Mahabaleshwar is a hill station in the Sahyadri range of the Western Ghats, about 120 km south-west of Pune and a long-time favourite weekend escape for sweltering Mumbaikars. At 1,353 metres it is cool, green, and dramatically set on a high plateau whose edges fall away in sheer cliffs to the Krishna river valley below. It has been a hill station since 1829, when the British established it as a summer retreat for the Bombay Presidency, and the old colonial-era villas, churches, and the parade-ground feel of the Bazaar Road give the town some of the quiet elegance of Shimla or Ooty.
The main draw is the landscape. Mahabaleshwar has a ring of viewpoints around the plateau — Wilson Point, Arthur's Seat, Kate's Point, and Elephant's Head Point — each with stunning views over the Konkan escarpment and the Krishna valley. The classic Mahabaleshwar morning is to hire a taxi, do a short circuit of three or four of them (Wilson Point for the sunrise, Arthur's Seat for the sheer drop, Bombay Point for the sunset), and come back for breakfast. Venna Lake, just outside town, is where local families come to row boats and eat corn on the cob from the stalls at the water's edge. The Old Mahabaleshwar Temple, a few kilometres from the modern town, is one of the source temples of the Krishna river — one of the sacred rivers of the Deccan.
Mahabaleshwar is also famous for its strawberries. The volcanic soils and cool climate make this India's biggest strawberry-growing area, and you can visit the farms around Panchgani and Mapro Garden for pick-your-own, fresh jam, and strawberry-cream desserts. The region also produces raspberries, mulberries, and gooseberries, and the roadside stalls selling fresh berries and jams are one of the pleasures of the drive up.
The essential day trip is to Pratapgad Fort, 24 km away — a hilltop Maratha fort built in 1656 by Chhatrapati Shivaji, and the site where Shivaji, in one of the most celebrated incidents in Maratha history, killed the much larger Bijapur general Afzal Khan with hidden steel claws during what was supposed to be a peace meeting. The fort has been restored and the walk up the ramparts to the temple and the gravesite of Afzal Khan is both atmospheric and genuinely educational. Come to Mahabaleshwar in October–February for clear skies and cool weather; avoid the monsoon months (June–September), when mist shrouds the viewpoints, and the hottest weeks of April–May when half of Pune seems to move in.