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| Lonar Crater |
Blessed with breathtaking vistas, endless mountain ranges, cultural mixes, long coastlines, etc, Maharashtra’s natural diversity offers travellers numerous reasons to consider a weekend getaway to the various places.
Durshet, about 100 km from Mumbai/Pune is an adventure getaway for trekking and nature trails. The forests of Durshet are a part of the Sahyadri mountain range. Some of the other attractions in the area are the hot springs in Uddhar, Pali, Ganapati Temple, Old Pali fort.
Dabhosa which has its famous Dabhosa waterfalls, is 20 km on the Jawhar-Silvassa route. This place is well-known for rock climbing, trekking and nature walks. Apart from Lonavala-Khandala, Matheran and Mahableshwar, Malshej Ghat has also emerged as a sought after destination for a quick weekend getaway, 154 km approximately from south Mumbai. Pimpalgaon Joga Dam is another attraction here and Harishchandragad, a hill fort in Ahmednagar also has its history linked with that of Malshej Ghat. The ancient fort has had remnants of the microlithic man discovered there. About 600 km from Mumbai is Lonar town in Buldhana district where we can find the third largest crater in the world. The place was created nearly 50,000 years ago when two million-ton meteorite impacted the earth.
Kamshet is another favourite weekend destination for paragliding. It is located 100 km from Mumbai and 45 km from Pune. The other places of interest include Karla caves, Bedsa caves, Bhaja caves and Kondeshwar temple.
Bhandardara also located in the Ahmednagar district about 185 km from Mumbai, provides numerous options for treks and hikes for adventure lovers. An interesting trek is the small trek to Ratangad fort. Another tourist attraction is the Wilson Dam on the Pravara River, which was built in 1910. The scenic Umbrella Falls also draws visitors, although it can be seen only during the monsoons. Other attractions there include Arthur Lake; Randha Falls; Ghatghar; Mount Kalsubai; Ratnagad. Alandi, 25 km from Pune is famous for a temple complex built near the spot of Sant Dnyaneshwar’s samadhi.
Apart from the perennially favourite beach destination-Goa, the other beach getaways worth visiting include Bordi-Dahanu, Shrivardhan, Harihareshwar and Ganapatipule from Mumbai.
