4 Top Hill Stations near Pune, India

Pune is a traveller's paradise. Be it the glitzy city life or the ancient ruins of nature's bounty or the vibrant nightlife or the verities of food, you have it all in Pune to quench your quest. Having taken a walk through the Best Historical places in Pune already in our Travel Blog, it is only apt to be mesmerized by the top hill stations near Pune. From Pune, when I along with my friends boarded the train to Lonavala, I never knew I was going to visit one of the top hill stations near Pune. Among the many hill stations in and around Pune, a few of them are top spots to visit.

Lonavala

Certainly, this hilltop should be the first in the list as one of the top hill stations near Pune. Being part of Sahyadri hills, you are sure to be amazed by the beauty of this hilly region in every step you climb up.

You don't have to be a hiker or trekking enthusiast to enjoy a day or two at the scenically enchanting location. With multiple waterfalls and lakes, and the recurrent drizzles, you would certainly love ambling around and to top of the hill.

Besides that, you can keep yourself amused by the caves, Water Park, Lonavala Lake or Bushu dam, forts, or ancient temples in the region. Families often visit the region. If you can spend two days in the town, Lonavala has a lot to fill your memory book. Finally, while in Lonavala never miss the local delicacy, chikki, which is a crunchy-nutty-jaggery sweet item.

Matheran

Matheran Hill is popular for being the only automobile free hill station in Asia.

Several exhilarating activities await you at this mini-hill station. Besides enjoying the panoramic view, you can plan trekking, rock-climbing or camping in the allotted spots. Visiting the waterfalls, caves and forts in the region is exciting too, no doubt it is one of the top hill stations near Pune.

The location is more suitable for a weekend getaway to relax and within a day you can wrap up to return unless of course, you wish to camp for long hours. 

Khandala

Since it is not a crowded tourist spot comparatively, you can enjoy the ambiance at a relaxed pace. You have the option of visiting lakes and waterfalls, forts, and temples at Khandala. It is one of the best and top hill stations near Pune.

Prominent spots to visit include Bedsa Caves, Lohagad Fort, Kune Waterfalls, The Bhaja and Karla Caves, Lion's Point and Rajmachi Fort among many others.

Khandala can keep you occupied for 1-2 days.

Mahabaleshwar

Okay, the place is a bit far away from Pune – nearly three hour's drive – and is in Satara district. Yet, I thought to include it in the list because Mahabaleshwar is one of the top hill stations near Pune for travelers of all age groups and expectations.

During British rule, Mahabaleshwar used to be the capital of the then Bombay. My favorite memory of this location remains etched with the fresh strawberries I got to relish. The joy of picking the fresh berry fruits was a first-of-its-kind experience for me back then.

Obviously, Mahabaleshwar is not just about strawberry gardens and jam factories – well yes, you get to visit jam and jelly manufacturing units on your way. A plethora of sights and activities await you within a radius of 20 KMs in the locality if you have 2-3 days to spend.

Venna Lake is one of the major tourist attractions where you can enjoy a boat ride or ride a horse around in the vicinity.

Being a hilltop region, there are several viewpoint spots that you can include in the list of places to visit. Arthur's seat and Wilson Point are viewpoints to watch the valleys of Brahma-Arayana, the Savitri River and wide sceneries. You can also move to Helen's point, Lodwick Point, Elphinstone Point, Gavalani Point, and North Coat Point.

Visiting Shivsagar dam, Pratapgarh Fort and Koyna valley can be exciting too. The Morarji Castle built in the British era can enlighten history lovers and the view from there is soothing too. Panch Ganga Temple and Roman Catholic Church in Mahabaleshwar are the two popular religious attractions from the bygone era.

Lingmala Waterfall, Dhobi Waterfall, and Chinamans waterfalls are the three waterfalls you would enjoy visiting among many other waterfalls in the region.

Driving to the exotic Panchgani which is nearly 20 KMs away from Mahabaleshwar is totally worth it. On the way, you can stop at the below spots too.

You shouldn't miss visiting Mapro Garden especially if you are with your family. It is a food processing company where you can sample-taste and shop processed food items like jam, jelly, honey, etc.

Nature at the hilltop shouldn't be boring. But for a change, you can easily spend a few hours in Velocity Entertainmentz, an amusement park with a number of indoor and outdoor games to suit every age group.

Best Time to Visit the Hill Stations near Pune

Being hill stations you are guaranteed to have a pleasant time throughout the year. However, July-Feb would offer you much greener pastures after the rains and colder climate.

How to reach the Hill Stations near Pune

Lonavala and Khandala can be accessed from the Lonavala railway station itself while Neral junction is the nearest railway station to Matheran. To reach Mahabaleshwar, Wathar is the nearest railways station.

The nearest international airport is situated at Pune.

All these locations are well connected by road from Pune or Mumbai.

Monsoon is coming; the top hill stations near Pune could very well be in your travel schedule.