Take A Brake From Your Mundane Life And Visit These Picnic Spots In Pune

Also known as ‘Lion’s Fort’ and one of the most popular forts around Pune, Sinhagad Fort is just a short 1.5hr {25km} drive away from the city. Historically known for being a battleground, Sinhagad Fort is now popular for trekking, sightseeing and panoramic views of the surrounding Sahyadris. If you don’t want to trek up, you can go on their special rides which will take you right to the top. You can reach there by car and PMPML {municipal} buses that ply here from Swargate/Shaniwar Wada. It is extremely popular on weekends, and in the monsoon and winter seasons. There are also chai and food stalls here, which you can enjoy while soaking in the views. The bhajis and pithla-bhakri is finger-licking. Alcohol and non-veg food is not permitted.

The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park is a 130 acre project in Pune.  Along with being a recreational centre for locals, the zoo is also a conservation and wildlife research centre. The zoo is home to around 66 species of animals and reptiles. A major chunk of the animals that are here in the various enclosures have their natural habitat in the Western Ghats. The zoo is also famed for the various snakes. You will find the royal Bengal tiger, Asiatic elephants, sloth bears, ungulates etc over here. Along with these animals, you will also find Asiatic lions, leopards, jungle cat, rusty spotted cat, giant squirrel, mouse deer, foxes, wild dogs, hyenas, lion tailed macaque among other animals. The zoo also has various birds in its enclaves having peacocks, vultures, eagles, parakeets and other exotic birds. The entry fee is INR 40 per adult and INR 25 per child. With the plastic ban in place, the zoo is strict on the rules so it's best to carry steel or Tupperware water bottles. And, there's an extra charge for cameras.

You’ve gotta visit the beautiful and mystical Aga Khan Palace in Kalyani Nagar, which also holds a tragic history within its walls. The palace served as the prison for Mahatma Gandhi, Kasturba Gandhi, his secretary Mahadev Desai and the nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu. Situated on the Pune-Nagar road, not that from away from Viman Nagar, Aga Khan Palace is a grand old spatial palace that may as well be from the Victorian times, a perfect place to have a picnic. With lush green sprawling gardens, long corridors and arched roofs and intricately designed pillars, it comes with an ironic historical detail attached it. This palace was built in 1892 by Imma Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III who donated this property way back in 1969 to Pune. Visiting hours are 9am to 5:30 pm all days of the week with an entry fee of INR 5 for adults, INR 2 for children and INR 100 for foreign citizens.

The garden was built in the inspiration of 300-year-old Okayama's Kōraku-en Garden, so it is also called as Pune-Okayama Friendship Garden. This Japanese garden has been named after Pu La Deshpande, a well known Marathi writer from Maharashtra. This park is just huge and covered with trees. It’s really good to walk early in the morning. This place has its own specialty. Along with a mogul garden next to it and small children play area. It has a huge parking place. The only drawback being, you can only see the green cover while walking on the track, not allowed to use or sit on the grass strictly. A small waterfall and stream along with a lake in the middle having fishes & a covered sitting area where one can play in the stream water. Entry is free of cost and you can visit between 6:30 am to 10:30 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.

A park themed around a village has been constructed near Someshwar Wadi, Pashan, to evoke the real image of rural culture and provide visitors with the first hand experience of rural culture through festivals, rituals and rural heritage built around. Their aim is to give an overall experience of the village life in Maharashtra through 68 themes including 555 statues including blacksmith, barber, cobbler, farmer, astrologer, tailor and many more, with traditions, costumes, festivals and events. It is open from 10 am to 9 pm with an entry fee of INR 50 for adults and INR 30 for children.