Rafting Destination - 1 : Wet-n-Wild Weekend On The River Kundalika – 3 hours Away From Mumbai!

If you love the monsoon and figure high on the adventure barometer, white water river-rafting is a must try!

The Western Ghats are full of short and swift flowing rivers. However due to uneven terrain, there are not many river rafting location in Maharashtra. However Kundalika river which lies hardly 100 kms from Mumbai and Pune provides excellent opportunity for river rafting. It is preferred one day weekend getaway adventure destination near Mumbai and Pune.




River Kundalika is fed by waters released from Mulshi Dam and Bhira dam and provides 9 km rafting location with class 3 and class 4 rapids.
The best time to visit here is the monsoon, when the water levels are good for rafting. However, depending on levels of water, rafting can be done rest of the year as well.
Rafting is done over an 8 kms stretch, a journey filled with high thrills over rapids lasting almost three hours. Apart from rafting, there are other activities like river-crossing, jungle treks, rock-climbing (post-monsoon) and boating.

A number of Mumbai and Pune based adventure clubs organize white river rafting camps during monsoon near Kolad. The daily rafting charges are around USD 50-75.
Some of the clubs are:

Camp River Wild
Mercury Himalayan Explorations (MHE)
Kamath Resorts
Empower activity camps


How to reach Kolad:

Kolad lies on the Mumbai - Goa national highway. It is about 98 kms from Mumbai. The river rafting site is located at Saje village, 97 km west of Pune on the Mulshi-Kholad Road. Mumbai and Pune are the nearest international airports. Kolad or Roha railway station on the Konkan railway is the nearest railway station.

Sight seeing near Kolad

Kansai Waterfall (about 7 kms)
Hot Springs at Uddhar (9 kms)
Pali Ganesh Mandir (13 kms)
Trek to Sarasgad, Sudhagad
Alibaug Seaface (35 Kms)
Birla Salao Temple (52 Kms)
Bhira Dam (46 Kms)
Raigad Ropeway.(70 Kms)
Murud Jangira(93 kms)
Tamaani Ghats(Waterfalls)(48 Kms)
Read more...

Fancy A Marina At The Gateway Anyone?

With the monsoons starting off with a bang.. any plan for a marina in the city is questionable. The Gateway to India is not even close to ready for opening up its gates to the ‘marina lifestyle’.. a much awaited trend and the next big thing to look out for in the city.


There’s much more that goes into constructing a marina than just pontoons built for berthing and mooring yachts. A Marina is all about providing a complete infrastructure that facilitates a lifestyle of leisure and luxury.

Such a wide scaled sea front development demands calm water conditions, and other requisites like a clean environment, efficient security, entertainment and recreation and functional service centers for maintenance and management.

Imagine a marina facility right below the high-rise you live in.. Some of the best marinas of the world have allied luxurious activities attached within their infrastructure. These include a golf course, polo grounds, luxury charter service stations, telecommunications centres to record regattas and other events of the marina. A marina is ideally incomplete without the following:

• Berthing Facility For Up To 50 Vessels
• Fuel Stations
• Repair Stations
• Multi-Storey Club House Complex
• Swimming Pool
• Sports Bar And Jet Sking Facility
• Open Area For Boat Shows
• Food Courts, Restaurants,
• Shopping Malls
• Paved Road Ways
• Landscaped Garden

A marina is all about a culture and a lifestyle. So, if you are looking out for this trend to catch up in this city soon, HOLD YOUR HORSES FOLKS! There’s a lot of homework pending..

Read more...

Pack Your Boats Folks For A Weekend Out Of Mumbai!

Road trips are passe! Pack your bags and hop onto a boat as we take you on an escapade along the coastline of Maharashtra!
Alibag is surrounded by sea from three sides is known as Goa of Maharastra. Alibag is located in an area of approximately 4 sq KM and is sourended by green belt of coconut and betelnuts trees. Alibag beach is located at a distance of 1.5 Km from the bus stand and is connected by road from Mandwa beach.

The best way to reach Alibag is to go by a Ferry from Gateway of India to Mandwa and from Mandwa to Alibag by bus. Ticket ratse in a normal Ferry is Rupees 60 and is free for kids below the age of 5 years. Ticket includes Launch journey from Gateway to Mandwa and bus journey from Mandwa to Alibag bus stop. Bandar is 22 KM from Mandwa Jetty. Twelve miles north of Alibag on the north coast and easily accessible from Mumbai, Mandwa is a beautiful, untrodden beach.

On a clear day one can enjoy a long, breathtaking view right up to the Gateway of India. Mandwa village too has a charm of its own- with its beautiful groves of coconut palms. For an unusual tent holiday, is the nearby Kihim beach.

