Mahabaleshwar is situated 1,372 meters above sea level in the Western Ghats, in Satara District of Maharashtra State, in India.

About 24 km. away from Mahabaleshwar lies Pratapgad, the pride of the Maratha Empire. Built in 1656, it is a maze of ponds, chambers and long dark walkways, some of which lead to trap doors that open to a 100 meter fall! It was here that Afzal Khan, the mighty general of Bijapur, met his untimely death at the hands of Shivaji. Since Pratapgad lies slightly off the road to Mahabaleshwar, a visit to this historic monument is recommended in all travel itineraries

Mahabaleshwar has many points offering great views of flat-topped ghats, dense forests and lush green valleys. Lodwick Point, towering almost 1,240 meters above sea level, is one of the most visited Points and holds a monument in memory of General Lodwick Arthur’s Seat is well liked too for its great view of the Jor Valley. About a kilometer away lies Tiger’s Spring, and if you venture further down you’ll come to a ledge named The window – a point that’s famous for its mesmerizing view.

There are many locations offering pleasant views of the plains below: Wilson Point, Carnac Point, Helen’s Point, Elphinstone Point, Babington Point, Bombay Point, Falkland Point, and Kate Point are all well known

There are pleasant waterfalls also worth visiting, such as Chinaman’s Falls, Dhobi Falls and Lingmala Falls, the latter being the most impressive, cascading almost 600 ft from a cliff!

Another tourist attraction is the Sangam, or the confluence of the five rivers that flow over the Deccan Plateau. There are many old temples too, which become the focus of attention during the festive season.

About 19 km, from Mahableshwar lies the hill station of Panchgani. It is surrounded on all sides by hills (“Panch” = 5, “Gani” = hills) and is very popular with tourist owing to its close proximity to Mahabaleshwar. Panchgani is known for its resident boarding schools and its strawberry and raspberry farms. Visitors to Mahabaleshwar almost always come to Panchgani to make the most of their holiday in the hills..

Scenic Panchgani was discovered by the British during the British Raj as a summer resort, and a superintendent named John Chesson was placed in charge of the hill station in the 1860s. He is credited with planting many plant species from the western world in Panchgani, including silver oak and poinsettia, which have flourished since then in Panchgani.

Panchgani is known for its many boarding schools since the late 1800s. They attract student from the nearby cities of Mumbai and Pune, and also from abroad. There are now more than thirty boarding schools in Panchgani:

Panchgani is mainly famous for Table-Land (second longest plateau in Asia). This is large expense of flat top of Laterite Rock. It is most famous in tourists for wondering and enjoying various landscapes of Panchgani. It is asking for it's natural caves and fabulous structures of stone also. This hill station is well-known for its world class educational facilities also. Various famous schools of Marathi, Hindi, English and Urdu medium are available here. Weather of Panchgani is cool and dry so now days its rapidly establish as health resort with hill station.

Source: http://www.dvet.gov.in/Download/WorldBank/WorldBankCOE/Mahabaleshwar.html