Mount Abu: Food, Weather and Activities- A Perfect Long Weekend Destination

Mount Abu, a romantic small little hill station will surely still your heart by its charming beauty and calmness and I can say that as I am coming from this beautiful hill station recently. Actually I was looking for a destination just for 3-4 days and that too not very far from Mumbai so after searching a lot I finalized this place for my short break just before Diwali. Limited information about this place made me little unsure about this place and was not knowing that it's quite a beautiful place. 
Ahmedabad is one of the popular center from where tourist from Maharashtra and Gujarat venture this hill station. You can also reach to this place from Udaipur which is situated approximately 164 km. As I was traveling from Mumbai our route was via Ahmedabad. We booked our cab from savaari based on our previous good experiences and this time too experience was pleasant.

I packed my bags in hurry as I was traveling early in the morning and was ready to explore this small hill station.
Next day I boarded the Shatabdi Express early in the morning from Mumbai and started my journey. Complementary Good Food entertained us through the journey, thanks to Indian Railways.

Finally at around 2:00 pm I reached to Ahmedabad.
                                                                  

Then from Ahmedabad station my Saavari vehicle picked me and I started my journey towards this small hill station in Rajasthan.
Distance between Ahmedabad to Mount Abu is 228 km will take approximately 4-5 hours ,which also includes 25 km ghat. So It was around 7:30 in night when I reached Mount Abu and checked into my lovely heritage hotel known as Connaught House .

Cannaught House 

For more detailed review about this heritage property click here.
Things to See-
Then next two days I started exploring this clam hill station, being a popular hill station there are so may tourist attractions and some recommended attractions are-

Things to do in Abu

Well to explore these places there are lot of ways like hiring local vehicle , your own vehicle or by cycle or bike.

View from GuruShikhar 

Om Shanti Bhavan

Peace Park 

Wax-Museum

Sun Set Point

Sun Set Point

View From Adhar Devi Temple

Nakki Lake in Night

During exploring all tourist attraction remember to wear comfortable shoes and be ready to walk a lot and hike also at some places such as Guru Shikhar , Achal Gadh and Adhar Devi Mandir. Do not feed the monkeys and enjoy the local shopping with so many stories associated with each and every place.  

Things to Eat

Well what I liked most about this hill station is the food varieties this place is having to offer...and I enjoyed the local food from local shops both the days and list is..........

Maggi A Must have at Any Hill Station

Rajasthani Thali ( Offered at my hotel)......It was Yummyyyyyyyyy

Other Street Food - Bread Omelet, Havmor Ice-Cream, Channa Chat , Chaach ( Butter Milk ) and Mount Abu ki Rabadi

One more addition to list is Sankalp Dosa , my personal favorite from my Ahmedabad Days

Most of the items you can get around main market situated on lake or nest to famous tourist attractions. Do try a romantic and peaceful boat ride in evening on Nakki Lake.

After spending 3 days peacefully here I was feeling refreshed and was ready to go back to my busy working life...but was sure I am coming back to this place after some time.

Where to Stay- There are lot of hotels available you can choose according to your choice and budget. I strongly recommends Connaught House by Welcome Heritage group.

Ideal Days to Visit the Place- 3-4 Days

Best Time to visit this place- Well you can visit this place any time, still avoid May and June and any other holidays because the crowd will really spoil the charm of this place. 

Things to Buy- Again this list is long , like a typical tourist location this place is having lot of things to offer and you can buy cotton materials and woolen clothes form its market.

So if you are looking for a perfect long weekend destination that this is the place. Reach Ahmedabad and plan your holidays.

Nilkantheshwar : A Delightful Monsoon Weekend Destination

Weekend was coming and it was month of July and that too in Maharashtra , it was impossible for me to sit at home so I started searching for some places near Pune and finally landed on one name known as Nilkhantheshwar from google. So convinced my family member and decided to explore this not so popular destination in magical monsoon season. 

This place is situated approximately 40 km from Pune and you can reach there in approximately one and half hours ( depending on traffic and roads conditions). After leaving the Pune city lush green fields , romantic weather and fresh air and drizzling welcomed me for this small hike.Lush green rice field , small ponds and chirping of birds will refresh you.

On the way

Nilkhanteshwar is situated between two dams names Panshet and Warasgao. There is a beautiful Shiva temple situated on a small hill and the name of this place originated from this temple only. After a bumpy ride you will reach at the foot hill of small hill from where you need to trek for approximately for 40-50 minutes. 

On the way to the temple you can witness the beautiful views

At the parking itself I spotted a beautiful creature

After reaching temple take blessings of God and start exploring the place. They have created the statues of various deities and incidents of religious stories. But what mesmerized me was spectacular views. Believe me none of the photos are photo shopped and I have decided to put them as it is so you can see how artistic our nature is. So this monsoon be ready to explore this beautiful place with your family.
 

Location of the place on the Map

Best time to Visit- Late Monsoon

Time Required- 1 day

Use your own vehicle to reach this place and well equipped with monsoon gears and be ready to walk little bit. 

Explore Malwa: A Complete Itinerary for exploring unexplored

Before sharing my itinerary I would like to give little information about Malwa region of M.P. It's a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically it refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. It's definition also includes Nimar region south of the Vindhyas.

So whatever may be the definition this is a very beautiful and comparatively unexplored place in India. So here I am helping you to plan your itinerary for 8 days and it goes like-

Bhopal( 1 night)->Bhojpur->Bhimbetka->Panchamari ( 2 nights)->Madhai ( 1 night) ->Hanuwantiya( 1 night)->Omkareshwar->Maheshwar ( 1 night)->Mandu->Indore ( 1 night)

Day-1

Reach Bhopal early in the morning as this place is very well connected with rail, road and airway, reaching this place it very easy.