Unspoilt and isolated, this beautiful place has a soothing effect on all city dwellers. For the nature lover Kihim has a lot of offer ; woods brimming with wild flowers, rare butterflies and birds …

15 kms. from Alibag is Chaul, a historic place where one can spot Portuguese ruins, Buddhist caves, the Hamam Khana, a church, a temple and even a synagogue.

Getting there: The nearest railhead is Pen, 85 kms. by road, Kihim is 136 kms. from Mumbai. The distance by sea between Gateway of India and Mandwa (Rewas) is 10 nautical miles.

Read more...

Sail Away To Elephanta: The Epitome of Hindu Cave Culture

The Elephanta Caves are a great tourist attraction in the vicinity of the large Mumbai meteropolis. The Elephanta island is located 10 km away from the Gateway of India at Mumbai. These caves house rock cut temples dating back to the 5th century CE.

The Elephanta island was so named by the Portuguese, after the statue of an elephant near the landing area of the island. These rock cut temples dedicated to Shiva Mahadeva are rich in sculptural content. Motorboats take passengers from Appollo Bunder near the Gateway of India.

An epitome of Hindu cave culture, Elephanta consists of seven caves of which the most notable is the Mahesa-murti cave. These rock cut temples were created by carving out rock, and creating the columns, the internal spaces and the images. The entire temple is akin to a huge sculpture, through whose corridors and chambers one can walk. The entire complex was created through a process of rock removal. Some of the rock surfaces are highly finished while some are untreated bare rock.
The entire cave temple complex covers an area of about 60000 squrare feet and it consists a main chamber and two lateral ones , courtyards and several subsidary shrines. Above the temple is the mass of natural rock.
There are three entrances to this temple. The ones on the east and the west marking the axis of the temple. A 20 pillared hall lines the axis, and on its western end is the cellar in which is enshrined a Shivalingam. The pillars consist of fluted columns standing on square bases, and are crowned with fluted cushion capitals.

The enigmatic image of Trimurthi Sadasiva: The Sadasiva manifestation of Shiva is carved in relief at the end of the north south axis. This collossal 20 feet high image of the three headed Shiva, Trimurthy is a magnificient one, considered to be a masterpiece of Indian art. This colossal image represents Panchamukha Shiva, only three faces of whom are carved into the wall and it demands immediate attention upon entering the temple through the northern entrance.

Best time to visit Elepanta :
November to March is the ideal time to visit the island.

Access:
Located on a small island of Mumbai in Maharashtra, Elephanta can be reached by regular ferries that leave from Mumbai's Gateway of India harbour throughout the year, except during the monsoon season.

Read more...

Boating Along Maharashtra: Towards The Invincible Fort!

Besides its magnificent beaches, the picturesque Konkan coast from Mumbai to Goa is studded with forts which have survived in their solid majesty for more than three centuries. The forts and fortresses on the coast of western India built between the 14th and 17th century are testimony to the raging battles between the Sultans and the Hindu Kingdoms. Later, these forts were also the sites of wars with foreign powers that had reached Indian shores - first the Portuguese and later the British and the French.

The Fort of Janjira on the sea is the only one of its kind. It was built at the end of the 17th Century, is almost entirely intact even today, despite the ravages of wind and tide, a testimony to the marvels of ancient engineering.



According to all accounts, the sea fort of Janjira could not be conquered by any of the kings ruling the neighbouring territories. Surprisingly, not even Shivaji could acquire it despite 13 expeditions to conquer the fort. His son, Sambhaji, tried a unique approach to capture the fort: digging an underwater tunnel to enter. But he too failed in his attempt. Not to be deterred, Sambhaji constructed another fort just across the bay, called Kansa. Most of the earth that was dug up to build the tunnel was used in the making of this second fort, which was to be the base for future attacks on the sea fort of Janjira. This fort took 22 years to build and is constructed on 22 acres of land.

In a journey back in history, visitors can gain access to the Janjira fort from Rajapuri, a small village on the coast. After a short ride in a small boat, one can enter the fort through the main entrance. The fort is oval shaped instead of the usual oblong or square shape. The fort wall is about 40 feet high and has 19 rounded porches or arches, some of which still have cannons mounted on them, including the famous cannon 'Katlal Bhankari'. Inside the fort walls, the ruins of a mosque, a palace and bath with water channeled from streams, tell of ancient times when royal ladies occupied the quarters. The deep well with cold and sweet water - a wonder of nature in the midst of the saline sea, still provides water to quench the thirst of the weary visitor.

Gazing into the horizon from the ramparts of this magnificent fort overlooking the sea, one cannot but acknowledge its great strength that withstood a number of invasions. This invincible fort remained unconquered until it became part of Indian territory after Independence from the British in 1947.

