Few months back I had written a post with title Guhagar & around in same blog.... This time I am taking you bit more southwards to Ratnagiri.. Entire coast of Konkan is beautiful & it will be disrespect to the beauty if I write single post on complete coast...
So here comes Ratnagiri for you.. You might have searched some sites till now & read names like ratnadurg, thiba palace, patit pavan mandir, mandvi beach.. but as always my attempt would be to add some offbeat things..
so.. my first suggestion would be keep 4 days if you want to travel to ratnagiri.. ofcourse one can cover even in two days but 4 days would give you real relaxation & joy....
While going to ratnagiri dont follow the usual NH17 track it becomes boring at times.. So leave the NH17at goregoan & follow the road for mandangad. This is country side road & travelling through Ambet - mhapral bridge & kelshi - Anjarle - Karde to Dapoli is fun. From Dapoli go to Dhopave which is 30 Kms from Dapoli. From Dhopave, load your car / bike / bus into ferry boat & go straight to Anjanvel.. If you have time.. dont miss Gopalgad & lighthouse near fort.
After visiting fort you can take next break to Guhagar beach which is one of the most beautiful beach in Ratnagiri district. One can also visit Vyadeshwar temple on the way.. There are many places between guhagar & ratnagiri, if you want to visit them, take halt at guhagar as you will get many options for stay here.
Day 2 start in the morning.. take left turn from Vyadeshwar temple.. After travelling 6 kms take right turn.. This road heads to Velneshwar & hedvi.. two beautiful places. Velneshwar is 18 kms from Guhagar & Hedvi is 25 kms from Guhagar. At Velneshwar visit beautiful beach & ancient temple of lord Shiva. From velneshwar move further to Hedvi. There are three things to see here, first is Dashbhuj ganesh temple in hedvi, small but beautiful Hedvi beach, & bamanghal.
Further ask for the road to Bhatgaon, dont join NH17. Bhatgaon is another 45 kms from here. The bridge is constructed over Bhatgaon creek. This road from Guhagar to Bhatgaon & further till Ganpatipule is amazing. You will surely enjoy the ride.
If you have time & you are fort enthusiast you can visit Jaigad before proceeding to Ganpatipule... You need to run few extra miles but then the location of fort is great...
Further you will reach at ganpatipule after travelling some 25 kms further... Ganpatipule is famous for Ganesh temple & its beautiful beach.. visit the temple, then go to the beach... look around & if you think its to crowded for you to enjoy.. dont waste time here.. just start your vehicle again & travel 3 kms further to Bhandarpule.. stop in this village and enjoy your private beach... very clean, calm & beautiful..........
From here you can opt to stay at ganpatipule or travel to Ratnagiri town for accomodation.
In ratnagiri town you have many places to see.. you can visit mandavi beach, ratnadurg, bhagwati fort, thiba palace, patit pawan temple, house of lokamanya tilak.. but one more must visit spot is Aare-Waare beach.. This is yet another virgin beach.. must visit near ratnagiri.
If you have one more day.. or dont want to see many places but want to relax.. still you have fantastic option nearby.. just 18 kms from Ratnagiri town is Pawas.. typical Konkan village. The math of swami swarupanand here is very good.. One can enjoy numerous Mango products manufactured locally by Desai brothers at Pawas.
Hope you will plans to visit these places.. if you have time on the way back you can visit dervan near chiplun, shivtharghal which is 24 kms away from NH17, or you can take diversion at Poladpur to visit Pratapgad...
If you need any help in arranging a trip or info about specific locations.. feel free to contact me at kaustubhkhare@gmail.com or call me at 9820031162
Lead to Natural and Chemical Free Lifestyle
Connecting to your roots
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Nubra Valley - visit india's Silk Route
The heaven on the other side of Khardung La is called Nubra valley.. a beautiful V shaped valley where one can spend 3-4 days relaxing & still wont get bored.
The total distance from Leh to Diskit which is the main village in Nubra is 118 Kms. & you can go 7 more kms. To visit hunder which is famous for white sand dunes.
The river flowing through Nubra valley is amazing & the landscapes are really beautiful. This is actually a desert & you will witness sand filled planes all over on your way to Hunder. But the roads built by BRO are in very good conditions.
There is only a Gompa to see in Diskit, but Hunder is worth spending some time.. Small village near famous white sand dunes gives you best relaxation.. One can stay in Habib guest house, which is a small house
but people are very nice especially the owner himself. You can spend great time playing in sand dunes or watching sunset. If you want to take break from your normal life full of tensions, this is the place. People
also come here for bird watching & photography.
