Khandala along with its twin hill station Lonavala is known for its serene beauty.

Khandala is a beautiful hill station located in the Western ghats of Maharashtra. This hill station is placed on the top of Bhor ghat and is very strategically located. Due to this, several dynasties have ruled over this place over a period of time – the Yadavas, Mughals and the Marathas.

The elevation of this hill station if 550 m above sea level. This hill station was first discovered by Lord Elphinstone in 1871, who was then the governor of Bombay Presidency.

Due to the ease of accessibility Khandala has become a popular weekend getaway for nature lovers (majorly from Mumbai and Pune). The area is very well connected by road and railways. The Mumbai – Pune expressway passes through this region.

The nearest railway station is Lonavala, which lies on the major railway routes. Khandala is located 12 km from Khopoli, 63 kms from Pune and 107 kms from Mumbai. You can visit Khandala all year round as the climate is very pleasant here, but the peak period to visit Khandala is monsoon followed by winters.

A road trip to Khandala in monsoon is a must-do activity as the route will offer the best views of nature with beautiful waterfalls and lush green mountains and valleys. This is one of the best places to enjoy the season of showers.

This hill station has some good restaurants and resorts that will offer a delicious and warm food to have in the rains along with the best view of the surrounding valley. Roasted corn, Vada pav and bhaji is best combined with the drizzle and the cold breeze here. The various points at the hill station offers different and mesmerizing views of the valley.

Tiger’s leap – one of the points to view the valley; if observed carefully appears as if the tiger is leaping into the valley. Amrutanjan point offers a wonderful view of the Duke’s nose. Duke’s nose also popularly known as “Nagfani” (meaning Cobra head), is named after Duke of Wellington, whose pointed nose resembled this cliff. This place is very popular amongst the adventurers for hiking, rock climbing, and valley crossing.

The chaitya style Karla and Bhaja caves are ancient Buddhist rock-cut caves situated 16 kms from Khandala. The Bhusi lake in Khandala with is crystal clear water is the best place to relax in the lap of mother nature. Rajmachi garden and the Rajmachi viewpoint offers the best of the best view of the Mumbai-Pune expressway from the top.

Other major tourist attractions are Khandala lake, Khandala ghat viewpoint, Khandala sunset point, Kune waterfalls, Bhor ghat,etc. Hiking and trekking on nearby hills and forts is also a popular activity here