Other attractions for history buffs include the Palace of the Nawab. This luxurious cliff-top mansion built by the former Nawab of Janjira commands a panoramic view of the Arabian sea and the Janjira sea fort.

Then there are the Janjira Caves, while nature lovers will enjoy Murud, the erstwhile capital of the state of Janjira. Murud is actually a tiny fishing village atop a small hillock with a heart-stopping view of the coast, with mile after mile of soft silvery sand. The beaches of Kashid and Nandgaon with their whispering casuarina, coconut and betel palms are a balm for the weary city dweller.
In short, a perfect getaway.

Rail: The nearest station is Roha on the Konkan railway.
Road: About five hours from Mumbai.
Sea: 2.5 hours from Mumbai
Where to stay: There are few private beach resorts and one Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation holiday resort.

If you are a regular at exploring the Konkan Coast, do mail us your experiences and pictures! we would love to share it with our readers.

Read more...

The Bombay to Goa Special - The Sun, Sky, Sand, Surf - and a Sea Ray

Dreaming about owning a yacht?? Well, this is something that most of us well-heeled Indians would be doing nowadays !

What's next?!...'What do I do with my yacht?'? Most of us would just not want our precious water-ladies to be sitting pretty in the harbor and getting 'sun-tanned'.

Most yacht-owners would want to take their yachts for a regular spin with their friends or associates...some would take it one step ahead and get thrilled with watersports at the back of their boat.

BUT one of the most sought after 'things-to-do' for owners is the BOMBAY TO GOA 'ODYSSEA' !

GO GIIRA ! GO GOA !!

Venue : Gateway of India

Date : 6th March

Time : 0530

Event : The Sun, Sky, Sand, Surf - and a Sea Ray going home to GOA ! The euphoria and the excitement that Team GIIRA felt was at a different level.

Boarding boats of different sizes is a daily affair, but boarding one and going ALL THE DISTANCE to Goa, was something that really

Team GIIRA got an opportunity of its lifetime, to board a Sea Ray 330 heading home to Goa after the Mumbai International Boat Show '08...and thouroughly enjoyed this Odyssea.

READY! GET SET!! GO!!!

TWILIGHT - the first light of the day welcomed the start of our journey...

On-board the Sea-Ray were a total of eight of us...'Captain' Malcolm, 'Commander' Milind, 'Lieutenant' Wally, 'Officer' Dilip AND of course the 4 of us.


With all our lugguage stowed away in the cabin of the Sea-Ray and with engines warmed-up to the right temperatures, it was time to get moving.

Thanks to the jetty constructed for the MIBS '08, getting ourselves and the lugguage on to the boat was made easy, which would have been quite a task without the jetty...jumping on and off a tender (small row-boat) with lugguage and load.

CROWDED HOUSE

Almost pitch-dark, when we started off - the ever-expanding Mumbai Harbor - seemed like a small task to waiver around all the boats.

We sailed close to the Pride of the Mumbai Harbor - The Indian Empress. On closing in, we realised how BIG she was in all her beauty.

ONCE UNDERWAY...

...the fresh and cool breeze...kept us all in high-spirits! The team was really excited and did not know what to expect of the journey...but the feeling of being on the water with the surf created by the Sea-Rays twin stern drive engines and the Mumbai skyline slowly diminishing in the background was enigmatic..!

With Malcolm setting course on the Satellite-Navigation equipment and Milind keeping a look-out for the fishing trawlers and their nets with their beacons, we felt quite safe and secured to be in the right hands and on the right track.

Wally would keep ensuring that we ate and drank plenty, in order not to feel sea-sick but sadly since it was one of our first times being out on the sea for so long, got the better of some of us.

MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE

Now lets talk about the best part of the trip - BEING AT THE WHEEL OF THE SEA RAY !

YESSSS ! - we got to drive this fast-moving (30 Knots+) beast...and we felt a million bucks and in complete control of the immense power of this 640 Horse-Power monster...

The thrill and the euphoria you feel is way beyond comprehension. If you feel that the fastest car would be able to excite you as much...then you are wrong!!!

Nothing gets close to giving you the Sun over your head, silver-blue Sky, pristine white-sand beaches on your side and the powder-y Surf behind your back...would it!?

Thanks to Malcolm, who gave over the wheel to 2 of us and was guiding us how to ride the waves in order to feel least number of bumps and water splashing in...the drive was a great experience!

THANKS MALCOLM !

JAIGARH - AN OASIS IN THE SEA

Half way through and 5 whole bouncy hours into the drive...and the fuel alarm buzzers about to...we saw the Jaigarh jetty on our Sat-Nav screen...and felt quite relieved.

