Kashid - A scenic
beach in Konkan, Western Maharashtra
The entire konkan stretch
of western coastal Maharashtra is full of natural beauty. Its a thick green
stretch, with number of untouched clean beaches and superb roads to reach
out. Though the train connectivity is not that good but at least Konkan
Railways' arrival ensured that this area is no more inaccessible.
Kashid is one of the best beach in may ratings , in this region. The reasons
why I am calling it best is White sand, blue seas, green mountains, paddy
fields, and rivulets. Kashid has a 3 km stretch of beach with the cleanest,
whitest sand and Casuarina groves that make just the perfect setting for a
beach holiday. Also close to Kashid are Famous Murud and Janjira.
Murud is an old fisherman town with one very nice beach...with calm water
and Janjira is a famous fort in the middle of the sea near Murud. The
setting for the fort is perfect for any film shooting.
How to get there?
- 140 Km from Mumbai
- 135 KM from Thane
- 110 KM from New Bombay (Vashi)
* Buses plying regularly between Mumbai central - Murud halts at Kashid
* Buses plying regularly between Thane - Murud halts at Kashid
* Frequent service available for Alibaug from Mumbai, Thane. From there
buses are available for Murud
which halts at Kashid village
Driving down to Kashid itself is a rejuvenating experience. Its around 140
Km from Mumbai / Thane. The road is quite good in condition except for few
patches. The journey itself is very rewarding.
I love to do this route on my Suzuki Samurai (so far I have done it 4
times). It takes 4 hours from Mumbai to reach Kashid with a decent speed of
50 KMPH. Road up to Panvel (50 km from Mumbai / Thane) is well laid 6 lane
highway with plenty of traffic. After Panvel, take Mumbai - Goa road. The
road from Panvel itself is quite rewarding (caution: Be aware of blind turns
and speeding vehicles and especially ST buses). Well laid carpet road with a lot
of thick forest patches around it for 10-12 KM. It passes through famous
Karnala Wild life century. Then from a place called Vadkhal, the road
deviates from the Mumbai - Goa highway and makes its way to Alibaug (same
Alibaug mentioned in
"Alibaug se aayela hai kya" dialogues of movies). the traffic becomes
non-existent from this place. Sparse traffic, but only of light vehicles and
ST buses moving at rocket pace. Be careful of these rockets , as they
approach without warning and normally none of them have horn installed in
them (State transport departments have to seriously think about installing
horns in their ROCKETS).
Take right turn after crossing Alibaug for Revdanda
and the Konkan coast unfurls its magic. Beaches (yes a number of beach
fronts) on the right hand side about 200-300 meters from the road and thick coconut
tree jungles on the other. Villages are quite picturesque with
concrete roads and beautiful landscapes. Revdanda, Naugaon. After crossing
the Vikram Ispat, take right turn for Kashid. Its another 10 km drive with
thick forest covered hills on one side and vibrant Sea on the other. The
winding road to Kashid provides glimpses of the sea, mountains and the
shores.
Where to stay?
There are many good options for staying at Kashid. Kashid beach resort,
Prakruti resort are the places with four star facilities. But there are many
other good options for low budget travelers. Many cottages an holiday homes
with budget of 200-500 per day. A good ample space , a double bed and clean
toilet. Food on demand. You order the dish and its ready. Ingredients are
the freshest one which you can get. I would suggest to try out for these
options for budget travelers. Matoshri homes / sea facing homes / sea view
resorts etc are good ones. But try hard to bargain on rates. Food is a bit
costly but you can have the fresh sea food.
What to do?
There is nothing much to do around. This place is meant for resting on
weekends , away from crowd. Its an excellent place. Go to beach in the
morning, in the noon time and in the evening. Have a walk on sand under the
moonlight. This is what you can do. The beach is excellent, I bet you can
never get a beach of this kind with almost no crowd. The water is quite
vibrant here as compared to other beaches. Its almost like Bogmalo beach GOA. But comparatively its quite big.
If you are bored from this beach, hit the road and move towards Murud, Which
has got another good beach. The difference you will find in the both beaches
are, Murud has got crystal clear greenish water whereas Kashid has crystal
clear blue one. Murud beach is quite calm and has got around 4 km stretch.
Murud is a town and there are plenty of holiday homes for all budgets. 6 KM
ahead of Murud is Rajapuri village from where one can take ferry to Janjira
fort. Just when you reach on the hilltop on the way to Rajapuri, you would
be definitely astonished to have a look at the magnificent fort of Janjira
standing amidst deep seas. Boats are available to take you to the fort.
normal charges are 250 Rs per boat (with return) which can carry 10-15
people. Bargain for guide as they ask for more. Rs 100 per troupe of 15
people is fine as the fort is not big and there is nothing much inside to
see.
Place : Kashid,
Murud & Janjira
Accessibility :
* 4-5 hours by bus from Mumbai
* 4-5 hours by bus from Pune
* 4 hours by bus from Thane
Best season to visit : Oct to March
Clothing : Light cotton throughout the year. Do not forget to keep
sun screen
Places to stay : Kashid beach resort, Prakruti with four star
facilities and few good budget hotels with 250-500 Rs per day.
Food : Indian, Chinese. Konkani food is specialty. Fresh sea food.
Shopping : Not Applicable :)
Recommended stay : 2-3 days to enjoy the quietness and freshness it
provides
