" UNPLANNED TRIPS ARE THE BEST ONES,
MORE THAN THE DESTINATION YOUR
JOURNEYS ARE MORE IMPORTANT”
Sunday’s are meant to laze around and spend quality family time ,so a few weeks back after having a leisure breakfast in bed i decided to rev up my car and hit the road . Before starting any road trip its advisable to check the car and tyres thoroughly and make sure you have your favorite playlist ready before you hit the road . Driving for me is therapeutic and a great stress buster when done on empty roads which is a near impossible to find in a city like mumbai . So after packing my bag for an overnight stay grabbing all my must haves in a duffle i buckled up and hit the Mumbai Pune Expressway which is one of my most preferred route for a drive.
With no destination in mind and bored to death of going back again to Lonavala or Khandala i decided to go a bit further and explore the small hamlet of kamshet which is paradise for adventure junkies and nature lovers alike.
There are numerous ways to reach Kamshet but i choose to drive down via the expressway . Alternatively you can drive via the old mumbai pune highway which has lesser toll to be paid and also the solo choice for bikers as they are not allowed on the new highway .
Kamshet even has a railway station and one can reach here via train which plys between mumbai and pune route but there is only one passenger train which stops at kamshet station and that too in the middle of the night at 2.30am .. Most of the other trains would have a halt at lonavala or talegaon which are at a distance of 16 and 13 kms respectively ; you can hop on a local rickshaw or tuk tuk from the station and reach your destination . This is the cheapest option to reach as the train and rick ride would cost around 250 bucks.
After taking two stops i reached kamshet from Mumbai -pune express highway which took 2hr 30min to arrive at my destination.It was 2pm in the afternoon there was nip in the air ,breezy and windy.It is advisable to avoid visit during monsoons as the winds are strong.Cool summers and winters are the best time to visit kamshet.Waterfalls can be spotted here during monsoons.Beautiful place with lush green cultivation of land all around,clear sky,less pollution,mesmerizing view of lake and population of 1000locals at maximum.Best time to visit the place is during winters in the month of December-February where the nights are chilly with a mercury drop of 13degrees Celsius and a maximum rise of 30degree Celsius.
I wanted to have some masala tea since it was afternoon experiencing breeze and sunlight at the sametime .what else you ask for rare combination weather.Asked locals who were working at concrete land with bricks.They guided me to go towards city which consisted barely few shops and chai tapris.reached after 15min had masala tea since i was totally new to this place with no google and no network i took help of locals.
Sipping tea i asked : “bhaiya yaha kya dekhne jaisa hy”
he replied:”lake aur paragliding,caves dekh sakte ho aap”
Kamshet located at an altitude of 2200ft above the sea level,is a major attraction for people interested in paragliding and other adventurous activities.There are 6 attractions in kamshet :
1.BEDSA CAVES
2.BHAIRI CAVES
3.PARAGLIDING
4.KONDESHWAR TEMPLE
5.BHANDAR DONGAR
6.UKSAN LAKE
PARAGLIDING,KAMSHET OVERVIEW
Kamshet is located at Sahyadris ranges in maharashtra.There are few paragliding spots here including Shinde wadi hills,Kondeshwar cliff,Tower hill and Shelar.I took my car to INDUS VALLEY as paragliding was the first thing that interests me.With much experienced gliding schools and trainers,kamshet is that hub for paragliding where you can safely indulge in the sport and make it one of the most redefining experiences of your life.Theyhave 4days course of 20,000rs at indus valley if you want yo be a rider on your own.With great facilities to stay,home cooked food,run programs and mesmerizing view of lake.Its a paragliding school for beginners and those who want to learn the sport properly.This is the most popular group here which organizes excellent programs for paragliding.
DARE you to experience most awaited adventure in your bucket list-One day Tandem Paragliding Flight at kamshet.The best experience in my life and most memorabe one.Breathtaking scenery as you fly in complete silence,and the world passess by under you feet.You feel on the top of the world gaining so much confidence while flying feeling fresh,energetic and peace.A tandem flight is really a beautiful feeeling which i cannot express in words..speechless..Feel the wind in your hair that the view offers you and sit back relax and enjoy the silence..feel yourself and breath deep..All you have to do is relax in your harness,while your pilot files you around.
Joy ride will set you back by 3000rs -15min.
After an amazing ride i reached Uksan lake which was my last thing to do since it was already about sunset time , the view is so calm and serene that it will definitely take your breathaway , i just sat there on the meadows gazing into the clear blue waters and listening to the chirping of birds around , beware of stray dogs wandering in the area they wont harm you but if you act suspicious you never know, i had to bribe one of them with two packets of biscuits to allow me to sit there.
Some beautiful bungalows were built near the lake .There are accomodations for travellers with every budgets starts from 1000rs to 40,000rs per night.Places like Nirvana and Indus provides accomdation and paragliding activities too.Toomany bungalows and hotels are available but make sure you do your bookings early as weekends are full or else you can book a hotel in lonavala too which is nearby 16km away from kamshet.
A beautiful day comes to an end with most memorable experience and my decision to discover an offbeat place was totally worth 2hr drive from mumbai.I decided to stay over for one night at Indus paragliding valley with impeccable view and had wonderful stay with different sets of people coming from different regions of india.Werandomly started having discussions on different topics sharing our experience sitting near lake side view feeling cold without realizing it was 2am in morning .. woke up the next morning feeling fresh and energetic and enjoyed a hearty breakfast of bread slices and tomato omelette along with a cuppa of freshly brewed lemongrass tea along with the majestic view of the lake.
Goodbyes are always hard and this particular one was no exception , exchanged pleasantries with the owners and others at the hotel before hitting back the road again and getting back to the mundane chores of the city life.
THIS IS NOT THE END FOR ME ITS THE BEGINNING
“TRAVELLING -IT LEAVES YOU SPEECHLESS,
THEN TURNS YOU INTO A STORYTELLER”
– IBN BATTUTA.
