Kaas valley of flowers, Satara, Maharashtra

                Valley of Flowers and one would easily relate it to Uttaranchal’s Valley of Flowers. Famous as one would know, it has formed its own niche value amongst the seasoned trekkers for India’s very own natural botanical display. Maharashtra had a secret which until six years ago wasn’t discovered, whereby a group of scientists and doctors passing through this region in Satara stumbled upon this plateau/ valley comprising of various types of plants of which numerous were endangered ones. 

 

                Upon discovery and prospective lab testing, they realized these plants did have medicinal capabilities. Located on a plateau on top of a cliff, half an hour drive from ‘Satara’ city, the flowers on this plateau blooms only during the months of July-October. Spread over an area of 5 sq. kms, this phenomenon is a botanical display of colour and life. A trip to ‘Kaas’ was impending from my side for last couple of years and this year proved lucky when a road trip to Kaas was planned between my friends and myself for 15^th-16^th September, 2012. 

                 Though, the road trip planned was for the weekend in entirety, we couldn’t leave Mumbai until 6.00 PM as one of my friends was busy in his company get together. Krishna and Vignesh both of whom reside in Chembur met me and accordingly we left towards Satara. Located at a distance of 360kms from Mumbai, it wasn’t a difficult route considering we cover the entire Mumbai-Pune expressway and continue forward towards Satara for a further 130kms. Night driving was always going to be tricky, but Krishna held his nerve through the ghats with a little accelerated, but controlled driving. We reached Satara city at 11.30PM and immediately checked into ‘Maharaja Residency’ hotel which is located at the city centre. The road trip was a welcome change especially one which was after more than 3 years for the three of us together. With minimal stops for refreshments, it was a peaceful drive with moderate rainfall in between. The hotel that we stayed for the night wasn’t that great, but was the best the city could offer.

It's very misty!!

                 Having a 4 hour nap wasn’t the best way to feel rejuvenated, but again, the need to reach Kaas as early as possible was our topmost priority. One reason was to escape the crowds that would start streaming in as the day wore on and secondly for the pleasant weather. Checking out of the hotel at 7.30AM, we proceeded for a pleasant drive up the mountains towards the plateau. Completely scenic, it was difficult to keep our eyes on the road. Just before the plateau, there is Rs.10.00 entry fee charged by the forest officials of Satara. 

This has been started primarily because Kaas got the world heritage status by UNESCO this year in 2012. Actually, 39 spots on the western ghats got the world heritage status out of which Kaas plateau was one of them. With more publicity year on year, the number of tourists isn’t going to dwindle. The UNESCO world heritage status is an added feather in the cap. The number of tourists to Kaas has increased more over the last couple of years. Initially, people used to drive up their cars right onto the flower beds in a bid to take that one ‘classic’ picture or 2 cent video for their family. What they did was just destroy the delicate flower beds in the process for their satisfaction. The need to preserve a sensitive place should come from within oneself. And with this global heritage recognition, the influx of tourists is not going to reduce, but just explode. But, things now have changed with barricades along the full driveway protecting the flowers not only from vehicles, but also from human influx. You are allowed access to certain areas with precaution, but the decision to barricade is a really good one.

 

 

                Completely misty amongst the clouds, it was really difficult to maneuver the car, but found a nice parking spot close to one section of Kaas lake not frequented by tourists. The weather was pleasant till the moment we stepped out of the car. A sudden whiff of cold breeze and slight drizzle welcomed us. The spot was an amazing one being at ground zero of the lake. It was quite windy and cloudy, seemed straight out of a scene picturing one in the midst of the Bermuda Triangle. 

 A visit to a secluded waterfall and it was time to head back to the plateau for a clearer view of the flowers. This time, we weren’t disappointed. A sudden clearance of the clouds and the valley displayed its true colour and vibrancy. 

Vignesh chilling

Krishna in form

The moment was astounding and spectacular. A wide array of flowers draped in purple. With patches of yellow, violet, white, red and blue flowers gradually starting to bloom in certain parts, it was a sight to just cherish. These flowers will bloom within the next couple of weeks and would take over the colour of the valley in entirety. Villagers were posted all over during the daytime to handle the traffic of vehicles as well as to take care to guard the flower beds. One such villager whom we bumped into, took us on a personalized tour explaining the various types of flowers; the most famous one being “Sita’s Tears”. This has no significance to the mythological tale of “Ramayan”. The best time to visit is normally July to October with the receding rains. The remaining 8 months of the year, the plateau is barren with the initial part of the monsoon season turning it into a lush green field.

