• Flora - Nature's Wonders - Places - Sanctuaries

    The Magnetic Dangs

    Our last trip to Dangs district in Gujarat was unplanned. So was the last weekend’s trip. Two consecutive 3-day weekends. A much-longed trip to Bhandardhara in monsoon was planned for the first one. But work commitments came in the way and we had to cancel it. It was too late plan for the second weekend long weekend. So we just packed the bags and drove lazily along the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Highway until evening with a stopover at Dandi. Thus, Surat became the destination of the day. The tidy town deserves a separate post. Next day, we drove to Purna Wildlife Sanctuary/Mahal…

  • Places

    Five Monsoon Weekend Drives from Mumbai

    If getting out of Mumbai means Lonavala and Khandala for you, then read no further. Not that Lonavala and Khandala aren’t beautiful. They are indeed. But then, let us grow up. Here are five weekend monsoon getaways from Mumbai. 1. Go beyond Malshej Ghat. Malshejghat is a regular and hugely popular monsoon weekend getaway. Misty mountains and unlimited waterfalls. An MTDC resort facing the valley. Most people from Mumbai travel to Malshejghat via Kalyan for a day trip or a weekend trip. Here is another alternative: Hit the Mumbai–Pune expressway and take a left at Wadgaon to Chakan and then…

  • Places

    Driving Through Dangs

    Dang is a tribal district in South Gujarat, bordering Maharashtra. It is perhaps the tail of Western Ghats that stretches all the way up from Kerala through Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. A complete forest district, Dang in monsoons is nothing short of a bliss. Well laid and maintained roads snake through the teak forests and an occasional tribal hamlet. Saputara is a tiny hill station in Dang, a few kilometers from the Maharashtra border. It is unlike any typical hill station. No colonial hangovers. Simple and very tiny. You don’t need a local transport.From the sunrise point to the sunset…