- Explore
- Broadcast
- Activities
- Wildlife
- Historical Tours
- Cultural Tours
- Local Tours
- Adventure
- Blog
Turtle Festival at Velas :
The Turtle Festival at Velas is annually organized by Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM) and the Kasav Mitra Mandal (KMM), during the period of February to March. This festival is attended by nature lovers, marine turtle enthusiasts, volunteers, known personalities in the field of conservation, tourists and people who just want to witness this moment, at least once in a lifetime!
Harihareshwar
Surrounded by four holy hills Harihar, Harshinachal, Bramhadri and Pushpadri Harihareshwar is a region in Konkan which is amazingly beautiful with hills playing the perfect foil for long stretch of pristine beach. The Harihareshwar temple built in the 16th century with the deities of Vishnu Brahma and Shiva is the primary attraction in Harihareshwar along with beautiful stretch of beach.
Bankot Fort Bankot is a square shaped fort. On the sides of Bankot fort, there is a dry moat (Revni) dug out in the Jambhya stone. Jambhya stone is peculiar type of stone adorning a purple shade and peculiarly it is incapable of storing water as the water invariable percolates through it owing to its much porous nature. The main entrance (Mahadarwaja) of the fort is north-facing with a well sculpted arch and carvings. Watch guards dug out (Devdya) align on both sides of the Mahadarwaja with some pits being dug out in the right Devdi. On the left, there are steps leading towards Nagarkhana while there is an underground storey and a tunnel on the right. A Maruti idol in the centre stands deserted now. On the west, there is a small entrance (Darwaja) leading to a Bastion on the exterior of the fortifications. A deep well (now dry and filled) occupied the centre of this bastion earlier and the adjacent water tanks too are dry and obsolete now. One can leave the Buruj via a small exit that leads to the surrounding moat and a beautiful “Revni” lying nearby.
Velas
Velas is the birth place of Nana Phadnis, one of the great prominent personalities in Maratha history. Due to the sea-shore Velas is an existing place and it is situated nearBankot Bay. There is an old temple of Shri Bhairi- Rameshwar and in this temple all twelve months water is made available taking the benefit of favorable geographical conditions. A statue of Nana Phadnis is present outside his house. In Velas Mahalakshmi temple and Nana Phadnis house are the places to visit. Gokulashtami Festival is one of the important festival in Velas.Velas is also one of the popular breeding sites of Olive Ridley, which is an endangered species of turtle.
The itinerary for the tour will be as follows:
Day 0, Friday Night
Meeting Point :Pritam Hotel Dadar East @11.30 pm
Pickup Points: Chembur Diamond Garden, Vashi, Panvel
Day 1, Saturday
Day 2, Sunday
Special Note:
1) Emergence of Hatchlings of turtles is a natural process. So the emerging possibility of turtles on the mentioned dates cannot be guaranteed.
2) The above beaches have strong RIP currents so we will not allow you to go into the water with or without Life jacket / Life Guards