Here's How You Can Have An Amazing One-Day Trip To Lonavala

The drive to Lonavala is a trip on its own, to be honest. Early morning is the best time to start the journey as you can skip the traffic which comes later. Once you get out of traffic and hit the highway, it’s all about looking out the window and breathing in the fresh air.

P.S: If you're already hungry, there are a couple of thelas on the highway where you can enjoy amazing chai, poha and pakoras. It's low-key but is full of authentic flavors and spices. You can also stop at Shree Datta Snacks Corner where you can gorge on poha and piping hot batata vada followed by tea for breakfast. Pair it with red chutney or with fried green chilly. 

If not that, you can stop by the food court too.

Google ratings: 4.1/5 out of 13629 ratings

Best Time To Visit: Anytime

Mornings are the best time to trek in Lonavala or explore a fort. Head to Karla Caves, a Buddhist rock-cut cave shrine located in Karli. You’ll need to climb steps and there are small hills in the vicinity. Characterized by large horseshoe-shaped windows lighting the interiors, the caves have vaulted interiors and attract tourists in hoards. It’s better to reach this attraction early. Note, that it's approximately 10 km away from Lonavala, so make sure you map it correctly. 

Other Popular Places For Trekking In Lonavala: Lohagad Fort, Visapur Fort, Rajmachi, Duke's Nose, Tikona Fort, Bhimashankar. 

Google ratings: 4.4/5 out of 28031 ratings

Best Time To Visit: Mornings for the best views. 

Tucked away in the old Mumbai-Pune highway a bright red door reading Mapro Garden welcomes you in. A lot like the one in Mahabaleshwar, this Mapro garden too has got amazing strawberry themed decor, lots of greens and huge space allotted for Mapro products. Spend a good one hour exploring the garden, shopping for jams, chocolates, syrups, and taking endless images. Once done you can enjoy an amazing lunch here. For those who aren't aware, Mapro Garden serves heavenly wood-fired pizzas.

Must-Have: Italian Delight Pizza, Classic Sandwich, Fresh Strawberry ice-cream, Thick shakes.

Shell Out: INR 1,000 for two

Google ratings: 4.2/5 out of 24956 ratings

Best Time To Visit: Spring for the best strawberries otherwise lunch-time in all seasons. 

Never thought you’d live to see a Jurassic Park in India? Well, brace yourself because there's an amazing dinosaur-theme park right here in Lonavala called Dinosaur Park. Sprawling across a whopping 6.5 acres of land, this amusement park consists of animatronic dinosaurs, games and events themed around dinosaurs. 

P.S: Note that it's little ahead of Lonavala (near the Pawna dam), so plan your route accordingly. 

Entry Fees: INR 200 for adults; free for kids below four years of age

Google ratings: 3.6/5 out of 4584 ratings

Best Time To Visit: All year round!

A zillion boards of Maganlal Chikki, local spice markets and tiny food joints - welcome to the super busy Lonavala market. While there's not a lot to shop for in Lonavala, you can always fill up your bags with chikki from Maganlal and the iconic chocolate fudge from Cooper's. Up for some evening snack? We'd highly highly recommend munching on wada pav, pakoras and samosas from Golden Vada Pav. Located at the heart of the market, this one's easy to spot. Thanks to a huge number of foodies lining up outside the tiny shop. 

Google ratings: 4.4/5 out of 836 ratings

Best Time To Visit: All year round!

You can end your trip inside Lonavala with a cup of chai at Jay Shiv Shankar Tea House. We hear the locals swear by this place, and it apparently serves around 20 varieties of tea. We really loved the lemon tea with honey and mint. For those who love milk, the kesari ukala, which they highly recommend, is one of the best things on their menu. A special cutting chai comes for INR 10 and the most expensive (if you can call it that) item on their menu is the ice tea which comes for INR 30. 

Shell Out: INR 10 onward

Google ratings: 4/5 out of 90 ratings

Best Time To Visit: Evenings

The highway is blessed with some really amazing Dhabas that whip up hot and delicious butter chicken, dal makhani, buttery naans, kebabs, and so much more. While heading back to Mumbai, we'd suggest that you dine at a dhaba instead of a fancy restaurant or cafe. Sunny Da Dhaba and Kinara Village Dhaba are our favorites! 

Shell Out: INR 1,200 onward for two 

Google ratings: 3.9/5 out of 7838 ratings

Best Time To Visit: All year round for dinner

If you love something thrilling and adventurous, Della is the place to be. Packed with activities like zorbing, zip-lining, rock-climbing, ATV rides and more, this place will fill out your day with loads of activities that they have. If you're in a group we'd suggest definitely heading here as their activities become even more fun with friends, such as paintball and ATV rides but either way do take out at least 5-6 hours to completely enjoy the adventures at Della. Since this is slightly more on the outskirts of Lonavala, it is a short drive from the centre of town. 

Google ratings: 4.3/5 out of 13629 ratings

Best Time To Visit: Anytime except monsoon to avoid closures of activity due to weather.

If you're visiting in the monsoon, you must head here to enjoy some overflowing water and hot corn cobs or vada pav. Pick up your windcheaters and bring a change of clothes as you will surely get drenched, but remember to not go in the places that are off limits as they are unsafe. Ever since they have revamped the area, it has become much more picturesque and beautiful, and they even have a small park you can go through as you get to the main dam. 

Google ratings: 4.2/5 out of 3350 ratings 

Best Time To Visit: Start of monsoon to avoid too much crowd. 

More popularly known as Tiger Point in Lonavala, this point is situated on a hilltop where you can view sunrise and sunset through a beautiful misty fog as you enjoy a hot cup of tea with some pakoras or Maggi. There isn't anything exclusively special about the place, which is what makes this simple place worth a visit. They have some huts here in case it rains and a viewpoint where you can avoid the crowds to snap the perfect pictures you like. 

Google ratings: 4.4/5 out of 18510 ratings

Best Time To Visit: Sunrise or sunset

Every time I have visited Lonavala, I have made it a point to go to this Gujrati Bhojjnalaya where you can savour some of the most delicious Gujrati cuisine ever. They have a thali system where you can get unlimited food from the buffet laid out and the cost is INR 150 per person. We'd suggest calling in advance for booking as they make the food accordingly and there is always loads of rush here. One thing you cannot miss here though is their chaas (buttermilk), which is cooling, minty, perfectly rich in texture, and unlimited!

Google ratings: 4.4/5 out of 1293 ratings

Best Time To Visit: Lunchtime