Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Kanheri Caves

Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a large forest inside Mumbai, and it holds the 2,000-year-old Kanheri Caves. Official activity rates are below; gate fees still need confirming.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park covers about 104 square kilometres of forested hills in Mumbai's northern suburbs and neighbouring Thane, making it one of the few national parks inside a major city. Its headquarters and main gate are at Borivali East. The park protects the catchments of Vihar and Tulsi lakes, part of the city's water supply, and draws more than two million visitors a year.

Inside the tourism zone near the gate are a lion and tiger safari by bus, paddle boating on a stretch of the Dahisar river, a buggy tour of the Cat Orientation Centre, Taxidermy Centre and Orchidarium, and a walk up to Gandhi Tekdi. The Van Rani toy train was listed as coming soon when checked. Deeper inside the forest are the Kanheri Caves, a complex of 109 rock-cut caves in a basalt outcrop.

Buddhist monks carved them over roughly a thousand years, from around the 1st century CE; they contain viharas with stone beds, a pillared chaitya hall with a stupa, relief carvings of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, inscriptions, and channels that fed rainwater into cisterns. The caves can be reached by car, bicycle, on foot or by the park bus. Park rules are strict: no alcohol, plastic, smoking or feeding animals, a 20 km/h speed limit, and on-the-spot fines.

The park is home to leopards, so stay on roads and trails. Most activities close on Mondays.