Sanjay Gandhi National Park protects around a hundred square kilometres of forested hills entirely inside Greater Mumbai — the city’s lungs, the source of two of its old reservoir lakes and home to a famous population of wild leopards, which visitors almost never see.
In the heart of the park are the Kanheri Caves: more than a hundred cells, halls and cisterns cut into a basalt outcrop between roughly the 1st century BC and the 10th century AD. Kanheri was a major Buddhist monastery and place of learning on the trade routes of the west coast.
What to see and do: Sanjay Gandhi National Park & Kanheri Caves
Explore the main caves
Do not miss Cave 3, the great chaitya (prayer hall) with its colonnade, stupa and two towering standing Buddhas in the porch. Nearby caves have fine reliefs, including an eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara, and the hillside is laced with rock-cut steps, benches and water channels.
Climb to the top of the outcrop
Steps lead up past the upper cells to bare rock with a wide view over the forest canopy to the tower blocks of the suburbs — the strangest skyline in Mumbai.
Walk or cycle in the park
Bicycles can usually be hired near the main gate for the roughly 6 km to the caves. The park also runs nature trails; a lion and tiger safari in an enclosed area operates when conditions allow.
Add the Global Vipassana Pagoda
Guided Kanheri tours often continue to the huge golden pagoda at Gorai, on the coast, which is otherwise awkward to reach.
How to get there
- By train: take a Western line train to Borivali (about an hour from Churchgate by fast train); the main gate is around 1 km from the station’s east side.
- By Metro: Lines 2A and 7 serve the north-western suburbs, with stations near the park.
- Inside the park: the caves are about 6 km from the gate — by park bus when running, hired bicycle, private vehicle (extra fee) or on foot.
- Fees: park entry, vehicle entry and the Archaeological Survey ticket for the caves are separate. Check current rates.
Insider tips
- The park and caves have commonly been closed on Mondays — confirm before you travel.
- Start early: it is a long way from South Mumbai, and the rock gets hot by midday.
- In the monsoon the forest is at its best, with streams and small waterfalls, but the rock steps are slippery.
- Macaques at the caves will grab food. Carry water; there is little for sale at the top.
Tours that include this stop
These guided experiences cover this place or combine easily with a visit:
Guided tour by car from US$35 Mumbai: Kanheri Caves and the Golden Pagoda Temple
Two Buddhist sites, two thousand years apart: the rock-cut monastery of Kanheri in the forest of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and the gilded Global Vipassana Pagoda on the coast at Gorai. With hotel transfers, it removes the awkward logistics of reaching the far north of the city.
- Ancient Buddhist rock-cut caves inside a forested national park
- The golden Global Vipassana Pagoda
- Hotel transfers included
Guided city tour by car from US$21 Mumbai: Full-Day Sightseeing Tour of Mumbai
The most-reviewed Mumbai tour on GetYourGuide and the easiest way to cover a spread-out city in one day. You travel by air-conditioned car between the big South Mumbai sights, with a driver-guide or a separate guide depending on the option you pick, and choose a shorter or longer version to suit your day.
- Gateway of India, CSMT and Marine Drive
- Dhobi Ghat, Mani Bhavan and Malabar Hill
- Air-conditioned car with a driver-guide or a dedicated guide
