Pachmarhi Tour Package

A Pachmarhi tour package takes you to the only hill station in Madhya Pradesh. People call it the Queen of the Satpura. Over 5 days and 4 nights, you drive up from Bhopal or Jabalpur, then settle into Pachmarhi for four nights. You see the Pandav Caves, the deep ravine of Handi Khoh, the Apsara Fall pool, and the sunset from Dhoopgarh, the highest peak in the Satpura range. You walk down to Bee Fall, and take darshan at Chauragarh, Jata Shankar and Baba Mahadev. Most of these sights charge no entry fee. This page gives you the honest ground reality. You learn the drive, the timings, the Chauragarh climb, and how families, seniors and returning NRI travellers do it in comfort.

What a Pachmarhi trip really is

Pachmarhi is the only hill station in Madhya Pradesh. It sits high in the Satpura range, in the Mahadev hills. People call it Satpura ki Rani, the Queen of the Satpura. This tour runs for 5 days and 4 nights. Day one is the drive up from Bhopal or Jabalpur. The next three days cover the caves, the falls, the viewpoints and the Shiva shrines. The last day is your drive back for the flight home. You stay in one town throughout, so you unpack once and see the hill at an easy pace.

Getting there, the drive from Bhopal or Jabalpur

Pachmarhi has no airport or railway station of its own. So your first and last legs are by road. This tour starts from Bhopal or Jabalpur. The drive up is about 200 km and takes roughly 5 hours. The road climbs into the Satpura hills, so it is a long half day. Bhopal, with its Raja Bhoj airport, is the common choice. Jabalpur, with Dumna airport, sits a little further by road. Your tour handles the transfer either way, so arrive with daylight to spare.

The sights, and how you reach them

Pachmarhi's viewpoints and falls sit in forest and cantonment land around the town. Most of them charge no entry fee. Handi Khoh, Apsara Fall, Dhoopgarh, Chauragarh, Jata Shankar and Baba Mahadev all have no entry fee. Bee Fall is free too, open on all days. You reach the cluster of forest points by the tour vehicle, and often by a hired local gypsy for the day. If any small forest vehicle or permit charge applies, reconfirm it at the counter. Pachmarhi is also a working Army cantonment, so follow the signage and do not photograph defence areas.

Dhoopgarh, the sunset from the highest Satpura peak

Dhoopgarh is the highest peak in the Satpura range. On a clear evening, the light over the ridges is the picture people carry home. It is open from 7 am to 7 pm, and there is no entry fee. You go up for the sunset, so time your visit for the late afternoon. Carry a light jacket, because the peak turns cool as the sun goes down.

The waterfalls, caves and ravines

The Pandav Caves are a cluster of five caves cut into a hilltop, said to be over a thousand years old, with a garden below. Handi Khoh is a deep ravine with a cliff of about 300 feet, open 7 am to 7 pm, with no entry fee. Apsara Fall, the fairy pool, is a small fall of about 30 feet with a natural pool, open 7 am to 4 pm, with no entry fee. Bee Fall drops about 35 metres. You reach it by jeep and then on foot, and it is open 9 am to 5 pm, free, on all days. Bison Lodge is a small museum of the Satpura flora and fauna, with an open-air theatre that shows short wildlife films.

The Shiva shrines of Pachmarhi

For many families, Pachmarhi is as much a Shiva yatra as a hill holiday. Chauragarh is a revered shrine of Lord Shiva at the top of 1,250 steps. Tradition holds that Lord Shiva left his Trishul here, and pilgrims carry tridents up in offering. It is open 6 am to 5 pm, with no entry fee. Start early, and begin your descent by about 3 pm, before the light fails on the steps. Jata Shankar is a natural cave with a natural Shiva lingam under a huge rock, open 7 am to 7 pm, with no entry fee. Baba Mahadev is a temple where, by tradition, Lord Vishnu killed a demon, with a holy pond in the cave nearby, open 6 am to 7 pm, with no entry fee.

Tribal crafts and local shopping

Your first evening is kept free for the market. Pachmarhi is a good place to pick up the tribal crafts of Madhya Pradesh. The market has Bastar and Gond work, bamboo and cane pieces, baskets, and paintings made with vegetable dyes and crushed stone. There is local honey too, and ayurvedic items. These make warm, light gifts to carry home, and the prices are fair.

Best time, and the cold Pachmarhi nights

The best months are October to February. You get cool, clear weather and green hills after the rains. This is when the Dhoopgarh sunset is at its best. Winter nights turn really cold, so carry warm clothes even if you come from a warm city. The monsoon, from July to September, fills the waterfalls, but the trails turn slippery. If you come in the rains, keep your plans flexible and follow the local signage.

For seniors, families and NRI travellers

This trip works well for elders and children. Let the vehicle carry you right up to the viewpoints, and step out only for the view. Choose the gentle stops, like Handi Khoh, Apsara Fall, the Pandav Caves, Jata Shankar and Baba Mahadev. Leave Bee Fall and the 1,250 steps at Chauragarh to the fit, or take them slowly with rests. Are you an NRI or OCI traveller? Fly into Bhopal or Jabalpur and drive up. Be careful with cameras near army land, because Pachmarhi is a working Army cantonment.