Murud Janjira

Ferry Rides, Dugduggi ride along Konkan India road, Catamaran Ride, Riding the Sail Boats, Beaches, Castles, Malwan Food and to top it all "The Unconquered fort of Jangira".

Click here to see few puictures of backpacking experience to Janjira Fort

Album 2 Click here

The Castle of Nawab near Murud Beach

Murud beach

Recommended Place for Stay

Commercials for resort at Murud:

Summer Vacation Tariff

Tariff for AC Cottages

April 12^thto June 8^th 2014.

Weekend Plan

Room type	Tariff	Occupancy
AC Deluxe Cottage	Rs.2,800/- per person	6 pax
AC Cottage	Rs.2,800/- per person	4 pax
AC Deluxe Dbl Room (Front)	Rs.2,800/- per person	2 pax
AC Deluxe Dbl Room (Back)	Rs.2,650/- per person	2 pax

The rates are inclusive of One Cycle of Meals and Accommodation

(One Cycle of meals start from Lunch + Dinner + Breakfast)

Tariff for AC Beach Villa (April 12^thto June 8^th 2014)

Room type	Tariff	Occupancy
Double	Rs.2,800/- per person	2 pax

The rates are inclusive of One Cycle of Meals and Accommodation

(One Cycle of meals start from Lunch + Dinner + Breakfast)

Check-in : 12:00 noon, Checkout: 10:00 am

Taxes as applicable

Weekdays: Monday to Thursday

Extra person charge will be Rs.1650/- above 12 years

and Rs.900/- for children between 5 to 11 years.

Summer Vacation Tariff

Tariff for AC Cottages

April 12^thto June 8^th 2014.
Note: The rates given below are not applicable for long weekends, Diwali Vacation and Christmas Vacations including new year weekend.

Weekdays Plan

Room type	Tariff	Occupancy
AC Deluxe Cottage	Rs.2,500/- per person	6 pax
AC Cottage	Rs.2,500/- per person	4 pax
AC Deluxe Dbl Room (Front)	Rs.2,500/- per person	2 pax
AC Deluxe Dbl Room (Back)	Rs.2,200/- per person	2 pax

The rates are inclusive of One Cycle of Meals and Accommodation

(One Cycle of meals start from Lunch + Dinner + Breakfast)

Tariff for AC Beach Villa (April 12^thto June 8^th 2014)

Room type	Tariff	Occupancy
Double	Rs.2,500/- per person	2 pax

The rates are inclusive of One Cycle of Meals and Accommodation

(One Cycle of meals start from Lunch + Dinner + Breakfast)

Check-in : 12:00 noon, Checkout: 10:00 am

Taxes as applicable

Weekdays: Monday to Thursday

Extra person charge will be Rs.1450/- above 12 years

and Rs.900/- for children between 5 to 11 years.

(Rates are subject to change without notice).

All details of the experience to be shared soon.. 

100% advance for confirmed bookings at resort.
Cancellation terms apply

Explore more treks in Maharashtra click here

Glass House Mansion by the Lake

Offbeat Mandala brings a family and friends holidays with Unique Holiday Experience.

Options
Stay in Glass Mansion or Swiss Chalets
A Classy picnic experience with visit lonely island with Packed Picnic basket
Campfire, Kit Flying ,  Kaking, Swimming Pool, Bullock Cart Ride, Camp Fire, Rowing.

