Mumbai Weekend Gateway: HideOut

"Humans don't need as much water! Have you ever seen animals drinking so much water as us?" Hemant, who runs "Hide Out" has his own way of seeing and understanding life.
I made a trip to "Hide Out" a few days back with my Reiki Group. I was in silence (no mobile/laptop, etc and no talking) for 3 days so I could not gather much "information" about this place. I write this post about the little information I could get.

True to its name, this farm is impossible to figure if you have not asked for directions beforehand.(Check their website for details or call them). It is nestled between Mumbai Ahmedabad Highway. Hemant, the owner, has been living here for the past 25 years and earns his living through farming and payments made by guests for their stay at "Hide Out".

The rooms
The rooms at Hide Out are HUGE and have open windows. And that's the charm of the place! At night, we were visited by cats and crickets in our room. Don't you guys worry now! They have nets around the bed. So we humans are safe in our respective cocoons. The bathroom is frequented by frogs as these guys just love the wet!

The name of my room

By the end of the trip, the cats made themselves cozy next to me on my bed. Crickets, spiders and ants became our friends. I look back and wonder how I did that! Never experienced so much wilderness ever! They also have open air beds. One can gaze at the starts and sleep off!

The Food
One can enjoy the amazing flavours of organic food here. They don't serve non vegetarian. But I am sure after tasting there veg, non veg does not stand a chance anyway! They grow their own organic food. And there are strict instructions to not waste khana!

The way to common area/dinning hall

Our breakfast began with herbal tea and fruits, followed by sumptuous idili or poha with milk tea. The lunch had a variety of vegetables along with rice, dal and chappatis. The chappatis either ragi, or jowar, never wheat!

The People
Hemant runs the farm and is very friendly. He was our host and our guide around the place.

I believe I enjoyed the place because I was in silence. I could hear the swish of the trees, the movement of animals around me. It is all contained in me with my silence.

The places to see
One can never get enough of nature! There is the farm to see here, the people at work, a dam, and a waterfall. You can see nature unfold here.



The Cost
It is expensive. But then, any price is no price to experience nature!

Things to remember
1. Visit the place if you are  a nature lover through and through.
2. Do not expect a 5 star luxurious treatment. We washed our own dishes here.
3. Good shoes and a camera is a must.
4. Good to carry a mosquito repellent.

Kundalika Water Rafting and Tamhini Ghats

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. 

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!

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. 

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!

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)