Venna lake is a popular tourist destination in Mahabaleshwar. The area of the lake is about 11 hectares and is built over an area of about 28 acres. The lake is known for several watersports activities and is visited by tourists travelling to Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar. 

Districts/Region

Satara District, Maharashtra, India.

History

Shri Appasaheb Maharaj, the Chhatrapati of the Satara constructed the Venna lake in 1852. It was aimed to create a water reservoir for the Mahabaleshwar city.

Geography

Mahabaleshwar is a hill station on a vast plateau, Venna lake is at an altitude of around 1400 m. Its average depth is 80 feet, and maximum depth is 120 feet. Venna lake is surrounded by greenery and hilly area.

Weather/Climate

The region has a wet and cool climate year-round with an average temperature ranging from 19-33 degrees Celsius. 
April and May are the hottestmonths are when the temperature reaches up to 35 degrees Celsius.
Winters are extreme, and the temperature can go as low as 4 degrees Celsius at night, but the average daytime temperature is around 26 degrees Celsius.
The annual rainfall in the region is around 5620 mm. 

Things to do

Boating is one of the major tourist attractions at Venna lake. One can choose among rowboats and pedal boats. The Horse and camel rides are also available. The recreation zone has rides like merry-go-round, toy-train, etc.

Nearest tourist places

• Pratapsingh park is the best place for you if you want to spend time in the greenery. There is a temple just adjacent to the lake. There is a golf course approximately 0.6 KM to the south of the lake. Valley view waterfall is about 1.6 KM, 5 minutes’ drive from Venna lake. A camping ground is about 3.6 KM to its north, 10 minutes’ drive from the lake. Connaught peak is also 3.6 KM, 11 minutes’ drive from Venna lake.
• Satara (56.8 KM) (1hr 34 mins): Preached peacefully near the confluence of Krishna and Venna rivers, the city of Satara was established back in the sixteenth century. Satara has dream-like destinations and historical ruins. The most famous activity which has attracted thousands of tourists to Satara is trekking to Kaas Plateau, also known as “the valley of flowers”. 
• Panchgani (19 KM) (34 mins): Named after the five majestic hills enclosing it, Panchgani makes for a renowned hill station in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated at an elevation of around 1,334 meters above mean sea level, this hill town offers a lot of adventure sport activities such as paragliding and trekking. It also has some panoramic viewpoints such as Sydney Point, Table Land, Rajpuri Caves, and Dhom Dam.

Special food speciality and hotel

Around Venna Lake there are many fast-food eateries that attract tourists. Mahabaleshwar is famous for natural delights like strawberries, mulberries, sweet corn etc. One would not want to miss the delicacies made from fresh natural ingredients like milkshakes made from freshly picked fruits. Since Mahabaleshwar is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Maharashtra, one would enjoy authentic Maharashtrian food here. 

Accommodation facilities nearby & Hotel/ Hospital/Post Office/Police station

Many hotels are available within 10 to 15 minutes of drive from Venna lake.
A couple of hospitals are about 10 minutes’ drive away from Venna lake (southwards)
Mahabaleshwar Police Station is about 3.4 KM from Venna Lake.
Mahabaleshwar sub-post office is about 2.7 KM from Venna Lake.

Visiting Rule and Time, Best month to visit

If you like cold weather, you can visit in the peak season that is Winter (December to February) However, if you just want to experience pleasant weather, you can visit Mahabaleshwar from February to April. Since it receives maximum rainfall during August, you can avoid visiting during the monsoon. You can visit post-monsoon between September-October, to find plush greenery.

Language spoken in area 

English, Hindi, Marathi