Holiday Code	Activity	Our price per day per couple
1	Stay in Glass Mansion /Swiss Chalets with full boarding (Bed Tea, Breakfast, Lunch, High Tea and Dinner) with a 3-hour visit to an island with picnic basket, Camp Fire at the Site and Kite Flying for 1-hour. Swimming Pool complimentary	6000
2	Stay in Glass Mansion /Swiss Chalets with full boarding (Bed Tea, Breakfast, Lunch, High Tea and Dinner) and learn Kayaking for 3-hours, Camp Fire at the Site, Cycling for 1-Hour and 1-hour of bullock cart ride. Swimming Pool complimentary	6500
3	Stay in Glass Mansion /Swiss Chalets with full boarding (Bed Tea, Breakfast, Lunch, High Tea and Dinner) with Camp Fire, Sunset/Sunrise Picnic by the riverside, Cycling for 1-hour & Kite Flying. Swimming Pool complimentary	5800
4	Stay in Glass Mansion /Swiss Chalets with full boarding (Bed Tea, Breakfast, Lunch, High Tea and Dinner) with 1-Hour of Boating, 1-Hour of Kayaking and 1-hour of Rowing. Swimming Pool complimentary	6000
5	Stay in Glass Mansion /Swiss Chalets with full boarding (Bed Tea, Breakfast, Lunch, High Tea and Dinner) with 1-Hour of Boating, 1-Hour of Kayaking and 1-hour of Rowing. Swim in the lake under guidance. Swimming Pool complimentary	6500

Glass Mansion by the Lake

Spread across 3-acre property, the Glass Mansion has independent Glass Rooms with a 360 degree balcony, ideally suited for a small family / Group

The entire property is situated on the banks of Upper Vaitarna Lake, the largest source of water for Mumbai and each room offers a 270 degree splendid view of the magnificent Lake.

Facilities :

  Independent bedroom containing a double bed and a double sofa cum bed.

  Extra people can be accommodated on mattress.

  Attached bathroom.

  High quality bedding.

  DTH Connection.

  Full meal package offered.

  Restaurant in the adjacent building

Swiss Chalet by the Lake

Spread across 3-acre property, the Swiss Chalet has independent Swiss Rooms with a 360 degree balcony, ideally suited for a small family / Group.

The entire property is situated on the banks of Upper Vaitarna Lake, the largest source of water for Mumbai and each room offers a 270 degree splendid view of the magnificent Lake.

Facilities :

  Independent bedroom containing a double bed and a double sofa cum bed.

  Extra people can be accommodated on mattress

  Attached bathroom.

  High quality bedding

  DTH Connection

  Full meal package offered.

  Restaurant in the adjacent building.

For more pictures click here

Travel Checklist - Himachal

General Instructions on Clothing (Summer Travel)

Attire

Tops / T-Shirts (keep some t-shirt that are full sleeves); Dry fits t-shirts can be good option if you plan to go on few walking trips or treks.

Lite trousers, Lite Jeans; Track Pants; or combination of (Dry fits and shorts).

Warm Woolen Sweater ; Lite Winter Jacket; Woolen Head Gear and (optional Muffler).

Carry plenty of spare undergarments and socks. (keep one of two pair of lite woolen socks).

Sun Glasses.

Shoe: Tough Canvas Shoe or Trekking Shoe or Tough Sports Shoe

One pair of lite woolen gloves.

Keep one set of floaters or slippers (washable).

If you are travelling closer to monsoon season also carry a spare poncho (raincoat) 

Personal Toiletries and Sanitation accessories

Soap; Shampoo; Towel; personal toilet papers 

Tooth Paste; Tooth Brush; Small Mouth WashMoisturizer; cold cream; Sun Screen (35 to 40 SPF)
Lip Balm or Lip Guard

Vix Vapour Rub; Mosquito Repellent; 

Shaving kit; Pocket mirror.

any personal medicine that you generally take regularly for some chronic illness.

flash lights with spare batteries. 
Hand Sanitizer

Munchies

Carry personal set of favorites munchies Chocolates; Dry Fruits; Biscuits etc for in between snack. Don't carry too much.

Bags

Carry one Backpack - 60 Liters (as main bag)

Carry one Daypack - 30 to 35 liters (to carry during the day for camera, sweater, jackets, poto-ids, water bottle, flash light, personal medical kit etc)

A Waist Pouch can help too.

Packing

All items are to be wrapped in plastic or poly bags or waterproof nylon pouches..

Carry an additional smaller backpack (for 1 day trip kind of) where you can leave your heavy baggage at the camp and travel with lighter bags if needed.

Pack bulky and light stuff at bottom and top. All heavy stuff towards the center of the bag and towards your body.

Use Compression straps if you have them in your bags, these will help you keep all items in place.

