Satara - Weekend Getaway

One of my close friend, Manjunath, and I were discussing as to which place to visit during a weekend. We considered various options but were not able to reach a consensus. Then I threw an idea of visiting an offbeat location. It was a spontaneous decision, and we agreed to visit Satara. And of we started our journey in the morning in Manju’s WagonR Duo. About 2 hours and 120 km of drive on the excellent NH4, we reached our destination. On the way we stopped at one of the roadside hotel, Virangula, and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of service and the taste of the offerings. This hotel is just about few km before Satara on the left side. I would recommend that you must try the Thalipith at this place if not full meal. Total two and half hours of relaxed road travel and we were in the city of Satara. The first and fore most agenda for us was to find a suitable hotel to stay at. There are lot of hotels on Radhika Road (named after a movie theatre) right in front of the Satara bus stand. After checking various hotels I zeroed in on Hotel Sagar. The rooms are quite spacious and clean. You can also book the rooms on phone – 02162-228331, 228332. In case you prefer western WC then go for AC room, or else non-AC rooms are good enough. Same day evening we went to Sajjangad, the fort where Swami Samartha stayed. I think its 20km drive, though the hotel manager told me that it will not be more than 10 minutes ride..Ha 10 minutes? Puhleease.. It took us good 30 minutes. But then no part of the journey was dull. Every turns a good view. From base of Sajjangad it's approximately 20 minutes to the top. We reached in time for the evening prayers. It was Holi day, the day when Hindus burn their sins in to the sacred fire of Holika dahan. It was a different experience to watch the sacred fire in the dead of the night! Early next day we started for Kas Lake. 34km from the center of Satara, the first 10 or so km is sort of dry rough patch. After that one is surprised by the view, by that time you are on the upper side of the plateau and on a clear day can get very good views of various water bodies around Satara. And then you enter the dense flora, it’s almost like a jungle. The air gets cooler and cleaner the road is covered with shadow from the trees. It is pleasure driving there, it is. After spending some time at Kas Lake, we started for Bamnoli. At Bamnoli there is excellent facility for boating. A boat ride of 45 minutes was cool! The boat is stopped for about 15 minutes before it returns back. Those are peaceful 15 minutes, water everywhere and green mountains at distance. Just relax or click away your camera. And then we returned back to hotel. That was one great weekend getaway! While returning back we picked up many packets of the Satara special Kandi Pedhas, a local specialty. Do try it. And back we started with a resolve to return back in Monsoon to visit the Tapola (near to Kas Lake) also known as mini Kashmir.

Where to stay
Sagar Hotel is good hotel, there is a luxurious hotel also in Satara

What to see
Sajjangad, Kaas Lake, Tapola, Bamnoli

What to eat
Kandi Pedha

When to visit
August to February

What to shop
Hmmm... Kandi Pedha

Minimum stay duration
2 days