Located in the sylvan hills of the Western Ghats, Lonavala is one of the most sought after hill stations in India. Well connected with the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai and Pune through the Pune-Mumbai Express Highway as well as the old Mumbai-Pune highway ,it is about 94 kms away from Mumbai and about 64 km away from Pune. Known for its picturesque beauty and gushing waterfalls in the Monsoon, Lonavala also has some Buddhist caves for those interested in history. This place is very popular for chikki, a local candy.
Best For:
Trekking and hiking
Exploring Buddhist rock cut caves of Bhaja and Karla
Buying chikki a hard candy made with jaggery and other flavored ingredients.
Lonavala was first discovered by then Governor of Bombay, Sir Elphinstone in 1811. It derives it’s name from the Sanskrit word "Layan" which means a place to rest. Back in ancient history Lonavala was the center of Buddhist monks and their meditations. Lonavala is surrounded by old Buddhist caves of Bhaja and Karla. The existence of the Karla caves can be dated back to 160 B C and is the site of the largest chaitya Caves (shrines). The Bhaja caves are thought to date back around 200 BC.
Temperature in Lonavala ranges from 12.6 to 35.8 °C . Summer (April-June) is mild, while winter is cool (November-February). This place experiences heavy southwestern monsoon rains between June and September.
The best time to visit Lonavala is October to May, when the weather is generally dry. However there is always some amount of rain in other months as well, and it is recommended that you carry you rain kit with you
One should carry Indian currency to Lonavala. Money can be exchanged in Mumbai or Pune. There are currency exchange counters at both Mumbai airport and Pune Airport as well as in many city banks.
Many hotels accept Visa and Mastercard. American Express is accepted in very few places. There are a few ATMs around the town but still advisable to carry Indian Rupees.
No permits are required to travel to Lonavala, other than a visa for India.
There is no Airport in Lonavala.The 2 major Airports connecting Lonavala by air are Pune Airport and Mumbai Airport.
Forts:
* Rajmachi Fort
* Manoranjan Fort
* Shrivardhan fort
* Visapur Fort
* Lohagad Fort
* Tunga Fort
Ancient Buddhist Caves:
* Karla Caves
* Bhaja Caves
* Bedsa Caves
* Lakes and dams
* Pavna Lake
* Lonavala Lake
* Tungarli Lake
* Valvan Lake
Viewpoints:
* Sunset Point
* Lions Points
* Rajmachi Point or Monkey point
* Dukes Nose
Where To Eat :
The place offers a plethora of choices to the tourists with most of the hotels offering traditional Indian meals. However, while there you must try the Maharashtrian food too served in a lot of places. Few Dhabas can also be traced with some lip smacking hot food.
Where To Stay:
There are a lot of options here to suit all pockets. One can either choose from luxury hotels or budget hotels Most of the hotels give a beautiful view of the valley. Being a major tourist place, one would comfortably find accommodation. However, online reservation can always be made in advance to be on the safe side.
It is not advisable to venture out on a holiday to Lonavala from September to February because of the heavy rainfall. Being a major tourist attractions, the place still has to improvise in order to provide basic amenities like Public toilets, Public telephones, ATMs., as most the of these are available only in the town further away from most of the tourist spots.