One more attraction of Nubra is double Humped camel.. Yes they have two humps on their back.. In ancient times this was the silk route, & most of the trades with middle Asian countries were through this road..
The camels I mentioned above are also from middle east asia.
The road ahead of Hunder goes to Siachen but civilians are not allowed after certain point..
If you are in Nubra valley, try local breakfast called Khambir.. It tastes amazing with honey & butter.. Its kind of local bread but when served hot.. Its amazing.
If you are planning to visit pangong tso directly from here, no need to go till khardung la once again, there is an alternative route through Wari La using which you can avaoid going to Khardung La again. So if you are planning trip to Leh, dont miss Nubra valley, in fact I would suggest keep 2 days separately for visiting this beautiful place.
The total distance from Leh to Diskit which is the main village in Nubra is 118 Kms. & you can go 7 more kms. To visit hunder which is famous for white sand dunes.
The river flowing through Nubra valley is amazing & the landscapes are really beautiful. This is actually a desert & you will witness sand filled planes all over on your way to Hunder. But the roads built by BRO are in very good conditions.
There is only a Gompa to see in Diskit, but Hunder is worth spending some time.. Small village near famous white sand dunes gives you best relaxation.. One can stay in Habib guest house, which is a small house
but people are very nice especially the owner himself. You can spend great time playing in sand dunes or watching sunset. If you want to take break from your normal life full of tensions, this is the place. People
One more attraction of Nubra is double Humped camel.. Yes they have two humps on their back.. In ancient times this was the silk route, & most of the trades with middle Asian countries were through this road..
The camels I mentioned above are also from middle east asia.
The road ahead of Hunder goes to Siachen but civilians are not allowed after certain point..
If you are in Nubra valley, try local breakfast called Khambir.. It tastes amazing with honey & butter.. Its kind of local bread but when served hot.. Its amazing.
If you are planning to visit pangong tso directly from here, no need to go till khardung la once again, there is an alternative route through Wari La using which you can avaoid going to Khardung La again. So if you are planning trip to Leh, dont miss Nubra valley, in fact I would suggest keep 2 days separately for visiting this beautiful place.
Khardung La - world's highest motorable Road
Not only because its beautiful but it's the highest point you can travel in vehicle, if you are civilian.
For visiting Khardung La one has to take inner line permits from District commissioner leh. You can get them through agents also.
If you are travelling on bike, you will reach the top in an hour. On the way, you have to show your permits at South Pullu.
You can also have maggy or tea here, as you need to reach North Pullu or come back here for your next meal.
From north Pullu, Khardung La is just about 15 kms.
Its not difficult pass at all, If your bike gives combustion problem, remove the filter & it will go smoothly.
Just 2-3 kms before Khardung la pass, you will see a point called India gate, people stop here for taking pictures.. even we did, but couldn't understand how to enter India from this gate?
Just 2-3 kms more & you are there... On the top of the world, Nobody can go higher than you, at least not in vehicle.
There is a signboard indicating this is the highest motorable point in the world.
The pass is always crowded as whoever comes to Leh usually visits Khardung La. But its not advisable to be here for more than 20-30 minutes.
The Indian Army men stay here for entire year though.
After visiting Khardung La, you can either come down on same route to leh town, but if you have time going ahead is must..
After Khardung La you are descending, so don't worry if you are feeling giddy it wont last for long time..by the time you reach north Pullu you will be alright.
So whether you are on bike or in car, don't miss this chance to be on the top of the world & if possible visit Nubra valley too & post your experiences so that more & more people get to visit these beautiful places.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Living root bridge - Bio-engineering at its best
Cherrapunji as you all know is famous for highest rainfalls in the world...
But if you are visiting cherrapunji, there is much more to it than rainfall & waterfalls.
Today I will be taking you to a fabulous example of bio-engineering...
On Shillong cherrapunjee highway, keep moving towards Mawsmai caves...
Just 3 kms before mawsmai caves you enter a village where new road starts to your right.
The important landmark you can notice on left hand side is restaurant called HIlbari.
You will see the signboard showing cherrapunjee holiday resort..
Its 15 kms away from this junction. 15 kms is bit tough travel due to bad roads but the hoardings painted on the road will keep you moving till you reach the resort.
After crossing this distance, you will see a bunglow. This is the resort... a fantastic place to spend time. For visiting living root bridge, you have to take stop here.
The owner of this resort Mr Rayen is very interesting person. He and his wife run this resort & all people serving you here are from nearby villages.
