Namaskar and Jai Maharashtra friends. Today I will tell you about my journey from Alibag to Pandharpur by MSRTC bus. I have done this journey recently and I am writing this post from my real experience.
I live 50 kilometres from Kolhapur. I run the websites nomadpatel.in. I have been travelling in MSRTC buses for the last five years. I have covered more than sixty routes. Whatever I write in this post is my own first hand experience. My handwritten diary is my proof. I am not connected to MSRTC. The ticket price and timing that I am mentioning in this post are as per my journey date. They may change in the future. So please check the MSRTC website or the Alibag depot enquiry counter for the latest information.
Table of Contents
Alibag To Pandharpur Distance By MSRTC Bus
Alibag Bus Stand comes under Raigad division. This is a very important point because many people do not know under which division Alibag comes.
My journey from Alibag to Pandharpur was almost 450 kilometres. It was a very long journey. Alibag is called the mini Goa of Maharashtra. This is true because Alibag has sea beaches, clean water and a peaceful atmosphere just like Goa. In Alibag there are many tourist places and forts. There are many forts like Kolaba Fort, Khanderi Fort and Underi Fort. Many tourists come to Alibag for one day trip from Mumbai and Pune.
The distance of 450 kilometres is covered via Lonavala and Pune. It is not a direct straight route. The bus goes via many ghats and many cities. So the distance becomes 450 kilometres.My previous journey was from Kolhapur to Roha then i travelled 50 km toward alibag to catch alibag to Pandharpur bus.
Alibag To Pandharpur MSRTC Bus Timings
My bus left Alibag Bus Stand at exactly 10:15 AM in the morning on 20th March 2026. It was a morning bus. The bus left on time.
Alibag Bus Stand has two sides. This is a very unique thing about Alibag Bus Stand. On one side there are platforms from 1 to 5 and on the other side there are platforms from 1 to 7. So total there are two different sides for buses. My Pandharpur bus was on the first side. The bus stand was crowded at 10:15 AM because many buses for Pen, Alibag to Pune and Alibag to Mumbai leave at that time.
As per my enquiry at Alibag Bus Stand, there are buses for Pandharpur in the morning.
From Alibag to Pandharpur, buses leave as per the schedule given at the depot. The route for my bus was via Pen, Khopoli, Lonavala, Swargate, Jejuri, Phaltan and finally Pandharpur. This is the main route.
Some other buses may go via different routes, but my bus went via this route. The table at the depot shows From, To, Timings and Routes. In the Routes column, Pen and Khopoli were mentioned.
Alibag to Pandharpur Ticket Price
The ticket price from Alibag to Pandharpur was around 530 rupees at my time. This was for a Lal Pari ordinary or semi luxury bus. The ticket price may decrease or increase in the future because diesel price and toll price change. So please check the current price at the counter. I paid 530 rupees for the full journey.
This vehicle is a reservation vehicle. It means you can book your seat in advance. You can book your seat online on the MSRTC website or at the counter in Alibag Bus Stand. I had booked my seat one day before. Booking is recommended because this is a long route bus and it gets full quickly, especially on weekends and during Ashadi Ekadashi time when many people go to Pandharpur.
My Real Hour By Hour Journey – Alibag to Pandharpur With Each and Every Detail
Alibag to Pen – 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM
After leaving Alibag city, my bus came on the Alibag Pen highway. This is a two lane highway but the road condition is good. The bus went via Talawali village. Talawali is a small village just after Alibag. After Talawali, the bus went via Kurlikhand Goteghar. This place has a small locality and many houses are there.
After Goteghar, the bus went via Pedhari village. Pedhari is a small village on the way to Pen. After Pedhari, the bus reached Vadkhal. At Vadkhal, the bus crossed the Amba River Bridge. The Amba River Bridge is a big bridge. The river was not full because it was not rainy season, but the bridge is important.
After crossing the bridge and travelling a short distance, my Lal Pari bus reached Vadkhal Bus Stand at 11:15 AM in the morning. The bus took a two minute halt at Vadkhal Bus Stand.
