My favorite type of travel is adventure travel, where I can do trekking, cycling, white water rafting and other such pursuits.
An old step well lies in an open field in Devaloli, a village near Badlapur to the north east of Mumbai city. With some exquisite carvings and still containing water, the well is small but very well preserved. Worth a weekend visit. Read more →
Pelhar Lake is located just off the National Highway 8 towards the east at Vasai. Surrounded by gentle hills of the Tungareshwar National Park. A perfect destination for a weekend cycling ride from Mumbai! Read more →
Kondhane caves are just 15 kms from Karjat, and a great place to visit. But if you cycle from Mumbai, there is a great route with off-road sections and beautiful views of two lakes. The caves themselves are exquisite, and have the same architecture as the Bhaja caves near Lonavala. Read more →
Dahanu and Tarapur are coastal forts in picturesque locations at the northern end of the Maharashtra coast with pristine beaches along side – a great holiday! Read more →
Tungareshwar is a well known temple and a weekend getaway near Vasai that is also a nice and easy trek. But there is another little known trekking destination – an ancient fort called Kamandurg. An ideal destination for a cycling cum trekking expedition that provides some nice off-road patches and a trek that passes through some dense forests to provide a wonderful view of the Vasai plains with the Ulhas river meandering towards Vasai creek. Read more →
Jawhar is a small hill station near Mumbai (166km) and Nashik (80 km). The special attraction of Jawhar is the historical fort and palace of Yashwant Rao Mukne that still stands proud amidst a plantation of cashew-nut trees. Ideal for a cycling expedition from Mumbai or Nashik. Read more →
To really experience Sikkim, do one of the high altitude treks in it’s mountains – the Kanchenjunga Trekking Trail that leads from Yuksom to the Goecha La pass Read more →
A one day visit from Phoenix, Arizona to the Grand Canyon, while passing through Sedona was a great way to spend a Sunday while I was there on a business visit last month Read more →
Asherigad fort in the Palghar region is a moderate trek, providing some great views – and Maratha and Portuguese artifacts, testimony to its various occupiers Read more →
Barvi Lake located 90 km from Mumbai between Badlapur and Murbad is an excellent destination for a cycling expedition combined with some amazing bird watching! Read more →
A nice cycling route to Mumbra Devi Temple located at the north end of the Parsik Hills range where I was hoping to find traces of an old fort – Parsik Fort Read more →
Takmak fort is a medium grade trek on a 2000 ft hill near Virar, 50 km from Mumbai. Fabulous views of the plains with Vaitarna-Tansa confluence and Vandri lake Read more →
Uran is a fishing village 90 km south of Mumbai and has a lesser known Dronagiri fort – also enroute see migratory water birds at Airoli and Ranjanpada Read more →
Nala Sopara or Shurparaka was a major cultural center since 1500 BC. The Chakreshwar Mahadev Temple and the Buddhist Stupa are scanty evidence of its past glory Read more →
One of the most scenic cycling routes along the Konkan coast from Mandwa jetty to Murud culminating in Janjira Fort and the Khokari Tombs – and beaches all along Read more →
Sewri on the east coast of Mumbai island is a great place to catch the sunrise, and flamingoes on the mud flats. And not to miss a visit to Sewri Fort! Read more →
Korlai Fort is a picturesque Portuguese fort at the mouth of the Kundalika river near Revdanda on a hill jutting out in the sea called Morro de Chaul Read more →
OxFam Trailwalker 100 km completed in 30:58 hours! Saw beautiful countryside around Mulshi lake, trekked through Tamhini hills, open meadows and dense forests! Read more →
Located within 50 km of Mumbai, nestled in the fast growing town of Ambernath near Kalyan, is magnificent Shiva Temple that has some exquisite stone carvings preserved through the ages Read more →
During my visit to Bangalore in September to speak at a big data conference, I took the opportunity to do some cycling on the following day, as it happened to be a Saturday. I did a bit of research to … Read more →
After a day spent in the hills checking out the route for our OxFam trail, while driving back to Mumbai I got a call from good friend Rakesh Bakshi asking if I was interested in cycling to the docks early … Read more →
This weekend three of the “Walking Souls” team – myself, Gautam and Swati – went to recce the trail that we are to follow during the 100km OxFam walkathon in November. We drove down to the starting point via Kolad, … Read more →
4,691 feet above sea-level, with ruined fortifications and ancient caves tracing back to the Microlithic age, Harishchandragad fort is a perfect trekking destination in the Sahyadris. There are several different paths up to the fort. There two routes to reach … Read more →
Sion Fort is situated on a hill within a non-descript garden in the middle of the bustling suburb of Sion, that you would normally pass by without noticing. But in the 18th century, Sion Fort was one of the most … Read more →
Twelve teams of 6 cyclists each – all amateurs – participated in a race with a beautiful route with a total distance of 180 km. Starting from Thane, the route goes along the Mumbai Nashik highway till Atgaon, then branches … Read more →