Lonavala is a hill station that is in Pune District. it's far one of the great tourist locations in Maharashtra. Lonavala is very properly related to Pune and Mumbai city through road and train. In Lonavala there are masses of historic places are there consisting of Forts, caves Temples and many other things and these locations attracted a visitor to go to Lonavala. Lonavala turned into ruled through a lot of dynasties, inside the Maratha empire duration, Malava’s neighbourhood network close to Lonavala fought so nicely in opposition to the Mughal Empire.
Demographic
Lonavala is part of the Pune District and is Municipal Corporation. It is divided into 15 wards and every 5 years they elect their Member to represent the Lonavala. As per the 2011 census, the total population of Lonavala were 57,698 of which females were 26,844 and males were 30,854. The sex ratio is 870 as compared to the state it’s 929. Lonavala’s literacy rate is 89.33% which is the highest in the state.
How to reach Lonavala
Lonavala from Mumbai
From Mumbai to Lonavala we have train and road access both are convenient as per the choice. By road, it is around 100 km and it will take you about 3 hours to reach there. Mumbai Pune National express is very well connected to Lonavala. If you planning to come by train then there are lots of train services from Mumbai’s central railway around every hour you can get a train which leads you to Lonavala. You can catch a train from C.S.T.M., Dadar, Thane or Kalyan station it will take you around 2 to 3 hours to reach Lonavala.
Lonavala from Pune
From Pune as well it is very well connected via road and train services. By road, it is 65 km and it will take around 1 to 2 hours to reach. By train there are local trains are running between Lonavala Junction. To Pune Junction.
Nearest Railway station
The nearest Railway Station is Lonavala. From Mumbai, it would take 2 to 3 hrs to reach and Pune takes around 1 hour of journey
Nearest Airport
Lonavala is situated between Mumbai and Pune city. Pune International airport is around 71 km and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport is 90 km from Lonavala.
Local transportation in Lonavala
Local transport in Lonavala is very well connected and has shared taxis, autos and state transport buses.
Best places to visit Lonavala
In Lonavala, there are lots of places you can visit here are some of the details.
1. Rajmachi Fort
Rajmachi Fort is situated in Udhewadi village, Lonavala District – Pune. The Rajmachi fort was controlled by Maratha Empire the Mughal took it later and Peshwa recaptured it from Mughal. Now it is the government of India. The fort was built to protect from the enemy. There are two routes to reach Rajmachi Fort one is via Lonavala-Udhewadi and the Second is from Kondhane village – Karjat Taluka. If you go via the Lonavala – Udhewadi village route it is easy to trek from there and it is a 15 km of distance. It is the plain route to reach here. There are some ups and downs in the path but compare to the second trek it is very easy to visit Rajmachi Fort. Most trekker’s preferred the Kondane village route this route steep climb up to Rajmachi fort. This route takes around 3 hours to reach Fort. Some trekkers hire to reach their destination.
2. Bushi Dam
Bushi Dam was constructed on the Indrayani river at Lonavala by Britisher in the year 1860 for the Great Indian peninsular Railway as a source of their steam engines. This Dam is owned by the Central Railway zone of the Indian Railway and they announced in the year 2014 that they will plan to develop Bhushi Dam into a tourist place. Here lots of tourist visits in the rainy season and most accidents happened. Since 2012 around 25 people died near the Bhushi Dam. As a result of the scenario liquor consumption near this area is banned and people will not take care of their vehicles after 3 pm and tourists cannot roam there after 5 pm. Tourists are usually allowed from morning 9 to evening 5 pm.
3. Tiger Point
Tiger Point is 12 km from Lonavala city. This is one of the most visited places in Lonavala. Tiger point is located between Ambey valley and Bhushi Dam. Tiger point is also known as tiger Leap is a cliff-top with a sheer drop of over 650m. The point derives its name from its resemblance to the shape of a leaping tiger. It offers spectacular views of forest, lush greenery, waterfalls and lakes around.
4. Khandala Ghat
Khandala ghat is a hill station near Lonavla and Khandala is the first village on the ghat from the Mumbai side. We see lots of photos of the Mumbai Pune Expressway on social media and on google, these photos were taken at Khandala ghat. This place is one of the best places to capture a photo. You can see everyone will stop their vehicle and take photos with their loved ones.
5. Karla Caves
Karla caves are located near Lonavala and it is 15 km from the city neat to Malavali village. It is a Buddhist cave that was built between 2 century AD to 5 century AD. These caves were built during the Satvahan rule. These caves were built for Buddhist monks for their meditation. This is one of the largest chaitygrihas (prayer halls with stupas. There is the total of 15 caves were built for the monks. This is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Lonavala, here you can see the extreme architecture on the rock. Even after 2000+ years, the quality of architecture is in good condition. Karla's caves are a heritage place in Maharashtra.
