Panchgani Travel Guide

Panchgani takes its name from the five hills that ring the town, a hill station in Satara district roughly 19 km from Mahabaleshwar and about 1,334 metres up in the Western Ghats. Its most distinctive feature is Table Land, a vast volcanic plateau considered the second largest of its kind in Asia, popular for horse rides and views across the valley below. British-era boarding schools and strawberry farms (including Mapro's factory outlet) give the town a character distinct from Mahabaleshwar's busier viewpoints. Parsi Point and Sydney Point are the better-known perches for sunrise and sunset over the Krishna valley. Panchgani works well as a quieter, shorter add-on to a Mahabaleshwar trip rather than a standalone multi-day stay.

Located at an altitude of 1,334 mts, Panchgani is also known as Paachgani as the five hills that form the Sahyadri mountain ranges offer Panchgani its name. The picturesque backdrop of hills on one side and coastal plains on the other makes for an amazing view. In the British era, the place was treated as a summer resort and hence many colonial period establishments can be seen here. Mahabaleshwar is like a twin city to Panchgani.

Other than the verdant green valleys, and soothing environment, the red, juicy strawberries are a major attraction of Panchgani. Rightly known as the ‘Strawberry Garden of India’, the farms of Panchgani are full of enchanting views of luscious berries, especially during February and March.