8 Popular Places to Visit in Lonavala on Your Weekend Getaway! Explore Famous Places to Visit in Lonavala Away From the City's Hustle and Bustle!
Here is a list of places to visit in Lonavala for a peaceful and relaxing getaway. Also, don't forget to check out budget-friendly hotels in Lonavala for a comfortable and convenient stay.
1. Tiger's Leap: Located 8 kms away from Lonavala, Tiger's Leap is a popular viewpoint. This clifftop resembling the shape of a tiger leaping into the valley, with a sheer drop of over 650 mts is famous for breathtaking sunrise and sunset views. Another highlight of the Tiger's Leap, is the echo point, where you can hear your voice bouncing back.
While looking for a stay near Tiger's Leap, you can book Treebo hotels in Lonavala near the viewpoint for a comfortable and relaxing experience.
2. Lohagad Fort: The famous places to visit in Lonavala include various forts that hold great significance in the course of the history of the region. One such important fort is Lohagad Fort, also known as 'Iron Fort', located at a height of 3,389 ft above sea level. The fort was under the rule of various rulers, including the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Yadavas, Bahmanis, Nizams, Mughals, and Marathas, which makes it an important site for history enthusiasts. While embarking on a 2-3 hour trek uphill, you get to witness the bounty of nature and historic Bhaja caves, making it a popular tourist attraction for nature lovers and adventure seekers.
The Treebo hotels near Lohagad Fort, Lonavala, are best-suited for travellers looking for affordable yet comfortable accommodation.
3. Visapur Fort: A popular hill fort near Visapur village close to Lonavala, Visapur Fort is one of the best weekend getaways from Mumbai and Pune. You can reach the fort by climbing the rocky hill for around 2-3 hours starting at Bhaje Village. Standing at a height of 1084 mts above sea level, it offers a panoramic view of the surroundings covered in lush greenery. For the best travelling experience, monsoon is the best time to visit the fort as the trek will be covered in thick greenery, brimming waterfalls and mist.
For a relaxing stay before and after the trek to the Visapur Fort, you can book Treebo hotels near Visapur Fort Lonavala, which are ideal for solo travellers, couples, groups of friends, family and business travellers.
4. Tungarli Lake: Along with the historic forts, Lonavala is also known for its sparkling lakes and dams. Tungarli Lake, formed due to the construction of Tungarli Dam in the Rajmachi region, is one of the famous places to visit in Lonavala for camping and picnics. You can enjoy a relaxing time by the lake and admire the mesmerising views of the city, or take leisure walks and short treks to the Tungarli Dam.
You can look for hotels in Lonavala near Tungarli Lake to enjoy easy accessibility to the lake.
5. Lonavala Lake: Another famous lake located around 1.6 kms away from the city centre is the Lonavala Lake. It is a popular site for food hopping, birdwatching, swimming and angling and is a base camp for famous treks to Tiger Point, Lion Point and Aamby Valley. The beauty of the lake is at its best during and post monsoon season when you can enjoy the views of flowers, grazing animals and lush greenery.
There are numerous Treebo hotels in Lonavala offering travel desk facilities to help you explore the city in the best possible way.
6. Rajmachi: If you wish to experience the culture and tradition of the region, then Rajmachi is the perfect place for you. It is a small village situated in the Sahyadri mountains near Lonavala and is famous for two forts, including Shrivardhan Fort and Manaranjan Fort. Ruled by the famous rulers like Shivaji Maharaj, Emperor Aurangzeb, Shahu Maharaj and the British, the village holds significance for history enthusiasts. To reach the village, you can either trek for 3-4 hours starting from the Kondhane caves or drive to the village from Lonavala. From the village, the forts are just a 20-30 minute trek away.
Numerous Treebo hotels near Rajmachi Point, Lonavala, offer private cab facilities to help you explore the places to visit in Lonavala at your leisure.
7. Karla Caves: The ancient Buddhist rock-cut caves, Karla Caves, are one of the most famous tourist places in Lonavala, attracting a large number of history enthusiasts, devotees and nature lovers. The caves, also known as Karli Caves, Karle Caves or Karla Cell and are known to be one of the oldest Buddhist cave shrines in India, which is believed to have been built around the 2nd century BC. It houses one of the largest Chaityas (prayer hall with a stupa) in India and the Ekvira Temple dedicated to Goddess Ekveera.
