Today’s blog post paints a beautiful picture of an Instagram-worthy day trip to Pawna.

Recently, I took a road trip to Pawna with my cousins. A few of us had already experienced overnight camping at Pawna and weren’t interested in doing it again. Therefore, we decided to go on a long drive to Pawna from Pune.

We wanted to explore a few of the cafes that, according to the Instagram algorithm, were a must-visit in the area.

So, if you’re looking for an eventful itinerary or camping/glamping at Pawna, you’re in the wrong place.

Here’s what my day trip to Pawna looked like.

• Drive from Pune to Pawna
• Drinks at Cafe Bean and Beyond
• Lunch at Café Bambini
• Boating at Pawna Lake
• A Café Amour
• Drive back to Pune.

If you’re looking for a slow, picturesque, relaxing place away from the bustling city, then a long drive to Pawna is the best way to spend the day.

DRIVE FROM PUNE TO PAWNA

The drive from Pune to Pawna takes approximately 2 hours.

Since we were travelling on the weekend—which I don’t like doing, but had no choice this time— we decided to leave at 10 a.m. to avoid city traffic.

In hindsight, we should have left earlier because we encountered traffic near Talegaon. Apparently, everyone had the same idea, and it seemed like almost every other vehicle was headed to Pawna.

If you want to avoid traffic and have a peaceful day, I’d recommend travelling during the week.

Also, due to the cars heading to Pawna and the narrow two-way roads in the area, it took us longer than estimated.

TRAVEL TIP:- Those travelling to Pawna on weekends, especially on Saturdays, get on the road early to avoid traffic.

DRINKS AT CAFÉ BEAN AND BEYOND

The first pit stop and cafe of the day is Café Bean and Beyond, a short drive from the lake and closer to the residential area. But this small cafe is worth the long drive.

It is cute and has some of the best drinks, which will reenergize you after the long winding drive.

We settled on drinks at Café Bean and Beyond because we wanted to visit other cafes later, and didn’t want to fill our stomachs at the first stop.

We ordered three drinks to share—Peach Paradise, Raspberry Rizz and a Sweet lime soda.

The sweet lime soda was okay-ish, but the other two were delicious.

We spent about 1 hour sitting and just talking. And of course, taking photos.

NOTE: Cafe Bean and Beyond is a part of Bean and Blanc Villas by StayVista. You don’t need to stay here to visit the cafe. Also. The villas are huge, stylish and perfect for large groups.

TIMINGS:- Cafe Bean and Beyond is open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

LUNCH AT CAFÉ BAMBINI

The next pit stop is Café Bambini, and a must-visit place according to Instagram’s algorithm.

This is a popular cafe, and almost everyone travelling to Pawna will be here. So, I’d recommend calling ahead and reserving a table. But even if you don’t, that’s alright.

We stopped at Café Bambini for lunch. While most prefer coming here to watch the sunset, I’m glad I didn’t. At lunch time, the place was bustling with people everywhere, so you can imagine what the place looks like in the evening.

After putting down our names for a table, we were told to wait for 20-30 minutes. So, we used that time to take photos and explore the cafe.

Once we were seated, it took another 20 minutes for our food to arrive. We were famished and devoured the spread instantly.

We ordered the cheese garlic bread, white sauce pasta, a side of Peri-Peri French fries, and a veg grilled sandwich.

TRAVEL TIP:- Unless you want to experience the unbearable heat, I’d recommend getting a table indoors. Only after 5 p.m. are the outdoor tables worth it.

The cafe is cute, and the garden is just as beautiful. We ended up spending almost 2 hours at the cafe.

TIMINGS:- Café Bambini is open daily from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

BOATING AT PAWNA LAKE

The next pit stop is Lohagad Resort and Boat Club, a short 15-minute drive from Café Bambini.

Unlike other camps, whether you’re staying there or not, you can go boating, kayaking or on a jet ski ride.

I wanted to do this, but the queue for boating was long, and everyone wanted to see the sunset from the lake. So, we decided to forgo boating and headed to our next stop.

TRAVEL TIP:- If you really want to go on a boat ride, I suggest doing it before lunch and avoiding the sunset slot. Especially if you’re travelling during the weekend. It’ll be too crowded, and you’ll miss out on a beautiful sunset.

