Aamby Valley City – A different league!

This city felt like a distant dream as we had visited Lonavala and its adjoining hills on numerous occasions but not this place. Finally, through our friend’s reference we got an opportunity to visit the Aamby Valley City for a day and we humbly accepted it. This City is a large township spread across an area of 10000 acres nestled on the picturesque environs of Sahyadri ranges in the Pune region of Maharashtra. The City on a league of its own combines the facets of luxurious living, business conveniences, leisure and recreation. It is about 23 Km from the famous tourist spot Lonavala, 87 Km from Pune and 120 Km from Mumbai. The township is connected by road from Lonavala and is also connected by air from Mumbai with its own airstrip.

So, we were excited and ready for the tour. It took us two hours from Navi Mumbai to reach the city and the journey through the mountains and forests were quite adventurous.

We were greeted by the twin gates (Triumphal Arch) of the city thereby showcasing its mystique and grandeur. The city altogether looked like a different world combined with mesmerizing ambience, freshness, greenery, hills & cleanliness. We entered the city and completed the formalities at the reception and started our excursion.

We reached the Mall road which runs parallel to the lake with a beautiful view of the valley. It starts with the Sail Bridge, then Fisherman’s Wharf, Lagoon Complex, Artisan’s Village, Naga Village, Pirate Boat, Watch Tower, Campfire Point, & Giant swings at the end. The sail bridge was perfectly designed with 25 metallic sail.

We drove on the mall road, adored the beauty of the place and reached the giant swings at the end. The eight giant swings built along a curvaceous road on the hill were making their own statement. We shed our inhibitions and enjoyed the swings thereby remembering golden days of our lives i.e. childhood. The oscillating movement of giant swings like pendulum was amazing. We spent some time near the giant swings and went ahead to explore the other side of the city.

We went to the other side by crossing the lake through Sail Bridge and reached the far end of the city. We reached the golf course which was created amidst the natural environment and picturesque mountain background.

Later on we reached the town plaza and explored the various stores over there and the open air theatre. We relaxed ourselves on the open area and enjoyed the tranquil environment of the city.

Lastly we reached the lake side and the water sports complex. The water sports comprised of speed boats, jet skies, pontoon boat, inflatable’s and cruise boats. We enjoyed the speed boats and jet skiing to test our adventure rush and then went for a cruise boat. The cruise on the boat was icing on the cake. We spent beautiful time on the boat and covered the whole lake in an hour. The view of watch tower and the bungalows on the hill from the middle of the lake was fascinating. We were through with our tour of the city and must say a dream city to live and enjoy life.

Tiger’s Point & Shivalinga

On the way to Tiger’s Leap, we saw a small board showing direction towards Shivalinga (swayambhu) and decided to take a halt. Initially, it looked like just another point but the view of the deep valleys from Tiger’s Point was breathtaking including the mountain housing the “Shivalinga”. The place offers a quiet and serene view of the Sahyadris.

We saw a group of people who had parked their vehicle almost at the edge of the cliff enjoying the serene environment but we must say very dangerous and always avoid such acts.

We enjoyed Kanda bhajiya (snacks) along with tea from a make shift shop from there. We had an awesome view of the sunset from the hills thereby putting an end to our one day excursion.

We were back with sweet memories of the journey that will remain embedded in us forever!!!