It’s the love for adventure and outdoors that prompted a bunch of MBA students to search every nook and corner of the Internet for good places to trek around Pune. With classes soon coming to an end, we wanted to see as many places as possible before we plunge into the grind of the corporate world. With this thought in mind, we managed to zero in on this fort called Vasota. It appeared quite attractive on the net. The fort seemed isolated; however what really thrilled us was that in order to reach this fort we had to travel in a launch for about an hour and half, which sounded adventurous enough. We always travel on a shoestring budget and hence did not want to spend for stay in lodges. Thus on the evening of 23rd March ‘06, we began the frantic search for a few good tents. Luckily one of our visiting faculties lent us two tents, which could accommodate 4 people each. We were finally able to lay our paws on the tents by 11.30 pm. With our most important requirement in place, we were all geared to go the next day. From the details given on line and our knowledge of the trek fares, the trip should not have cost us more than 600 bucks each.
The day of the trek started with breakfast at Kamla Nehru Park at 8am. As each trip has its share of fumbles, we realized none of us had made provisions for our food. So each of us pooled in money to buy food. But we had forgotten that we were in the pensioner’s paradise of Pune, where shops open only at the whims and fancies of its owners. After a long search of about an hour or so, we managed to pool in our resources with a few chapati packets, chips, biscuits, extra torch cells, medicines etc. There were a few blunders made too with a few of us entrusted to buying the foodstuff bought jam and sauce in glass bottles!! (Whatever happened to the pouches??) Also there were few bars of Cadbury chocolates purchased. Needless to say what happened to them when opened later after traveling through the sweltering summer heat…Determined to make this trip a success, we marched off to Swargate bus stand, which has more frequency of buses to Satara than any other bus stand. We boarded a Pune-Satara non stop Asiad at 10 am.
The fare was around Rs 63 each. It took us about 2 and ½ hours to reach Satara. Satara is a hilly city with scores of forts scattered around it. The most famous of them what we learnt of is the Ajinkyatara fort. Our troop clambered down at the Satara main bus stand. From here, we were supposed to go to a place called Bamnoli, about 35kms from Satara. Bamnoli being a small village, buses to this place are scarce. There were three in total, at 9.30am, at 12.45pm and next at 5.30pm. We were just in time to catch the 1.15pm bus. However, a few gluttons amongst us managed to sneak out and bought packets of grapes, which again dented our cash reserves given the cost of this juicy but expensive fruit. There were also bunches of bananas bought which got smashed into pulp due to the overlying weight in the bags later. The bus fare was around Rs 25 each. The ride to Bamnoli was quite fantastic, as we were impressed by the huge hills and mountain ranges enroute. The state transport bus cared two hoots for any speed breakers and hence we had a very bumpy ride much to our joy and to the chargin of the elderly people in the bus. However, the bus ride was very safe and never rash even for a moment along the narrow roads.We reached Bamnoli by around 2.30 pm.
Bamnoli is a small sleepy village with its proximity to the Koyna Sanctuary being its claim to fame. A huge board with Koyna Sanctuary written over it greets you with pictures of the wildlife found over there which included leopards, bison, jackals, sloth bears etc. Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Western Maharashtra. It covers over 420 sq km. The sanctuary encompasses Eastern and Western catchments of Koyna dam. The dam is a main hydroelectric project center in Western Maharashtra. Tigers, Panthers, Gaurs, Sloth Bears, Sambars, Barking Deers, Mouse Deers, Dholes, Gaint Squirrels, Otters, Common Langurs, Pythons and Cobras compose the main wildlife found in the sanctuary. A variety of bird species are also found in the sanctuary. Heart Spotted Rufous, Brown Capped Woodpecker, Goshawk, Long Tailed Nightjar and Fairy Bluebird are among them. October is the best season to visit the sanctuary. There was a small hotel at Bamnoli, which had the regular stuff of any other small village hotel. Hens pecking around the coke bottles did provide for a very contrasting picture.
