Khopili, a Great Getaway from Mumbai

[Monteria Resort]

Aditya Patawari


Being an adventure lover, I have always spent my life searching for spots that are unexplored by most of us. Travelling is something I absolutely love. One such quest one fine day led me to discover Khopoli, a city about an hour and 40 minutes southeast of Mumbai, and I highly recommend it as a day trip or overnight. With a population of around 109,000, easily reachable by rail as well as road, these days it's mostly an industrial center, but it also has a number of interesting attractions for visitors. Here are my top five:

 
Kalote Lake


Surrounded by hills, this lake is a picturesque spot for a breath of fresh air in nature and a visit to its nearby village to see how locals live.

Zenith Waterfall

Falling some 30 feet, and serving as backdrop for more than a few Bollywood movie scenes, one of the area's more impressive sights (top) is active during India's monsoon season, June through September (otherwise, when dry these hills attract rock climbing aficionados).

 
Monteria Resort

A popular getaway for Indian families, this resort offers a bucolic setting as well as amenities including a spa, restaurant, infinity pool, and varied adventure activities.

 
Ashtavinayak Hindu Temples

Maharashtra state is home to eight Ashtavinayak Temples devoted to Ganesh, deity of unity, prosperity & learning and removes obstacles. One of them, early-18th-century Varad Vinayak, is in the village of Mhad just five kilometers outside Khopili, and the other, Ballareshwar Pali, built in 1640, is 30 km away.

Imagica

This fun theme and water park is packed with rides, shows, and multimedia attractions including a hall recreating Bollywood sets as well as landmarks of India.