Tapola

Situated on a small piece of land jutting into the vast expanse of the Koyna dam backwaters, Tapola is fast attracting tourists. If you love water, watersports and being around water all the time, then no better place than Tapola. You’ll be greeted by the sight of boats of all shapes, sizes and colours lined up along the backwaters shore. You would love things moving at a slow pace around here. You would love the adrenaline rush of motoring away on a speed boat with large mountains overlooking the backwaters. The size of the backwaters is massive, an unnerving 75 kilometres from the dam site to Tapola. If you get tired of water, then Tapola has fort trekking as the alternative. Enthusiastic tourists have given the moniker ‘Mini Kashmir’ to the place!

Vasota Fort
On the shores of the backwaters that are adjacent to and opposite Tapola, there are many camps organising treks to this fort. It takes about 2 hours to reach the fort located at approximately 3800 feet above sea level. From Tapola a boat ride leads to the starting point of the trek.

Shivsagar Lake and the islands
The backwaters of the dam are called Shivsagar Lake. There are many small islands in the backwaters. Visitors can visit these islands and stroll around in absolute peace with nobody around. After day-long activities, relaxing boating in the expansive lake, watching the sunset is an ideal exercise.

Wax Museum
Located in the village of Moleshwar, about 36 kilometres from Tapola, this wax museum has life size wax models of many personalities. Highlight of the museum is the candles sold here which are made by blind people.