It’s from here that our real adventure started. We were not aware that permission is to be taken from the forest department to go to Vasota. These rules have been made since last year to preserve the sanctity of the forest, generate revenue and keep a tab on rowdy tourists. We were charged about Rs 20 each for each day we stayed in the sanctuary. (Today and tomorrow.) Then came the killer. We had to pay Rs 400 as tent charges even though we were carrying our own tents. The rule is that we have to pay for the tent even if we use or don’t use the tents provided by the forest officials.
There is a launch available, which takes people from Bamnoli to the foot of Vasota, at a place called Met Indavali. The launch takes about an hour and half to reach Met Indavali from Bamnoli. The to and fro fare for the launch is Rs 1000 irrespective of the number of people. A quick calculation of our funds showed we would be able to barely make it back till Satara from where we could again withdraw money from ATMs to go back home. Thus after a lot of pleading to let go the tent charges, we had to finally pay Rs 400 tent charges, Rs 1000 launch charges and Rs 40 each for two day visit to the sanctuary.We were told that since we started late, we would not be able to climb the fort for it would soon become dark and it would be unsafe to do so. The forest department had a small lodge at Met Indavali where we were to stay in tents provided by them.With these things in our mind, we boarded the launch at around 4pm after a short snack at the hotel. It was a fantastic ride. The launch runs on diesel with one-way trip using about 5 litres of diesel. The launch ride was a real pleasure with people happily getting their snaps in all possible ways on the boat. We managed to hang in from the side of the launch and put in our feet in the water. Felt like as if we were water skating!! Some of us who were light weight (even yours truly!!) clambered on the top of the launch and tried to do various acrobatics to enjoy the sight of the water. It was really a fantastic ride.After a ride of about one and half hours, we landed in Met Indavali at around 5.30pm. It had already started becoming dark. The place was totally isolated with jungle all around us. A group of 6 people who had gone in the morning to visit the fort were waiting on the shore for the launch to take them back. As we landed, we shared information between us as trekkers passing each other usually do. The group had not halted for a night stay. They also did not see any wildlife. That did disappoint us a bit. We bid the launch and the returning group goodbye with instructions to the launch chap to pick us up next day around 12.30pm from the same spot.
Soon the launch became a speck in the water. The light started dimming fast. We now had to look out for the forest lodge. We walked along a beaten trail, which we though led towards the lodge. We also saw footprints of various animals along the shore that must be coming to quench their thirst in the earlier nights. Suddenly we heard a animal making noises very close to where we were walking. We were very near to the jungle edge. It seemed like a jackal. We started cracking jokes about getting scared. Hardly had we moved any further that we heard a blood-curdling growl from the edge of the forest, about 100 feet from where we were. The growl was of a leopard. We froze in our tracks and it caused real panicked amongst us.
The feeling of city slickers stranded in the jungle, miles from any help to be encountered by a creature as swift and powerful as a leopard paralyzed us. We rapidly started moving along the trail. Shockingly, the trail ended abruptly and we could not make out where to go. As we were trying to make heads or tails out of it, we suddenly saw few wild buffaloes (not bisons). The sight of even wild buffaloes terrified us at this point. However, we managed to find a trail near from where the wild buffaloes were standing. Everyone scrambled on this trail. Much to our relief, we saw the green colored jungle lodge within next 10 minutes. There was a small clearing, which had a small wooden barricade to prevent entry of wild animals.
A small makeshift wooden fence surrounded the clearing. There was a one-room lodge, locked, and a mud house and two tents pitched in this clearing. We plopped down and tried to get back our hearts to normal pace after that sudden scare.We decided to wait for the forest guards to come and help us out. However, much to our horror, even after 2 hours, no one turned up. We assumed that we would have to spend the night without any help. We immediately decided to pitch the tents we had brought with us. It was the first time we were putting up these tents and it seemed a Herculean task in the pitch darkness. We decided to use lesser number of torches as we had only 5 torches between the 8 of us, and I guess we were going to need all we got to spend the night safely. We scanned all possible places to sleep. We ruled out the mud house as it had a thatched roof and we could hear all rustling noises from the roof. After checking it with our torches, we found tons of cockroaches in the roof and suspected the presence of snakes too. At one time we even thought of breaking the lock of the lodge and sleep inside it but later abandoned this thought. We then set up our foldable tents within the tents provided by the forest deportment for double security. We fit in our two foldable tents within in a huge tent.
