Luring Lonavala

Tripoto
4th Jul 2015
Photo of Luring Lonavala by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Luring Lonavala by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Luring Lonavala by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Luring Lonavala by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Luring Lonavala by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Luring Lonavala by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Luring Lonavala by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Luring Lonavala by The Wandering Wolf

DAY 1: After a series of discussions it was finally fixed to have a road trip towards Lonavala just to enjoy the monsoon. I was given the responsibility of the being the navigator as I was the only one who likes to travel compared to the rest of group members.

We got a car from one of our roomie and we were off to Lonavala – took the Sion Panvel expressway. We were total of 6. It was a dream ride, as most of our plans for road trip had got cancelled many a times before for some unrealistic reasons. We bought some snacks for the road and we all paid 2000 each in advance to one person keeping in mind the unavoidable costs like fuel, toll, room charges and food (optional).

Photo of Luring Lonavala 1/7 by The Wandering Wolf

Photo of Luring Lonavala 2/7 by The Wandering Wolf

Later we took the Mumbai Pune Expressway, GOSH!! It was just amazing driving on the butter like road of expressway. Rider’s paradise it was. So beautiful, hills on the either sides of infinite number of waterfalls due to the rains. After 2 hours of driving and pit stops here and there to check out the view we were finally in Lonavala. We checked into SURYA RESORTS, which was on the Old Mumbai Pune expressway, very close to the city. It was good, worth the price considering the 6 of us, charged us Rs.5000 for a night.

Photo of Luring Lonavala 3/7 by The Wandering WolfPhoto of Luring Lonavala 4/7 by The Wandering Wolf

After this we headed to BUSHI DAM, then we were supposed to head to Tigers point, but due to lack of parking space we took a drive to AAMBY VALLEY. We weren’t allowed in as we didn't have any passes. So we just drove back and stopped in between, just to watch the TUNG FORT, which wasn’t clearly visible but was worth watching. Had fun by the side of the road. Later we drove back to LION POINT, it was beautiful and then to TIGER’S POINT. And we were back to room as most of our cell phones didn't have enough battery power left.

Photo of Luring Lonavala 5/7 by The Wandering Wolf

It was already 10 PM, when one of our friend had an idea (Not sure whether it was a good or a stupidest idea), which was to drive to Pune City from Lonavala. And everyone of fine with it, so filled our car with gas and we were on the Expressway again. It was 55Km drive to Pune. After approx. 2 hours of drive we were in Pune, we did nothing but drove on the highway, stopped at the SHANIWAR WADA FORT, which was closed at that time, we stopped at the bridge opposite to it, and had some Pint and in no time we were back on road to Lonavala. Around 1 AM we were back in our room.

DAY 2:  We were supposed to head to Lohagad FORT, so around 10 (i.e. after having breakfast and filling fuel in our Car) we were off to Lohagad Fort trek with GPS in our hand. With several turns, ups and downs on the way we were just 3 KM away from the fort. But the road started to steeper so we had to head to PAWNA LAKE which nearby to the fort. It resembled Pong Lake of Himachal Pradesh where 3 idiots was shot. Beauty at its best, with completely deserted.   So gracefully it was flowing around the Hill on all the sides. Crystal clear water, some guys were fishing on the either side of the bank. It was just worth it, and thanked ourselves for taking that detour. And after few mins we were back to lohagad fort trek (Which I’ve described in another itinerary)

Photo of Luring Lonavala 6/7 by The Wandering WolfPhoto of Luring Lonavala 7/7 by The Wandering Wolf

If you love to drive and wanna get a hangover coz of driving. drive through Mumbai Pune expressway. If driving towards Lonavala you'll have to pay Rs.117 for toll, 35 at Vashi toll and so on. It's like driving on butter, so smooth, but be careful while driving, over speed may lead to accidents. Apart from this, the scenic beauty was awesome. Hills, greenery and waterfalls..... awesome. take a long drive on it, you'll love it. In short, just the place who loves to drive.

Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Sector 6, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Very close to city, best time to visit during monsoon. When we reached there, it was beautiful, water was flowing on the steps, dam was filled with water and people were having a swim. Even one of our friend took a dip. I only wished to learn swimming so that even i could've taken a dip. Dam is located around the flora and fauna of Lonavala. hill tops and waterfalls. Just a beautiful sight. Cool breeze touching the skin was just giving me goose bumps. In short, just a place who likes to swim on open surface
Photo of Bushi Dam, Pune, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Bushi Dam, Pune, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Bushi Dam, Pune, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Bushi Dam, Pune, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
It's right next to the Tiger Point. But it's better than the latter. It's beautiful, less secured and less crowded. By less secured I mean, there's no fences around and one should be very careful. But the wind blows like anything over there and you can sit there for hours and hours without realizing the time passing by. Wear proper shoes while going down to the point as there are many glass pieces on the way, through by the uncivilized tourist and alcoholics. In short, a place meant to enjoy the nature with complete solitudness.
Photo of Lion Point, Hudco Colony, Lonavala, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Lion Point, Hudco Colony, Lonavala, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Lion Point, Hudco Colony, Lonavala, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Lion Point, Hudco Colony, Lonavala, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Lion Point, Hudco Colony, Lonavala, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Felt like I was standing in front of pong lake of Himachal Pradesh. So calm. Beautiful and most importantly it was very clean and was deserted. So it was a good thing for me. We were supposed to go to Lohagad fort, but due to the steep road we had to improvise and headed to PAWNA LAKE. It has its own unique way of attraction. Located around in a valley, so cool water and the background was just beautiful.
Photo of Pawna Lake, Pune, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Pawna Lake, Pune, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Pawna Lake, Pune, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Photo of Pawna Lake, Pune, Maharashtra, India by The Wandering Wolf
Quite similar to lions point. only it's ssecured by the fences around it. Very crowded and tourist litter everywhere. But view is good. you can won't get peace of mind over here.