From Vadkhal, the bus again started and it reached Pen Bus Stand at 11:30 AM in the morning. Pen is a big town and it comes under Raigad division. The bus took a three minute halt at Pen Bus Stand. Many passengers for Pune and Lonavala got into the bus at Pen.
Pen to Lonavala – 11:30 AM to 1:45 PM via Khopoli and Khandala Ghat
From Pen Bus Stand, my bus now started going towards Pune Swargate direction. The bus came on the Pen Khopoli highway. This highway connects Pen to Khopoli. The bus went via Kamarli village. Kamarli is a small place on this highway. After Kamarli, the bus travelled for a long time and it passed through Ransai village. Ransai is a village near Khopoli.
After Ransai, the bus went via Pali Fata. Pali Fata is a junction from where the road goes to Pali Ganpati temple. After crossing Pali Fata, my bus reached Khopoli Bus Stand at 12:30 PM in the afternoon. Khopoli is a big town and it is famous for the Khandala Ghat starting point. The bus took a five minute halt at Khopoli Bus Stand.
From Khopoli, my bus started crossing the Khandala Ghat. The bus also passed through the Khandala tunnel. The Khandala Ghat is a very beautiful ghat with many turns and green hills. After crossing the ghat, the bus covered 76 kilometres from Alibag. After covering 76 kilometres from Alibag, my bus reached Lonavala Bus Stand at 1:45 PM in the afternoon.
Lonavala comes under Pune division. Lonavala Bus Stand is a big bus stand and it is always crowded with tourists because Lonavala is a hill station. The bus took a five minute halt at Lonavala Bus Stand. Many tourists for Pune got down there and many passengers for Pune and Pandharpur got in.
Lonavala to Pune Swargate – 1:45 PM to 4:45 PM
From Lonavala Bus Stand, my bus now started going towards Pune Swargate direction via the old Mumbai Pune highway. This is the old highway, not the expressway. The bus went via Kamshet. Kamshet is famous for paragliding. After Kamshet, the bus went to Talegaon Dabhade. Talegaon Dabhade is a big town.
After Talegaon Dabhade, the bus reached Pimpri Chinchwad Bus Stand at 3:40 PM in the afternoon. Pimpri Chinchwad Bus Stand is a big bus stand and my bus was on Platform Number 9 there. The bus took a three minute halt.
From Pimpri Chinchwad, my bus was now only 15 kilometres away from Pune Swargate Bus Stand. The bus travelled 15 kilometres via the old highway and it reached Pune. First it went to Pune Shivajinagar Bus Stand and then from Shivajinagar it reached Pune Swargate Bus Stand at 4:45 PM in the afternoon.
Pune Swargate to Pandharpur distance was still remaining. From Swargate, Pandharpur is around 211 kilometres away. This distance was still left to cover.
Pune Swargate Bus Stand has total 29 platforms. This is one of the biggest bus stands in Maharashtra. On Swargate Bus Stand, you will find platforms at different places. In total there are 29 platforms and you can see them when you walk inside the bus stand.
Pune Swargate to Pandharpur – 4:45 PM to 11:00 PM Final
From Pune Swargate, my bus now started going towards Jejuri direction. The bus went via Vadki village. Vadki is a small village after Swargate. After Vadki, the bus came on the Janeshwar Mauli Palkhi Marg which is the Pandharpur highway. This highway is also called the Palkhi Marg because the Palkhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram goes from this road to Pandharpur.
After that, the bus crossed the Diveghat. Diveghat is a small ghat after Pune. After crossing Diveghat, my bus reached Saswad Bus Stand at 6:00 PM in the evening. Saswad is a town near Pune and it is famous for its temples. The bus took a two minute halt at Saswad Bus Stand.
From Saswad, the bus again came on the highway and it reached Jejuri Bus Stand at 6:30 PM in the evening. Jejuri is famous for Khandoba temple. The bus took a two minute halt at Jejuri Bus Stand.