We had an early dinner in the other forest department tent. We made sure no single scrap of food was left outside or on the ground for we were scared that the animals might smell it and come near the tent. It was a scary night. My legs were towards the opening of the tent and I was scared that in case an animal decides to investigate our tent, my leg would be the first thing it would come across!! I could not sleep throughout the night with sounds coming from all over the lodge boundary. There were cries of hyenas, jackals and all types of birds. Whenever I did manage to catch a wink, I was rudely awakened by the snores of fellow mates happily snoring away to glory!! These sleeping beauties themselves sounded no less than any animal around to think on the lighter side of it, must have scared any inquisitive animal coming near our tent!
Finally day dawned and we all got up around 6.30 am. It was extremely cold outside though we did not feel it due to our cozy tents. We packed our stuff and started the ascent to Vasota fort. The trail was also dense and the path cool, even though the sun had made its appearance. The trees were tall and cast a shade over the entire path. It was a pleasure to walk through the path. During our trek, we came across two small temples enroute made from rocks placed strategically and given the saffron color. Seemed like the forest deity protecting its subjects. It took us around 2 hours to reach the pinnacle of the fort. We all tanked ourselves up with glucose, tons of water and left over grapes.After resting for a short while, we decided to explore the fort. The fort does not hold any great structures. There is a Hanuman temple at the entrance, while a little further down we came upon another temple housing a Shivling. The Shivling is said to be “Swayambhu”, i.e. self generated one. (Not made by human hands). We could see mountain ranges scattered over the horizon. Down below, there was dense forest. Suddenly, we saw a small movement in a clearing within the dense forest. That’s where we first saw a Bison coming out from the dense forest. To our delight, it was followed by a baby and within a span of 5 minutes by an entire herd. It was a delightful sight. Though the animals were not very clear, we could clearly make out the bisons due to their characteristic white spots over the head and leg and also their enormous bulk.Next we moved on to see the Babu kada, which is a deep ravine with dense jungle nested within it. The Babu kada is the Konkan face from where the Konkan region starts. We sat there for some time and enjoyed the breathtaking view. We were also supposed to see the Nageshwar temple but then the time restrictions did not permit us to do so, as this place was slightly far away. It was almost 11am. To the delight of a few of us, their mobiles started catching on the signal and there was a sense of being again connected to the city even while we were sitting so far away from it. From the top of the fort, a call was made to the launch owner and asked him to come on time by 12.30pm. Surprisingly, with pollution level almost nil in the region, the voice over the cell phone was so crystal clear that people sitting around could hear the voice of the launch owner very clearly.Tired and baked in then sun, we decided to move back towards where the launch would arrive to the foot of the fort. The descent was faster than expected. We all moved real fast with the hope of resting out our wearied bodies in the cool shade of the launch. However, the best was saved for the last. Just as we were about to break through into the clearing away from the forest, we suddenly came across hundreds of butterflies flying all over a small trail of the forest. It was a stupendous sight. Something which I can dream of seeing only on Discovery Channel or National Geographic. For a few minutes, we tried to drink in this spectacular sight. The butterflies were all of the same type but were all over the place. We tried to photograph them but were unable to do so due to poor light as the trees hardly let in even a ray of light.
We finally reached the foot of the fort in about an hour’s time. The descent was faster. We passed the jungle lodge enroute to the launch. We found the launch anchored firmly to the shore. Weary with the grueling trek and experiences, the water was too tempting to resist. So like a herd of buffaloes, we all jumped in the water and swam to our hearts fill for almost half an hour. With exhaustion taking on its toll, we all crashed in on the boat with it silently chugging along back to Bamnoli. Buses from Bamnoli back to Satara are around 11a.m, 2.30pm, and 5pm. We managed to get the 2.30pm bus and landed in Satara. A trip to nearby ATM ensured that we had sufficient money to go back to Pune and even have a small feast at the Satara bus stand hotel. We caught a State transport bus back to Pune and were back in Pune by around 7pm.
