The twin hill stations of Lonavala and Khandala are an ideal break from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai and a great way to experience nature in all its glory. The best time to visit is monsoons as during this time the area comes alive with a lot of waterfalls. It is only during this time that you can enjoy Bhushi Dam and other tourist destinations in their entire splendor.
Get There
Getting to Lonavala is quite easy. The best way would be by road, the added advantage is that it enables you to soak in all the natural sights. There are quite a few waterfalls, valleys and hills to be admired on the way. We took a ‘Neeta Volvo’ from Dadar TT. The tickets are negotiable and we landed ourselves a deal at Rs. 180 per person. This was about half the price of the tickets that could be purchased online.
If you are in a hurry or are a repeat visitor you can also take a train. The ticket would cost you about Rs. 55 and the journey would take about 2hrs 15mins instead of usual 3hrs or so by bus. Of course the website for train tickets is www.irctc.co.in.
If you are a biking or a driving aficionado this is probably your best track from Mumbai.
1. The most popular attraction is the Bhushi Dam and rightly so. This overflows during the monsoons on a series of steps. Put on your bathing clothes and chappals before heading. Enjoy an evening lolling about in cool crystal clear water with your friends sipping hot tea and eating corn.
2. I bet you are tired of visiting all sorts of ‘Pointless Points’ in hill stations around Mumbai. But do not miss ‘Lion’s Point‘ when you are in Lonavala. It is located atop a steel cliff facing the windward side. Hence you get an amazing gale when you stand at its edge. You get a clear view of the valley beneath in all the different shades of green. There are a few ‘reverse waterfalls’, as in the wind speed is so high forceful that it blows the falling water and it rains back up again on the cliff.
3. Meet your forefathers at the Monkey Point and Rajmachi point.
4. Karla Caves is an offbeat tourist spot. It is quite close to Lonavala and best way to reach would be an auto or a bus. There are amazing Buddhist sculptures cut into rocks to be seen here.
5. Find your own waterfall and make a splash under it. There are so many, find one and make it your own.
Unfortunately Lonavala has become quite commercialized. The room rates are expensive. We recommend staying in the city if you plan to tour the area. For lazing a resort may be a better idea. Book your rooms in advance through a website like http://www.travelchacha.com you might find all the rooms to be full if you reach on Friday/Saturday.
Eat
The main market has lot of restaurants . Varied options like Veg, Non Veg, Drinks etc are available.
Shopping
Lonavala is famous for Chiki. You can find a lot of different varieties Peanut, Coconut, Til etc. Stock up on this here. Maganlal and A1 Chiki are two famous shops. Also try Anjir which is a lot softer and Choclate Chiki/Anjir/Barfi/Fudge. The chocolate stuff was awesome!
Get There
Getting to Lonavala is quite easy. The best way would be by road, the added advantage is that it enables you to soak in all the natural sights. There are quite a few waterfalls, valleys and hills to be admired on the way. We took a ‘Neeta Volvo’ from Dadar TT. The tickets are negotiable and we landed ourselves a deal at Rs. 180 per person. This was about half the price of the tickets that could be purchased online.
If you are in a hurry or are a repeat visitor you can also take a train. The ticket would cost you about Rs. 55 and the journey would take about 2hrs 15mins instead of usual 3hrs or so by bus. Of course the website for train tickets is www.irctc.co.in.
If you are a biking or a driving aficionado this is probably your best track from Mumbai.
1. The most popular attraction is the Bhushi Dam and rightly so. This overflows during the monsoons on a series of steps. Put on your bathing clothes and chappals before heading. Enjoy an evening lolling about in cool crystal clear water with your friends sipping hot tea and eating corn.
2. I bet you are tired of visiting all sorts of ‘Pointless Points’ in hill stations around Mumbai. But do not miss ‘Lion’s Point‘ when you are in Lonavala. It is located atop a steel cliff facing the windward side. Hence you get an amazing gale when you stand at its edge. You get a clear view of the valley beneath in all the different shades of green. There are a few ‘reverse waterfalls’, as in the wind speed is so high forceful that it blows the falling water and it rains back up again on the cliff.
3. Meet your forefathers at the Monkey Point and Rajmachi point.
4. Karla Caves is an offbeat tourist spot. It is quite close to Lonavala and best way to reach would be an auto or a bus. There are amazing Buddhist sculptures cut into rocks to be seen here.
5. Find your own waterfall and make a splash under it. There are so many, find one and make it your own.
Unfortunately Lonavala has become quite commercialized. The room rates are expensive. We recommend staying in the city if you plan to tour the area. For lazing a resort may be a better idea. Book your rooms in advance through a website like http://www.travelchacha.com you might find all the rooms to be full if you reach on Friday/Saturday.
Eat
The main market has lot of restaurants . Varied options like Veg, Non Veg, Drinks etc are available.
Shopping
Lonavala is famous for Chiki. You can find a lot of different varieties Peanut, Coconut, Til etc. Stock up on this here. Maganlal and A1 Chiki are two famous shops. Also try Anjir which is a lot softer and Choclate Chiki/Anjir/Barfi/Fudge. The chocolate stuff was awesome!
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