From Jejuri Bus Stand, my bus now went via the Jejuri Phaltan highway. It went to Nira Bus Stand and it reached there at 7:15 PM in the evening. The bus took a small halt at Nira Bus Stand. After Nira, the bus reached Lonand Bus Stand at 7:30 PM in the evening.
From Lonand, the bus again came on the highway and it reached Phaltan Bus Stand at 8:15 PM at night. Phaltan is a big town in Satara division. The bus took a five minute halt at Phaltan Bus Stand.
From Phaltan Bus Stand, my bus now went via the Phaltan Pandharpur highway. It went to Morochi village. At Morochi, there is Hotel Garva. The bus stopped at Hotel Garva for dinner at exactly 9:00 PM at night. The bus took a twenty minute halt for dinner. I had a thali there for 90 rupees. Many passengers had dinner there.
From Alibag till here, my bus had passed through Raigad division, Pune division, Satara division and now it entered Solapur division. This is a very important point because this bus passes through four divisions. Alibag to Pen and Khopoli is Raigad division, Lonavala to Swargate is Pune division, Phaltan is Satara division and Pandharpur is Solapur division. So my journey covered all these divisions.
After dinner at Morochi, the bus started again and it reached Natepute Bus Stand at 9:30 PM at night. Natepute is a small town. After Natepute, the bus reached Malshiras Bus Stand at 10:00 PM at night. Malshiras is the last taluka before Pandharpur.
Finally, my bus reached Pandharpur Bus Stand at 11:00 PM at night. So the total journey from Alibag at 10:15 AM morning to Pandharpur at 11:00 PM night took almost 12 hours and 45 minutes.
Alibag to Pandharpur Final Destination
Pandharpur Bus Stand at 11:00 PM at night was still crowded because many pilgrims come to Pandharpur. The bus stand has many platforms and many buses for Solapur, Pune and Mumbai were standing there. I took an auto to the temple area which was 1 kilometre away and I stayed in a lodge for the night.
Tips for Your Journey
You should carry a water bottle, a power bank, some biscuits and a light jacket because Lonavala and Khandala Ghat can be cold even in summer.
There is no washroom inside the bus, so you should use the washrooms at Pen, Khopoli, Lonavala, Swargate and Phaltan bus stands.
You should take a window seat on the right side for Khandala Ghat view. You should book your ticket one day in advance. You should have dinner at Morochi Hotel Garva because that is the last proper dinner halt before Pandharpur.
FAQs
How long does it take to travel from Alibag to Pandharpur by MSRTC bus?
It takes almost 12 hours and 45 minutes by MSRTC bus. My bus left Alibag at 10:15 AM and reached Pandharpur at 11:00 PM at night. If you go by private car, it may take around 9 hours without halts, but by MSRTC bus it takes 12 to 13 hours including all halts, ghat sections and dinner break.
What are the boarding points from Alibag to Pandharpur?
The boarding points are Alibag, Pen, Vadkhal, Khopoli, Lonavala, Talegaon Dabhade, Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune Swargate, Saswad, Jejuri, Nira, Lonand, Phaltan, Natepute, Malshiras and finally Pandharpur. My bus stopped at all these main boarding points. Other than this, the bus also stops at small villages like Talawali, Goteghar, Pedhari, Kamarli, Ransai, Pali Fata, Kamshet, Vadki and Morochi. So if you live near any of these villages, you can board the bus from there also.
What is the ticket price?
The ticket price from Alibag to Pandharpur was around 530 rupees at my time. It may increase or decrease slightly in the future. So please check at the Alibag depot counter or on the nBus application before travelling.
Is this a reservation bus?
Yes, this is a reservation bus. You can book your seat online or at the counter. Booking is recommended because this bus goes to Pandharpur and it gets full during Ashadi and Kartiki Ekadashi.
Which divisions does this bus pass through?
This bus passes through Raigad division from Alibag to Khopoli, Pune division from Lonavala to Jejuri, Satara division at Phaltan and Solapur division at Pandharpur. So it covers four divisions in total.
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