Tag: nature

The Verandah in the Forest – Matheran

Published on by wanderfulweekendz10 Comments

Matheran that literally translates to “The forest overhead” is a small hill station 90 kms away from Mumbai and 120kms from Pune. Any person living in Mumbai or Pune for a certain number of years would certainly have visited Matheran at one point of time or other. By that measure Matheran surely wouldn’t count as a destination off the beaten track but despite the noisy crowd of day-trippers and the pesky ghodawallas, what I really like about Matheran is the fact that it is the only hill station in India (actually Asia) where private or public vehicles are not allowed. Continue reading “The Verandah in the Forest – Matheran” →

Kaas – Where a thousand flowers bloom

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Monsoon is waning and at this time, a remote plateau of the Western Ghats in Satara district of Maharashtra is ablaze with colours as millions of tiny flowers have suddenly burst to life. Kaas Plateau or Kaas Pather as it’s known locally, is a UNESCO world natural heritage site where thousands of wild flowers bloom for only a couple of weeks from August to October turning the plateau into a veritable rainbow. Continue reading “Kaas – Where a thousand flowers bloom” →

Into the night in Periyar Tiger Reserve

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Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady, Kerala is a tropical evergreen forest located high up in the Cardamom Hills of the southern Western Ghats of India. An overnight train to Madurai and a three-hour taxi ride later we were in Periyar one cloudy Saturday morning.

Continue reading “Into the night in Periyar Tiger Reserve” →

Monsoon Sojourn

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It’s that time of the year again when the rains overrun the Western Ghats covering their bare brown slopes with a lush green velvety coat. But it doesn’t just stop there. It keeps falling hard and strong until thousands of sparkling waterfalls erupt out of the stoic giants and come gushing out. Continue reading “Monsoon Sojourn” →

Down the Konkan coast to re-discover Maharashtra’s naval forts

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The coasts and hills of Maharashtra are dotted with forts. 236 to be exact. Don’t believe me. Check here.

That’s the highest among all the states in India. But unlike the lavish fort-palaces of Rajasthan, the forts of this state are rugged military bastions from which the generations of fierce warriors; the Marathas, the Peshwas, the Siddhis; watched over and guarded their territories from enemies and invaders.

Continue reading “Down the Konkan coast to re-discover Maharashtra’s naval forts” →