The year 2020 and 2021 have seen unprecedented time. But at the same time, they also opened up new opportunities for many of us. We, being software engineers, who love traveling, often have a big job balancing travel with work. But with work from home being the new normal this year, we decided to take the plunge and try working from some natural, exotic locations. It all started with our Goa workcation. We had many apprehensions before starting on our 2 weeks trip to South Goa staying at Bierra Mar Beach Resort which luckily turned out to have all the facilities that we were looking for. So, as it all went successfully, we decided to get a little more adventurous.
Thus, come Dussehra, we decided to take the puja week off. And do a road trip across MP from Bangalore. Wherein we hopped across various places. Starting with a trip to Bhedaghat, followed by a rendezvous with tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park and then visiting the temples of Khajuraho. Finally, we settled in Orchha for a week and worked from there, exploring the forts and palaces of Orchha over the weekend while working during weekdays from Orchha. From Orchha, we transitioned to Bhopal visiting the Great Stupa of Sanchi and the Udayagiri Caves. And on the final leg of the trip, we stopped at Pachmarhi, the queen of Satpura or “Satpura ki Rani”. And this time, we experienced working from a hill station – Pachmarhi – for one week.
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A brief introduction to Pachmarhi
Pachmarhi is the only hill station in Madhya Pradesh. And also the only hill station of central India. If you are wondering what is Pachmarhi famous for, well, there are multiple things. Of course apart from the excellent weather. It has several naturally beautiful waterfalls, mysterious caves like Pandava Caves and trekking paths. Pachmarhi is also popular among naturalists because it has a very rich flora and fauna varieties. And, apart from all these, it is famous for being the heart of the Satpura National Park and Satpura Tiger Reserve – one of the most dense jungles that you find in India. I must say that I was really impressed on the way the natural surroundings of Pachmarhi are preserved.
Some other interesting facts about Pachmarhi. The Dhupgarh Peak near Pachmarhi is the highest point of Madhya Pradesh. Also, Pachmarhi boasts of being the coldest place in Madhya Pradesh. But, snowfall in Pachmarhi is unheard. Perhaps because it’s altitude is around 1100 metres above sea level only. However, Pachmarhi weather is very pleasant from October to March. And this also consists of the season that boasts of the peak of tourism in Pachmarhi.
Network condition in Pachmarhi
To be honest, I was really worried if working from a hill station like Pachmarhi would work out for us. Since, whoever I talked to before moving here, gave a hint that BSNL is the best network here. And that mobile data is usually weak. We have airtel connections and jio connections both of which had worked well in Orchha. But didn’t look like the case in Pachmarhi.
So, we enquired with various resorts and hotels in Pachmarhi. And finally zeroed down on one which ensured of good wifi connectivity. It was a bit heavier on the pocket but then we didn’t want any disruption in our work. So, if you plan to work from Pachmarhi, make sure where you stay, there is a good wifi connectivity. You can even ask the hotel / resort / homestay to send you a screenshot of their upload and download speed which will give you a clear picture of the network situation.
None of our dongles – airtel and jio – worked here. And phone connectivity was also relatively weak. We heavily relied on the wifi in Pachmarhi to work from Pachmarhi. But then their speed was good and there were minimal interruptions. So, we were able to smoothly work from Pachmarhi. And we will surely rely on a good wifi on our next experience working from a hill station in India.
Where to stay in Pachmarhi for an experience working from a hill station
There are several stay options in Pachmarhi from basic and economical to grand and luxurious. You can book them from here. But do ensure to enquire about their internet bandwidth when working from a hill station like Pachmarhi, check whether it is complimentary and evaluate if it suffices your need. We stayed at Welcome Heritage Golf View in Pachmarhi. Although it was on the higher side of our budget, but the stay here proved to be very comfortable and memorable.
The property is huge and beautiful, with open air restaurant, big green lawns and lots of greenery around. This is where my dream of working right in the lap of nature actually came true. For, I was able to work from the lawn sitting on the grass, soaking in the morning sun. Or, on a bench when I wanted some back support. I could also connect my phone to their wifi and take some of the calls while taking a morning or evening walk. This got possible because the wifi signal was equally strong all through their campus.
