Mahabaleshwar's points, Old Mahabaleshwar and Venna Lake
Mahabaleshwar · 10 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
The points everyone means, in an order that avoids the jam
Mahabaleshwar is a laterite plateau about 1,350 m up in the Sahyadris, and most of what people come for is its edge: a ring of viewpoints, called points here, from Arthur's Seat in the north-west to Kate's Point in the east and Bombay Point in the west, with the temples of Old Mahabaleshwar at the source of the Krishna and Venna Lake at the edge of the market.
None of them is far from town, and on a Saturday all of them are slow. The roads are two-lane, the parking at each point is a scrum, and the jam between the market and Venna Lake can eat an hour. This day goes the other way round from the crowd: Old Mahabaleshwar and Arthur's Seat in the morning while the ridge is clear and quiet, Kate's Point and Lingmala after lunch, the lake in the late afternoon, and sunset at Bombay Point.
You book the car rather than the seats, so the price is flat whether there are two of you or eight, and the parking at every point is in it. There is no ride-hailing up here; local taxis work point by point, and a car on call for the day is simply easier.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Old Mahabaleshwar temples
Panchganga, where the Krishna, Venna, Koyna, Savitri and Gayatri are said to rise, the Mahabaleshwar temple next door, and the Krishnabai temple of 1888 a few hundred metres on, above the Krishna valley. Go first, before the coaches.
2. Arthur's Seat
The deepest drop on the plateau, a ridge 12 km out of town looking straight down into the Savitri valley towards the Konkan. A string of smaller named points runs along the same ridge; morning is when it is most often clear.
3. Kate's Point and Needle Hole
East of town, the view down the Krishna valley to the Dhom and Balkawadi reservoirs, with the Elephant's Head rock and its needle hole a short walk along the edge. Wide, open and windy.
4. Lingmala Falls
A drop off the plateau edge near the Panchgani road, reached by a short path and steps. A proper fall from July to about October and little more than a wet rock face by April; we include it in season and skip it when it is dry.
Entry ticket at the gate, in season
5. Venna Lake
The man-made lake on the edge of the market, with rowing and pedal boats, horse rides along the bank and corn and strawberry stalls in season. Busy and cheerful, and the right place for the slow part of the afternoon.
Boat hire at the lake counters
6. Bombay Point
The old sunset point on the western edge, the one the hill station was built around. It fills up an hour before sunset on weekends; your driver drops you at the top and finds the car a place below.
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the full day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Mahabaleshwar
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking at every point
- A route ordered around the weekend traffic
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Municipal tourist tax
- Entry tickets and boat hire
- Meals
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- The municipal tourist tax, charged per person at the town limits if you have not already paid it
- Entry ticket at Lingmala Falls, in season
- Boat hire and horse rides at Venna Lake
- Lunch, strawberries and anything personal
Who this suits
Everyone. Each point is a short walk from where the car stops, and only Lingmala and the Krishnabai temple involve steps, both of which can be skipped. Good with small children and grandparents. The sedan seats four, the Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
A light jacket for the points, which are windy, and a rain layer from June to September. Comfortable shoes, sun protection and cash for the boat counters and the stalls.
Cloud on the points, heavy rain in monsoon
Mahabaleshwar takes some of the heaviest rain in Maharashtra from June to September, and in those months many views are inside the cloud. Cloud is not a cancellation; the day runs in it. Boating at Venna Lake can be suspended in bad weather. If the roads are closed on the day you get a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured. The points are cliff edges, railed in the main viewing areas and not beyond them; keep children on the inside, and stay back from the edge for photographs. Do not enter the pool at Lingmala in monsoon.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the vehicle for the whole day. Eight of you in the Tata Sumo pay ₹3,490 between you, not each.
Why not start with Wilson Point at sunrise?
You can ask for it, but most weekend visitors would rather sleep, and the rest of the day works better with a 9:00 am start. If you want sunrise, tell us when you book and the driver will collect you early for Wilson Point first.
When are strawberries in season?
Roughly from winter into early spring, with the stalls at their busiest from December to March. Outside those months you get the jam and the crushes, not the fresh fruit.
Is this day worth doing in the monsoon?
If you like rain and waterfalls, yes; Lingmala is at its best and the plateau is green. If you want the views, come between October and May, because from June to September many points are in cloud for days at a time.