Weekend trip to Karjat: A day in lap of nature

Khandala and Lonavala may seem to be the ideal hill stations for weekend getaways from Mumbai, but there lies a beautiful place in the vicinity, untouched by tourism and human activity. Land of scenic vistas, historic forts, tall mountains and ancient rock-cut cave temples- Karjat is merely 80 km away from the city. It is located at the end of the coastal plains of Konkan region over Bhor Ghat of Sayhadri range of the Western Ghats. The river banks of Ulhas, which originates in Karjat and flows westward, is the perfect location to spend your day.

We left from Dadar at 6.30 a.m. and with two short halts- one for breakfast and one for picking up snacks- reached Karjat by 9.30 a.m. As we entered this picturesque town in Raigad district of Maharashtra, we were mesmerised by the serene paddy fields and farmhouses on both sides. There were some women selling local fruits like tadgola (ice apple) and mango on the sides of the tarred roads and we stopped by to have some mangoes and tadgola juice. We crossed the main market, educational institutes, film shooting locations and film studios as we drove through the town. And within a few minutes, we found ourselves away from the township and cascading towards the river banks of Ulhas.

We found an appropriate place and set up our camp on the banks of the river and headed for a swim. We got some local kids to join us for the BBQs and sumptuous home-cooked Goan meal and spoke to them in a mix of Marathi, Hindi Konkani since we do not know Marathi and they did not seem to know any language besides Marathi. The afternoon rolled by peacefully and the only sound we heard was leaves rustling, river flowing and birds chirping. Book lovers, this is a perfect place for catching up on some reading right in the lap of nature! We had an extremely good time in Karjat and returned home the same evening. The foggy mountains, the cool breeze and the river water were enough to rejuvenate us for another week of following the regular routine of shuttling between work and home, running to catch the local and trying to catch up with the fast moving city life in Mumbai.

6.30 a.m. no-makeup-selfie in Dadar. Fresh and excited before leaving on early Sunday morning,

As we were driving....

As we were nearing Karjat

mesmerizing colours

and more view.....

Breathtaking view (the camera doesn't do justice to the pics)

...... hills are a solution to every problem! YO

sunkissed

and a li'l bit of posing...

......the view behind though!

No idea why I was wearing black....... :P

Me playing MasterChef....

Getting ready. Can't wait.....

BBQ anyone?!

Time with the familia!!!

Have you been to Karjat yet? Do share your experience with me by commenting below or by connecting on Instagram Facebook Twitter. Hope this travelogue helped. If your liked this story, you will also like Weekend Getaway to Bisle Ghat, Karnataka.

Text and photographs: Flexcia D’souza