Indian Travel Blogger – Weekend Getaway near Pune – Purandar Fort!
Pune as a city is a great location to be! A quaint valley in the middle of Sahyadri mountain ranges on all sides, it has a plethora of places to visit nearby. Especially during Monsoon, the ghats give breathtaking views, lush greenery and beautiful waterfalls are the favorite places to visit near pune during weekends. Due to its location, there are abundant Weekend getaway places near Pune to be explored. Many biker trips happen on these ghats and various trekking groups enjoy trek and night camping in these areas that are hardly an hour or two drive from the city. The lonavala, khandala hill stations of Western ghats, the tamhini ghats, Karjat, Satara hills, the Panchgini & Mahabaleshwar hill stations etc are few of the hottest travel destinations near pune.
Situated amongst these ghats are Maharashtra’s ultimate trekking destinations that have the iconic forts that speak of its rich heritage and unconquerable kingdoms. The Rajmachi, Parande Fort, Sinhaghad Fort, Rajghad, Lohgad, Ghangad, Malhar Ghad Fort, Torna Fort, etc are few of the old forts situated on top of hill making up for a great trek. One of these Fort areas is the Purandar Fort. Situated 30kms from Pune, near the Pune Saswad road is the Purandar Fort that comes under the military cantonment area and hence is one of the untouched beauties of Pune area. Its a great weekend getaway trip from Pune if you are looking for serene places.
Beautiful places to visit near Pune
With its classic fort structure and scenic mountain view, Purandar fort easily falls under the category of most beautiful places to visit near Pune. The best thing about this place is that due to the military restrictions, photography is not allowed after a certain point and all you can do is just explore the beauty of nature at the top! This gives an unexplored unique charm to this place.
Travel fashion – What to wear on Hill station
What to wear on a Hill station trip – Travel Fashion
Travel outfit is always a tricky thing and it depends on where you go. There are only certain things that you can wear on a hill station trip. The temperature at these hills is cool and its windy so you need to dress up accordingly. Here is what I wore, a denim jeans with pearl appliques, a solid green t-shirt and a denim shrug. I also had a hoodie sweatshirt with me just in case it gets more chilly. Always remember its best to visit such places early morning as there is less traffic and you can enjoy the place better when there is no rush. This also means, the temperature will take a huge dip and you should keep yourself warm enough. Since there is a lot of trekking involved the lighter you are the easier it gets for you. Carry a light weight jacket with you and wear something denim. Denims will be great for the trek and also in case you feel too hot you can always take off the jacket and tie it on your waist.
How to reach Purandar Fort – An exciting road trip
Not only the destination but the journey towards the fort is also equally amazing. You can approach the fort through Narayanpur and reach the base camp at the starting of the hill, where there is a military base. You will need to show an ID card for all the travellers to enter the area inside. From there you there is only a few minutes drive to reach the base of the trek, where you need to park your vehicles. No eatables, cameras and even phones allowed post this area. However the scenery there is also equally beautiful.
weekend getaway places near Pune
There is a beautiful waterfall just before you reach near the fort and a nice place to take pictures of the valley from top.
Waterfalls near Purandar Fort
Also there is an old chapel at the start of the treck towards the fort just where you park your vehicles. Its a great place to click pictures as the old church gives for a great background. Its empty from inside but the doors are open. This has become one of the great places for photography near pune for me these days!
Great place for photography
Old Chapel at Purandar Fort
Let me tell you the treck from here towards the fort or “Bale killa” is not for the faint hearted. Its quite a climb some narrow and steep areas. After almost 45 minutes of climb we had just reached just the well of the killa. The kedarnath temple was almost the same distance from there. We took a few breaks as the air became thinner as we reached the top. It was totally exhausting but equally fun.
Places to visit near Pune – Pune weekend getaway
This is the last picture we could take on our way to the fort. Because even if you have not submitted your phones at the entry and manage to sneak it somehow, there are army men guarding in various places of the fort that will take care that no photography is done under their hawk eyes. which is good in a way coz for those three hours of trekking, (yes almost three hours to and fro climb! Phew!) we had so much fun just talking. Me, my sister and brother-in-law!
Purandar fort Trek
Pros:
1. Close to pune city
2. Very clean
3. Army controlled so very safe
4. Easy trek from base to fort
5. Ample parking space
6. Very scenic route
Cons:
1. Only 1 eatery in the premises
2. Most of the places are restricted for visitors due to army base
kedareshwar temple on purandar fort
This picture is of the kedarnath temple at the top of the purandar fort. This pic is taken from flikr as photography is prohibited in this area.
Important Information about Purandar Fort:
1. Timing for entry to the fort : 9AM to 5 pm
2. Carrying a govt id proof is mandatory
So this is about one of the Weekend getaway places near Pune. I wish to write more such travel blogs and share with your my travel experience.