How our experience working from a hill station like Pachmarhi turned out
The Pachmarhi Workcation allowed me time to concentrate on just my kids and my office work. There was no need to take care of household work. That’s the perks that come with staying in a resort. The rooms were cleaned, all the needs catered to. We enjoyed buffet breakfast and dinners sitting besides live fire as the night got a little chilly.
And when we were stuck in the room with some important office work or meetings, we could order a hot chocolate or a kabab platter which would brighten up the day! A few days morning and evening as we got free slots, we went out of the resort to explore nearby places. Some of the places were walkable from the resort like The Panch Pandava Caves and the Apsara Vihar Waterfall. So, we just walked to these places. And during the day, as we worked from the lawn, enjoying the sun, our kids had their own much needed doses of vitamin D, playing in the lawn, taking a sunbath in the process.
Overall, it was a much memorable stay that we had during our one week of work from Pachmarhi. And a very relaxing and rejuvenating one. As I complete this article, we are about to start on our journey back home. But I am sure, after this much needed break, I will be able to enjoy the mundane chores of home once again for some time to come…, until we finalise on our next workcation location 🙂 . Stay tuned for that.
General Tips on visiting Pachmarhi
Pachmarhi is a small hill in the centre of the Satpura Hills and Forest Range. As such, it is very green, naturally beautiful and blessed with some mesmerizing waterfalls and natural caves.
- The water quality in Pachmarhi is very good, you can drink filtered water, no need to use mineral water.
- The climate is pleasant for most part of the year, but September to November and then Februrary to April are the best time to visit when it is neither too hot nor too cold. You will do well with a light jacket or shawl.
- The winter months of December and January get really chilly here with the temperature falling to sub-zero range. You will need heavy woolens if visiting in these month
- The road to Pachmarhi is a ghat road and it is very narrow, only suitable for one vehicle to comfortably pass. If you are driving in a 4 wheeler, you need to very attentive all through your drive. Don’t drive at more than 20-30km per hour. And do stop patiently to give way to oncoming vehicles.
- You can book your accommodation in Pachmarhi using this link. We stayed at Welcome Heritage Golf View and had a pleasant stay. You can book it as well.
- For seeing the waterfalls of Pachmarhi at their best, visit right after the monsoons. The jungles are also extremely dense and green at this point of time. Although not as enormous as the waterfalls of Meghalaya or those of Himalayas, the waterfalls of Pachmarhi are very refreshing, beautiful. And for some like the Apsara Vihar, you can walk inside them or have a picnic right besides them.
- For visiting many of the sightseeing places in Pachmarhi, you will need prior permission from forest guards. And to many of these, personal vehicles are not allowed. Talk to your resort or accommodation for information. They might as well be able to arrange a tour for you.
- We recommend a stay of at least 3-4 nights to enjoy the weather, the sites and everything else that the hill station of Pachmarhi has to offer.
A recap of our MP Road Trip so far
On our MP Road Trip we drove from Bangalore to Hyderabad, and then from Hyderabad to Nagpur.
From Nagpur, we drove to Jabalpur on day 3 and also visited Bhedaghat, Narmada Valley and Dhuandhar Waterfalls.
The next day we drove from Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh and did a tiger safari in Bandhavgarh National Park.
From Bandhavgarh, we travelled to Khajuraho. Here is our complete guide to visiting Khajuraho. And also our list of must visit temples of Khajuraho.
Then from Khajuraho, we went to Orchha on the 7th day of our trip. In Orchha we explored the Orchha Fort, Chattris and other attractions. And then worked from Orchha for a week.
Come next weekend, we traveled from Orchha to Bhopal via Sanchi and Udayagiri. During this day, we explored the Udayagiri caves and the Great Stupas of Sanchi.
And from Bhopal, we drove to Pachmarhi wherein we again stayed for a week, working from there.
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