Last modified on December 6th, 2011 at 3:44 am

Lonavala Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing Guide

“625 meters above sea level, Lonavala hill station is one of the beautiful place for one day/over night picnic spot very near to Mumbai with distance of about 88.7 kms. Below is list of Lonavala sightseeing spots and attractions with their specialty for a pleasant weekend break to be enjoyed as overnight picnic or more days, Some of this attractions are best enjoyed in monsoon rainy days..”

Quick Look:[ Tourist Information Guide ],[ Best time to Visit ],[ Climate and Temperature ],[ Lonavala in Monsoon ],[ How to Reach ], [ Sightseeing Attractions ], [ Important Note To Consider ], [ Updates ]

Lonavala

More Lonavala Pictures ..

Tourist Information and Guide

Best time to visit

: Lonavala is one of those limited places where you can enjoy your picnic at any time during the year, But not in summer. Still if you are nature lover and to get best of sightseeing then monsoon is the best time for major picnic spots. So the best time to visit is winter and monsoon.

Sightseeing Locations Climate and Temperature

Most of the time climate at sightseeing location is moderate, except (Summer : Mid February till End of May) with temperature climbing up to 35 degrees and extreme temperature of ( Winter : Start of November till Start of February) reaching up to 10 to 12 degrees. Monsoon in lonavala starts from June till September with a beautiful climate and temperature for places to see around, like waterfalls, green mountains etc.

Attractions During monsoon

Green heaven on earth, is what we can describe the attractions during monsoon, lush green forest hills with many waterfalls and springs along the tracks of Khandala ghat which comes just before we reach lonavala. Tourist spots like Bhushi Dam are to enjoyed in initial monsoon days with lots of fog around. One should not miss monsoon corns (‘Bhuttas’ in Hindi) roasted near major sightseeing spots during travel. The fresh and clean air of hill station is what makes lonavala, a travel destination famous in India and worldwide.

How to Reach Lonavala

Road Travel (By Car) : Mumbai Lonavala road distance is about 88 kilometers with time taken about 1 hour and 40 minutes via Mumbai Pune express highway. Recommended travel is via private vehicle (car). Private taxis to Lonavala are also available from Mumbai airport and other locations. Since you are planning it as a picnic spot, Private car is the best way to enjoy every location.

Train Travel (By Train) : Siddheshwar express (12115) goes from Mumbai CST with time duration taken of about 2 and half hours.

By Private bus : There are many private tours and travel operators in Mumbai that have flexible travel options to Lonavala. There A/C and Non A/c buses available starting from major locations in Mumbai.

By Air : You can opt Mumbai Airport, Pune Airport as destination and from their get any private vehicle or state transport for same. If you planning over night picnic for more then one day, a vehicle is a suitable option.

Major Sightseeings and Attractions

Lonavala is located in hill stations of sahyadri in Pune district, Below are some popular picnic spots recommended for tourists.

Bhushi Dam (Also called ‘Bushy Dam’) : Every major attraction page written on web will have Bhushy dam listed, why ? because this is a dam with a mini waterfall on the way to INS Shivaji (Navel Engineering Training Base). Almost every bus going upward stops at this point. Bhushi dam has some safe steps and is one of the safest sightseeing location for children too.
Lonavala lake : Now if you planning picnic in winter, this is not a good option as it dries complete during that time. Otherwise, Lonavala lake is a beautiful spot for nature and peace lovers.
Valvan Dam : 2 Kilometers from town location, This dam is yet another beautiful up on lonavala hill, This is one of the very recommended place for Picnic as it has a nature garden near it, quite suitable for picnic groups coming from long distances. This dam also supplies its water to a nearest power station in khopoli.
Tungarli Dam : This is a lake which provides drinking water to lonavala residents, Yet a beautiful and calm location and a recommended place to be seen to enjoy peaceful climate and a clean water with some birds around.
Tiger Leap : Those thinking of thrilling lonavala attractions, tiger leap is one of them as it has a sheer drop view of about 650 meters deep. For sightseeing buses goes up to I.N.S and then a foot walk is required which is about a kilometers and half.
Lion’s Point : A small hill top spot that can be enjoyed when towards Aamby valley from Bhushi Dam.
Karla caves : An ancient cave in Lonavala, historic since decades built during 2nd and 3rd century BC, This historic attraction is must to be seen.
Shooting Point : In mid location (Also called ‘Bazaar peth‘ by locals) in Khandala valley, is located shooting point, and as name reveals it is a scenic spot for all those for a day picnic. The specialty being the view of Rajmachi fort and the beautiful valley surrounded by lush green forest. This can also be considered as one of the best photo clicking/shooting point of Lonavala. Those looking for nature sightseeing locations should never miss this spot.
Rajmachi Point : One of the major attractions of this hill station for its fort view, You need to travel about 6 and half kilometers from Lonavala. This is a famous fort built by shivaji surrounded by valley and a must place to see when in Lonavala.
Shivaji Udyan and Ryewood Park : This is a place of attraction for children, as it has 2 gardens and lots of open place to play making it also an ideal location for picnic lovers. There are many tall trees and shades in the ground with beautiful climate in evening and of course a good view to be there. Their is also a hindu temple their build for lord shiva, making it another spiritual place in Lonavala.

Some Important Notes

Temporary Dressing and Changing Facilities : Now, this is one of the major challenges in all one day picnic and we know this will sure help you. As hiring a hotel may cost anything between 1000/- to 3000/- rupees during monsoon, Most people who plan for a day will not prefer to give this amount just to change wet clothes and to get refresh. Option to same is the pay Rs.10/- to change clothes at shops new Bhushi Dam, these are tiny huts and a good option for women / girls for changing. We also checked that its quite safe, just take care of that cracks in the wooden doors and Rs.10/- will do all the things you need.
Washroom Toilet Bathroom Facilities : Shocked to see that till date government and local municipal authorities at lonavala have not made any arrangements for such nature calls. Yet we will like to update you with a small restaurant cum hotel called ‘manik moti’ which is exactly opposite Bhushi Dam which is one of the main attractions of Lonavala. Have some snacks here and visit the clean toilets to get fresh with all the nature calls. They even do not check if the person using the washroom gave them some business or not, that’s so nice. When we went we happily had some snacks even if we were not hungry with and extra tip for this service.
Car pay and park : Particularly at Bhushi Dam we found something annoying, a small and open pay and park facility operated by some private locals is charging Rs.100/- for you car, just not fare amount for parking car car in open ground with no other facilities. We have posted a photo of same here. Now this is not the case at other locations like Tiger Point, but we thought this an important note and should update every one who visits this location.
Must Eat and Enjoy : Now if you are a first timer at this picnic spot, you must enjoy the hot vada pav, corn bhajiyas, kanda bhaji (Friend Onion Recipe) and tea all the luxury, the small tent kind shops (Locally called ‘Tapari’) has all this for you, best part is when you are enjoying with your group and getting wet in Bhushi Dam, they serve you all this inside that wet zone.. and wow that lots of fun. Same way when you are at Tiger Point, you get option to eat ‘Bhutta’ (Rosted Corn) to enjoy with the foggy climate in monsoon . (Look at the picture gallery for more details).