Maharashtra's very own : Valley of Flowers, Kaas

One of my personal favorite places for must visit during September - October is the very own Maharashtra's Valley of flowers: Kaas. I have been visiting this for the past 3 years in a row and I must admit, when this place is in full bloom pretty sure you will fall in love with this place. The very sight of the flowers will make you dumb struck with the wonders of nature.

The fact that makes this place as special is the that flowers bloom naturally here and no one cultivates them. They grow of their own and post monsoon for 2-3 weeks only. No wonder why so many nature loving people flock in numbers to see this wonder.

Located in Western Ghats  25 km up hill from Satara City this place is connected by roads and they are in decent condition. To reach from Pune you need to take the Bangalore highway and proceed towards Satara. Once you cross Satara city, cross it diagonally to reach the tunnel. The road through the tunnel will take you to Thosegar - Sajjangad. If you take the road to right climb uphill for next 25 km approx to reach Kaas.

The drive from Satara city til Kaas is very less on traffic but the surrounding beauty is just unparalleled. Best time to visit Kaas is soon after the monsoon in mid September when rain gods take a break and Sun is out shining brightly.

As mentioned earlier, these flowers come up of their own so you would not expect them to be similar to Roses or Tulips. In fact they belong to an altogether a different genre. They grow as small shrubs but the what makes the place special is that the entire plateau gets covered with flowers and where ever you can see it is filled with flowers. It seems a as if nature has laid down a carpet of flowers.

The entire Kaas plateau is declared as an Eco sensitive zone. You will not be allowed to park your car in the plateau but once you cross it, after a small down hill descend, you have ample parking space. You need to walk back to the plateau which itself is very fun filled as you get to see the entire plateau while walking back.

There is a nominal parking and entry fee to this place. A humble request for those who visit this place: please do not litter and throw away paper or any plastic bags/bottles in the valley. It is such a wonderful place that you least expect it to turn into a garbage bin. Also when flowers in bloom do not walk over them and destroy! Just enjoy the pristine nature and come back with lots of wonderful memories.