Sita's Tears!

                Amongst such talk, we came to hear that the villagers living at Kaas village always knew about these flowers, but never knew of their significance and the place grew in popularity during the last couple of years only. Villagers from Kaas village were employed by the Satara forest department to keep guard all day amidst such windy and rainy weather. A gruesome job, but a job nevertheless. Another very surprising fact is that the population of Kaas village is a mere 25-30 people! One should not miss out on the opportunity to view the 'Koyna Dam'; a human marvel from the top of plateau.

Koyna Dam on extreme right

                

                   Finishing our walk across the plateau and bidding goodbye to the villager, we made our way back to Satara city at 12.45PM. Quite hungry, we bid adieu to the valley with a heavy heart. Next up was hunting down a restaurant “Manali Hotel” listed down by Nat Geo Traveller. We were thrown off track with poor directional skills by the villagers and we landed at a restaurant named “Radhika Palace”, a decent one serving authentic lip smacking Gujarati Thali. The food was very delicious and we were contemplating our luck on how we landed at that restaurant in the first place. My recommendation would be to not to miss out having food at this place. Leaving Satara city at 2.45 PM, we reached Mumbai city in record time at 7.30PM. Having your personal car is an ultimate boon for the time constraint and the distance to be covered. Going by public transport isn’t recommended, though possible. 

 

                An amazing venue for a weekend getaway and one to savour. A must do for every traveler. A visit to this place should be right on top of one’s bucket list. Given an opportunity, I would definitely go back for another weekend to witness the array of colours. The costing was primarily hotel stay cost, fuel for car and toll cost for the highway. Food and refreshment cost is separate and would approximately be Rs. 400.00 per head. Hotel cost was Rs. 1000/- per head, toll cost was Rs. 100-150/- per head approximately, fuel cost for car being Rs. 500/- per head. Leave no traces and savour what the nature has to provide.

 

Jude and Sherlynn colourful

Clive stunned by the natural beauty!

Sanjay Gandhi National Park Trek, Mumbai

                Mumbai!! Concrete jungle for the quite many associated with this city. Fast paced lifestyle, minute-to-minute connotations of the daily bread earner. In the midst of this mayhem, one just cannot accept the city as a destination for de-stressing oneself over a weekend. City which will make one eat one’s own words when it comes to optimism over pessimism. Amongst all this, there is one place that will make you forget it all. Place that requires not much travelling, but will still captivate you with hope. 

                ‘Sanjay Gandhi National Park’ formerly or more famously known as ‘Borivali National Park’ due to its proximity to the area of Borivali in Mumbai, is one such place. Spread over an area of 40 sq. meters (104 sq. kms), is a place dedicated to the nurturing of various fauna, house to the famed Asiatic Lions and the Leopards. A small hike/ trek was planned by my friends on July 22^nd, 2012. Since the venue was within the city, it was an easy one to plan.

                                An early morning wake up call at 5.00 AM for me since I live in ‘Chembur’ as compared to two of my friends; Clive and Kristopher who live in ‘Malad’ and ‘Borivali’. A direct bus from ‘Sion’ 448 Ltd. dropped me right in front of the national park gate at 8.15 AM. Couple of bottles of water and food for lunch was purchased just opposite the park gate from a restaurant. An entry fee of Rs. 25/- per bike and an entry fee of Rs. 30/- per person was charged. Proceeding inside, we could notice the complete transformation of the venue. Bustling with people who came down for morning walks to families wanting to spend their day and kids hooked onto the toy train ride towards the lion’s enclosure. Our plan was fixed to ride straight towards ‘Kanheri caves’; caves built in the 13^th century which is one of the archaeological sites still preserved intact with a view on promoting tourism. 

