Panchgani is a small scenic hill town, close to and just below Mahabaleshwar, a more popular and bigger hill station in Maharashtra. Panchgani falls on the Sahyadri mountain ranges and the river Krishna flows closely. A flat table land or volcanic plateau, the highest after the Tibetean plateau tops the hills. This flat location with the amazing view of the coastal plains below, popular with Mumbai film crews is now equally popular with tourists.
The route itself to Panchgani offers an incredible view of the coastal plains and the river Krishna. The dense forest with many western plant species such as silver oak and poinsettias add to the charm of the place. Its proximity to Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra's biggest hill town, has made this quiet town a popular hill station with many tourists visiting Panchgani en route to Mahabaleshwar.
Panchgani was founded and settled during the British time in the 18th century and it still retains the old world charm in the British style houses dotted around. There are also many old Parsi homes. Tourists can visit and view the old colonial British and Parsi homes to get a feel of the time gone by.
As it was originally a retirement place for British, a number of schools and boarding houses were started here in the 19th century. There are still a number of schools in Panchgani and some are very reputed. The century old boarding houses, an example of British architecture, are themselves a tourist must see.
Named after the five hills around it, Panchgani at an elevation of 1293 meters has a pleasant year round climate. This salubrious climate has made Panchgani a favoured destination for health spas and the place is dotted with many resorts. In fact, at one time Panchgani was a famed tuberculosis sanatorium.
Apart from trekking and soaking the ambiance, adventure sports such as paragliding and horseback riding are popular options for the tourists. Even now horseback is a very accessible way to travel around Panchgani.
You can buy jams, chutneys, fruit juices and candies at the bazaar in Panchgani. Most of it is local produce from farms, with a very British feel to it; especially the Strawberry and Raspberry jam which is very famous. The Maharashtrian Kolhapuri chappals or footwear is also available. Mahabaleshwar has a bigger market called the Malcom Peth bazaar, and a better variety of footwear.
As Panchgani falls on the Sahyadri hills on the Western Ghats, it has a cool climate. September to May is the best time to visit Panchgani although it is a pleasant place to visit throughout the year. In winter the temperature is around 16 Degree Celsius and in summers it can touch 35 Degree Celsius and can be quite hot. Panchgani gets heavy rain during monsoon months of July and August and it is best to avoid travel in these months.
Pune, 98 kilometers away has the nearest airport.
The nearest railhead is at Wathar, 45 kilometers away on the South central railway line. However, Pune, which is 98 kilometers, is a more convenient rail head as it has more connections.
