To beat the summer heat, there is a beautiful place known as Ladghar which is famous for its clean, unspoilt, scenic beach. Its near Khed in the Konkan region. Catch a train from Mumbai to Khed as there are many trains between the two places or drive down to Ladghar which is about 7 hours drive on the Mumbai Goa Highway or catch a MSRTC bus from Mumbai.The train journey takes about 5 hours. Once you reach Khed catch a MSRTC bus from Khed to Dapoli. The ride will take about 25 minutes. Get down at Dapoli and again catch a MSRTC bus to Ladghar which is 24 kms from Dapoli and it will take you about 45 minutes. Do not worry about the bus as their frequency is good. As you reach Ladghar one has the choice of staying at the famous Sagar Sawali hotel which has both air conditioned room as well as non air conditioned rooms or staying at the shacks which the locals have built for tourists which are good for tourist with a low budget. To get the real feel of the place I advise you to stay in the local shacks which are built on the seashore and they provide with homemade food which adds to the wonderful experience . The climate there is cool even in the summer due to the cool sea breeze blowing from the Arabian Sea. In Ladghar go for a stroll along the beach and collect colourful sea pebbles. This place is less crowded as many people do not know about it. At times you may be the only one on the entire shore. This place is very famous for its dolphins. To sight the dolphin pods, the local fisherman will take you into the open sea early in the morning in their boat for Rs 800. This is a must do as the boat trip on the sea waves itself along with the dolphin sighting is mind blowing. One important thing worth mentioning is that as Ladghar has few shops so to shop you must go to Dapoli which is not very hectic as there are regular shared Tempo Trax taxis which charges Rs 10 per person along with the regular MSRTC buses to and fro from Ladghar and Dapoli. Other places worth visiting are the ancient temples of Veleshwar dedicated to Lord Shiva which is more than 1000 years old and Lord Datta temple which is situated on a hill. One has to trek about 30 minutes to reach the temple but the journey to the top is awesome with a small pool of spring water to freshen you on the way. This trek is through some heavy plantation of coconut and betel nut trees so it is kind of walking through some dense vegetation which is very refreshing. Do make a point to eat at the local homes while coming down as it adds to the experience. The food is delicious and inexpensive to say the least. Then there are the famous Panhalekaji caves. These are ancient caves with Buddhist and Hindu sculptures and are worth a visit. Other places of interest are the clean and pristine beaches of Harnai, Murud, Dabhol. Over all this trip is for those who want to get away from the maddening crowd, pollution of Mumbai and other places for a short period and as this place is not far away from Mumbai and Pune and is inexpensive, give it a try. I bet people who have come here alone or with their friends or with their family will come back sooner or later. The pros of this place are proximity to Mumbai but still has that very village feel. Its well connected to other places and the roads are good. The place is pollution free and the most important factor is that it’s not crowded as there are less number of visitors throughout the year but do not know for how long. The con if any is that this place has limited options for accommodation. Still undoubtedly, one of the best place I have every visited.
No comments:
Post a Comment