek – Siddhivinayak
Pali – Ballaleshwar
Mahad – Varad Vinayak

Things to remember:
Some Temple trust provides lunch from 12 noon to 2 noon at nominal cost.
You can stay near temple at Bhakta Nivas at nominal cost. Best Bhakta Nivas is at Ozar. It is besides river and has great view.
Girijatmaj temple, lenydri is administered by central government which closes at 6.30 in evening. Varadavinayak temple at Mahad is always open. Other temples close at 10 pm.
Girijatmaj temple, lenydri is in the mountains. It has 350 steps. It takes more than an hour to climb and get down. (total 1 hour 15 minutes).
To avoid traffic and to reach temples on time. It is better to start your journey early in the morning.