Keep all handy stuff in day pack (Photo IDs, Tickets, Woolens, Camera, Personal Medicines, Money etc). 

Optional items

ziploc bags for cameras with water proof pouch. (Pack all your items in separate zip pouches or plastic bags to keep it organised). 

Camera with spare battery and memory

matches / lighter

Spike Guard – for mobile / camera charging (We may have only one socket per room in hotels, so kindly carry spike gard with multiple sockets)
spare cells for Mobile Phone and Cameras (Cells discharge faster in extreme colds)..

Telecom

In mountains and remote places like Himachal one may not get clear signal for telephone's so be ready to a telecom blackout occasionally. 

Important To Dos

Always reach 30 before scheduled time for all activities reduces stress

(Better early than late, better sure than sorry). 
Keep photo ids, tickets in places where you can reach them easily.

Don’t make the baggage too heavy; maximum one backpack and one handbag (day pack). Don’t carry items not require or more quantity than required.

Airport security check-in. Pack all  Liquids, paste tubes, shaving kit; scissors; any sharp objects in check-in luggage; pressurized bottles etc..

Always carry a Photo ID while travelling; with spare copies of photographs and photo ids. 

Roadtrip Trip to Kaas Plateau

Kass the home to millions of tiny flowers in late monsoons. The whole spectacle is beyond words. More than 300 varieties of wild flowers, herbs, orchids, shrubs, insectivorous plants etc. Satara the Ancient City surrounded by seven hills.. 

 Date: September 19th Night 7pm to 
           September 20, 2014 Night.

Budget:

Ex. Mumbai Rs.3950/- 
(Mumbai - Pune - Satara - Kaas - Mumbai)

Ex. Pune Rs.1850/- 
(Pune - Satara - KAAS - Pune - Cab)

Inclusions: Ex. Mumbai
2 Dinner, 1 Breakfast, 1 Mid-Day Snack, 1 Lunch, 1 Evening Tea / Snack
Transport Non AC Private Bus transport (Mumbai - Pune - Satara - KAAS - Mumbai)
Overnight Stay at Pune (AC Rooms on triple sharing)
for twin sharing add Rs.300/- per head extra (for people registering in 2s)
Expert Management Services of Nature Knights

Inclusions: Ex. Pune
Pune - Satara - KAAS - Pune Travel by No AC Private Bus
during return trip Drop in AC Cab upto 40 km from highway into the town.
Breakfast, 1 Mid-Day Snack, 1 Lunch, 1 Evening Tea
Expert Management Services of Nature Knights

Excludes:

Any meals / menu not part of standard package
2nd night dinner not included
Travel or accident insurance
Tips, Shopping etc.
Anything that is not included is excluded.

Cancellation Clause

Cancellation charges before September 5th will 25% of the total trip fee.
Cancellation charges before September 12th  will be 50% of the total trip fee.
No refund if the cancellation is after September 12th.

Planned Schedule:

September 19, 2014 (Saturday)

Pickup points
6:30 pm Bus Starts at Malad near Oberoi Mall
7:00 pm Andheri near Bislery (where Mumbai/Pune Bus stops) towards Cigratte Factory end of Western Express Highway
7:20 pm after Vakola signal
7:30 pm Bandra (Kalanagar Signal) near Exit of SKY Walk
7:45 pm Sion Station
8:10 pm Chembur (Before Diamond Garden Signal)
8:40 pm Vashi (Junction of Station Road and Highway below bridge)
9:10 pm Belapur
9:30 pm Mc Donald

Halt at Food Court for dinner
11:30 pm arrival at Hotel

Call it a day

4:00 am Early Wake up
Tea/ Bread Butter
5:15 am Depart from Pune
Packed breakfast
Tea on the way
9:00 am arrival at KAAS

Exploring KAAS from 9am to 3:00 pm
Lunch at Bamnoli 
3:30 pm Start back for Mumbai
7:00 pm Arrival at Pune
11:00 pm Arrival at Mumbai

Note: We can try and organise pre-paid cabs at night from Mumbai for dropping people home. The cost of these cabs will be borne and shared by participants using this service.