Because it was the first time that most of us had been so long on a boat moving fast on choppy waters, it did tae a lot physically and otherwise too...with the constant glare of the sun above our head.

Tanned we already were...but the sappy nature of the seas had us quite dehydrated.

Due to such an experience, we strongly suggests that if you ever plan to go to Goa in a yacht make sure that it is a good-sized one with an enclosed deck...or the weather would get the better of you.

But thanks to the Marine Solutions team, we were all well taken care of through the worse part of our experience.

Jaigarh - truly turned out to be an oasis in our case. But what an oasis it turned out to be?!...

We enter the creek that led us to the jetty. Surrounded by the famous Jaigarh Fort's architecture and green hills, we were excited to know what lies ahead.

Sadly, for a mult-crore yacht with a capacity of 1200 ltrs, we had to pump in every litre using a Sudanese pump, and once that pump broke, we had use the galli ka mechanic method of sucking the petrol and using small pipes.

A small fishing town, Jaigarh lives around its jetty. With fish being the staple diet, the jetty houses many a fishing trawlers with a bazaar to take care of its people's needs.

The small huts and cottages on the hilly terrain - that were home to the people there looked beautiful and the quality of life yet untouched by the cities around it.

SNOW-WHITE BEACHES

Once we filled the our stomach at a local eatery and the Sea Ray's really hungry belly with 1200 litres of fuel to suffice our 2nd and last leg, we headed out of Jaigarh underway to Goa.

As the waters got more choppier, what kept us happy was the fact that the waters were getting bluer and the snow-white sand virgin beaches along the Ratnagiri coast.

Dabhol came up with beaches with many windmills and then we had the Vengurla rocks which are commonly known as 'Burnt Rocks' - these are vertical land protrusions (islets) that come almost more than a kilometer into the sea.

Malcolm and Milind contemplated whether to take the channel running through the Burnt Rocks, but the final decision was taken by Malcolm to completely evade any danger to craft or human-life and we swayed out of course and away from the Burnt Rocks and carried on with our journey towards Goa.

THEN COMETH GOA

10 and a half hours !!! - that's what it took us to get Goa showing on our Sat-Nav systems.

First Anjuna then Baga...Calangute...Aguada and the Goa Creek.

The Governor's bungalow atop the cliff to the entrance of the Goa Creek was a fascinating structure.

Watch this space for what happens next in Goa...

(Hint : A Southern Oceans Sail-Boat and a Indian-made International Quality Speedboat...apart from all the fun)
Read more...

First In Mumbai: Spiders On A Boat !

Just 20 minutes off the Mumbai coastline and you land at one of the many spectacular fishing villages. These are untouched by industrialists and are dominated by the ‘Kolis’ fishermen! What’s astonishing are their Big boats. They house entire families and come at a whooping cost of 20 lakhs.
In Marathi, Koli means the originally heterogeneous marginal tribe-castes that took late in history to agriculture. The same word also means spider and fisherman, presumably because the fisherman makes and uses a net to catch his prey as a spider his web.

The fisherfolk were here first ... when Bombay was a dumbbell-shaped island tapering, at the centre, to a narrow shining strand beyond which could be seen the finest and largest natural harbour in Asia. - "Midnight's Children", Salman Rushdie

Kolbhat, Palva Bunder, Dongri, Mazagaon, Naigaum and Worli were among the islands the Kolis gave their names to. Kolbhat was distorted to Colaba and Palva Bunder became Apollo Bunder. The temple to Mumbadevi in Dongri gave rise to the name of the city. One of the smaller islands near Colaba, variously called Old Man's Island and Old Woman's Island, was a distortion of the Arab name Al-Omani, given for the same fishermen who ranged as far away as the gulf of Oman.

The development of the modern city slowly marginalised these people of the sea. They were removed from Dongri already in 1770 by the East India Company. This historical process of elimination eventually pushed them to the strand near Cuffe Parade, from where they plied their ancient trade of deep water fishing. The Backbay reclamation of the 60's would have further marginalised them had they not approached the courts to stay the reclamation. Now their settlements are protected by law.

Read more...

Yachts and Bombay !

Yachting in Bombay is probably the next biggest thing that could happen to India in terms of the ultimate luxury market! Its closeness to the sea and the economic growth makes all the rich people want to indulge in everything possible to enjoy their wealth through yachting.

Bombay has one of the world's biggest natural harbors... and its coast runs throughout the entire length of the city! There are fantastic opportunities for sailing and a whole array of watersports that is not possible in the best of the cities around the world.

It can be comfortably said that in the next few years we will see a major acceptance towards yachting and related activities once people realise the immense recreational value that yachting carries.

All hands on deck! Read more...