Parking our bikes at the base of the caves with a minimal entry fee of Rs. 5/- for entering the caves section and we were on our way. Proceeding towards the caves, one could not help but notice the hullaballoo and noise created by families. Proceeding to our left, we took a dilapidated bridge to cross over to the other section not frequented by the tourists. Ascending the cliff, we were quite a distance away from the tourists to venture out into the valley and find out the secluded waterfall that Kris had been to earlier. For me, it was reminiscence of visiting the national park after more than two decades. Moving forward, came across lots of weird shaped and coloured mushrooms. 

A good trek of 40 minutes and the waterfall as secluded as was in glory. The rains this monsoon weren’t that great for the waterfall, but decent enough for a dip. The rain gods finally decided to open up and heavy drizzle with a not so frequented waterfall was apt. It was peaceful to be amongst nature with nothing to disturb our thoughts. A bird watcher’s paradise. Not my cup of tea at all.

Time moved swiftly with discussions on future treks/ trips planned. We decided to move downwards from the waterfall instead of retreating the way we took to reach the waterfall spot. We reached a place wherein there was a massive jump required into a water hole of 10-15 feet and no side paths visible to move ahead. Situated at a lower height, but similar to the jump from ‘127 hours’ movie. Contemplating, we finally decided to venture back towards the same route that we had taken earlier. At 2.30PM we decided to make a push towards the bikes and to finish this wonderful Sunday well spent. We reached the main gate at 3.30PM and I caught the return bus back home.

Cost per person was tentatively Rs. 250.00 per head considering the food, water and entry ticket cost. Very minimal and a Sunday well spent!

Part Two of our trek in national park was done on August 15^th, 2012.

August 15^th, 2012, 66^th Independence Day festivities in full swing in our country and also Kris’ birthday. A birthday trek again by just the three of us to national park. Since, it was the country’s Independence Day, Entry cost was exempted for all. The only cost being the entry to the caves which was Rs. 5/- we reached the national park gate at 1.00 PM this time around. We decided to park our bikes next to a stream and trek upwards towards the valley to reach the waterfall that we had been to in the previous trek.

Moving rightwards alongside the stream, it was weary trek for the many obstacles that were placed signaling the trekkers not to utilize this route. After a good 45 minute trek, we reached a point where in the water was misty and quite deep. Clive decided to check out the left side of the stream for any possible route to move forward. At that moment, I froze for what I saw will always be exhilarating and scary. Five feet ahead from where I stood, a 6 foot snake lay across on this massive boulder. Hearing our footsteps, it awoke and slid into the water. Shouting out to Clive to stop and retreat who couldn’t understand the excitement in our voices. The snake’s head bobbled out of the water for a second and retreated into the water. None of us were much into studying snakes, so knowing the breed of the snake was a difficult task especially in such a confused moment. 

 There was no chance of entering the water now nor could we bypass it. Standing there, contemplating, the skies finally opened up. Heavy rain and all we did for the next 5 minutes was look for movement in the water. Sensing none, we decided to venture back the same route. Keeping our eyes peeled with heavy rain was a struggle, but fun. Completely drenched, we took shelter in an abandoned shelter house to gather our thoughts and to munch on some food treated by Kris. After a brief rest of 30 minutes, we went back to the spot where we had parked our bikes and rode towards the caves. A brief rest on top of the cliff and we decided to return back to the gate at 6.00PM.

Awesome experience again, but pity, we couldn’t reach the target of tracking our way to the waterfall. I just hope that the national park throws in a surprise each time one visits for these are completely unscripted.

Gorakhgad trek notes

                The third weekend of November loomed just like every other  usual weekend. Possibility of it being a sleepy one. For starters, I couldn’t make the road trip with my friends on the previous weekend, 12^th November, 2011. That ruled out plenty of options as trips on consecutive weekends wasn’t quite favourable to any of my friends.  Then, as quickly as plans do get cancelled, a plan materialised when one of my friends suggested a day trek on 20^th November, 2011. We zeroed in on ‘Gorakhgad’; situated at a distance of 100-110 kms from Mumbai around the Malshej Ghats region. Perfect way to unwind from the stress of the last one month.