Mr. Rayen is originally from Tamilnadu & his wife is from this village where the resort is nestled. Mr. rayen was working with nationalize bank & after taking retirement he has started this small but beautiful place.
You will feel very homely after reaching here..
They serve good food, you can enjoy campfire & evening music program performed by local artists.
Next morning resort can arrange guide for you or if you are regular trekker you can go on your own.. but I guess the advantage of taking guide is you can ask him about local people, villages around & other
things which you wont come to know otherwise.
One has to descend 2000 steps to reach our attraction, living root bridge.
This is a single decker living root bridge.. used by locals to cross the river.
Now, what's so special about this bridge? Its built without using any artificial construction material, fabulous example of bnio-engineering..
Here locals plant two trees with elastic roots, one on each side of river. Then they put bamboo, or wooden plank over the river with its end touching roots of both trees on both banks.
The roots are then trained to grow on this bamboo or plank. Roots of both the trees grow over the plank till they meet each other & even further till they reach opposite side.
Once roots of both the trees are grown... your bridge is ready to use.
The binding of these roots is so strong that people can easily use this bridge for their daily commute.
After this single decker bridge you have to come back till junction where steps start for going up(not trek starting point) & take right route.. You have to walk for another 40 minutes & you can see Double
decker living rot bridge. On your way, you will realize that the bridge is not any artwork or experience but this is the way they used to built bridges for their commute & hence there are ample of such bridges, some of them extending over 100 feet.
Due to elastic nature of roots they are able to take huge load for years.
Tired after walking so long? Don't worry walk 10 more minutes ahead of double decker bridge & you will reach the place called natural swimming pool.
It's amazing & your tiredness is gone away. Due to limestone, the water reflects the blue sky & as there is no pollution here, its very clean calmly flowing water..
Enjoy swimming here, have your meal(Which you have to carry from resort), & get ready to climb back al those 2000 steps & 2 kms of walk..
It will take another 3-3.5 hours to come back.. end of the day you will be tired but happy that you have seen something very different & unusual..
So enjoy the hospitality of Mr. Dennis rayen & also the trek.. If you are visiting Cherrapunjee dont miss it..
But if you are visiting cherrapunji, there is much more to it than rainfall & waterfalls.
Today I will be taking you to a fabulous example of bio-engineering...
On Shillong cherrapunjee highway, keep moving towards Mawsmai caves...
Just 3 kms before mawsmai caves you enter a village where new road starts to your right.
The important landmark you can notice on left hand side is restaurant called HIlbari.
You will see the signboard showing cherrapunjee holiday resort..
Its 15 kms away from this junction. 15 kms is bit tough travel due to bad roads but the hoardings painted on the road will keep you moving till you reach the resort.
After crossing this distance, you will see a bunglow. This is the resort... a fantastic place to spend time. For visiting living root bridge, you have to take stop here.
The owner of this resort Mr Rayen is very interesting person. He and his wife run this resort & all people serving you here are from nearby villages.
Mr. Rayen is originally from Tamilnadu & his wife is from this village where the resort is nestled. Mr. rayen was working with nationalize bank & after taking retirement he has started this small but beautiful place.
You will feel very homely after reaching here..
They serve good food, you can enjoy campfire & evening music program performed by local artists.
Next morning resort can arrange guide for you or if you are regular trekker you can go on your own.. but I guess the advantage of taking guide is you can ask him about local people, villages around & other
things which you wont come to know otherwise.
One has to descend 2000 steps to reach our attraction, living root bridge.
This is a single decker living root bridge.. used by locals to cross the river.
Now, what's so special about this bridge? Its built without using any artificial construction material, fabulous example of bnio-engineering..
Here locals plant two trees with elastic roots, one on each side of river. Then they put bamboo, or wooden plank over the river with its end touching roots of both trees on both banks.
The roots are then trained to grow on this bamboo or plank. Roots of both the trees grow over the plank till they meet each other & even further till they reach opposite side.
Once roots of both the trees are grown... your bridge is ready to use.
The binding of these roots is so strong that people can easily use this bridge for their daily commute.
After this single decker bridge you have to come back till junction where steps start for going up(not trek starting point) & take right route.. You have to walk for another 40 minutes & you can see Double
decker living rot bridge. On your way, you will realize that the bridge is not any artwork or experience but this is the way they used to built bridges for their commute & hence there are ample of such bridges, some of them extending over 100 feet.
Due to elastic nature of roots they are able to take huge load for years.