TIMINGS:- The boat club is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A CAFÉ AMOUR

The next stop and last cafe of the day is A Café Amour.

Located on the banks of Pawna Lake, Café Amour is an open seating with expansive views of the lake.

When we arrived, all the tables were occupied, so after putting down our name for a table, we set about exploring the area.

There were a couple of cute corners for cute Instagram-worthy photos. They had set up a small tent and a frame with artificial flowers for photos.

We were about to go down to the lake when we were called to say we could be seated.

We ordered a couple of appetisers to share. If I recall, it was paneer malai kebab, which was just delicious. The other two appetisers were chicken lollipop, which was okay-ish, and the chicken tandoori was good.

After paying our bill, we walked down to the water for a stroll and some more photos.

I don’t know where time flew, but we ended up staying another 45 minutes.

TIMINGS:- Café Amour is open on Monday from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday to Friday from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and from Saturday to Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The cafe is closed on Tuesday.

CATCH A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET

Our plan had been to sit by the lake and catch a beautiful sunset before heading back to Pune.

We were at Café Amour when the sunset, but it was pretty anticlimactic. There were no varying hues of orange, blue, pink or purple. We waited a bit in the hopes that the sky would darken, but no such luck.

So, we decided to head back as it would be a long drive home. And as we were heading home, we saw the sky painted in the best shades of orange that only seemed to darken.

Since we were already on the road, we found a spot just off the road to park and watch the sunset.

We might not have been able to see the sunset at our desired place. The place we were parked was so much better. We were the only people there, away from the chatter and crowds.

DRIVE FROM PAWNA TO PUNE

After watching that unexpectedly beautiful sunset, we were off again.

I was driving, and my sister was navigating. Since we are both bad with directions, we were just going to follow the navigation’s instructions.

After driving for a while, the navigation instructed us to turn. I knew we hadn’t taken a turn in the morning, but navigation wouldn’t show us our previous route. All MH12 cars were turning, so we followed. Apparently, the navigation had decided to take us to the highway via the shortest route.

At night, we came across two turns where there was no light and the road was uneven. I thought we were lost for sure and would have to turn around. A few cars turned the same way. So we decided to trust the map.

Soon, we ended up joining the Mumbai-Pune expressway. Once we joined the highway, I was relieved that we were on the right path. And now I knew the way home.

Looking back now, I shouldn’t have made a couple of those turns and should’ve just stuck to the popular route. But all’s well that ends well.

TRAVEL TIPS FOR A DAY TRIP TO PAWNA

Before I conclude, here are a couple of travel tips for an enjoyable and hassle-free day trip to Pawna.

• Avoid travelling to Pawna on weekends and public holidays. It is crowded, cafes have long queues, and the wait time is up to 30-45 minutes.
• I don’t recall coming across any fuel pumps near the camping sites and cafes. So, fuel up before you get off the main road.
• All the cafes have online menu and you have to place your orders online as well. You’ll have to scan the QR code and then select the food items and quantities. This is convenient during rush hour.
• If your main agenda for travelling to Pawna is cafe hopping, like we did, you don’t need to stay overnight at the various camps. Select a couple of cafes you want to visit and then map out a convenient route.
• All the roads to the cafes and camps near the lake are rugged and best for jeeps. While other cars can drive these paths in the summer, I would avoid them during the monsoons.
• If you’re travelling during the weekend, I recommend reserving your tables at the cafes of your choice, or you’ll be waiting a while.

CONCLUSION

That concludes my day trip to Pawna. If you’re looking for a slow, picturesque, relaxing place away from the bustling city, then a long drive to Pawna is the best way to spend the day.

Here’s a summary of my day at Pawna.

• Drive from Pune to Pawna
• Drinks at Café Bean and Beyond
• Lunch at Café Bambini
• Boating at Pawna Lake
• A Cafe Amour
• Drive back to Pune

If you’re looking for more day trip destinations from Pune, I have a couple of places in mind.

• Lonavala
• Karla Caves and Ek Veera Aai temple
• Alibaug
• Amritsar (trust me)

I hope this blog post was helpful. If you have any queries or suggestions, let me know in the comments.

I hope this ignites your wanderlust because

One day this will be twenty years ago.

bill bryson