Sanjay Gandhi National Park,Kanheri Caves

Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Location :Borivali east.

National park main gate is on a western express higway which is on a 10 minutes walking distance from Borivali station.

Really cool spot for one day picnic and nature trail.Great experience for bird watchers,nature lovers and fun lovers.

Map of National Park

Map of Krishnagiri Upavan(Kanheri caves)

rules and fare info

Cute tiny mashroom on a tree

 Gang of tiny mashrooms

Each and every tree is unique and represents a completely different world of insects and their colonies.

 Snail on a tree

Is this a spider?

 Chameleon

Snail

Trees ko bhi ankhe hoti hai.....

Foam insect : Creates foam around himself for protection

 Red ants

Ant colony on a tree...It is made up of wood and leaf mache.Trees provide material and shelter and in return.....ants provide safty to the host tree.Ants attack the suspected threat (animals etc)  in order to protect their colony....due to which their host tree also gets protected from being eaten up by the animals.

Beautiful flower of a Gulmohor tree.Gul’ means flower and ‘Mohr’ is ‘peacock’, thus the name suggests a spectacular show of color, like the extraordinary colors of a peacock's tail

Water lily pond at the entrance

BHNS (Bombay Natural History Society) group on Shilonda nature trail

Waterscapes at National Park

Chitals (Spotted deer) were so used to humans that , they were quiet comfortable when we were photographing them from a distance of hardly 20 feet.
They are feeding on a garbage.Hence most of the chitals are seen  in residential areas rather than deep inside a forest.

The area is always under threat due to leopard attacks.But that doesn't stop nature lovers from visiting this place.

This plant is called as Raan Halad (Wild turmeric).It contains  medicinal properties and you will find  plenty of them in national park.They are found mainly in rainy season and last only for few weeks.

Nothing goes waste....nothing is safe....Everything gets eaten...that's Jungle

BHNS group

Relaxxxxx.....Sit on a stone after a long walk.....keep your feet in a running cold water ....Listen to the chirping of the birds......Let the nature heal you......Ohh my god !!!.....Feels like heaven.....

Jungle spa.....Natural pedicure.....Acupressure.....stress relaxation......Free Free Free !!!

Dense forest.....Clean water....Greenary.....
Looks impossible......but yess....It is in Mumbai

Nature teaches us to struggle...how to survive in the worst situations......and also to solve our problems and difficulties by our own.

I was really impressed by this small black fella.. who was trying really hard to save his own life from the cold running water....it was really inspiring to see how he invented his own ways to overcome the situation...

 Sometimes I wonder.....how much time God must have taken to create such  beutiful and unique creatures... with lots of creativity and variations......

 Walking on the slippery rocks.....Great fun !!!

 Mashroom

Mashroom : worm's eye view

 What a crab !!!!!

Little black fella comes again....but this time...he is not in a trouble.......I loved his movement pattern....

This tree is known as Achyut (Bartondi in Local Marathi language)

Hey bug...thats not a tree...that's my windcheater !!!

This is not a regular tar road.It goes right through the heart of the jungle.And it requires a special permission from the forest department to take this route.

Ant hill

Boating is  available in rainy and winter season.(when the water level is suitable for boating)

Some weird flower

Red bug comes again !!!

One of the nicest place to play around.It will definitely increase your heartbeat while climbing down due to 'international' ladder.

Kanheri caves

Kanheri caves is a classic example of rock cut architecture.There are total 109 buddhist caves which include, chaityas (halls for congregational worship ), viharas (for  living, study, and meditation of the monks) and stupas.

It is one of the best nature spot in Mumbai.

Kanheri caves is located deep inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park .

The forest around is really dense and it is called as Krishnagiri Upavan(Krishna-black, Giri-mountain)

Best season : Rainy season. It is great fun to see greenary of the dense forest and the beuty of the waterfalls.

How to reach :

1.By bus : Transport by bus to the caves is available every hour from the main gate.Takes hardly 15 minutes to reach.

2. By private vehicle :You can go by your own car/two wheeler.You have to pay some extra charges depending upon the type of the vehicle and no. of people travelling.

3: By walk : It takes around 2 hours from the main gate.Really good experience for the nature lovers and active youngsters.The road is a tar road and is in a good condition.
There are 2-3 rivulets on the same route.People can take a halt at these rivulets as the water is really cold and refreshing.It will definitely wash off your tiredness.

If you don't have any energy left to again walk for 2 hours in the return journey from kanheri caves to main gate....private cars are also available at the base of the mountain with the fare of Rs.30 per person.

Warning : do not go alone on week days as the road is quiet lonely and you may attract leopards and robbers.Going with a group is advisable.Not good for people with health problems as it is difficult to get urgent medical help.

Food:
Do not expect much.Proper hotel is outside the National Park main gate.Once you are inside....there is no scope to get a proper meal or even a fast food shop.There is only one cold drink stall at the kanheri caves.You can get tea,cold drink,chips ,mineral water etc depending upon the stock. It is better to carry the food from home itself.

Entry fees: Rs.5 (for Indians)

               Rs.100 (for foreigners)

Dense forest of Krishnagiri Upavan

Small stalls at the base of the mountain.

View from the top of the mountain

Waterfall at Kanheri caves.Real fun.You have to reach this place really early in order to get your favourite spot to get wet...especially on the weekends when this place is really crowded....

Look at the scale !!!