Lonavala - Khandala, Maharashtra

Locate : Situated at a distance of 104 km from Mumbai and 66km from Pune is Lonavala in Maharashtra, India
Touring Seasons : Throughout the year. The climate is best especially during the Monsoon.

Lonavala & Khandala
Lonavala and Khandala are two pleasant little hill stations of Maharashtra in India.

On the western slopes of the Sahyadris, 5 km apart, the straddle of Mumbai-Pune highway at an altitude of 625 m. Lonavala - Khandala is very popular as health resorts and visited by numerous tourists from all across the world through out the year. There are a number of sanatoria dotting the hills in both towns.

Khandala is smaller and the quieter of the two. Both Lonavala & Khandala offers scenic views of the hills surrounding them. The monsoon, with appealing waterfalls is very enchanting at these hill resorts of Maharashtra.

Accessibility
Airlines : Pune, 66 kms. away from Lonavala, is the nearest airport.

Rail Lines : All trains from Mumbai to Pune and the South stop at Lonavala.

Bus Lines : Mumbai is 104 kms. away by road, the last 20 kms. of which wind up the ghats through gruelling switchbacks. State Transport buses regularly ply from Mumbai and Pune.

Lodging in Lonavala & Khandala
Accommodation is not a problem here, as tourist keep on coming through out the year. The MTDC runs a resort at Karla and another at Rye Woods, Lonavala. Both the hill resorts have numerous hotels, to suit each visitor's pocket.

Charming Spots near Lonavala & Khandala
The main attraction for coming to Lonavala is the sequence of great caves - like Bhoja (2nd century B.C.), continuing with Bedsa (1st century B.C.) and last but not the least Karla.

Bhaja
Here one can gaze across to the impressive fort of Lohagarh or gaze up to the forbidding heights of Vishapur. There are numerous caves and monasteries, worth a visit.

Bedsa
Bedsa is also near Lonavala. It lies north of the Pawan Dam. Bedsa can be reached from Kamshet (there is a railway station here) by bus or auto-rickshaw. From Bedsa the hike uphill is 3 km. This is also a beautiful place with many caves structures, one should visit.

Karla
Karla, about 12 km from Lonavala, is the site of the largest Chaitya caves in India, built in 80 B.C. Among the best-preserved Buddhist temples in India, they represent the acme, in terms of purity of design of this style of temple architecture.

Lonavala Lake
A visit to Lonavala Lake or Bushi lake, one and a half km from the town is an enthralling experience. An excursion to Tungauli Lake and later to Rajmachi fort, used by the Maratha warrior Shivaji in his various exploits is worth visiting.