The drive is half the weekend. In monsoon it is also the part people get wrong most often — leaving late, hitting the ghat in the dark, and arriving frayed.
Here is how to do the Mumbai to Shirwal run properly.
The route
Mumbai → Mumbai-Pune Expressway → bypass Pune via the Katraj tunnel or the ring road → NH48 south → Shirwal exit. Total 260 km, roughly four hours in good conditions.
The only genuinely tricky section is the Expressway ghat around Lonavala and Khandala. Everything after Pune is flat, four-lane and easy.
When to leave
- Friday night: leave after 9 pm and the Expressway is quiet. Reach around 1 am.
- Saturday morning: leave before 7 am. Between 8 and 11 the Expressway is a car park.
- Avoid: long-weekend Friday evenings between 5 and 8 pm, unless patience is your hobby.
Monsoon driving sense
- Slow down before you think you need to; standing water on the Expressway is the single biggest hazard
- Keep headlights on low beam, not hazards, in heavy rain
- Double your following distance — braking distance on wet tarmac is not a theory
- Check tyre tread and wiper blades before the trip, not at the first downpour
- Keep the tank above half; queues at ghat-section pumps get long on weekends
Where to stop
Food courts at Lonavala on the Expressway are the standard break. After Pune, the NH48 stretch is dotted with clean highway restaurants — a chai and a plate of hot bhajiya near Khed Shivapur is the classic second stop.
Arriving at Shirwal
The exit is signposted and easy to miss only if you are already past it. From the exit it is a short run to the lakefront. If you are heading to Avior Resorts, reception runs late and dinner service can be held for a delayed arrival — call ahead.
Coming from Pune instead?
It is a much easier 58 km, about 1 hr 15 min. See the full resorts near Pune guide or the weekend getaway from Mumbai guide for route-by-route breakdowns.
Book your stay before you set off.