6. Bhaja caves
Bhaja caves are near Lonavala and it is around 13 km. Bhaja caves were built by the Hinayana sect of Buddhism. These caves started in 2nd BC and were completed in 2nd AD. There is a total of 22 caves. Bhaja caves 400 feet above the Bhaja village. These ancient caves are protected by the Archeological Survey of India. In the Bhaja caves, a famous carving woman is playing a table that indicates that we used the table for more 2000 + years.
7. Lohgad fort
Lohgad fort was one of the oldest forts in Maharashtra. This fort was ruled by lots of empires like the Satavahanas dynasty, Rashtrakutas dynasty, Yadav dynasty, Bahamanis dynasty, Nizams, Mughal empire and Maratha Empire. Shivaji Maharaj captured this fort in 1648 AD but he lose to Aurangzeb in the year 1665 in the treaty of Purandar. Shivaji Maharaj recaptured this fort in the year of 1670 AD. Now, this fort is under the state government. This fort is around 12 km from the Lonavala and 1033 meters from sea level.
8. Kune Waterfall
Kune Waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Maharashtra and the 14th highest waterfall in India. Kune Waterfall falls from 200 meters above. It is located between Khandala and Lonavala. Kune Waterfall is not accessible to the local public it is very inside of the mountain. You can see this waterfall from the old expressway.
9. Pawna Lake
Pawna lake is a dam that was built on the Pavana river. This reservoir was built by the state government of Maharashtra. Pawna lake is around 25 km distance from Lonavala but has a good tourist response from Mumbai and Pune city. We can see lots of lakeside campaign programmes were started near the Pawana lake. Pawna Lake is an emerging place in Lonavala that attracts young people to stay in a tent close to the lake. We can see there are lots of organisations who organise the event near the Pawn lake. you can book your tent online also and the approximate price is 1000 rs to 1500 rs per person.
What is special in Lonavala?
Lonavala is special because of its nature, greenery and cold weather. In the rainy season, people from Mumbai and Pune travel here to get out themselves from the city's crowds. There are lots of forts, reservoirs, dams, waterparks, private villas, and waterfalls in the rainy season this is a special thing in Lonavala.
Lonavala Weather
Lonavala is a hill station so compared to cities the temperature is always down. The average temperature is 20 degrees celsius to 30 degrees Celcius.
What to carry in Lonavala
It depends on which season you are travelling to Lonavala. If it's summer then carry sun scream, full clothes and sunglasses. In the Rainy season raincoat and extra clothes. In the Winter season carry moisturiser cream, extra clothes, socks and other things by which you will feel warm.
Where to stay in Lonavala
There are lots of options where to stay. Lonavala is a well-developed tourist point and lakhs of people every year visit Lonavala every month. There are local hotels to five-star resorts available or you can book a private villa in Lonavala both resorts and villas range from affordable to costly rooms available, we can book as per our budget. If you want to book a villa I will suggest that book in the Malavali location, here you will find an affordable villa of good quality.
Things to do in Lonavala
Lonavala is a huge place and there are lots of things to do. There are so many Forts near Lonavala and most tourists come to trek forts. There are very old caves like Karla and Bhaja Caves to visit. Natural places like Tiger Point, Bhusi Dam, Lion Point and many other points and you can visit also Wax Museum.
Food in Lonavala
Lonavala is a Maharashtrian city and you will get lots of Maharashtrian foods in the hotel. Now there are lots of hotels in Lonavala and they serve all Indian and Multicusuine food as well to complete the demand of the tourist. Here is some famous food in Lonavala Misal Pav, Chikki and Chocolate Fudge. On the tourist site, you will get Kanda Bhaji, Vada Pav and Maggi.
Best season to visit Lonavala
The best season to visit Lonavala is between June to October. In rainy season Lonavala turns heaven, people from Mumbai and Pune planned their journey on weekend to spend quality of time. There are lots of waterfalls near Lonavala to visit even on weakend Bhushi Dam was overcrowded in rainy days. In winter the temperature of Lonavala goes down and you will feel cold in the vicinity.
How many days we should spend in Lonavala
It depends on your plan how much time you want to spend in Lonavala. There are lots of places to visit. Ideally, you should spend at least 2 days covering some of these places. Lonavala is blessed with natural and historically beautiful places. You should plan your journey before visiting Lonavala.