Tired, dirty and hungry but grateful that we could go through such a great experience. The green, lush forest totally refreshed us. The ride in the launch was like a cruise for us. The fear we felt when we heard the growl of the leopard, the hyena laughing at us or the jackals howling away was an experience never to forget. The wait for the forest guards seemed never ending. The helplessness we felt with no shelter cannot be forgotten. But at the same time the group coming up together, fixing tents, dividing chores and keeping a watch was also a great experience. In short, every part of this trek was an experience in itself, making us face real life situations and getting the best and worst out of us. Am looking forward eagerly to more treks like these. Always open to more experiences!!!
The day of the trek started with breakfast at Kamla Nehru Park at 8am. As each trip has its share of fumbles, we realized none of us had made provisions for our food. So each of us pooled in money to buy food. But we had forgotten that we were in the pensioner’s paradise of Pune, where shops open only at the whims and fancies of its owners. After a long search of about an hour or so, we managed to pool in our resources with a few chapati packets, chips, biscuits, extra torch cells, medicines etc. There were a few blunders made too with a few of us entrusted to buying the foodstuff bought jam and sauce in glass bottles!! (Whatever happened to the pouches??) Also there were few bars of Cadbury chocolates purchased. Needless to say what happened to them when opened later after traveling through the sweltering summer heat…Determined to make this trip a success, we marched off to Swargate bus stand, which has more frequency of buses to Satara than any other bus stand. We boarded a Pune-Satara non stop Asiad at 10 am.
The fare was around Rs 63 each. It took us about 2 and ½ hours to reach Satara. Satara is a hilly city with scores of forts scattered around it. The most famous of them what we learnt of is the Ajinkyatara fort. Our troop clambered down at the Satara main bus stand. From here, we were supposed to go to a place called Bamnoli, about 35kms from Satara. Bamnoli being a small village, buses to this place are scarce. There were three in total, at 9.30am, at 12.45pm and next at 5.30pm. We were just in time to catch the 1.15pm bus. However, a few gluttons amongst us managed to sneak out and bought packets of grapes, which again dented our cash reserves given the cost of this juicy but expensive fruit. There were also bunches of bananas bought which got smashed into pulp due to the overlying weight in the bags later. The bus fare was around Rs 25 each. The ride to Bamnoli was quite fantastic, as we were impressed by the huge hills and mountain ranges enroute. The state transport bus cared two hoots for any speed breakers and hence we had a very bumpy ride much to our joy and to the chargin of the elderly people in the bus. However, the bus ride was very safe and never rash even for a moment along the narrow roads.We reached Bamnoli by around 2.30 pm.
Bamnoli is a small sleepy village with its proximity to the Koyna Sanctuary being its claim to fame. A huge board with Koyna Sanctuary written over it greets you with pictures of the wildlife found over there which included leopards, bison, jackals, sloth bears etc. Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Western Maharashtra. It covers over 420 sq km. The sanctuary encompasses Eastern and Western catchments of Koyna dam. The dam is a main hydroelectric project center in Western Maharashtra. Tigers, Panthers, Gaurs, Sloth Bears, Sambars, Barking Deers, Mouse Deers, Dholes, Gaint Squirrels, Otters, Common Langurs, Pythons and Cobras compose the main wildlife found in the sanctuary. A variety of bird species are also found in the sanctuary. Heart Spotted Rufous, Brown Capped Woodpecker, Goshawk, Long Tailed Nightjar and Fairy Bluebird are among them. October is the best season to visit the sanctuary. There was a small hotel at Bamnoli, which had the regular stuff of any other small village hotel. Hens pecking around the coke bottles did provide for a very contrasting picture.
It’s from here that our real adventure started. We were not aware that permission is to be taken from the forest department to go to Vasota. These rules have been made since last year to preserve the sanctity of the forest, generate revenue and keep a tab on rowdy tourists. We were charged about Rs 20 each for each day we stayed in the sanctuary. (Today and tomorrow.) Then came the killer. We had to pay Rs 400 as tent charges even though we were carrying our own tents. The rule is that we have to pay for the tent even if we use or don’t use the tents provided by the forest officials.
