Tapola - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 28 km from Mahabaleshwar, Tapola, famously called the Mini Kashmir of the West, is a rural hamlet with a magnificent Shivsagar Lake in the Satara district of Maharashtra. It is one of the famous tourist places to visit near Mahabaleshwar.

Tapola is situated at the convergence of the rivers of Koyna and Solshi. The primary attraction in Tapola is the Shivsagar Lake, a 90 km long water body infact the reservoir of the Koyna dam. The Koyna Dam is one of the biggest in Maharashtra and the Koyna Hydroelectric Project is the largest completed hydroelectric power plant of India. The lake offers boating, water scooter rides, kayaking and swimming.

Jungle treks from Tapola are very popular with trekkers. There are many unknown forts in the dense forest around the lake in Tapola like Vasota and Jaygad. Tapola is also the base village to the Vasota fort famous for the arduous jungle trek. Vasota located within the Koyna wild life sanctuary is cut off from civilization and can be reached only in a boat. The permit for the trek can be procured from Bamnoli.