Check-in in your hotel and after breakfast start exploring city of lakes. Suggested tourist attractions are-

1. Birla Temple

2.Taj ul Masajid

3. Jama Masjid

4. Manav Sanghralay

5. Tribal Museum

6. Bharat Bhavan

7. Lake View

8. Upper Lake ( In the evening)

Suggested place for dinner- Shaan E Bhopal , a train theme restaurant.

                          

Day-2

Check out from hotel and proceed to Bhojpur , a beautiful historic place where you can witness 
one of the biggest Shivalinga in India. Distance between Bhopal to Bhojpur is approximately 
28 Km.

  

After Sight seeing proceed to explore Bhimbetka Rock Shelter which is approximately 25 km from Bhojpur. It is declared as UNESCO world heritage site.

Have lunch in Highway Retreat by M.P. tourism and proceed to Panchamari ,only hill station of Madhya Pradesh. Drive between Bheem Betka to Panchamri will take approximately 4 -5 hours.
Check-in in hotel and enjoy the beautiful sunset , cool weather and hot cup of tea or coffee.
Suggested hotel - Rock End Manor ( by M.P. Tourism) . There are others too so you can choose according to your wish.

Day-3

Next day start this beautiful hill station.Being a hill station Panchamari offers a lot of tourist attractions. So some suggested tourist attractions are-

1. Bee Fall
2. Rajat Prapat
3. Mahadev
4. Gupta Mahadev
5. Jata Shankar
6. Handi Kho
7. Pandav Caves
8. Reech Gadh
9. Dhup Gadh

And if you have more time or day you can also visit Chauragadh.
Day-4

Check out from Panchamri and proceed to Madhai, a beautiful place situated next to Tawa 
dam. Here you can enjoy Safari in Saputara Tiger Reserve and remember to book online in
advance. Enjoy the start gazing in night.

Suggested hotel- Bison Resort ( By M.P. Tourism)

Day-5

Check out from Madhai and proceed to Hanuwantiya, a beautiful tourist complex situated on Narmada river.

Stay in Hanuwantiya tourist complex and enjoy the beautiful resort and enjoy water sports 

activity.

Day-6

Check out from Hanuwantiya and proceed to Omkareshwar, one of the place from famous 12 Jotirlinga. Take blessings at Omkareshwar followed by Lunch at Narmada Resort , Omkareshwar.

Then Proceed for Maheshwar at around 2:00 pm, distance between Omkareshwar to Maheshwar is approximately 68 km and will take approximately one and half hours. 

Reach Maheshwar in the evening and visit Ahilya Fort and Maheshwari Saree factory.

Then Proceed for Maheshwar at around 2:00 pm, distance between Omkareshwar to Maheshwar is approximately 68 km and will take approximately one and half hours.

Reach Maheshwar in the evening and visit Ahilya Fort, beautiful ghat of Narmada and Maheshwari Saree factory.

You can have Tea/ Coffee at Labboo'z Cafe and Lodge inside the fort.Things to by- Maheshwari cloths/Sarees/Dress Material

Suggested Hotel – Kanchan Retreat , Maheshwar.

Day-7

Next day proceed to Mandu, journey between Maheshwar to Mandu will take approximately one and half hour. Explore this ancient city and do try Daal Bati, a local cuisine.

Exploring Mandu will take approximately half day and after that proceed to Indore. Mandu to Indore will take approximately 2 and hald hour. Check inn in hotel and in the night do visit Indore Sarafa , a famous place for foodies.

Stay over night in Indore.

Day-8
Next day explore Indore , some suggested tourist attractions are-

1. Lal Bagh Palace
2. Khajarana Temple
3. Kanch Mandir
4. Maa Vaishanav Dhaam Temple
5. Baada Ganpati Temple  After lunch visit Pipliyapala Regional Park and shopping at Rajwada  then visit Chappan Dukan in the night , after that head-back to your home town.

7 Nights +7 Cities+ 4 Countries = Lifetime Experience#PhotoItinerary

Europe was my dream destination and feel that is for everyone's bucket list too. So in short 8 days you can have your life time experience.

Day-1

Land in London and start exploring this beautiful historic cities. You can see 'Changing of Guards' at Buckingham Palace , Hyde Park, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, River Thames, Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge. If you want to see the panoramic view of city in 30 minutes ride on -The London Eye Ride.

London Eye Ride

Tower Bridge

Changing of Guards

Day-2

Board Eurostar to cross the English channel from London to Paris. Then enjoy one of the most famous city in the world, see the Eiffel Tower take the elevator and access the top level of Eiffel Tower from where you can get fantastic views the city.

From Eiffel Tower

Louvre Museum

 Day-3

Proceed to Lucerne. Arrive in Lucerne in the evening , on the way admire the beauty of this place.

Day-4

Visit Mt Titlis, one of the highest peak in central Switzerland. Green meadows and snow clad mountains will take you in a Yashraj movie.

Day-5

Proceed to Pisa and witness another wonder of world, Leaning tower of Pisa then proceed to Florence in the evening.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Day-6
Next day drive to Piazzale Michelangelo, a square on top of a hill with a replica of the impressive statue of David and also get a bird's eye view of the city of Florence

Statue of David

City View

Proceed to Rome and explore the historic city of Rome do visit Trevi Fountain and Colosseum.

Trevi Fountain

Colosseum

Day-7

Board the flight for your home town with life time experience.