Kanheri Caves
2nd Century Buddhist Caves
Back to Kanheri Caves
The Kanheri caves complex is situated in the midst of dense jungle within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park - public entrance at Borivli East, Mumbai. It is a looong walk from the main gate so go by your own vehicle or rent a private car. Some of the caves date back to 2 BC, they were Buddhist dwelling places on the ancient trade route from Nala Sopara to Junnar. Some of the caves have carvings and some have large colonies of bats. It is possible to walk all the way to the top from where you can see the lakes that supply water to Mumbai as well as the Nala Sopara coast. From the top you can also walk across a large plateau and exit through a long forested trail [Yeoor trail] either to Yeoor in Thane, or to the main Kanheri Caves road near the Forest rest houses. This route is a must do for nature lovers, but permission from the forest office is recommended. In the monsoons, the caves complex become a veritable waterfall paradise, albeit very slippery. An excellent days trip for visitor to Mumbai, as also for residents who have not discovered the treasure in their own back yard. A guide can be hired at the caves, for a negotiable fee. Better to go in groups.
Reviewed by: snonymous from on Feb 04 2008
We took an ordinary black/yellow taxi from Colaba after striking a deal with the very helpful driver who spoke good English and was happy to be our guide. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a public holiday, and in the unfathomable logic of Indian officialdom, on holidays only white tourist taxis were allowed into the access road to the caves. So, accompanied by the driver, we walked. And walked. And walked. It's about 7 kilometres to the caves and it was scorching. Fortunately at the top, there's a small shop which sells cool soft drinks, but it's hard to get enough fluid back to where you need it. The caves were really amazing, and we were guided around them by a very knowledgable monk, who requested a rather larger gratuity than I'd expected. However, it was well worth the trip, although I wouldn't recommend anyone to walk it! We later found out that the trip can be done by tour bus from the Gate of India very cheaply, and it would have been fine had our black/yellow taxi been allowed in. The white tourist taxis are considerably more expensive. However, the walk while far too long and much too hot was interesting and we'll remember it for the rest of our lives! WARNING - take plenty of water with you, you can't buy plain water at the caves, only soft drinks (Mirinda, etc.)
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Feb 12 2006
2nd Century Buddhist Caves
Back to Kanheri Caves
The Kanheri caves complex is situated in the midst of dense jungle within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park - public entrance at Borivli East, Mumbai. It is a looong walk from the main gate so go by your own vehicle or rent a private car. Some of the caves date back to 2 BC, they were Buddhist dwelling places on the ancient trade route from Nala Sopara to Junnar. Some of the caves have carvings and some have large colonies of bats. It is possible to walk all the way to the top from where you can see the lakes that supply water to Mumbai as well as the Nala Sopara coast. From the top you can also walk across a large plateau and exit through a long forested trail [Yeoor trail] either to Yeoor in Thane, or to the main Kanheri Caves road near the Forest rest houses. This route is a must do for nature lovers, but permission from the forest office is recommended. In the monsoons, the caves complex become a veritable waterfall paradise, albeit very slippery. An excellent days trip for visitor to Mumbai, as also for residents who have not discovered the treasure in their own back yard. A guide can be hired at the caves, for a negotiable fee. Better to go in groups.
Reviewed by: snonymous from on Feb 04 2008
We took an ordinary black/yellow taxi from Colaba after striking a deal with the very helpful driver who spoke good English and was happy to be our guide. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a public holiday, and in the unfathomable logic of Indian officialdom, on holidays only white tourist taxis were allowed into the access road to the caves. So, accompanied by the driver, we walked. And walked. And walked. It's about 7 kilometres to the caves and it was scorching. Fortunately at the top, there's a small shop which sells cool soft drinks, but it's hard to get enough fluid back to where you need it. The caves were really amazing, and we were guided around them by a very knowledgable monk, who requested a rather larger gratuity than I'd expected. However, it was well worth the trip, although I wouldn't recommend anyone to walk it! We later found out that the trip can be done by tour bus from the Gate of India very cheaply, and it would have been fine had our black/yellow taxi been allowed in. The white tourist taxis are considerably more expensive. However, the walk while far too long and much too hot was interesting and we'll remember it for the rest of our lives! WARNING - take plenty of water with you, you can't buy plain water at the caves, only soft drinks (Mirinda, etc.)
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Feb 12 2006
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