Beachbum at Kashid!

Kashid is a beach destination known for its virgin beaches and clean surroundings. A fairly untouched part of Maharashtra, it is perfect to visit with families, group of friends and even for couples.

Route:

It is 130 kms from Mumbai by road. You can opt to take the road but we opted for the jetty (a small boat that can comfortably accommodate 75 people), a way to save both, cost and time. Boarding the 11.15 am jetty from Gateway of India we reached the Mandwa port within an hour and 10 minutes. A breezy and fun ride, it definitely is the best bargain at Rs. 85 – Rs. 120 a ticket depending on which boat service you opt for.

On reaching Mandwa port we were taken to Alibaug via a free-bus service. The boat operators undertake these rides for everyone who takes their boat service. This can be the tricky part since it is a first-cum-first serve basis seat allotment. We had to stand in a crammed up position for almost half the way and managed to grab a set in the second half. In case you want an alternative, there are private rickshaws that ply on this route.

An hour later at Alibaug, we enquired about how to go about further to reach Kashid beach which is 31 kms further. There were various options like share rickshaw, private rickshaw or the ST bus. The shared rickshaw takes you halfway to a remote village area and then you will have to take another rickshaw from there. At Rs. 20 this option was lucrative but not practical as it would have led to an unnecessary loss of time. At Rs. 500, the private rickshaw also wasn’t a feasible option either. Therefore, we waited half an hour for the ST bus that took us to a spot right outsider our hotel in almost an hour and fifteen minutes later. We paid approximately Rs. 50 per person. Moreover, a trip in the local mode of transport with the locals to accompany you is the best way to travel.

On reaching the hotel, Nisarg hotel, we freshened up and hurried to go to the beach in the evening at 5.30pm.

It was an amazing experience with the water sports options. There is the bumper ride, banana boat ride, jet ski and parasailing. An ATV ride adds to the charm of Kashid beaches. Definitely go to this place if you love the cheerful sunset, pristine water, unpolluted beach, adventure and a bit of bonhomie. All these rides are reasonable priced.

However, stay a bit careful if you are a single girl or a bunch of girls as the ride operators can get too friendly at times. Pushing off from the beach post an amazing time amidst nature we headed to our hotel room and immediately ordered for food.

Sadly, there are scanty hotel options around this area. Considering the fact that the food from our hotel (Nisarg guest house) wasn’t appetizing, we tried to scout the nearby area for other hotels but no luck. We had to make do with whatever the hotel provided. Their food seems to have no salt at all!

The next day we took the same route of going by the ST bus but unfortunately we didn’t get any seats to sit in the rickety bus for the 1.5 hour journey. Getting a rickshaw at this stop is a tad difficult so we hardly had any choice. Upon reaching Alibaug ST Depot, we thought to gift ourselves a luxury ride in a private rickshaw that cost us Rs. 350 till Mandwa port. At Mandwa we took the boat ride back to Mumbai. The cost of Rs. 110 per person for the boat was justified as we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets on our way back.

Thus, our weekend journey to Kashid ended.