Vivek Shrivastava · Bhushi Dam - Lonavala.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bhushi Dam
Lonavala’s best-known monsoon spot — and the one that needs its safety record read first.
Bhushi Dam
Bhushi Dam is the single most visited spot around Lonavala in the monsoon, when water runs down the stepped spillway and people sit in it, and it is the one place on this list that has to be introduced by its safety record rather than its scenery. Drownings here are not rare: one report counted around twenty-five deaths over a five-year period, and the response has been a policed regime rather than signage alone — a control room near the dam, a ban on alcohol in the surrounding area, vehicles kept out from mid-afternoon and visitors cleared from the dam and its surroundings in the early evening. On 30 June 2024, five people including four children died when water rose suddenly near a waterfall about two kilometres into the hills beside the dam; ten were swept away and five were pulled out by villagers and rescuers. The Pune district administration then imposed prohibitory orders at picnic spots through July, deployed lifeguards and put up warning signs. None of that makes the place not worth seeing. It makes the sequence matter: check what is open, go early, and stay out of moving water.
Explore Bhushi Dam on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to see
A stepped spillway in a green valley, at one season of the year.
At the dam
- The stepped spillway, which carries water only in and just after the monsoon.
- The valley and the escarpment behind it, at their greenest between June and September.
Outside the monsoon
- The spillway is dry and the site is quiet — a short walk rather than a destination.
- This is the season the surrounding hills and the cave sites are actually at their best.
Getting there
Close to Lonavala town, with vehicle access restricted at busy times.
Arriving
- A short drive or auto-rickshaw from Lonavala town.
- Vehicle access to the area is restricted from mid-afternoon, and buses other than local services are kept out.
- Expect police presence and checks during the monsoon season.
Best time
The monsoon is the only season it runs — and the only season it is dangerous.
When to go
- June to September is when water is on the steps; the rest of the year the spillway is dry.
- Go in the morning. Access is cleared in the early evening and vehicles are stopped from mid-afternoon.
- Weekends bring very large crowds from both Mumbai and Pune.
Visitor intelligence
Read this section before deciding whether to go at all.
Safety
- Water levels rise suddenly here in heavy rain. The 2024 deaths happened about two kilometres into the hills beside the dam, not on the steps themselves.
- Do not walk upstream into the hills or follow side streams towards waterfalls in the monsoon.
- Check current prohibitory orders before travelling — the district administration closes picnic spots after incidents.
- Alcohol is banned in the surrounding area, and the restriction is enforced.
Practical
- Go early; access is time-restricted and policed through the season.
- The steps are slippery whenever water is running.
- Families with children should treat the surrounding hills as out of bounds in the rain.
Nearby
What else is within reach, and worth more of the day.
Frequently asked
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