Khandala Transportation

Khandala is a little bit to the south-east of Mumbai.

All trains from Mumbai to Pune, (or further South), stop at Lonavla, which is 5 kms from Khandala. These include the Shatabdi Express, the Deccan Queen, the Indrayani Express, the Udayan Express, and the Sahayadri Express. This journey takes about 3 hours, and costs within Rs. 100 for second class and within Rs. 700 for an air-conditioned chair car / executive class.

The trains are quite primitive and I remember vendors entering the train at every station with different eatables, whether tea, coffee, soft drinks, chips and sandwiches, etc.

The railway lines pass through at least twenty tunnels cut into the basaltic rock, an experience of a lifetime.

Take a taxi to get to Khandala from Lonavla.

Khandala is connected to Mumbai and Pune by road winding uphill with scenic views as you drive along. It takes about 1.5 hours to get to Mumbai from Khandala (just over 100 kms), depending on the speed you are at and a little under 1 hour to Pune which is about 65 kms away.

Drive carefully during the monsoons.

Hiring a vehicle from Mumbai to drive yourself shouldn't be a hassle.

Taxis can be hired from Bombay (Dadar TT - connected to the central and western train lines) or Pune to get to Khandala. The approximate fares range from Rs. 50 (sharing) to Rs. 200+

State Transport runs S.T. buses, Asiad, Deluxe and A/C Deluxe buses from Dadar T.T. in Bombay to Pune at regular interval of 15 minutes.

The S.T. buses might not be recommended if u don't wanna get down to rough living. The shock absorbers are non-existant, so the ride could be more than a little bumpy, there isn't usually any sort of reservation of seats, due to which it could be on a first-come-first-serve basis and sometimes the buses are crowded so you could have a plethora of experiences. Try it and hope for the best.

There are also a lot of private bus operators offering bus services both from Pune and Bombay.

Prices are quite reasonable and as everywhere in india can sometimes be haggled over. Seats are available under Rs. 100.