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Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar & back in my 2022 Audi A6: Overall trip stats

1st September 2024, 10:11 by Ananth Iyer

The round trip was roughly 567 kms on the ODO, the car returned an efficiency of 11.8 kmpl and with 20 litre left in the tank on a 70-litre full tank capacity.

BHPian sawnilrules recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A Short Trip to Mahabaleshwar, from Mumbai

Considering 15th August was falling on a Thursday, 16th August being a Parsi New Year and then 17th August being a Saturday, it was a perfect time to plan a short vacation. Or was it really the perfect time?

The planning for a road trip began, well in advance in the month of June, so that we could get clear 2 months of time to think in which direction we wanted to head out to. The perils of staying in Mumbai are, every exit direction from the city is either dug up or the highways that lead out of Mumbai are simply non drivable.

With these kind of road related restrictions, planning a road trip becomes more hectic. With anything north of Mumbai banned, the only available option was travel south of Mumbai towards either Goa. But we also didn’t want to go, all the way 600 odd kms with just 3 days at disposal.

So finally, after disregarding most of the locations, we finalized on Mahabaleshwar, as the last time we had been to Mahabaleshwar was almost 6 years ago. We booked 2 rooms with Courtyard by Marriott, luckily got the valley facing rooms and now with bookings done, the contemplation was around which car to take to Mahabaleshwar, all thanks to non-clarity on road conditions.

Before I go further, on how we went about going to Mahabaleshwar, and what all did we explore, here is some brief history of Mahabaleshwar, for people who may not know it. A note here, all of the photos surrounding around the history of Mahabaleshwar are picked up from Google.

The mountains of Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar, a picturesque hill station in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India, has a rich history and cultural significance.

Ancient and Medieval History:

The name Mahabaleshwar is derived from the Sanskrit words "Maha" (great), "Bal" (strength), and "Ishwar" (God), referencing Lord Shiva. The town is home to the ancient Mahabaleshwar Temple, which dates back to the 16th century and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is an important pilgrimage site and is believed to house the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh.

Shiva Mandir

Historical Rulers: The area surrounding Mahabaleshwar was under the rule of the Maratha Empire. It played a strategic role due to its location and natural defenses. The Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is said to have visited the region, and it was under the control of various Maratha chieftains over time.

Historic Mahabaleshwar

Colonial Era:

British Influence: Mahabaleshwar came to prominence during the British colonial period. In the 1820s, Sir John Malcolm, a British governor of Bombay (now Mumbai), developed it as a summer resort. The British were drawn to Mahabaleshwar for its cool climate, natural beauty, and health benefits, particularly for treating ailments like malaria.

Sir John Malcolm

Colonial Era:

British Influence: Mahabaleshwar came to prominence during the British colonial period. In the 1820s, Sir John Malcolm, a British governor of Bombay (now Mumbai), developed it as a summer resort. The British were drawn to Mahabaleshwar for its cool climate, natural beauty, and health benefits, particularly for treating ailments like malaria.

Sir John Malcolm

Post-Independence:

Tourism: After India gained independence in 1947, Mahabaleshwar continued to be a favored destination for both Indian and international tourists. Its pleasant climate, scenic beauty, and strawberry farms have made it one of the most visited hill stations in Maharashtra.

Strawberry Cultivation: The British introduced strawberry cultivation to Mahabaleshwar, which has become one of the region's major agricultural activities. The town is now famous for its strawberry farms, and the annual Strawberry Festival is a major attraction.

Fresh strawberries

Modern Day:

Preservation and Development: Mahabaleshwar is now a well-developed tourist destination with a mix of heritage and modernity. The region has strict environmental regulations to preserve its natural beauty and ecological balance. The hill station is also a gateway to several trekking routes and nature trails, attracting adventure enthusiasts.

Mahabaleshwar's combination of historical significance, colonial heritage, and natural splendor makes it a unique and enduring attraction in Maharashtra.

