9/4/2016 – 10/4/2016

Puneites may not have proximity to seashore like Mumbai but it has beautiful water bodies at driving distance that are ideal for a weekend trip. A casual chat led to few families from our society getting together for an overnight trip to Wai. Located on the Krishna river, it is a small town nestled at the foothills of Panchgani on the Pune – Mahableshwar road. We were looking for an outdoor stay that would be adventurous enough for the kids to enjoy. Crawling the web, I came across just what we were looking for.

Milan Wadkar, a native of Wai has envisioned and built a campsite Krishna River Camp, which is a perfect outdoor weekend gateway. It offers enough activities for the visitors to quickly get in to the groove. The campsite offers a hotel style accommodation as well as tents for visitors who want to rough it up.

We had planned the outing during the second week of April. I called up Milan few weeks earlier and worked out the modalities. Details about the package and the tariffs are available on the Krishna River Camp website. I received a personalized email (pretty detailed one at that!) as well as WhatsApp messages from Milan prior to the trip with meticulous driving directions. As the campsite is off of the main road, Milan had a staff member stationed at a designated place to lead us to the camp site.

We reached the camp around 2 in the afternoon and it was pretty hot. The group became skeptical and wondered aloud if we had made a mistake planning the visit at this time of the year. The campsite had neatly arranged tents. Each tent had beds comfortable for two persons. Open hay sheds with charpoys, hammocks and chairs gave the place a rustic feeling.

The campsite is enclosed on all sides by the Sahyadri ranges and with the Krishna river flowing, it offers a picture perfect setting.

Photo enthusiast will revel in these surroundings that is still largely unspoiled by human progress. For stressed city folks tired of the city chaos, this is “the” place to get immersed in peace and quiet.

As the day progressed, the dubiousness turned in to pleasant surprise. The evening became cool and the setting sun created hues that turned the place magical.

The gentle ripples in the river, the abandoned boats, and ducks idly waddling through the river makes the place tranquil and serene.

The peculiar shape of this hill is linked to a local folklore.

The campsite is not limited to just absorbing the beauty of the surroundings. People who enjoy swimming can take a dip in the river but after getting apprised on the unsafe portion of the river from the camp personnel. There are makeshift bamboo raft rides, bullock cart for the kids, dart boards and other target games.

The campsite package includes lunch, evening tea and snacks and do-it-yourself barbecue in the night followed by dinner. The food is typical Maharashtrian village fare with local masala giving a different kick to the taste buds.

Wai is replete with temples. We gave ourselves few hours to visit the temples and enjoy some local ice-creams and Mastanis that were recommended to us.

Back in the camp we had a fun filled evening over barbecue. Chicken and potatoes were provided to us pre-marinated along with Barbecue grills and skewers. Antaksharis and Barbecue goes well together!

The morning was foggy but soon cleared to unveil a different colored terrain.

After a leisurely breakfast, we got ready to go for strawberry picking. It was good fun picking the juiciest strawberries and stuffing them neatly in cardboard boxes. With Rs. 60/- per box, it was a steal.

We had a boat ride as part of the package. On the way from the strawberry farm we went out on a spin.

No trip towards/from Mahableshwar is complete without a stopover at Mapro Garden. After a brief shopping and ice-creams at Mapro we headed back to Punyanagari.