facebook
People This Female Traveller From Pune Traversed 2,200+ Kms Across Maharashtra, Alone!
Advertisement

This Female Traveller From Pune Traversed 2,200+ Kms Across Maharashtra, Alone!

Giving a miss to Goa or Rajasthan, this solo female traveller from Pune decided to explore Maharashtra for 21 days, instead.

Advertisement

By: Shraddha Maheshwari Published: Jul 07, 2021 11:12 AM IST

This Female Traveller From Pune Traversed 2,200+ Kms Across Maharashtra, Alone!
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock

Giving a miss to popular tourist states like Goa or Rajasthan, this solo female traveller from Pune decided to explore her state, Maharashtra, instead. The result? Twenty-one days of pure adventure and memories to last a lifetime. By Shraddha Maheshwari

People often wonder what’s there to see in Maharashtra, and ditch it for a trip to Goa or Rajasthan, instead. I, however, think otherwise. As a solo female traveller, I explored more than 2,200 kilometres from Pune across Maharashtra over a period of 21 days. In this journey, I visited 41 villages, saw 22 different beaches, and stopped at 18 ancient temples. I crossed numerous forests, rivers, dams, ghats, mountains, and forts. From trains to ferries, to buses and bikes–I used seven different types of transports. In return, I got a chance to witness Maharashtra’s mind-blowing landscapes, diverse nature, and glorious histories.

Places to See

Maharashtra has beautiful mountains and rivers, serene forests, and many intricately carved ancient temples. Every stone, grain of sand and drop of water here reveal stories from a glorious past entrapped deep within the Sahyadri mountains; and you can only find it if you have a keen, observant eye.

Hill stations

Matheran, Lonavla, Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar capture tourists’ attention. But the little-known hill stations of Koynanagar and Radhanagari in southwestern Maharashtra are also ideal places to relax amid nature; and spot wildlife, birds and flora unique to the region.

The plateau of flowers—Kaas Pathar–located in the Satara district, blooms with beautiful, rare flower species every year. Another natural wonder is the Sandhan valley in northern Maharashtra. It is Asia’s second-largest valley, and a place sought after by several adventure seekers. Visually, it looks like a crack in giant rocks, but walking across it is extremely thrilling!

Beaches

The beautiful coastline of Maharashtra, extending from Malvan in the south to Mumbai and beyond in the north, is commonly known as the Konkan stretch. It has several quaint villages located alongside untouched beaches. When here, I often found myself wondering whether I was in Mauritius or Maldives—they’re that surreal! However, a true traveller can find them only if he/she looks away from the popular beaches of Alibaug and Tarkarli.

Hillforts and treks

You can find innumerable forts all across Maharashtra, most of which were built on hills overlooking important ancient trade routes. And thus, they were of great strategic importance for the Maratha rulers of the time. Before visiting these forts, reading their history will add to the adventure and thrill of your trip.

Almost every fort has a water tank or some kind of water source, along with a Ganesha and Hanuman temple. Some of the thrilling fort treks in Maharashtra are Harihar, Kalavantin Durg, Harishchandragad, Rajmachi, Ratangad, and Rajgad. A sunrise trek to Maharashtra’s highest point, Kalsubai Peak, will blow your mind—just like it did to me on the last day of my solo vacation.

Sea forts

Sea forts are specimens of expert architecture and workmanship. Marathas built them to have control over sea routes after invasions by foreign rulers like the Portuguese, French or British. Sindhudurg Fort and Murud-Janjira Fort are two beautifully-constructed sea forts among several others found in the Konkan region. Similarly, the Vijaydurg Fort also has a lot of its ancient architecture still intact. Each stands tall even today, after years and years of consistently pounding sea waves, several sea storms, and a few tsunamis, too.

Temples

Ancient temples can be found in every nook and corner of Maharashtra. They give an interesting insight into the region’s varied architectural styles. The intricately carved black basalt stones speak numerous stories. One such example is the Shri Kopeshwar Temple in Khidrapur village, located near Kolhapur in southern Maharashtra. Originally built as per the Shilahara-style of architecture, this temple now boasts a combination of several styles that have evolved over time as it was built over several generations.

In northern Maharashtra, the Kailasa temple takes primal attention. This Rashtrakuta-style wonder is a part of the Ellora Caves in Aurangabad.

A solo female traveller in Maharashtra

While solo female travelling is getting popular across the world, the concept is largely unknown in the small villages of Maharashtra. Almost everyone I met questioned me on this—often twice in disbelief! In Radhanagari, I met some police officers at dinner, who, after hearing my story and further travel plans, asked me whether I knew karate or Taekwondo, or carried a gun! I laughed. “This is my only strength,” I said while tapping my head.

Before starting my trip, I had mentally prepared myself for every type of situation. But the whole trip was quite smooth. Throughout my journey, I found people who helped me to get where I wanted to go, some of whom even stepped out of their ways to help me. It is very safe to travel across Maharashtra as a solo girl. But, of course, you have to use common sense and take regular safety precautions—just like you would do elsewhere, too.

Getting there

When to visit

The whole landscape here comes alive during the monsoon, which makes it the ideal time to visit. Winter months are ideal to explore the beaches on the western coastline. However, even one lifetime is not enough to see all of Maharashtra’s wonders!

Getting around

I used public transport, that is, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses for the majority of my trip. While most of the cities are well-connected by these state transport buses, some of the rural areas are not connected by public transport. And even if they are, it is quite slow and infrequent. This led me to hitchhike for about 760 kilometres in the rural parts of Maharashtra. People in rural areas were generally helpful.

The majority of my travelling and especially hitchhiking took place in broad daylight. I planned to reach my hotel before sunset.

Related: Meet Cassandra De Pecol, The First Female Traveller Ever To Visit Every Country On Earth

Written By

Shraddha Maheshwari

Shraddha Maheshwari

Never miss an update

Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest on travel, stay & dining.

No Thanks
You’re all set

Thank you for your subscription.