                Vinay Kumar, my friend, got out his bike from ‘Andheri’ and the two of us biked it the whole way to the base village of ‘Dehari’. A bike ride saved us a lot of time, approximately couple of hours,  compared to the hassles of using public transport. Leaving Andheri at 5.30 AM, Vinay, picked me up from ‘Chembur’ at 6.00AM. Winter still prominent in the city, a nice early morning bike ride was a welcome change. An underestimation of the early morning winter got me back to reality. Shuddering all along sitting pillion. The usual route of Kalyan- Murbad was chosen. A quick stopover at ‘Thane’ and we were soon on our way. The roads were not that great, being just after the monsoons, but so were the condition of the bike tyres. 

                Gorakhgad is one half of the twin pinnacles. The other being ‘Machindragad’. Situated at a height of 1200 meters above sea level, it is a comparatively easy trek of approximately 2 hours. We reached the base village at 9.35AM. The base village were keeping a record of all trekkers trying to scale either of the two peaks. We were requested to note down our names and emergency phone numbers, in case of any mishaps. This was a real surprise to us. Starting the trek at 10.00AM, it was a complete change from the early morning weather which quickly changed into a hot sultry morning. Finding our way became a strenious task with multiple paths all seemingly possible trek paths. We kept choosing one through a trial and error basis, but, realized all these paths ultimately converged up ahead. Approaching the twin pinnacles, Gorakhgad seems too technical; a sharp conical structure, but once at the base village, you wouldn’t miss out noticing the width of the pinnacle. A complete contrast from the earlier sight. It, by the way is also the higher of the two pinnacles.

                 Continuing ahead, we kept good pace, though were getting dehydrated quickly with the sun bearing down at us. Vinay, having trekked quite a bit at Himachal Pradesh wasn’t feeling the brunt as much as me. We reached the entrace of the cave at 11.30AM. Took a small break before the final ascent of steps to the caves on top. Reminscing the trek, we were brought back to reality when we saw an elderly lady descending the steps after attending a religious ceremony at one of the caves. The lady completing the climb and descending struck us hard. The caves isnt exactly the actual pinnacle, but there is a 40 feet of rigorous rock climbing. Steps cut out onto the rock face, the need of ropes is mandatory. This rock climb would not be recommended during the monsoons with water and moss covering every bit of the way. This was my second climb to Gorakhgad, first being during the monsoons. Both of us were enthusiastic of climbing the final rock climb after reaching the summit. Climbing 10 feet, we decided not to risk it further. Apparently, there is a temple on top.

The adjoining view of ‘Ahupe Ghats’ were spectacular. We decided to rest for a couple of hours. Time was what we had on our hands, primarily due to the bike ride. Strong winds, shade provided the perfect setting to clear our thoughts. A welcome change from the hot sunny weather. We decided to start our descent at 2.30PM. Descent always proves to be tricky, especially the rock patches which kind of seems easy during the climb. Vinay, who was descending ahead of me, grew confident and in a moment of lapse of concentration, missed a footing and slid down 10 feet along the rock face. Luckily, the trek path snaked around the rock face which brought an end to his minor fall. Minor cuts and bruises proudly displayed; no major injury. It was a clear 60 feet drop if the trek path had not snaked across his fall. A scary moment nevertheless. We reached the base village at 4.00PM. Gathering our breath, we decided to head back to the city. Weekend traffic at ‘Kalyan’ hampered our entry into the city, but reached back home safely by 9.00PM.

                 The road route that we took was the Eastern Expressway to Thane, continuing all the way to Kalyan. A right turn towards Murbad needs to be taken. The left turn at Mhasa village needs to be taken. The right turn at Mhasa village would lead you towards base village for ‘Ganpati Garad’ trek. http://www.prashsubramanian.blogspot.in/2011/10/ganpati-garad-trek-notes.html 

A right turn needs to be taken at ‘Shivle’ village leading you towards the base village ‘Dehari’.  Cost was minimal since we dutched the petrol cost. 2 litres of water per person is highly recommended. We decided against carrying any food items since it adds to the weight and both of us weren’t going to eat much at all. These costs can be factored in on the per head basis. The cost incurred per head would amount to Rs. 200-250 per head based on what we expended. 

 

                The grade for this trek is simple, but be mentally prepared for a constant climb. Overall, a wonderful day trek organised at the last moment with just the two of us. The phrase “More the merrier” was something that wasn’t sorely missed; especially then and there.