Maharashtra Nature Park : A walk in Mumbai's Green Lungs

As monsoon times comes around again, most of us like to stay indoors especially in the weekend. I was looking for options to make the rainy Sunday even better. I thought of joining for a Photo Walk at Maharashtra Nature Park, conducted by DCP Expeditions — a Mumbai based renowned photography academy. 

Spread over 37 acres, Maharashtra Nature Park (also known as Mahim Nature Park)  offers endless opportunities for the photographers to click images. Located at Bandra Sion link road and on the Southern bank of Mithi river, exactly on opposite side of Dharavi slums, this forest santuary land was once a city garbage dump.  Now it is a place to study different plants, trees, mammals, butterflies, reptiles and  birds. The park houses more than 14000 species of vegetation, 120 varieties of birds and over 75 kinds of butterflies. It has paths to trek around the park, a pond and also has an auditorium for nature related activities.

Image Courtesy: DCP

As soon as you enter the park’s gate, you can see a well maintained office area of this park. It was 8:00 am in the rainy morning when the photo walk started. Light drizzle added to the beauty of nature, and it turned out to be the best time for a nature photography photo walk. Under the guidance of Mentors, the participants clicked some beautiful pictures of creatures and some flowers. As the rain poured down continuously, it was hard to click by holding an umbrella in one hand and a camera on the other.

We had an opportunity to click images of  a variety of butterflies, Humming bird moth, Centipede, Spiders,  Mushrooms, Damselflies, other insects, slugs, etc.

It was around 11 am and I decided to leave the place. It was a nice morning, meeting a bunch of enthusiastic photographers and learning about butterflies, insects and trees. 

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Malshej Ghat

Malshej Ghat, famous for its waterfalls and thick mist, is situated at an altitude of 700 metres (2300 feet) above the sea level.

Route Map : Mumbai -> (Eastern Expressway) Borivali ->Thane -> Bhiwandi -> Kalyan -> Murbad ->Sarlagaon -> Malshej Ghat.

A four hours journey from Mumbai will take you to Malshej Ghat.

ENROUTE TO MALSHEJ GHAT

Making our way to Malshej ghat through the lonely roads ! Immersed in the beauty of the surroundings, I looked out of the window, not wanting to miss anything.

Soon we were truly in  natures lap. We stopped  at few places to click photos of  the picturesque scenery around.  It is a sight to behold for its wholesome greenery, village life and a layer of mist as clouds descend into the region.

We were on the highway. The sun blazed high on the sky, as the distant mountains flew past into the blur, some of them still covered in a thin layer of snow. These lofty ranges were constant companions and unsurprising.

The road stretched on ahead with dozens of curves. Further on, was a series of waterfalls plunging into the road.

Almost at every curve of the road, one is bound to find a cascading waterfall.  Walking through the gushing water is a lifetime experience.

AN ATTRACTIVE TUNNEL

Enroute to the village is a tunnel. This was the route's attraction.

The road is extremely narrow but the overhanging greenery more than makes up for the alert drive. After crossing the  tunnel , we saw a beautiful creation of nature’s architecture – a cliff at the edge of a small plateau. It’s a place from where you can get a view of the entire ghat.

Krishna Bela Point. Malshej Ghat

There were  stalls on the way and were the only sources for  snacks and water. They were selling tea, coffee, egg dishes, vada pav and roasted corns.

VILLAGE

After clicking a lot of photos, we headed towards the  village which was a few kms ahead from Malshej Ghat.

BEAUTIFUL LAKE

Just adjacent  to the road is a beautiful lake -Pimpalgaon Joga Lake - which is one of the main attractions in Malshej Ghat. The surrounding was so  nice that I could not  resist myself from clicking photos.

Rolling hills and the gathering clouds lend a surreal feel to the breathtaking scenery.

Mountain in Monsoon,Malshej ghat

VILLAGE LIFE

People working in paddy field during monsoon at Malshej ghat

Had a delicious Maharashtrian lunch - Rice, Dal, Pithla Bhakri, Maas wadi etc.

VIEW POINT

The view from behind the ‘Flamingo Hill Resort’, run by MTDC is a must-see.  Covered with a misty fog,these mountains often seem to merge and disappear into the skies.

A distance view of Krishna Bela point.

If  planning to stay overnight, one can consider  ‘Flamingo Hill Resort’ run by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation.

As we were on high altitude, the clouds were on the road and this is an  experience which I love – passing through the clouds.

Malshej Ghat is a must visit weekend destination during the monsoons.

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