A quiet transformation is reshaping Pune’s weekend culture. Stepping away from the keyboard chatter and city traffic, Punekars are finding solace in the serene backwaters on the city’s outskirts. Beyond the sugarcane fields and sleepy villages, where the horizon melts into glassy waters and sunlit hills, more and more residents are discovering peace along the tranquil shores of Pune’s vast, calm dams.
It’s called dam tourism. What started as a local secret some 15-20 years ago has evolved into one of Pune’s most organic travel movements, with residents seeking calm waters and open skies just 30-40 minutes from their doorsteps. “Only locals used to frequent this stretch in the past. Now, people from West Bengal, Karnataka and other states also come just to see the sunset,” a local street-food vendor Vinod Gorakhnath Desai points out.
Globally, the idea isn’t new. The Itaipu Dam between Brazil and Paraguay, the Machu Picchu Hydroelectric Dam in Peru, or Italy’s Corbara Dam in Umbria all double as tourist attractions. But Pune’s version is gentler, more local. The attraction lies in its simplicity: a road trip playlist, the smell of wet earth, corn roasting on roadside grills, and the sight of a mirror-flat lake breaking into sunlight.
The city’s geography has always lent itself to this. Encircled by a ring of dams—Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon, Mulshi, Bhatghar, Kasarsai, Bhama Askhed, and Temghar, Pune enjoys an almost unfair proximity to serenity. A breezy morning run to Khadakwasla now takes under an hour. The state’s official tourism site lists Khadakwasla as a destination, but social media has pushed the envelope further—unearthing hidden cafés, lakeside villas, and dawn picnics that paint the dams in new light.
But only a few realise how much history flows beneath these waters. The original Khadakwasla Dam, among Maharashtra’s oldest, was completed in 1879 under Captain Fife of the British Army, and rebuilt in 1969 after a devastating flood swept it away in 1961. Panshet Dam, too, burst the same year before it could be completed, unleashing the infamous flood that drowned the city’s old quarters. Though, it rose again, sturdier, by 1965. The Varasgaon Dam, newer by comparison, came up decades later, completed in stages between 1974 and 1994. Together, they form Pune’s watery halo: the source of its drinking water and, increasingly, its leisure life. But the water flows beyond these three, Pune division alone has 22 major dams. With so many in its backyard, it’s no surprise the city has turned its reservoirs into retreats. Recognising this momentum, the government recently revived a long-stalled plan to promote dam tourism.
“It’s not about luxury; it’s about proximity,” says IT professional Imlimeren Jamir, who often visits Panshet with friends. And so, along these once-lonely embankments, life has mushroomed. Lakeside homestays and boutique resorts now nestle among trees. Campgrounds light up at dusk, music floating across the ripples. “Resorts near Panshet and Khadakwasla are now booked weeks in advance,” says Rishi Kumar Dhoke, who runs Moon Wake Resort near Panshet. “The combination of accessibility, affordable stays, and natural beauty has made this region a hot spot.”
Yet, beneath this idyllic calm, there’s growing concern. The influx of visitors, coupled with unregulated activity, has created issues of safety, pollution, and overcrowding. The year 2025 alone saw multiple tragedies with many drowning in the calm waters. Still, the pull of these waters is hard to resist. Whether it’s the whispering wind over Khadakwasla or the stillness of Varasgaon’s backwaters, dam tourism has grown beyond a weekend fad. It’s a reminder of what city dwellers crave most… space, simplicity, and silence.
