We are known for planning at the end and making it work! The
magic is created by my friends whom I accompany every time. This time we
planned rafting at Kundalika followed by a drive to Tamhini. After chit
chatting till 3 in the morning, we are set in the morning 5 for our drive. We
hire a cab from Thane and set off to a drive of about 3 hours through lush
green fields, hills and clouds.
The drive is to Kolad which is a small village nestled
between the western ghats. There are numerous operators for rafting, but during
monsoons it’s good to have a pre booking done.
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| Kundalika. Photo courtesy: SJ |
River water rafting at Kundalika is early mornings and
evenings when the water is released from the dam. The gush of the water makes
it an apt place for rafting. The guides brief us on safety and security during
rafting. After the 45 minutes talk we are allowed to jump into our rafts! Our
guides welcome us onboard with a splash of water shouting “good morning”. Well
dude! What a morning indeed. The good morning game is one of the numerous games
we play along the way which continues till the end! The guides are friendly and
have war cries ready for “waring” the raft. It is just wow!
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| Photo courtesy: One of our guides |
The Johnyy Walker and
Laughing Buddha just shake us off from our lazy bones . The 12km stretch is
marked by small and big rapids, fun filled fames by our guides and lush green
fields and hills. The rafting experience ends with an area where you can swim
in the water, just laze around. We floated on water watching the clouds go by.
River water rafting is fun for all ages. The guides
sometimes have a dry bag for you to keep your valuables. Or else, you can also
ask your driver to stock your things for you! For bookings to Kundalika river
water rafting, you can book directly with an agent- that’s what we did! Or
google up other contacts online!
Rafting has to be followed by sumptuous lunch. We had
carried our dabba and just delved into it.
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| Fun time after rafting. Photo courtesy: SJ |
We then head towards the Tamhini Ghats
which is on the way to Pune. The ghats have waterfalls at almost every turn and
are they gorgeous. One can see nature at its purest form here with deep ghats
on one end and the falls on the other. After a drive for about ½ hour we run to
the nearest waterfall. We were lucky to get a waterfall which had a huge rock
crafted like a seat right under the water flow. The icy cold water hit us and
we divulged in ecstasy. Amidst nature
all one can do was to surrendered to the speed and flow there, to feel the
bliss.
After about an hour at the fall and lot of photography we
headed back to our car. Another lovely weekend comes to an end. It’s a must
visit during monsoons!
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| Dint want to get out this water fall. Photo courtesy: SJ |
Just a few basics:
1. Kundalika and Tamhini Ghats are around 180 km from Mumbai
2. Its best to go in a group and hire a cab- saves time and efforts
3. Carrying your own lunch/ snacks is preferred. (you never know about hygiene levels in monsoons)
