A road trip to the escapist city - Lonavala

Hill station near Pune district of Maharashtra at the height of 2,047 feet from sea level and sprawling over 38 km square of land, falls in between the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, lonavala being the jewel of Sahayadri mountains offers the perfect retreat to the city dwellers through its serenity and peaceful atmosphere, be it those vivid and picturesque lakes, cliff-tops, eluding caves, or magnificent forts. Some of must visit places includes Lonavala Lake, Bhushi Dam, Duke’s Nose, Tiger’s Leap, Rajmachi Point, Lohagad and Visapur fort.

We started off from Pune to Lonavala via expressway with no clear destinations in head. We were so in love with the journey itself that we thought no more about setting a foot. The road, sky, weather, trees, clouds were truly a feast for the eyes. It was one of the most beautiful road trips I have had.

The scenic landscape surrounding the lake makes it a perfect place to relax and rejuvenate. It was so amazing to just sit back, relax and feel the nature and its beauty. How can one not remember Lord Byron’s famous lines while beholding such a spellbound sight of nature - “There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, there is a rapture on the lonely shore, there is society, where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more”

For lunch, we decided to go for German Bakery. Ambience was good. The food was satisfactory but not particularly good. We were then just hovering around as we were totally in love with the thoroughfare. While roaming over, we all of a sudden witnessed a multi-colored arc made by light striking water droplets through the mist- A Rainbow. It was like a graffiti made by God decorated with wisps of white-edged clouds gleaming with rosy glow by the shining sunlight.

Finally, this is where we reached and it was a great fun as water flows from man made stairs and thereby, forming a waterfall. It was pleasant and rejuvenating. It is worth going only in monsoons.

Tiger's Leap is a cliff-top with a sheer drop of over 650m with a brief steep descent, the fall becomes a stream with a fair amount of force to go all the way down to the base of the Tiger's Leap. Breath-taking and panoramic views of Valley and hills nearby left me ineffable. Yet if I put it words of Sylvia Plath I would say - “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, "This is what it is to be happy.”

Making a visit to Lonavala and not having Fudge and Chikki is unseemly. So, we stopped at Cooper’s Fudges & Chikki (one of the best) and had Walnut Chocolate Fudge and Chikki for our way back. It was a great feeling in itself to be quite alone with the heaven. The encapsulated small water falls, extensive view and beautiful roads makes it a crema de la crème weekend getaway.