To reach the caves, you have to climb around 350 steps from the base hill or 200 steps from the car park around halfway up the hill. You can book a stay at hotels near Karla Caves, Lonavala, offering private cab facilities for a convenient travel towards the caves and other tourist attractions in the city.
8. Bhushi Dam: One of the significant dams built on the Indrayani River in Lonavala, Bhushi Dam is a must-visit destination, especially during the monsoon season. The water in the dam overflows during the season, creating a sort of waterfall which flows through the steps of the dam and then the rocky terrain, making it a breathtaking sight to behold. It is also a perfect spot to enjoy picnics and spend relaxing time with your loved ones.
If you are looking for a family-friendly stay in the city, then Treebo hotels near Bhushi Dam Lonavala offer a home-like experience to the guests by offering them modern amenities and complimentary services like breakfast, Wifi and toiletries.
Thus, the places to visit in Lonavala not only offer an escape from the city chaos but also offer an insight into the rich heritage of the region. So, whether you are a nature lover, a history enthusiast or an adventure seeker, these places are perfect for you. Moreover, for the ideal accommodation, you can easily find numerous Treebo hotels in Lonavala, which you can directly book from Treebo Club's website or app.
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Their architectural visions were not mere constructions but cosmic declarations, each temple a testament to power, piety, and profound cultural exchange. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the Brihadeeswara temple. Mandlik takes you to the court of Rajaraja Chola, where a group of sea-faring traders return from Cambodia after a profitable trip. The merchants complain about being robbed by the navy of the Cheras of Kerala and presented the king with a golden miniature replica of a Hindu temple built in Cambodia and sang its praises. Rajaraja had been thinking of making a grand temple, and seeing the miniature stirs something deep inside him. He had dreams of building a magnificent temple and, thus, begins the saga of Brihadeeswara — a temple that would take years, weather palace and family intrigues and eventually stand as a monumental embodiment of that vision and sacred grandeur. Everyone talks about its towering vimana and grandeur. 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To which, the architect quipped: 'Forget the temple, even its shadow won't fall on the ground.' This conversation between the king and his architect became a legend that has endured. Sometimes, legends endure because we need them to. In later chapters, Mandlik travels to Angkor Wat, where the visual poetry of the Mahabharata and Ramayana is carved into stone. But she doesn't stop there, she also explores the Buddhist Bayon temple, which is not Hindu but is still included in her list for its symbolic connection to Mount Meru. advetisement The Bayon was at one time also converted into a Hindu temple. Its carvings still reflect the shared motifs and deities of Hindu cosmology. On a side note, 'meru' in Sanskrit means 'high" and the 'Sumeru Throne" is a common feature in Chinese pagodas. Mahameru, the sacred five-peaked mountain, is central to Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmologies, and is imagined as the axis of the universe — the abode of Brahma and the celestial realm. While modern academics often dissect Hinduism and Buddhism with surgical precision, I applauded Mandlik's inclusion of Bayon because it reminds us that the origins of both practices were, for centuries, entwined, and still are. Coming back to the book, it has been written with affection not abstraction. It preserves the bhaav, the emotion of faith, while offering rich historical and architectural context and massive amounts of data. The anecdotes are compelling, the research strong, and the writing warm and accessible. The book is interspersed with full-page photographs and you feel like you are standing in the mandapas, touching the cool stone hearing the distant rhythm of temple drums. advetisement top videos View All If you ever plan to visit these temples, carry this book along. It is better than any guidebook. Even if you're not planning a trip anytime soon, read it anyway. Because this is time travel. This is devotion, dynasty, and drama, and I wish history was taught like this in school. When you finish the book, I guarantee goosebumps and a warm feeling at the sheer magnificence of the architecture and the wonder that was Bharat. (The writer is a lawyer, author and founder of YogaSmith, whose next book, 'Dharma Ecology of Bishnoi Warriors', will be out in July. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views) tags : hindu temples Hinduism religion Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 30, 2025, 07:00 IST News opinion Book Review | 'Dynasties of Devotion': All About Forgotten Whispers Beneath Temple Spires