There is a launch available, which takes people from Bamnoli to the foot of Vasota, at a place called Met Indavali. The launch takes about an hour and half to reach Met Indavali from Bamnoli. The to and fro fare for the launch is Rs 1000 irrespective of the number of people. A quick calculation of our funds showed we would be able to barely make it back till Satara from where we could again withdraw money from ATMs to go back home. Thus after a lot of pleading to let go the tent charges, we had to finally pay Rs 400 tent charges, Rs 1000 launch charges and Rs 40 each for two day visit to the sanctuary.We were told that since we started late, we would not be able to climb the fort for it would soon become dark and it would be unsafe to do so. The forest department had a small lodge at Met Indavali where we were to stay in tents provided by them.With these things in our mind, we boarded the launch at around 4pm after a short snack at the hotel. It was a fantastic ride. The launch runs on diesel with one-way trip using about 5 litres of diesel. The launch ride was a real pleasure with people happily getting their snaps in all possible ways on the boat. We managed to hang in from the side of the launch and put in our feet in the water. Felt like as if we were water skating!! Some of us who were light weight (even yours truly!!) clambered on the top of the launch and tried to do various acrobatics to enjoy the sight of the water. It was really a fantastic ride.After a ride of about one and half hours, we landed in Met Indavali at around 5.30pm. It had already started becoming dark. The place was totally isolated with jungle all around us. A group of 6 people who had gone in the morning to visit the fort were waiting on the shore for the launch to take them back. As we landed, we shared information between us as trekkers passing each other usually do. The group had not halted for a night stay. They also did not see any wildlife. That did disappoint us a bit. We bid the launch and the returning group goodbye with instructions to the launch chap to pick us up next day around 12.30pm from the same spot.
Soon the launch became a speck in the water. The light started dimming fast. We now had to look out for the forest lodge. We walked along a beaten trail, which we though led towards the lodge. We also saw footprints of various animals along the shore that must be coming to quench their thirst in the earlier nights. Suddenly we heard a animal making noises very close to where we were walking. We were very near to the jungle edge. It seemed like a jackal. We started cracking jokes about getting scared. Hardly had we moved any further that we heard a blood-curdling growl from the edge of the forest, about 100 feet from where we were. The growl was of a leopard. We froze in our tracks and it caused real panicked amongst us.
The feeling of city slickers stranded in the jungle, miles from any help to be encountered by a creature as swift and powerful as a leopard paralyzed us. We rapidly started moving along the trail. Shockingly, the trail ended abruptly and we could not make out where to go. As we were trying to make heads or tails out of it, we suddenly saw few wild buffaloes (not bisons). The sight of even wild buffaloes terrified us at this point. However, we managed to find a trail near from where the wild buffaloes were standing. Everyone scrambled on this trail. Much to our relief, we saw the green colored jungle lodge within next 10 minutes. There was a small clearing, which had a small wooden barricade to prevent entry of wild animals.
A small makeshift wooden fence surrounded the clearing. There was a one-room lodge, locked, and a mud house and two tents pitched in this clearing. We plopped down and tried to get back our hearts to normal pace after that sudden scare.We decided to wait for the forest guards to come and help us out. However, much to our horror, even after 2 hours, no one turned up. We assumed that we would have to spend the night without any help. We immediately decided to pitch the tents we had brought with us. It was the first time we were putting up these tents and it seemed a Herculean task in the pitch darkness. We decided to use lesser number of torches as we had only 5 torches between the 8 of us, and I guess we were going to need all we got to spend the night safely. We scanned all possible places to sleep. We ruled out the mud house as it had a thatched roof and we could hear all rustling noises from the roof. After checking it with our torches, we found tons of cockroaches in the roof and suspected the presence of snakes too. At one time we even thought of breaking the lock of the lodge and sleep inside it but later abandoned this thought. We then set up our foldable tents within the tents provided by the forest deportment for double security. We fit in our two foldable tents within in a huge tent.
We had an early dinner in the other forest department tent. We made sure no single scrap of food was left outside or on the ground for we were scared that the animals might smell it and come near the tent. It was a scary night. My legs were towards the opening of the tent and I was scared that in case an animal decides to investigate our tent, my leg would be the first thing it would come across!! I could not sleep throughout the night with sounds coming from all over the lodge boundary. There were cries of hyenas, jackals and all types of birds. Whenever I did manage to catch a wink, I was rudely awakened by the snores of fellow mates happily snoring away to glory!! These sleeping beauties themselves sounded no less than any animal around to think on the lighter side of it, must have scared any inquisitive animal coming near our tent!