Now coming back to our journey

There are two routes that one can take to Mahabaleshwar, Mumbai-Pune Expressway-Wai-Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar, or the other one being Mumbai-Khalapur-Pali-Nagothane Bypass-Mangoan- Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar. Both the routes come with their own pros & cons.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway is perennially traf****ed due to heavy influx of cars and the ongoing maintenance work, plus extended weekend meant, more cars and more traffic jams. The NH 66 that leads to Poladpur road consists of freshly laid tarmac and mostly is relatively traffic free, but the worry was about the road to Mahabaleshwar once we take the left from Poladpur towards the ghat section that is usually state managed. And looking at the overall condition of the road works carried out by MH government, I was quite skeptical. However, after talking to couple of bhpian’s and HVKian’s the route that we went ahead was- Mumbai-Khalapur-Pali-Nizampur-Mangoan-Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar. And considering, NH66 was in brilliant shape, the decision was to take down the A6.

Selected Route on Maps

Considering there were 2 cars, 2 families, the plan was to leave early so that we could reach Mahabaleshwar latest by lunch time.

On the D Day, we started bang on time, 06:00 hrs. in the morning. First time ever we were bang on time. The route to exit Mumbai was- Borivali-JVLR-Mankhurd-Vashi- Expressway. We fueled up at an IOC petrol pump to the full brim, and we set the course. By the time we reached on the Pune Expressway, it was almost 7:30, but luckily the traffic was sparce and free moving. Interestingly, almost all the cars enroute were maintaining a speed of around 80 kph, although the speed limit on the expressway is 100 kph.

After exiting the Khalapur toll, there is a quick exit towards Imagica/Pali, and it can be missed easily if you are not in the extreme left lane. The exit is quite a rough patch, however once on the Pali road, you will be blessed with smooth tarmac and winding roads. There are couple of restaurants immediately after you get on the Pali road, if you miss them, the next decent restaurant is straight at Nizampur Konkan Division, which is roughly 40 kms away, or roughly 50 to 75 mins away depending on traffic and time of the day.

We took our first break at a restaurant called Sarpanch after 4-5 kms for Nizampur. While the food was good, the service was kind of slow, but then, considering, we weren’t pressed for time, it did not bother us. Must try over there would be- Kanda Poha, Batata Vada and Kanda Bhaji and Vada Misal.

Hotel Sarpanch

After the pet puja, we headed towards our destination. Good thing about the Nizampur route is, you come out on NH66 at the fag end of Mangoan towards Goa. That means, you have literally crossed the entire traffic and ready to hit the newly surfaced double lane corridor of NH66 all the way till Poladpur. Of course, there is some 800 meters of work pending at Mahad, and one 2-3 kms diversion before Poladpur, but rest of the road is a brilliantly paved. I had actually set a cruise of 90 through and through and the car just wafted through.

NH66 towards Poladpur from Mangaon

10:30 hrs. on the watch and we took the left at Poladpur towards Mahabaleshwar is 44 kms drive uphill. While on the ODO it’s a 44 kms drive, but the drive time is roughly around 130-140 mins. The road uphill is a mix bag, with some patches being clean, some patches having potholes here and there and in some patches there’s an ongoing road work, however it’s a decent drive uphill. Once inside Mahabaleshwar, is where the roads get really patchy. God knows, what the municipal corporation is doing. They collect the so-called green tax from every car entering the town, along with a per person charge, but neither are the roads maintained nor is the city/town maintained.

Courtyard by Marriot

Overall, the stay at the property was comfortable, we did venture out towards Panchgani on day 2, explored the Mapro Garden, Cheese Factory and few other focal points.

Found these parked at Cheese Factory

The return trip on day 3 was exact reverse of how we went. So, there were no big surprises really. The round trip was roughly 567 kms on the ODO, the car returned an efficiency of 11.8 kmpl and with 20 litre left in the tank on a 70-litre full tank capacity. Throughout the highway, the fuel efficiency figure on the MID was hovering over 13.8 kmpl, however as soon as we entered Mumbai at Mankhurd side, we encountered traffic. Infact, it took us 3 hours from Mankhurd to Borivali and that is where the number dropped down to 11.8 kmpl as I parked the car.

MID figures while on the highway