From Lohagad Fort To Mapro Garden – Best Places To Visit During a 40-Minute Lonavala Journey

Just about 40 minutes from Lagoona Resort lies Lohagad Fort. But, let’s be honest, no one wants to go to this historic Fort and drive back when the journey itself has so much to offer. There are many places such as Mapro Garden, Lonavala’s Wax Museum, Lucky’s Celebrity Wax Museum and Dinosaur Park.

You want to relax, have fun, have something to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner, at whatever time you are taking the trip and on the way towards Lohagad Fort or if you are coming back, maybe visit a few places that might be interesting or deeply rooted in Lonavala’s culture.

So here we are, to talk about what places you can visit during this journey and how this small and boring one-trip to The Iron Fort can turn into a more interesting, educative and fun trip.

Food Destinations On Your Way To Lohagad Fort

Let’s begin with food destinations on your way to Lohagad Fort. There are many starting off with a staggering 31,143 reviews on google and a rating of overwhelmingly positive 4.⅖ rating, Mapro Garden provides you with snacks, syrups, jams and spreads, chocolates and so on right out of natural gardens. It is a 7 minute drive from Lonavala Station and an hour drive from Pune.

They are open from 09:00 AM to 11:00 PM. The entry to their industry facilities and tasting tour is absolutely free. Mapro Garden also offers games such as Lobster Pot, Rebound and Basketball where visitors can win a plush toy. Other than that, there is also a big scenic garden for people to relax and take a fresh breath of air.

You can also visit Ranjai Homely Food, though their menu is limited, they have this homely feel to their food which will make you feel great all in the right spots and will remind you of your home.. The menu usually includes, breakfast like Poha, Upma, Sabudana Khichdi, lunch like egg curry, chicken biryani, paneer mattar, paneer burji and many more.

On the way there is another food destination called Dadanchi Tandoori Misal. From great tea and coffee to amazing misals, Dadanchi Tandoori Misal provides flavorful Misal and refreshing chai.

Finally Ranwara Dhaba, which is for all the outdoor food enjoyers. A true Dhaba experience on your drive towards Lohagad Fort. They provide a lot of food options from veg, non-veg to sub-continent and Chinese food. I would highly recommend their Alani Mutton.

Or you can just leave Lagoona Resort and have great food here at Patio which is open 24/7, so if you feel like you want to have great food, we can also provide you right here at Patio as well. Patio offers all sorts of food from the famous Bohri Thaal, where you can enjoy both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. the dishes consist of kheema samosas, chicken angara, dal chawal palida, mutton biryani, malai khaja, and many more delicacies.

Lonavala Wax Museum & Lucky’s Celebrity Wax Museum

While driving to The Iron Fort, you get to go to Lonavala’s Wax Museum and also Lucky’s Celebrity Wax Museum. Both museums show amazing presentations of art. Both Lonavala and Lucky museums show arts made out of wax which look very real if seen in person. Both the Wax Museums offer a ticket price of ₹200 per person.

Lonavala’s Wax Museum also includes a horror house. To enhance the experience of this horror house, they have added cold spots, creaking noises and odd sounds so that people when they arrive can feel the true scare of going through a horror house.

Google reviews of Lonavala’s Wax museum are mostly about people criticizing high entry fees. While it is true that you only need ₹200 per person, you also need to pay for various other attractions if you want to enter those certain attractions. For example, entering a horror house is ₹100 per person and 9D cinema is ₹200 per person but varies according to the season. 

On the other hand, Lucky’s Celebrity Wax Museum has a good standing among google reviewers with a 4.2 / 5, with around 5.3K reviews. They have some really good art and also have good attractions for a cheap price.

Some of the arts include famous actors to cricketers like Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar & MS Dhoni to singers like A.R. Rahman and Michael Jackson and even politicians like Barrack Obama, all are presented there. These museums are definitely places to visit when making your way to Lohagad or even Lonavala in general. You will realize the beauty of wax art once you enter these museums.

Dinosaur Park In Lonavala

The next stop you can find is the dinosaur park. It is also on the way to Lohagad Fort and was inspired by a masterpiece of a movie called Jurassic Park. 

It is typically open between 10:00 AM – 06:00 – PM, during which you can see massive animatronics moving or making sounds that will give you the fun Jurassic Park vibe that one who visits the place will be looking for. Depending on the day, season or the age of the person entering, the prices for entry ticket can vary between ₹250-400. 

It only takes 21 minutes to reach Dinosaur Park from Lonavala Station and from Pune it takes about 2 hours to reach. It is located near the Mumbai-Pune Highway.

The whole park is filled with large scale dinosaur models that are towering just like in the movie. The park also provides you a selfie zone so that you can click pictures of yourself. The park also provides kid friendly activities such as Fossil digging, excavation pits and interactive exhibits. 

Not to mention, Dinosaur Park also has a restaurant that provides snacks. Though some visitors have complained about the limitation of the snacks being only to sandwiches and maggi noodles.

Lohagad Fort

Also known as Iron Fort is a famous fort, Lohagad Fort is a fort that everyone who visits Lonavala should visit at least once. It is a must go to place and is only 40 minutes away from Lagoona Resort. The origins of this fort dates all the way back to the 10th century CE where the fort was initially built by Lohtamia Rajputs. It was captured by various dynasties during 11th-15th CE which included Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, and Bahmanis. 

It is said to be the Great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s base of operation and also was a big part of where he stored his treasury. The fort eventually came under the control of the British and is now the fort, known for its robust architecture including the distinctive “Vinchu Kata” (scorpion’s tail) watchtower, is now a popular trekking destination and an archaeological monument. 

You can also find historic gates like Ganesh Darwaja, a large pond and 360-degree-views from the summit. The trek to the fort is considered to be easy to moderate, only taking upto 30 minutes from the base village of Lohgadwadi. It is one of the must-visit places, especially during monsoon seasons of June to September.

It is 11-12 KM away from Lonavala Station and takes about 40 minutes and takes about 2 hours from Pune. It is said to be about 3,389 feet above sea level.

A lot of people who search for Lohagad Fort’s information usually look for it in Marathi as it is usually from Maharashtra that people want to visit this Iron Fort. For this, Maharashtra Tourism, has a well written blog in Marathi that will also help you know about Lohagad Fort’s information in Marathi if you are planning to visit the fort.

Conclusion

A 40 minute ride can turn into a full day experience if you only make a few stops along your way. Whether you are a foodie, a history geek or simply love scenic routes, Lonavala has something for everyone. So, pack your bags for an amazing trip to Lonavala along with your snacks or you can just have fun eating from one of the food destinations.

This blog is curated by The Lagoona Resort’s travel team to help guests make the most of their stay in Lonavala. All timings and prices are verified as of 2025.