How to chill out over weekends near Mumbai and Pune

If you want to take quick break away from your frantic and exhausted life, you want enjoy the soothing scenery and you want just a day’s trip here are some famous spots near Mumbai & Pune. Take a look and drive down without any further delay one of these weekends:

MORACHI CHINCHOLI:

This is small cozily tucked away village. You will see lots of Peacocks here; in sense you can watch them from a short distance. It is their home. You can call this village as The Indian National Bird’s Habitat Centre. It’s just about 50 kilometers away from Pune on the Pune-Ahmednagar State Highway. What is most appreciable about the villagers is even when they have faced drought-like situations they have saved the peacocks without any government support. The village is lush green in monsoon and is well-maintained by the villagers.

Peacocks are slightly used to the local surrounding though – but withdraw the moment they see crowd of tourists. Please don’t shout loudly, don’t use stones etc. Immediately the peacocks go in hiding. We are supposed to respect their natural behavior. Every forest has its rules to follow. Don’t harm the nature. Don’t cut seeds, tree bark, roots and any other part of plants and trees, don’t pluck flowers; in our enthusiasm we tend to do these acts – by doing so we hurt the plants.  Use path and trails indicated for walking to minimize the damage to natural beauty. Please do not throw litter anywhere put wastes where it belongs. Do write on the trees. You will realize the plants, trees and animals have their own way of communicating with the surrounding. They can respond to the unspoken thoughts of humans.

Don’t waste time; take an immediate trip; you will see the dancing peacocks in the monsoon. Here you will find abundant tamarind tress and therefore it is called ‘Chincholi’ tamarind in Marathi is ‘Chinch’ and Chincholi means a plot of land of chinch trees. The best time to spot the peacocks is in the morning between 6 and 8 am and in the evening between 5 and 7 pm. Once you reach the village, you are treated to a delicious breakfast by the host. You can take a tractor/bullock cart ride to the farm and experience the irrigation and farming life. Take an afternoon nap under the shadow of mango trees. You will experience the typical Maharashtrian village life and you will return home with pleasant memories.

PHANSAD WILD LIFE SANCTURY:

If you are fond of wildlife do visit Phansad in Raigad district. It falls in Murud and Roha Talukas. It was created in 1986 by Government of Maharashtra to preserve some of the coastal woodland ecosystem in the Western Ghats. This sanctuary consists of 6979 hectare of forest, grasslands and wetlands. The area was once part of the hunting reserves of the princely state of Murud-Jannira. This wildlife sanctuary is not very far from both Mumbai and Pune. It’s about 145 km from Mumbai.

You will find about 90 species of butterflies, large variety of rare birds, Leopard, Hyena, Muntjac, interestingly, you will see the Indian Giant Squirrels here. You will see a beautiful mix of flora and fauna here. It is so soothing to eyes and it just enriches your soul. Feel fresh, inhale the pollution free air, and just be with the nature. You will inhale a mild floral fragrance the moment you enter the sanctuary. This sanctuary also houses around 710 species of plants like Ficus, Jamba, teak and many more. Medicinal plants like Clitoria, Biflora, Ramphicapa Longifolia and others are also found here.

There are four main trails through the sanctuary that take in the main waterholes, Gunyacha Maal, Chikhalgaan and Phansadgaan, that are some of the best places to see wildlife. The “Sacred Groves” are located near Supegon. The sanctuary consists of pockets of open grassland, which in Marathi is called mal. The sanctuary is best approachable by road from Murud-Janjira and Roha. The nearest railway station is Roha.

We need more National parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries; because it helps save several animal populations and endangered organisms. Let’s realizes just how many animals and plants are going extinct, and how much it’s already affecting our environment. We need more places that can protect these animals and keep them safe. Visit Phansad; it is worth at least one visit.