Panchgani delightfully remains a quiet, relatively non-commercialized hill station. Located in the district of Satara, South Maharashtra, this hill station is picture perfect, a place to lose ones self to nature. Panchgani derives part of its name from the five hills around it. Due to native settlements, the town was named Panchgani, panch meaning five and gani meaning settlement. At an altitude of 1334 m it is just 38 m below Mahabaleshwar and it is the quintessential hill station, with the Raj stamped indelibly all over it. It can be seen in the old architecture of the old British buildings, the Parsi houses, & the boarding schools that have been standing for a century or more. Panchgani has the Krishna River that meanders through its farms, ravines and hamlets on one side and the coastal plain on the other, which has a mystic charm about it. The whole area is covered with lush greenery. There are several scenic spots and well laid out paths, which are ideal for trekking.