Unequaled Experience of Purushwadi Fireflies festival- Nature’s very own illumination.

Remember being a kid when we used to put fireflies in the jars? When was the last time you saw Fireflies? If you did, did you see thousands and millions of them??

If no, then Purushwadi is your place to witness a stunning show of more than 2000 species of fireflies swamping in the dark. Many of us are in search of adventurous and experiential trips to witness at a very minimal drive form the city, Purushwadi is an ideal getaway for both Mumbai and Pune travelers.

Purushwadi is a totemic small tribal village blessed by nature’s very own illuminations. A beautiful Hamlet located at a distance of 180-200 kms from both Mumbai and Pune excurse to Nashik. In the Akole district lives the tribe called as the Mahadeo Koli who excels in rice cultivation.

Another aspect that makes this place unique is that, the village is adopted by a NGO known as Grassroutes that organises Eco-firefly’s festival to supplement livelihood to the villagers.

The main motto of the firefly’s festival is to gel into the rural way of living, diving into the taste of country life & experiencing hospitality of the agrarian villagers.

I still remember my teacher explained me that these fireflies use a type of Morse code to attract their mates lighting up their lower organ that emits light. The light is an important feature as it is used for communication. This flashing pattern designs a fantastic spectacle for sightseers at night. Fireflies don't live long once the monsoon starts, they die after the completion of the cycle of mating & laying eggs. Hence, the best time to experience this extravaganza is between the month of May-June before the onsets of rains, as it is said that heavy rain storm can even kill the fireflies.

Keeping in the mind the minimal needs of the travellers, Purushwadi has the basic necessities active like the running water, electricity, comfy tents and western style toilets.

While there you can binge in to the authentic Marathi cuisine. Do not expect lavishing food here but yet the chulivarcha jevan with bajri chi chapati and thecha is mouth-watering & believe me you can’t find this taste anywhere in the city. There are options of veg/non veg and Jain food as well.

During the day time you can dive into the rice farms and experience rice cultivation in the traditional way, participate in different village activities like separating rice from the pods and making rice flour, spend some time with the cattle in the stables. Later you can go for a nature walk to the nearby dam.

By the evening as the sun drops, enjoy the sunset in the amid of orange clouds. Now is the time to witness hundreds of fireflies dancing and making myriads of colors in the dark. The view is spectacular, stunning show like nothing that you would have ever seen.

Purushwadi firefly festival is an offbeat and a unique experience that one needs to witness, little did I know that the fireflies watching experience of Purushwadi is listed amongst one of the 15 night time adventures around the world by Natgeo.

Away from Purushwadi there is also Bhandardara, Vangani, Rajmachi, Igatpuri and Malsej ghat where you can spot beautiful fireflies.