Quick ride to Pabe Ghat, near Pune

It was Sunday morning when I came to the balcony, and the weather was overcast which was so perfect for travel. I quickly came inside and asked Kiran, shall we go somewhere? He gave me a look like what's this now! But I managed to convince him, and we decided to leave in an hour. I quickly searched for location and thought to drive through Pabe Ghat as its near to Pune, we left home around 9am. 

Pabe Ghat point is 35 km from Pune, it is situated near Panshet. We get beautiful view from the top which is surrounded by mountains and greenery. 

Panshet Dam seen from Ghat road

At Donaje Phata, once you take right to follow road to Velhe village and drive few kms further you can see amazing scenery & natural beauty. It’s perfectly green now. The cloudy weather gives the perfect landscape and photography feel. 

The road unwinds through beautiful countryside with lush green scenery, paddy fields and amazing landscapes.

ही वाट दूर जाते...सह्याद्रीच्या कुशीत ⛰️ ⛰️

Ghat road is very narrow, the climb is very steep, so you need to ride a very carefully, but the route is scenic, a lovely ride up the ghat and the climate is awesome in monsoon. Once you reach at the top you can see the breathtaking view of mountains and near by villages. It is surrounded by three forts - Sinhagad fort, Torna fort and Rajgad fort. There is one point from where you can see these three forts at single place. 

After spending 30-40 minutes at the top, we descended and headed towards our return journey. 

Pabe and all the surrounding locations are excellent getaway spots for a weekend. A great treat for photography.

Sinhagad Fort

The best place for picnic, very calm and quiet. One can feel the melodious chirping of birds. 

Take a moment to stop and listen to the birds singing today!!

Awesome location with zero crowd to spend some quality time. Must visit during monsoon season. It’s a good short drive option especially during monsoons. 

My Travel Buddies

After eating Misal at Shivar Garden near Donaje Phata, we were back home around 2 pm. 

Highlights - 

Trip duration - 1 day (19 January 2024)

Distance travelled - 85Km

Budget - 1K

A day trip to Dhom-Balkawadi dam, Wai during Diwali holidays

My sister in law was asking to have a quick morning trek to Sinhgad on Sunday, 15^th November, as there was no ritual for Diwali that day. But we were not sure whether Sinhgad is open for tourists or not, so decided to visit Dhom-Balkavadi dam in the early morning.  

We were planning to leave Pune at 5am but were 30 minutes late. After picking up my sister-in-law, her husband and my nephew from Sinhgad road started our journey towards Wai. We wanted to reach there around 7am to watch a beautiful sunrise, to watch sunlight reflections in dam water and the mountain ranges is a visual treat and never miss from there. Reached the farm without any pit stop though missed sunrise and reached there around 8am. A selfie was the first thing we did as soon as we got down of the car.

Immediately after reaching there, 4-5 peahens come on our way that came in the search of food and then returning home.  We roamed here and there which increased Vitamin D and eating a few amla fruits had increased vitamin C intake in our body. Indeed a healthy trip after COVID-19 lockdowns!!  

Climate was very pleasant, we could see gems of the morning i.e. dew drops on the grass. There is a banyan tree, so hanging to the strong roots of the tree is a must and enjoyable too. 

We went to the farm and spent some quality time there, a view of mountains and the dam is completely mesmerizing, one can just sit and watch it for a whole day. You can see various birds, flowers, fishes there. The place is not at all polluted; it is free from air-sound-water pollution, completely natural. Dam water is also crystal clear and very clean, could see the bottom and spot fishes. 

We sat down at the katta which is made around a tree. Once the dam is full; you can easily put your feet in the water by just sitting on the katta, small fish will give a good pedicure to your feet. We had brought Diwali faral, fruits and salad made by Parth(my nephew), which all finished while discussing our previous visits to the place.  Every time I could discover a new thing there; this time spotting rabbits and monkeys was a surprise, but could not capture them in the photograph. 

Dam and mountains view from the katta is a delight that anyone can see for a long time. 

Picturesque view of the Balkawadi Dam

After spending almost 3 hours we decided to leave because we had to go to a relative on the way. Our plan was to reach home by 5pm to make some arrangements for the next day Padva and Bhaubeej celebration.

A selfie is mandatory before leaving the place J J

While returning we enjoyed misal at Bhairavnath Hotel, Khambataki ghat; misal and buttermilk were awesome. They served plenty of onion and lemon along with misal, usually, it is served in less quantity in most of the hotels.

After Ambegaon we went to Dhankavadi to visit the in-laws of my sister-in-law and reached home around 7 pm.  It was much much-needed trip as for the last few months no travel due to COVID-19. It was really an amazing break from the daily routine.  

Thanks for reading my blog.

Hope you liked reading it.

Happy travelling!!