The Jungle, an addiction! Nagzira Wildlife Sanctury

Its 4.30 in the morning and we sit silently at the balcony of our log hut. We hear the dew drops fall. One of the many magical moments for me at Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary.
This thrilling property is right in the middle of the jungle! The nights here are alive with calls of different animals. The leapords are known to frequent this place in late nights. And so on the light outside the room or stepping out of the hut is prohibited.

Afternoon view from our stay place

This magnificent jungle is only 3 hours away from Nagpur. On our safaris we spot the neelgai, numerous deers and missed the leapord just by a few minutes. Our best citing was that of wild dogs eating their prey. While one dog eats, the others keep a watch around. Food is important after all, For all. Period!

The wild dog

Our first cold night at Nagzira was spent in the tents alongside the bonfire. While my friends played cards even in the wee hours of the night, I kept myself busy with the bonfire. 

Tent stay just outside the Sanctury

We clubbed Umred Sanctury too on this trip. Umred is lesser known place to tourists and therefore has a rustic charm to it. But nothing compared to the beauty of Nagzira!

This was one of the most memorable trip for me not only because of the beauty of the jungle, but the amazing people who came along. It was an excellent combination of a doctor, engineer, wildlife photographer and 2 social workers! Phew! And we had a blast!!

Watching.. from the watch tower!

Kashid, Murud, Phansad: Weekend Gateway from Mumbai

The dazzling sea water till huge stretches is what I see when I enter Alibaug beaches, my favourite place to crash when I am on a tight budget and keen to step out! Just 2 and 1/2 hour journey from Mumbai Alibaug has got something for old, young, sporty and the lazy bums like me too. I gatecrash this place when I need to gaze into the endless sea and lose myself into its silence. But this time I am travelling with a few mavericks and it was all action!

We began our journey early morning with the beautiful view of Gateway and the Taj. After a 45 minute ferry ride and another hour's journey from the bus, we reach Alibaug and book a cab for our 2 day trip. My friend Manisha helped a bit in our budget by asking a few people to share our cab. They did! What luck!  

Our first destination was Murud Fort, also know as Janjeera, the short cut for the actual name Jal Jazeera! 

Ruins at Murud Fort

This huge fort is built in the middle of the sea and has withstood the saline waters till date! Its historical value stems from the fact that it has been an undefeated fort. 

I love this huge structure encompassing fresh water lakes (which are now dirty), outlets for cannon bullets, courtyards and ruins gardens which hint on the magnificence which the fort would have had in its heyday. This was the second trip and I am still awed by this place. 

After the bout of history it was time for a dip in the sea! We headed for Kashid, just in time for the beautiful sun set. We took a dip in the late evening and since it was low tide, a swim made the day perfect for us.

The next day we headed for Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary. An unexplored forest area just 3 hours away from Mumbai was a treat to the eyes. The carzy  bullock-cart ride was bumpy but fun! We also discovered that Phansad has basic tent accommodation at a very reasonable price! 

Our ride at Phansad

The icing on the cake for this trip were the water sports at Kashid and my favourite was the para sailing. The view from above is to behold! Other rides like the bumper ride was too bumpy for me to handle and the jet ski was just 'jet ski'. 

After para sailing

I ended my trip very satisfactorily tired and geared for work for the coming Monday.
This might be helpful if you are travelling to Alibaug-
1. A cab to roam in Alibaug  is a good option.
2. Bargain- for everything here.
3. Sea food is the specialty but I loved the veg too.
4.  Water sports are best enjoyed at Nagaon.
5. Murud beach is not as frequented by tourists as Kashid. So head for this beach for the quite.
6. Phansad is a good stay option just 6 km from Kashid. Prior bookings are required though.