Karad is a city in Satara district in the southern part of Indian state of Maharashtra and it is 320 km (180.19 miles) from Mumbai and 159 km from Pune. It lies at the confluence of Koyna River and the Krishna River known as the "Priti sangam". The two rivers originate at Mahabaleshwar (famous hill station in Satara- Maharashtra), which is around 100 km from Karad. They diverge at their origin, and travel for about the same distance to meet again in Karad. The rivers meet exactly head on, thus forming letter "T" which is the only head on confluence in the world. Hence Krishna and Koyna river's confluence is called Preeti Sangam, meaning Confluence of Love. Karad is well known for sugar production and is known as the sugar bowl of Maharashtra owing to the presence of many sugar factories in and around Karad. It is considered as an important educational hub in Western Maharashtra due to the presence of many prestigious educational institutes. This place is also known for resting place or (Samadhi) of the first chief minister of Maharashtra Shri. Yashwantrao Chavan situated at the confluence of Krishna and Koyana river.

Karad is located in western Maharashtra at a height of 1856 feet above sea level. It has an annual rainfall of 450 mm. Surrounded by sugarcane fields, mountains and valleys it enjoys a moderate climate with average day 0 0 temperature of 25 - 30 c.

Air:
International Airport at Mumbai and Domestic Airports at Pune, Belgaum and Kolhapur. Karad also has a small airport.

Rail
Mumbai - Kolhapur, Nijamuddin - Hubli, Gondiya - Kolhapur, Kurla - Bengaluru and all other major trains destined for Kolhapur and Mumbai have stop overs at Karad.

Road
Regular Bus service from Mumbai (350 km), Pune (162 km), Kolhapur (70 km), Solapur (240 km), Belgaum (170 km), Bijapur (210 km) is available.

Some Famous Tourist places in and around Karad are:
• Preeti Sangam (Krishna-Koyna Confluence)
• Krishnamai Temple
• Pritisangam Udyan
• Late Yashwantrao Chavan's Samadhi
• Naktya Ravlyachi Vihir (Ancient Well)
• Masjid Built by Sultan Ali Adilshah (1557- 1580)
• Sadashivgad
• Khodshi Dam
• Agashiv Caves
• Vasantgad
• Talbid (Ram Mandir)
• Sar-Senapati Hambirrao Mohite Samadhi
• Chauranginath Temple, Sonsal
• Ramling Bet, Bahe
• Shri Khandoba Devsthan, Pal
• Ram Mandir Chaphal
• Yamai Mandir, Aundh
• Uttarmand Dam
• Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
• Valmiki Temple & Big Wild Area
• Chandoli Dam
• Koyna Dam
• Nawja Waterfall