Honeymoon in Lonavala, Maharashtra, India

The charming twin resorts of Lonavala and Khandala are a welcome break from the heat and crowd of Mumbai. Perched 600m above sea level on the western slopes of the Sahyadri range, they offer a cool, invigorating climate and are a pleasant weekend getaway. They are at their greenest best, during the monsoon, when the waterfalls gush down ravines and mists envelopes the valley.

HISTORY

The name Lonavala is derived from the Sanskrit lanavli, which means a city surrounded by caves. The Karla, Bhaja and Bedsa caves enclose Lonavala. These caves are believed to have been built by Buddhist monks, in the 2nd century BC. Built in the time of the Hinayana sect, during the rule of the Satavahanas, the caves were excavated for the Buddhist monks, who used to gather here during the monsoons.

FOOD

Tourists can savor traditional Indian, Marathi and western food in the hotels and restaurants across this small town. Lonavala is known for chikki, which is a local sweet.

SHOPPING

Wander through Lonavala's bazaar and look for Chikki and chiwda, for which the place is famous for. National Chikki Mart or Rupam or any other stores will provide you a variety of nut or seasame-seed filled chikki. Cooper's walnut and chocolate fudge and coconut burfi are another popular draw.

Cooper?s Chocolate Fudge and Coconut Barfi are legendary, get there early, and if you do not see a crowd outside the shop, it means that the stocks have finished.

ENTERTAINMENT

Some entertainment: Maharashtra Tourism provides courses in rock and fort climbing at Karla, 12 km from Lonavala. Tourists can enjoy scenic views of the surrounding hills and in the monsoon, with a myriad waterfalls, it can be enchanting.

Tiger's Leap: A sheer 650 m drop from the tip of a cliff. The view is stunning.

Mohatta's Zoo: (7 km from Lonavala) It has rare collection of birds and monkeys from Africa and South America.

Reversing Point / Sunset Point / Tungarli Lake: The first two are reputed for the panoramic vie they offer while the latter is a manmade reservoir suited for picnickers.

Khandala is especially beautiful during the monsoons: the clouds literally envelope the entire town. Look out onto the hills and you will notice a thousand waterfalls that gush from its sides and flow into ravines below.

At Lonavala, visit the Walvan and the Bushy dams. They are usually full during the monsoons and attract hordes of tourists.

LOCATION

Situated on the western slopes of the Sahyadri range, they offer a cool, invigorating climate.

By Air

The two nearest airports are at Pune (67km) and Mumbai (80km).

By Rail

The nearest railhead is Lonavala. Most Mumbai-Pune trains stop at Lonavala station. The Deccan Queen with its 2-hour run is the best bet. Local trains are available on the hour from Lonavala to Pune and back.

By Road

Lonavala is connected by good motor able roads to Pune, Bangalore and Mumbai. About 104km from Mumbai, Lonavala is on the Mumbai-Pune road. Taxis are available from Dadar TT Station in Mumbai and the journey takes 3-4 hours. Maharashtra state transport buses plying between Mumbai and Pune halt at Lonavala, so reaching there by bus can also be a great option.

CLIMATE

Lonavala enjoys a cool and pleasant invigorating climate all round the year. The summers are warm and salubrious, while the winters are cool and sunny.

Located 12 Km from town is this spectacular tourist place. The 12 Km stretches of road passes through sharp curves and hills. At the Lions point you can have a look of deep valleys and Ghatees. This particular large area is ground leveled and strongly fenced by Mr Ramesh Rajpurohit for tourist protection. You can stand very close to the edge and watch the nature's beauty and enjoy the pleasant and cool air.

For those who love adventure tourism Nagphani or Dukes Nose is the right choice. The place lies in Khandala. To reach here, it is suitable to catch the morning Sinhagadh Express and reach Khandala. After walking certain distance towards khopoli water electricity centre, one can see a rock oddly penetrated into the hill , that is Duke's Nose. If one come here at the end of the rainy season, Maharashtra's Everest "Kalsubai" is easily visible. A Mahadeva temple is newly built on Duke's Nose. But what is special about it are the pot holes. The pot hole structure is created because of water.

8 KM from railway station towards Mumbai you can see this beautiful place and enjoy the beauty of sharp hills and water falls. You can see only water in rainy seasons in all water falls. From the monkey point you can see the valley and the Pune Mumbai express way and its tunnels. With the help of a local guide you can see distance forts of great Maratha Hero Chatrapati Sivaji. You can also see beautiful houses of famous film personalities and film shooting spots. Spend some time inside the park enjoying the surrounding hills and dip valleys, you can also watch the speeding vehicles of the six lane expressway. At the monkey point be aware of monkeys and don't carry eatables openly. There is an entry fee of Rs 5 to the monkey point. Very near to the Monkey point is the sunset point.

Located 12 Km from town is this spectacular tourist place. The 12 Km stretches of road passes through sharp curves and hills. At the Lions point you can have a look of deep valleys and Ghatees. This particular large area is ground leveled and strongly fenced by Mr Ramesh Rajpurohit for tourist protection. You can stand very close to the edge and watch the nature's beauty and enjoy the pleasant and cool air.

Located close to the Monkey point ( 8 KM from railway station ) you can watch the sunset from here. You should match your timing to reach here in the afternoon so you can spend your time at Monkey point and see the sunset before returning. At the sunset point you can see expressway, rail and national highway at one place while watching the sun going behind the hills.

Rainy season gives a golden opportunity to the lovers of Bhushi Dam. With the arrival ofthe season lots of groups of fun lovers can be seen at the Bhushi Dam. When the dam is full with the rain water, it starts overflowing obviously. The place where this extra water is collected is made beautiful by building staircase like structure. Unfortunately even this place is not left aside by the tourist having a wrong impressions and definitions of fun. So another place called Sakhar Pathar is worth suggesting for real lovers of nature, which lies above the dam.

Within the town limit near Lonavala market the Ray Wood Park is one Km away from the railway station. This is a botanical garden which has now turned into a large picnic garden having large lawns, trees, cool shades specially a better place for lunch. The park is full of trees and wooden structures.