Lonavala Mahabaleshwar Group Trip (4D/3N)

• Start from Pune after boarding our private vehicle. The drive to Lonavala takes about 1.5 to 2 hours (~65 km). 
• Check into the Lonavala stay, freshen up.
• Drive up towards Tiger’s Leap (Tiger Point) and Lion’s Point. These cliff-tops offer sheer drops with sprawling views of the surrounding green valleys, wind-swept hills, and deep gorges.
• Spend a relaxing evening at Bhushi Dam (especially lively if there has been recent rain).
• Get back to the stay.
• Gather around socially, do some fun activities and finish Dinner.

• Have Breakfast, check out of Lonavala stay.
• Start hiking up the fort that has well laid 300+ stairs initially. Along the way, we get to see beautiful Pawna lake in the backdrop of lower Sahyadris. It’s a huge plateau to explore at the top. It will easily take 3 hours to cover the entire fort. 
• The views of Pawna Lake from Lohagad fort are breathtaking. We will walk to the ridge that is special to this fort, the corner of which is used to punish people committing crimes.
• Trek back to the base, have Lunch at a local food joint.
• Head to the Karla Caves. These ancient, ancient Buddhist rock-cut temples date back to the 2nd century BC and feature a massive, beautifully preserved grand Chaitya (prayer hall) with majestic carved pillars.

• Have Breakfast, freshen up & check out of Lonavala stay.
• Start your drive from Lonavala toward Mahabaleshwar (~180 km). The route takes you via Khandala, down to the highway, and up through the beautiful Wai ghats. It should take around 4 hours. Stop for lunch at a highway restaurant along the way.
• Reach Mahabaleshwar and check into our stay.
• Visit Arthur’s Seat, often called the queen of all points. It offers a dramatic, panoramic view of the Savitri river valley on one side and dense green plateaus on the other. Nearby, stop at Elephant’s Head Point, a unique natural rock formation that closely resembles an elephant’s trunk.
• Head to Venna Lake. It’s a great spot to enjoy a relaxed rowboat ride on the water, stroll along the banks, and try local street food like warm corn-on-the-cob or strawberry cream. Overnight stay in Mahabaleshwar
• Finish Dinner, retire for the night.

• Check out after Breakfast.
• Drop by Old Mahabaleshwar to visit the stone-built, ancient Mahabaleshwar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and the nearby Panchganga Temple, where five holy rivers are said to converge.
• Head towards Lingmala Waterfall. A short, pleasant walk through the forest trails leads you to viewpoints watching the water plunge deep into the valley gorge.
• Stop by Sydney Point or Parsi Point for one last breathtaking look at the shimmering waters of the Dhom Dam reservoir nestled between the hills.
• Visit Mapro Garden on the way towards Panchgani. It’s an iconic spot to walk through the gardens, shop for locally made squashes and fruit preserves, and sit down for their famous open-air cafe menu featuring massive wood-fired pizzas and fresh strawberry-and-cream desserts.
• We will begin our return journey to Pune by early evening. The drive down takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, bringing us back to Pune by evening.

• Toiletries, moisturizer, light towel, lip balm, wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste etc.
• A lightweight large Backpack for the entire trip (50-60 liters). Strictly no trolleys. Remember this is a Backpacking trip.
• A small backpack for basic items (to carry valuables, water bottle, snacks, etc. for outdoor activities).
• Photo identity proof with address (Aadhar/Passport/Voter ID).
• Thermal inners and warm clothes (cold climate).
• A rainproof jacket with a hood (to protect from cold winds, sudden rain).
• Thick socks, track pants, full sleeve t-shirts (to keep your body warm).
• Cap/Hat/Sunglasses (to protect from harmful sun rays).
• Sunscreen (SPF 50 or more).
• Power bank, charger, camera, binoculars (if you wish to).
• Hand sanitizer and liquid hand wash for outdoors.
• Proper water bottle for your trip. You may fill at our stays.
• Disposable garbage covers (to separate used/unused clothes).
• Water-resistant good grip shoes for travel, extra slippers to use at stays.
• Personal medications that you may feel necessary (remember ghat roads, cold climate), basic first aid kit.
• No need to carry snacks/chocolates. You may buy at local shops.

