In the wilderness of Phansad

Taking out little time from your busy schedule to go on a trip always relaxes you. Excitement is more if you are a travellophile (:P) and always looking for opportunities. We a group of five people, Prasad, Hemant, Vineet, Sagar and myself Sunil, decided to spend a weekend at a relaxed place around 4-5 hours drive from Pune. We narrowed down on Nagaon, a place near Alibaug. Nagaon is located at around half an hour distance from Alibaug. Alibaug is also known for Late Kanhoji Angre, a Fleet Marshal in 17^th Century. Unlike Alibaug, Nagaon still retains the natural beauty and traditional Konkan lifestyle to a certain extent. A beach frequented by many tourists, it has a clean water and shallow bottom thereby assuring high level of safety. There are some basic water sports like parasailing and banana ride. Nagaon provides access to popular spots like Murud-Janjira and Kashid beach.

Our i10

Day 1: We left early on 6:45 AM from Pune. Travelling by old Pune-Mumbai highway (NH4), we took first stop at Lonavla. There is this simple place called Annapurna which offers a decent vegetarian breakfast items at reasonable price. From there we left for Nagaon and reached there at around 11:30 AM after covering around 145 km.

We had already booked a home stay named 'Dattasrushti' owned by Tarkar family at Nagaon . The accommodation was located in the midst of coconut and other coastal trees. The beautiful landscape was highly soothing especially while relaxing on the hammocks tied to the trees.

Entrance to the accommodation

Watering system in the backyard of Dattasrushti

A well in the backyard of Dattasrushti

A view from Dattasrushti

Ours was a big room on the upper floor with sloping roof. There was empty space in front of the room with a table. They served us a delicious meal with Konkani flavor. Post  lunch we left for Alibaug visit. The beach was very crowded and dirty and not much recommended. We spent the evening on the beach. We missed the sunset because of the cloudy weather.

A stroll on the beach at night is must. The combination of sea and night sky is beautiful (spare lights by coast guards).

Beach in the evening

Nagaon hosts few shops that specialize in typical konkan products like kokam, papad, kadve vaal and many other things.

Mr. Tarkar: +91 96570 61200

Day 2: On the second day, we traveled to nearby Akshi beach located at 10 min distance by car from Nagaon. Akshi village and beach is less developed compared to Nagaon. After returning we had a breakfast at Dattasrushti. Post that left for Phansad WildLife Sanctuary (PWLS) at around 10 AM. It is a sanctuary located at around 20-25km from famous Kashid beach and around 40 45 km from Nagaon. On the way to Phansad we saw blackened water of sea because of oil spill. However, the region is very good for photography.

On the way to Phansad

On the way to Phansad

Phansad Map

We arrived at Phansad at 12 noon. After completing entry formalities, we started walking into the sanctuary. Bullock carts are also available, but we could not avail the service since there were 5 of us and the capacity of the cart is 4 people. First we decided to go to a place called ‘Phansad Gaan’ where a road lead through the forest. However we lost the way after walking certain distance.

On the wat to Phansad Gaan

Hence, we changed the destination to ‘Dharnachi Gaan’ located at 3km from the entry point by a regular route. The sanctuary is full of beautiful trees with moderately dense forest on both sides of the road. At a junction after 500m mark, there is a watch tower which offers a beautiful view of the surrounding. Near the tower there are blueberry trees offering few ripped fruits to bite on. Turning left from the junction, we started walking towards ‘Dharnachi Gaan’. On the way, we were continuously being accompanied by various forest sounds.

The Watch Tower

View from the watch tower

Blueberry fruits

The spot at actual destination was very small though not disappointing. It was very relaxing since there was zero interference of the modern world. After spending sometime there, we returned to the entry point where a delicious meal was waiting for us. Unfortunately we could not sight a single bird or animal. Perhaps, one should try in the morning. The meal needs to  be pre ordered at ‘Gavdevi Mahila Bachat Gat’. Veg and nonveg options are available there.

Dharnachi Gaan

Important figures (In May 2015):

1.       Bullock cart (3 km): Rs 250/-

2.       Bullock cart (6 km): Rs 500/-

3.       Veg meal: Rs 100/- per person

4.       Chicken meal: Rs 150/- per person

5.       Fish meal: Rs 250/- per person

6.       Car parking: Rs 100/-

7.       Camera fees: Rs 100/-

8.       Per head entry fee: Rs 30/-
 Mahila Bachat Gat for meal: +91 92255 66024

The place can be enjoyed more in the winters owing to the coastal climate. Accommodation in the tents at reasonable prices is also available.

At 4 PM we started the return journey. Instead of traversing the same route via Kashid-Alibaug, there is alternate route via Roha-Mangaon-Tamhini which is the closer route.  We reached Pune from our small ‘Expedition’ at around 7 PM.