How to Travel Panchmarhi ?

A Glimpse of Panchmarhi Hill Station: My Insight, How to Plan, What to see & Secret Locations.

Panchmarhi- Satpura

Every time I Travel , I like to experience Nature more than the Manmade structures unless its historical places. Panchmarhi or Panchmadhi is a hill station located in the heart of the Satpura Tiger Reserve , fullfills my desire to experience Nature and History both . It's also known as the Queen of Satpura. Here is an insight into my experience at one of the top tourist destination of Madhya Pradesh. Be sure to check till the end.

1. My Experience.
2. How to Go about Planning the Trip.
3. What all there is to see, which route to take and budgeting.
4. A Secret Place your Tour Guide won't Tell you about.

The best way to get to Panchmarhi is via Train & The nearest railway station is Pimparia. It is 50 Km from Pimparia Railway station and you can find a lot of cars and buses outside the railway station to take you to Pachmarhi.
(QUICK TIP: Make sure to check the Echo point which is on the way to Pachmarhi, a lot of film shootings have taken place at this point. )

Echo Point

I started my trip by lodging at the Hotel Highland , It's a beautiful hotel just as you enter the cosy town of Pachmarhi. Its managed by the MPSTDC - State Tourism Department so you can expect the highest quality of service. As it was my Parents 25th Anniversary, The staff help me put up an Ad-Hoc Party, arranged for a cake.

To start with the travel, There are two types of destinations in Panchmarhi
1) The Unpaid Destinations (No Entry Fee)
2) Paid Destinations (Has Entry Fee)
(QUICK TIP: If you have less time on your hand, I would definitely recommend to only do the Paid Destination circuit because they are just brilliant as you will see below. The unpaid ones are not so bad either.)

I started with the Unpaid Circuit to leave the best for the last.
Below i only mention the places which you may want to visit in the unpaid(No entrance fee) circuit.

Pandav Gufa:

Botanical Garden outside Pandav Gufa

 It's a well-maintained Caves complex flanked by beautiful Flower Gardens.
On the  way to this Destination, I made a quick stop at the church to click a few pics, It's a peaceful place which only a few visit, do check it out though. The Cave complex is situated in a gradual increasing hill, the topmost place giving a good view of the Panchmarhi town below.

Church

Church

Mahadev & Gupt Mahadev: 

Mahadev Cave

Gupt Mahadev Cave

Both the Shiv temples are very interesting and you shouldn't skip these.
The first, Mahadev temple is a huge complex of caves which you can visit one after the another. The main cave is the biggest cave and you can see water dripping from the ceiling and the walls here. The temperature difference inside and outside the cave is significant and it gives a brief relief from the outside heat if you are travelling in the summer months.
Nearby, is Gupt Mahadev temple. A really interesting temple inside a narrow cave. The cave itself is not that long (around 50 meteres or so) but the way to the temple is very narrow , so only a single person can come or go inside the temple at a time. So , its best to walk in a file and make sure the entire path has no occupants before entering the cave. Just scream your arrival into the cave , that's what most people do because you can not see the end of the cave since its dark inside.

Apsara Vihar: 

Apsara Vihar

The Waterfall

My Rock

Apsara Vihar is one of the most scenic places you will visit , so make sure you have an hour or two to spend here. It is a very beautiful waterfall and a pond. Its a fairly lengthy trek to this place, especially if you are walking at 12 PM in the summer heat, but its worth the efforts. on the way to apsara vihar be sure to checkout a breath taking view of the Silver falls. i was lucky enough to visit this place at a time when no one was there and got a good one hour all by myself before other tourists arrived since very few people attempt the long walk. I sat on the big rock close to the waterfall most of the time and tried to take in the sounds and views around me.

Way to Apsara Vihar

Small Trek to Apsara Vihar

End your day with the sunset at Rajendragiri.

Sunset

Sunset

The Paid Circuit

To start the paid circuit you need to get a ticket from the Bison Lodge Museum . Its a Natural History and Wildlife museum . 

Bee Falls: 

Bee Falls

The most majestic of the waterfalls in Panchmarhi. You will have to walk a short road and climb a few hundred steps to reach here but nothing compares to seeing the waterfall for the first time. Although its a bit crowded most of the times, there are many pools formed around the waterfall and you can find yourself a nice spot to enjoy the waterfall. You can spend around 1-2
 hours exploring the waterfall and the surroundings here. Make sure to bring your swimming clothes and be aware of the monkeys.

Reench Garh (Bear Place):

Entrance

Opening

Inside the cave

Opening from inside

High Rocks

 Traditionally the home of spectacled bears in the olden days, be assured that you wont walk into any bears now in this beautiful place. The entrance is a short 50m descent down the rocks which opens to a area surrounded by high rocks and a small cave. You can spend an hour or less here.

Dhoop Garh: 

Sunset

One of the best sunsets that i have seen in my life, i have seen it here. Whatever you do , DO NOT BE LATE . There is a amphitheater here facing the valley and the endless mountains of satpura. You can get the best seats by coming early. As the sun sets on satpura, you see a calm night slowly spreading from the height of Dhoop Garh.

After this, i shifted to Champak Bungalow, where i stayed for 2 days just enjoying the bungalow and the lake near it. 5/5 recommend it. It is one of the most beautiful bungalow in Panchmarhi.

Secret Places to visit your guide wont tell you about:

Sahastradhara Waterfalls :  

Waterfall

Locals 

Waterfall

Clear water

Waterfall 

Sitting Area

A half an hour drive from Panchmarhi town is a waterfall located in the jungle which only the locals and experienced guides will tell you about. It is one of the best places to soak in water during the hot noons of the satpura. I spent considerable part of my day here since i left the hotel at 9 AM and my train was at 9 PM at night.

Anhoni Temple: 

Source 

Outlet

Its a natural hot water spring. A very interesting place to visit for curious people. However as it is in a very secluded area ,it is really badly maintained . It has a huge potential to be developed into a beautiful tourist destination by MP Tourism.

Jatashankar:

Not as innocent as it looks

steps to the cave

Way flanked by huge walls

Sacred Pond at the bottom

Another very beautiful cave complex with an underground pond which can be visited via steps .Its a small 15 min walk from the Panchmarhi Cantonment. The path that goes through the mountains here is very beautiful and picturesque. At the end of the path , there is a sacred pond and an adjoining shrine. You can try indigenous berries and fruits that are sold outside the complex by the forest dwelling tribesmen. Make sure to protect your belongings from monkeys around here.

Ending Blog with this pic of a Good Boy

Blue Eyed Boy

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