Town of Lonavala is situated on sahyadri hills. Its an perfect destination during monsoon for one day visit from Mumbai and Pune. Numerous waterfalls ,lakes and some trek destination makes it overall 10/10 destination to visit. It is 83 km from Mumbai and 66 km approx from Pune .
Although monsoon heightens the beauty of Lonavala, I recently visited it in last week of February. The weather wasn’t that great offcourse but it was manageable. We decided to keep the trip limited to few scenic places and enjoy the time.
We started early from Mumbai around 7:30 am and reached Lonavala by 10. Although there are lot of options to reach lonavala, we decided to drive. Its true, that more than destination, its the journey that matters. And the route to lonavala truly justifies this, passing through the ghats and mountains view on both sides.
On the way there are lots of picture some spots to get clicked and that’s one of main reason we decided to go by road. During monsoon, journey through train gives heavenly feeling as you pass through the ghats and numerous waterfalls on the way.
Lions point:This is the first point we decided to visit. It resemble a Lions sitting in sphinx position. Point gives a beautiful view of the valley, during monsoon entire valley turns green and its an treat to the eyes.
There are some food stalls here serving tea,pakodas and offcourse 2 mins maggi. Tea ,pakoda and beautiful valley view, was an ideal perfect morning. Two more points near by are echo and shooting point .Locals told us lot of movies have been shot there.Shooting point is just 5 mins walk from Lions point .
Bhushi Dam: It is approx 6 km from Lions point . This is one of the place in Lonavala which will definitely cheer you up during monsoon.
The lake view is pretty good and is a an ideal place to sit and relax.During monsoon the beauty of the place enhances. Tourist come from all over the place to witness the waterfalls, as the water gushes from the dam during the monsoon. Adventure activities such as swimming are restricted during monsoon
In lonavala we can find lot of ceramic stores on the way, having really pretty and glazed pottery items for all our house needs. Be careful before you step in the shop because you cant resist buying the stuff.
Karla Cave: Karla cave was once a Buddhist monastery and consist of total 16 caves.The main cave is a huge prayer hall. It has magnificent roof made of carved teak wood and rows of pillars decorated with images of men,women,elephants and horses. During hot weather its not preferable to visit the caves as one needs to do little hike in order to cover the 16 caves.
Pawna Lake:The next destination we decided to head was Pawna lake. In all my last visits to Lonavala,I regret to never visit this lovely place because the lake is really beautiful .It might sound as exaggeration but the first view of bluish water of lake reminded me of my visit to chandratal(Himachal).
The driving distance from dam to lake is 24 kms but trust me its all worth to visit this place. Though pawna lake is known for camping events but its an ideal place for one day visits. We spent around an hour or two here, with feets soaked in cold water of the lake.
The view around the lake is simply mesmerizing with the camping sites all around and the presence of Lohagad fort,Tikona fort,Tungfort and Visapur fort adds to the beauty.
Due to huge flora and fauna, Pawna lake attracts nature lovers as well and offcourse all photography lovers this place is perfect for you all. I would strongly recommend to go for camping here for a perfect evening .
Wax Museum:If you have some more time ,do visit the Lonaval wax museum, its really cool place. Statues of all famous celebrities can be seen here and yes do clicked with them.These wax idols almost looks real and the place is well maintained too.
Time to visit: 9 am to 9:30 pm IST
Entry fee– free for below 5. For adults around 170 Rs but do check once again on their official website.
Kinara dhaba :We marked end to our lovely one day trip with visiting Kinara dhaba Pune. Its must to be checked out place. Also the place is small village in itself with camels available for ride,palm reading and more interesting stuffs. Ambience lightens up during night with live music performances post 7:30 pm. Celebrity spotting is just another spoiler alert for you.
For all tea lovers, they have tandoori chai also,dont forget to taste it.
********Why Lonavala and what to visit ********
Best time to visit: Monsoon
Distance: Mumbai to Lonaval 83 km. Pune to lonaval 66 km approx.
How to reach:
By train: Nearest railway station- Lonavala. All trains for Pune pass through Lonavala.
By Air: Nearest airport is Lohegaon ,Pune and Chhatrapati shivaji ,Mumbai.
Top place to visit:
1. Lions point
2.Bhushi dam
3.Karla caves
4.Pawna dam, camping is suggested strongly here.
5. Trekking site- Tikona fort, Rajmachi,Koraigad ,Lohagad.
What to buy way back:
1. Ceramic items
2. Not to forget Chikki.
Where to eat:
Kinara dhaba,Pune.
If you are looking for any other destinations near Mumbai for one day travel, Lavasa could be one of them https://travelchecklistt.com/lavasa-1day-iternary/
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