Love affair with Sahyadri – Part 1

Tags

Kas, Mahabaleshwar, Sahyadri

Sahyadri never fails to amaze me. I was born and brought-up in Maharashtra. I have travelled in arguably all the ghats of Sahyadri – at least those in Maharastra – but every time I travel through one – I find it different. Be it a trek, be it a drive, be it a cycle trip – Sahyadri is always there – He challenges me, teases me and always rejuvenates me, and so did he today.

We went for yet another mesmerizing drive – Pune – Kas – Bamnoli -Mahabaleshwar – Pune.  “Kas”

and “Mahabaleshwar” – although these two destinations are over-crowded, very much talked about and all, the route which connects them is a serene, untouched one. The hilly road, tiny villages, flowers (yes – the season for Kas is over – but there are flowers at many places on this road), pretty farms offer a poster perfect destination for photographers. Since most of the route is covered with greenery, you may spot some wilderness on the way. Last year, a monitor lizard crossed our way and this year it was deer.

I guess the words are just not enough to make justice to it.. so enough of the jargon… Let us time-travel it together through my lens.

View from Nivant Hill Resort where we had our lunch. Cozy rooms, deck overlooking the valley good food, nice service, what else do you want for a weekend?

Breathtaking valleys of Sahyadri!

We begin our journey from there..

Sahyadri, Rock-solid literally

Jungle begins

When the road is better than the destination

So there were no flowers at Kas… but we saw some of these….

Trees.. No.. flowers… I don’t know what they are.. I just know they are pretty

We start a small descent, to Kas talav

First glimpse of Kas talaw, the road leading to it from Ghat

And now on, we were always accompanied by Koyna river.. small streams crossed out path every now and then.

Clear waters, beautiful woods, tree canopies…

It gets better

The tiny stream along the road..

And it has flowers too..

It’s strawberry time baby! We head to Mahableshwar.

Little strawberry farms look better with Sahyadri in the background

Camera shy, are we?

Ajji packaging the strawberries and she does it superfast – age no bar!

Strawberries – ready to hit the market

On our way back, we saw a wild fire broken somewhere in the valley. It had gotten dark.. Only a few lights in Wai villege are visible.

The darkness, the fire, the ghats… Wild!!

We were back in Pune with a car-trunk full of strawberries, taste of thick shake at Mapro, and memories…

P.S. :
1. We started at about 9 in the morning and after a nice breakfast at Virangula, we headed for Kas. On the way to Kas from Satara, just as you start climbing the ghat, there lies a nice little cozy place called the Nivant hill resort (a good option to stay if you have time). The resort, along with excellent food and service, offers a breath-taking view of the valley from its restaurant deck and from all the rooms.

2. There are two options to explore this route –

1. If you are coming from Pune/ Sangali/ Satara : You could drive till Tapola, stay overnight there : There is a small place called Sakha-Nivas – I haven’t explored it but the reviews are good. They offer activities like backwater tour. You could do them the next day and come back via Mahabaleshwar.
2. If you are coming from farther places, you could stay at Nivant, explore the drive and go back via Mahabaleshwar.