I was in luck last weekend when my friend invited me to
visit the Saguna Baug with him! My finances are at an all-time low, and yet I was
itching to travel “somewhere” and this weekend gateway seemed like the right
option.
I was sceptical at first as the place should ideally be
visited in the monsoons. But like I said, anything is better than sitting at
home.
The moment I stepped into their compound, I knew I had made the
right decision. Established in the middle of a small ‘village like city’,
Saguna Baug has rural charm with modern facilities. They have stay facilities,
of different kinds and numerous activities. You can visit them for a day too! That’s
what I did!
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| One of the stay options. My next trip here will be with 2-3 day stay
We began by a guided tour of the place. I was amazed by the
variety of trees and plants which the place flaunts. They mostly grow rice and
onions there according to the nature of soil. But they also have a beautiful
area of flowers like red roses. Small ponds which flaunt beautiful lotuses
after a few meters itself. Even though we roamed under the harsh sunlight, the
air was refreshingly cool.
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| Banana Tree: Photo courtesy Anil. Parmar
My friend and I decided to skip the guided tour midway the
moment we discovered this! We could not resist taking nap! I realised that
nothing beats sleeping under a tree near a resting river!
Well, we decided to follow our group again after sometime,
and we discover that they are enjoying catching fish. Saguna Baug is well known
for fish rearing, and local boys dive in the ponds to catch these. This is an
activity itself. I respect all foods, however, I was completely grossed out by
this. Somehow the sight ghastly feel to this. No pictures here guys! Individual
fishing rods are also provided if asked for.
The best part of the activity is the dip in the Ulhas River
which flows right through this compound. We could see the water bed the moment we
approached the sight. I could not have imagined a free flowing clean river just
2 hours away from Mumbai. We swam in the river, floated and collected stones. Splashed!
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| Enjoying the cool feel. Photo Courtesy: Anil. P
How to reach Saguna
Baug
I took a train to Karjat (S) from Thane (T).
We get off at Neral
We take a rickshaw from Neral to Saguna Baug.
Things to keep in
mind while you travel to this part
-
For Saguna Baug, the amount includes food and
tea. The food is really good
-
Neral is crowded on weekends as a number of weekend gateways are
through this station. No worried here as it is just the family crowd
-
Rs. 100 is the cost of the individual rickshaw
to Saguna Baug
-
Keep a change of clothes
Top three things I
loved about Saguna Baug
1. Ease of reach
2.The Ulhas River
3. Reasonably priced
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