subject: Weekend Getaways Near Mumbai - Lonavala And Khandala [print this page] Lonavala and Khandala are hill stations situated in Maharashtra about 90km away from the city of Mumbai and 65 km away from Pune City, both are easily accessible by road and by train from both Mumbai and Pune, which are one of the nearest locations. The town Khandala was mentioned in a popular song from the Hindi film Ghulam named "Aati kya Khandala?"
Lonavala is filled with valleys, hills, Waterfalls, Lush Greenery and pleasant cool winds. Early mornings there is thick blanket of fog; this is how the day begins at these hill stations.
Khandala is adjacent to Lonavala. It is comparatively small to Lonavala, but is as well filled with natural beauty. Deep valley on one side and high hills on the other side divide Khandala and Lonavala. Tourists who visit Lonavala also wish to visit Khandala.
The hill stations are very popular during the monsoon season in India, which starts from June and ends in September. Bushy dam is a popular spot for tourists in Monsoon. One should avoid swimming in the dam itself as deaths reported every year from this place.
Kumar Resort and Water Park is a very good location if you are visiting the hill station in summer and the temperatures are very high. You can visit the Water Park without having to stay at the resort; there is an entry free just to visit the Water Park. The attractions at this Water Park are pretty exciting even though the park is not big as compared to WaterKingdom in Mumbai.
Lonavla is famous for its Chikkis. People come in huge numbers to the stores to buy Chikki, Fudges and other savories of different varieties.
Visiting Lonavala and Khandala in a group with car or motorbikes is really worth it. One could take brakes and as well have food at the dhabas, which come along the way if you are coming from Mumbai. Many people stop at Panvel to have tasty wada pav on their way and back from Lonvala and Khandala. There are other modes of transport as well available. For train travelers, plenty of options exist depending on one's convenience- Intercity Express, Koyna Express, Deccan Express, Indrayani Express etc.
A lot of people have started buying homes at these hill stations, which are primarily second homes or vacation homes. Since lonavla is close to Mumbai and also is a beautiful place where anyone from Mumbai can go on a weekend and relax away from the traffic primarily led to many developers building properties in Lonavla.
