Travel Guide Panchgani

Located on the road to Mahabaleshwar from Pune, Panchgani is a picturesque little town in the shade of casuarinas and silver oaks. Protected from strong winds by a high plateau on one side and high cliffs on the other, Panchgani has a pleasant and invigorating climate all year round. It is also an ideal base for trekking, where you can follow several mule trails that lead to now sparse forests. The Panchgani mountain station, named after the five hills that surround it, is located at an altitude of 1,334 m and 38 m below Mahabaleshwar. This 38-metre hike is a 19-km hike of extraordinary beauty that follows the bends, offering views of the Krishna River on one side and the coastal plains on the other. Panchgani was founded in 1853 by John Chesson who had been sent by the East India Company to find a suitable place where the wives and children of the Company's officials could reside instead of returning frequently to England. Since then, Panchgani has been an educational centre and mountain resort, and bears the indelible imprint of the British Empire. This imprint is visible in old English buildings, parish houses and residential schools, all of which have been around for well over a century.Panchgani overlooks the magnificent panorama of the Krishna Valley, which spans many kilometres from east to west, with its many hamlets, cultivated fields and sparkling rivers. Viewed from the Tableland, a flat peak of about 1 km², the region unfolds into mysterious valleys and miniature-like plains. There are also caves, Fort Kamlagad, the Municipal Garden and a children's park. Protected by the deep shade of the trees and exuberant vegetation, the trails offer many delights and reveal more than one secret. Visitors can choose a horse in one of the resort's many stables and stroll along unexplored paths, through lovers' hidden paths, to the caves, or spend a moment in the bazaar. Like Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani is renowned for its strawberries, blackberries, jams and fruit jellies. Mahabaleshwar's shoes are also famous, as are his exclusive shawls, decorative items, leather products and tribal knickknacks.