If you've ever stayed in Pune, you might have heard about the beautiful lake near the outskirts of Pune called Pawna Lake.
While searching Google for nice places around Pune, Pawna Lake popped out as one of them. I immediately planned to explore this beautiful place.
Early morning, at around 5 am, I left my place at Platinum Towers in Kharadi to charge my car. It took around 32 minutes, and the SOC (State of Charge) was around 78%, which can give me approximately 280 km of good range. Even though the destination is around 60 km from my place, having a good enough range reduces range anxiety.
With my car charged, the journey towards Pawna Lake began at approximately 6 am. I took the internal route, which led me through villages. The roads were generally great, but I encountered lots of small speed breakers. As the daytime sun slowly rose, the surrounding greenery made the view mesmerizing. Along the way, I saw some differently shaped hills, which looked nice.
Although I was in my car, I noticed a lot of bikers riding on that road. As I neared Pawna Lake, I started to see small lakes along the way. Bikers were having a fun time there, parking their bikes near the lakes as cars couldn't reach there. If you want to see these small lakes, you can park along the road.
Continuing forward, I reached a point from where I could see Pawna Lake. Being at a higher vantage point, I could see most of the lake. Soon, I reached the entrance point. There were two options: either park the car outside and pay ₹50 or pay ₹100 and take the car near the lake. I chose the second option and took my car with me towards the lake. You can experience a little bit of light off-roading, but don't expect something extreme.
I spent enough time exploring the area and unfortunately noticed a lot of garbage thrown around by people who had visited. It was sad to see that.
For camping enthusiasts, the place is filled with lots of campers. You can pick a camping site from a variety of options and pay the amount. I didn't inquire about the price as I don't do camping.
After taking some pictures, I decided to leave. I also heard a lot about how you can see stars and their reflections in the lake, which I'll save for next time.
On the way back, I met two uncles, gave them a lift, and dropped them off after a few kilometers. We had some amazing discussions.
Overall, it was a nice experience. After the trip, the SOC of my car reached approximately 40%. If you take your electric car with you, always keep at least 50-60 km more range than the overall trip. Since there is elevation, it will help prevent range anxiety.
That's it for now. See you in the next blog.