Posted
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Pros: Close to the nature, Near from the city, Economical, Open spaces
Cons: Lots of mosquitos, not enough fun options, not good for night stay
Shantivan is a nice place on the banks of the Mutha river. The location is at the most one hour drive away from the city. Once you are there you can choose to relax, trek, go boating, meditate, play with
your kids, organize camps/group activities. Shantivan is located on the Pune Panshet road. While traveling towards Sinhagad on the Pune-Sinhagad road, you will find a bifurcation just before the base of the Sinhagad fort.
The road on the right hand side goes to Panshet. On this road, travel for 4-5 Kms. and you will find Shantivan on the right hand side of the road. There is a lot of parking space available. An entry fee of Rs. 50/- per head and you are inside the place. Near the entrance, we found a lots of rabbits stuffed in two small cages. Walk further down the pathway and there are lots of knowledge rooms. One is the Jungle room where you can find photographs and descriptions of a number of wild animals and birds. Another is a Science room where you can see some photographs, static models and write-ups on science.
There is a photograph of a telescope, but I would have loved to see a real telescope there. There are a number of activity grounds/halls. These are used for group activities like Yoga/meditation camps, corporate trainings, etc. That seems to be USP of this place. Even while we were visiting, there was a group of around 200 college students who had been camping there through the day. Another attraction is the Lake View which is the road that leads to the Mutha river. Since it was late in the evening, we did not go there. However, I had heard that the boating facilities are nice. In and around the place, there are lots of plantations of different fruit/flower plants. The place is lush green and fairly well maintained.
The lawns were not mowed, though. There are a couple of grounds for small kids. They will love jumping, hanging on the bars and sliding down the various items there. We did not stay there during the night but that would not have been comfortable. The place had lots of mosquitoes and insects. Especially if you are with a family and kids, think twice before planning a night stay. There was a food counter but it served only Pav Bhaji. The entire place was quite clean though. This includes the rest rooms, etc. The room charges were very reasonable - around 400 per room. We could not see the rooms from inside since we were there only for a few hours. We could also see a number of tents which were available for camping in the night. One advantage is the beauty of the scenic location despite being close enough from the city. You can enjoy the hills, the trees, the river, the dam, the lake (Khadakwasala), etc.
Overall, I would rate the place very highly for going on a one day picnic. I will not advice the place for a night stay, though I have not stayed there. It is definitely not a place you would want to visit if you only have a few hours in hand (which is the mistake that I did). There are not many activities that you can do - as against the other cultural villages. Overall, a good place for either a complete rest or for a group picnic where you plan and execute your activities.
Price Range: Down to earth
Ideal for: Large groups
Cheers,
- Tosh