For Pune participants the cost of cabs to drop them upto 40 km from highway is already budgeted in the cost.

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About Kaas

Best season: late monsoon till October.

Kaas Lake ls on a distance of 22kms from Satara and most part of the road leading to Kaaz from Satara is hilly. Kaas Plateau  is called as Maharashtra's Valley of Flowers.

During late monsoon most hills are covered with carpets of wild flowers. The lateritic plateau of Kass has becomes home to millions of tiny flowers in late monsoons. The whole spectacle is beyond words. More than 300 varieties of wild flowers, herbs, orchids, shrubs, insectivorous plants etc. This plateau overlooks the lush evergreen forests that serves as a water catchment area of Koyna Dam and which is recently declared as “Sahyadri Tiger reserve". In monsoon the whole area transforms into an unbelievable carpets of flowers like yellow carpets of Smithia and Sonki flowers, Pink carpets of Balsam, Purple carpets of Karvi etc.


Checkout other fixed schedule trips

About Satara and a bit of its history

The city gets its name from seven (Saat is seven) hills surrounding the city. Tara in local languate also means hills. The seven hills are Ajinkyatara, Sajjangad, Yawateshwar, Jarandeshwar, Nakdicha Dongar, Kitlicha Dongar, and Pedhyacha Bhairoba.

The oldest Dynasty ruling Satara is said to be the Rashtrakutas. The oldest Rashtrakutas are believed to be from ancient Kuntala in the valley of river Krishna. King Manank ruled from 350 - 375 CE. and had built his capital in Maanpur (now Maan in Satara district). The Vakatakas of Vidarbha, another Rashtrakuta rulers were in conflict with Manank. Subsequently, the Rashtrakutas became feudatories to the Chalukyas and came into prominence under Dantidurga around 753 CE.

The empire of Chandragupta II, known as Mahendraditya Kumargupta I, extended as far as Satara district in Deccan when he ruled between 451 and 455 AD. The Mauryan empire in the Deccan was followed by the rule of Satavahans for about two centuries between 550 and 750 AD.

The first Muslim invasion of the Deccan took place in 1296. In 1636 the Nizam Shahi dynasty came to an end. In 1663 Shivaji conquered Parali & Satara fort. After the death of Shivaji, Aurangzeb's son Muhammad Azam Shah conquered Satara fort (Ajinkyatara) after a 6month siege, later won by Parshuram Pratinidhi in 1706. In 1708 Chattrapati Shahu, the son of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, was crowned on the Satara fort. The direct descendents of Raja Shivaji continue to live in Satara. The current king of Satara, Udayanraje Bhosale is the 13th descendent of Shivaji Maharaj.

After their victory in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, the British Empire annexed most of the Maratha territory to Bombay Presidency, but restored the titular Raja Pratap Singh, and assigned to him the principality of Satara, an area much larger than the present district. As a result of political intrigues, he was deposed in 1839, and his brother Shahji Raja was placed on the throne. This prince died without any male heirs, and as a result Satara was eventually annexed by the British government, and added to Bombay Presidency.

In 1930 several young leaders Yashwantrao Chavan, Dhulappa Navale, Swami Ramanand Bharti, V.S. Page & Gaurihar Sihasane took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1940 individual sathyagraha was limited, symbolic & non-violent in nature & it was let to Mahatma Ghandhi to choose the satyagrahis. Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first individual satyagrahi of Mahatma Gandhi & in Satara District region Dhulappa Bhaurao Navale was the first individual satyagrahi.

During the independence struggle, a type of Parallel Government known as Prati Sarkar came into existence. The people of Satara, under the leadership of Krantisinha Nana Patil, ousted the British officials and took power into their hands. During Quit India Movementof 1942, this parallel government replaced British government for 4.5 years from August 1943 to May 1946. Similar ousters of British power in other areas, led to the formation of similar Parallel Governments in Midnapore in West Bengal and Purnia in Uttar Pradesh. Such was the efficiency and power of these Parallel Governments that for nearly 4.5 years, the British did not even try to capture these areas, fearing defeat; which shows the popular nature of these governments.