Pachmarhi

Pachmarhi (पचमढ़ी Pacmaṛhī) is a city in Madhya Pradesh. It is the only hill station in the central region of India, in the Satpura range, above sea level. Pachmarhi is called Satpura ki Rani meaning Queen of Satpura.

The area was discovered in the modern times by Captain James Forsyth of the British army along with Subhedar Major Nathooramji Powar (who was later made Kothwal of Pachmarhi) In 1857, Pachmarhi became a hill station and sanatorium for British troops in the Central Provinces of India. The population in 1901 was 3020, doubling during the hot summer months. Pachmarhi also served as the summer capital.

Pachmarhi is a tourist retreat; its elevation from the sea level and the forests of the Satpuras, with their streams and waterfalls, are picturesque and home to much wildlife. Pachmarhi lies within the Pachmarhi Biosphere Preserve, created in 1999 to link two forest reserves and Satpura National Park into a larger wildlife conservation area. It also has Dhupgarh -- the highest point in Central India.

Pachmarhi also has a lot of cave paintings in the forests, some of which have been dated to be as much as 10,000 years old.

By bus
Pachmarhi can also be reached directly by bus from Bhopal, which is 210 km away by road, Itarsi or Jabalpur. It can also be reached from Nagpur. The Mahrashtra State Road Transport Corporation has started 2x2 luxury buses, which take 8 hours to reach Pachmarhi.

Get around
While there are several sites within 5-6 km radius, the best way of getting around is to hire a four-wheeler, Maruti Gypsy being the norm in Pachmarhi. Gypsy can be hired through open market or hotel can arrange with Gypsy operators. It gets comfortable if one visits places of heart-attraction in Pachmarhi in their own vehicle.

One excellent and economic option is to share a Gypsy for sightseeing. They make shared tour keeping in mind the preferences of tourists (for example families or couples are not mixed with group of boys). You would really need to look around for providers of shared tours because everyone tries to promote full hire of vehicles.

Do

 * Don't forget to bring clothes while visiting the falls. Nobody remains undrenched after visiting them.
 * Do keep sufficient amount of water and food if you are going to Chauragarh.
 * Pachmarhi is famous for honey and Ayurvedic medicines.

Buy
Do not forget to buy the local honey!

Eat
Panchmarhi is a great place to have typical Gujarati/Maharashtrian/Jain food. Chunmun cottage located near B-Fall and lake is one of the best places. It is easy to cover some of the other nearby vista points after lunch.

Other kinds of food are also easily available at Panchmarhi and there is no need to worry about food during a trip there.

Drink
You can find many open model shops and bars in Pachmarhi.

Sleep
Pachmarhi is full of hotels.You will find a hotel after every 50-100 metres in the market area. If you are a student or pilgrimage traveller and want a cheap option then the Youth Hostel is a good option. Good and cheep rooms are available 2 km from the bus stand, in peaceful locations. M.P. Tourism Hotels and private cottages like chunmun cottages are good options for leisure travelers and standard student groups.

Go next
Pachmari is close to several tourist spot of Madhya Paradesh and Maharashtra

Madhya Pradesh

 * Bhopal (210 Km): Capital city of Madhya Pradesh. An interesting mix of old and new. Bhopal contains a wide assortment of Mosques and Temples. Bhimbetka, famous for its cave paintings, is located near Bhopal
 * Jabalpur (244 Km): Nearest city, The city of Jabalpur houses an assortment of forts, temples and museums. The prime attraction is the Dhundhar Waterfall and Marble Rocks
 * Sanchi (241 km): Famous for its huge Buddhist Stupa listed on UNESCO World Heritage List

Maharastra

 * Nagpur: Major city in Maharashtra, famous for oranges