• Organizers will get in touch with you, or vice versa.
• Once minimum number of people book this trip (at least 4 members), Organizing team will give a green signal to book your flights.
• A Whatsapp group will be created for all the registered folks 5 days before the event.

• The itinerary is fixed. No special requests to change itinerary/schedule shall be entertained. Travellers are not allowed to advice/instruct the Organizers (Driver or Trip Leader or Operations Manager) to change the itinerary.
• Cooperate with the Organizers in following the schedule set for the day (especially getting up and getting ready in the morning). This will ensure travellers won’t miss out on the real fun part that is traveling and visiting all places in itinerary.
• Every traveler is responsible for his/her for your own safety. Do not indulge in any illegal or silly activity that causes harm to self or fellow travelers.
• Do not wander into the forest away from the designated trail for treks. There may be snakes, scorpions, and dangerous animals.
• Unexpected situations: In rare scenarios, we might not be able to cover all the places mentioned in the itinerary because of unpredictable reasons like bad weather, landslides, wild animal presence, abrupt blocking of sites by the police/forest/local authorities, delay in travel because of an issue with our group itself, traffic conditions, etc. In most cases, if the time permits, the Organizers will take travelers to an alternative place. But in some cases, we may have to skip places altogether.
• Note: In case of flight delays, cancellations, or reschedules, Muddie Trails will not be responsible for missed connections to the trip starting point. Travelers are requested to make their own arrangements to reach the destination, as per the itinerary. We recommend booking flights with sufficient buffer time to avoid any last-minute issues.
• No alcohol & smoking during travel, treks, and other outdoor activities. There would be a separate window and space (usually at night) to have these at the stays for interested people.
• This is a budget, backpacking group trip. The facilities are shared between all group members. By default, all the stays and vehicles are Non-AC. No special preference shall be given to anyone.
• Travelers are expected to respect each other and help one another. Avoid discussing sensitive matters like sex, politics, and religion/caste/race.
• Using foul or abusive language, eve-teasing, arguing with fellow travelers/Organizers, and/or involving in the physical assault will not be accepted and will stand a chance of being deserted by the group then and there.
• Every traveler is expected to digitally fill & submit a liability/waiver form given by the Organizers before the trip. This liability form will discharge Muddie Trails of any unexpected incident like injury/death/theft etc.

Cancellation by Traveler

• 80% refund if a cancellation request is sent 30 days before the trip start date.
• 50% refund if a cancellation request is sent between 30 to 15 days before the trip start date.
• An email has to be sent to muddietrails@gmail.com to raise a cancellation request.
• No refund within 15 days of the event start time whatever is the reason (Health, COVID, Accident, Family crisis, Office issue, or anything else).
• No refund during/after the event.
• No refund on the partial payment (advance) done to block your seat for the trip.

Cancellation by Muddie Trails

Muddie Trails may decide to cancel the event if there are less than 3 travelers signed up for the trip/trek.

What if we don’t get the minimum number of people for the trip?
We have 2 options in this case:
Option 1: Complete refund.
Option 2: Switch to any other long trip of the same dates or future dates. The difference amount will be collected from you or paid back according to the new trip cost.

Note: We do not recommend to book flight tickets until the trip is confirmed with atleast 3 travelers signed up.

Cancellation due to external factors

Muddie Trails may have to cancel the event in case of external factors that are beyond our control like Natural Disasters, Extreme Weather Conditions, Red Alerts, Political Disturbances, Bandh/Curfews, Local Issues, Road Blocks, Train cancellations, Covid-19 or any other disease outbreaks etc.

In these scenarios:

• No Refund is allowed.
• 100% trip amount can be used for any other new trip of the same weekend or future weekends. The difference amount will be collected from you or paid back according to the new trip cost.
• Once you confirm your participation on the new trip, all the above Cancellation policies will apply for the same.

Delays & Missed Pickups

⏰ Since this is a group trip, we may not be able to wait for significant delays.

If you miss the pickup due to late arrival, you will need to:
🚆 Travel independently to the nearest scheduled destination – Lonavala. Our Team will share stay location.

We request you to reach ahead to ensure a smooth start to the trip. Please contact our Bookings team before booking Flight/Bus/Train to Pune.

⚠️ For example: Travellers coming from Bangalore should book afternoon start Buses one day before.