Lonawala & Panchgani

Lonavla or Lonavala is a town and a hill station Municipal Council in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is about 64 km away from the city of Pune, 96 km away from the city of Mumbai and 340 km from the city of Surat. Lonavala is also known as “City of Caves”. It is blessed with lush green valleys and pleasant atmosphere throughout the year. Lonavala comes to life during the monsoon season as the countryside turns lush green with waterfalls and ponds. Lonavala offers a panoramic view of the lush green hills of the Sahyadri ranges.

Lonavala is also a major stop on the rail line connecting Mumbai and Pune. From Mumbai suburbs, local trains are available from Karjat. It is also an important town on the Mumbai-Pune road link. Both the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as well as the Mumbai-Chennai highway pass through Lonavla. As of 2001 India census, Lonavala had a population of around 50K. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Lonavala has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 69%. In Lonavla, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.