Finally day dawned and we all got up around 6.30 am. It was extremely cold outside though we did not feel it due to our cozy tents. We packed our stuff and started the ascent to Vasota fort. The trail was also dense and the path cool, even though the sun had made its appearance. The trees were tall and cast a shade over the entire path. It was a pleasure to walk through the path. During our trek, we came across two small temples enroute made from rocks placed strategically and given the saffron color. Seemed like the forest deity protecting its subjects. It took us around 2 hours to reach the pinnacle of the fort. We all tanked ourselves up with glucose, tons of water and left over grapes.After resting for a short while, we decided to explore the fort. The fort does not hold any great structures. There is a Hanuman temple at the entrance, while a little further down we came upon another temple housing a Shivling. The Shivling is said to be “Swayambhu”, i.e. self generated one. (Not made by human hands). We could see mountain ranges scattered over the horizon. Down below, there was dense forest. Suddenly, we saw a small movement in a clearing within the dense forest. That’s where we first saw a Bison coming out from the dense forest. To our delight, it was followed by a baby and within a span of 5 minutes by an entire herd. It was a delightful sight. Though the animals were not very clear, we could clearly make out the bisons due to their characteristic white spots over the head and leg and also their enormous bulk.Next we moved on to see the Babu kada, which is a deep ravine with dense jungle nested within it. The Babu kada is the Konkan face from where the Konkan region starts. We sat there for some time and enjoyed the breathtaking view. We were also supposed to see the Nageshwar temple but then the time restrictions did not permit us to do so, as this place was slightly far away. It was almost 11am. To the delight of a few of us, their mobiles started catching on the signal and there was a sense of being again connected to the city even while we were sitting so far away from it. From the top of the fort, a call was made to the launch owner and asked him to come on time by 12.30pm. Surprisingly, with pollution level almost nil in the region, the voice over the cell phone was so crystal clear that people sitting around could hear the voice of the launch owner very clearly.Tired and baked in then sun, we decided to move back towards where the launch would arrive to the foot of the fort. The descent was faster than expected. We all moved real fast with the hope of resting out our wearied bodies in the cool shade of the launch. However, the best was saved for the last. Just as we were about to break through into the clearing away from the forest, we suddenly came across hundreds of butterflies flying all over a small trail of the forest. It was a stupendous sight. Something which I can dream of seeing only on Discovery Channel or National Geographic. For a few minutes, we tried to drink in this spectacular sight. The butterflies were all of the same type but were all over the place. We tried to photograph them but were unable to do so due to poor light as the trees hardly let in even a ray of light.
We finally reached the foot of the fort in about an hour’s time. The descent was faster. We passed the jungle lodge enroute to the launch. We found the launch anchored firmly to the shore. Weary with the grueling trek and experiences, the water was too tempting to resist. So like a herd of buffaloes, we all jumped in the water and swam to our hearts fill for almost half an hour. With exhaustion taking on its toll, we all crashed in on the boat with it silently chugging along back to Bamnoli. Buses from Bamnoli back to Satara are around 11a.m, 2.30pm, and 5pm. We managed to get the 2.30pm bus and landed in Satara. A trip to nearby ATM ensured that we had sufficient money to go back to Pune and even have a small feast at the Satara bus stand hotel. We caught a State transport bus back to Pune and were back in Pune by around 7pm.
Tired, dirty and hungry but grateful that we could go through such a great experience. The green, lush forest totally refreshed us. The ride in the launch was like a cruise for us. The fear we felt when we heard the growl of the leopard, the hyena laughing at us or the jackals howling away was an experience never to forget. The wait for the forest guards seemed never ending. The helplessness we felt with no shelter cannot be forgotten. But at the same time the group coming up together, fixing tents, dividing chores and keeping a watch was also a great experience. In short, every part of this trek was an experience in itself, making us face real life situations and getting the best and worst out of us. Am looking forward eagerly to more treks like these. Always open to more experiences!!!
2 comments:
Looks like you had a great time :)
Looks like you had a great time :)
Post a Comment