Tired after walking so long? Don't worry walk 10 more minutes ahead of double decker bridge & you will reach the place called natural swimming pool.
It's amazing & your tiredness is gone away. Due to limestone, the water reflects the blue sky & as there is no pollution here, its very clean calmly flowing water..
Enjoy swimming here, have your meal(Which you have to carry from resort), & get ready to climb back al those 2000 steps & 2 kms of walk..
It will take another 3-3.5 hours to come back.. end of the day you will be tired but happy that you have seen something very different & unusual..
So enjoy the hospitality of Mr. Dennis rayen & also the trek.. If you are visiting Cherrapunjee dont miss it..
Friday, November 27, 2009
Shillong the Youngistan
One has to travel around 90 Kms from Guwahati on NH44 to reach Shillong. The road from Guwahati to Shillong is very scenic & you won't realize when the 2:30 hrs of travelling are over.
One amazing thing about Shilllong is the crowd of this town. You will really be amazed by the young & stylish crowd around you.
Very important thing I noticed is how liberal this region is, when it comes to females completely contradicting to other regions of India, especially north India.
One can see plenty of groups of young student wearing funky clothes, jacket, shoes & maintaining latest haircuts enjoying on roads of Police bazaar, which is prominent marketplace in the town.
If you roam around police bazaar for a while, one more thing worth noticing is shoe shops in the town. I guess every third shop in this market sales shoes & still all shops are crowded.
There are many restaurants & malls in police bazaar that's another reason why the area is always full of people.
Places of Interest:
Police bazaar: I guess I have written enough about it above, but just to add one point if you want to purchase artifacts of Khasi or Naga style, this is a place.
Bada Bazaar: Another shopping destination, this is bigger market, but not as happening as PB. (note: both bazaars are closed on sunday)
Shillong Church: Very beautiful church at the heart of the town.
Shillong Peak: It's a hill top very close to the town. Vehicle goes till the final point. The view of Shillong from this point is wonderful.
Airforce Museum: Few kilometers ahead of Shillong peak, here you can see many miniature aircraft models, & know many things about Indian Airforce.
Elephant falls: 3 stage falls few kms away from Shillong. Till 1897, shape of rocks in this falls was resembling to elephant hence called elephant falls, but the rock structure vanished in earthquake &
now the elephant is gone only falls exist, but its pleasant spot & its on the way to Cherrapunji.
Wards Lake: Its very picture perfect lake.. Very close to Shillong town. It's a small lake & garden is built around it. The overall set of lake, garden & small wooden bridge over it looks pretty.
Badapani: It's a huge dam 20 kms before Shillong on Guwahati - Shillong road. Looks fabulous in the morning & its really huge in size. There are few small Island in this lake. Orchid resort built besides the
lake is very good place to stay if you want to relax with your family / partner. One can also opt for Boat house in Badapani.
Places to be covered along with Shillong:
Cherrapunji, Mawsmai caves, Dainthen hills, Thadlaskein lake, Cherrapunji waterfalls, Living root bridge, Dawki, Jaren..
 |
| Mawsmai Caves |
So what are you waiting for? Pack your bag & head to youngistan of Hindustan.
One more important note just before ending the post.
There is a helicopter service from Shillong to Guwahati & its very cost effective 1000 Rs. Per person. The helipad is at Airforce base near Shillong.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Kaziranga wildlife sanctury - Assam
North east India is blessed with wealthy wild life & one can find variety of species of animals, birds, plants etc. in North east India. Kaziranga is a huge forest covering area of 730 Sq. Kms. The forest is around 140 Kms from Guwahati. Capital of Assam state & nearest Airport is jorhat at 80 kms.
The main attraction of Kaziranga is ample quantity of single horned Rhino & elephants. But there are many interesting things about Kaziranga other than Rhino. There are various plants grow in this forest but most
amazing is elephant grass. If you are lucky enough you can also see Tiger, Indian Bison, dears, Gadwall duck, Wigeon duck, blue winged duck, white winged wood duck, leopard, clouded leopard and the list will go on
& on.
You have to stay near Kaziranga if you want to enjoy the safari. There are two type of safaris available elephant safari & jeep safari.
Elephant Safari:
It is normally in the morning time & elephants enter the forest in groups. The first safari starts at 5:00 am. & continues till 6:15 or 6:30 am. The probability of locating Rhino is very high in this safari & as the day progresses this probability reduces. The reason is, with first batch of elephants entering the forest most of the animals get distracted & move away from the usual track of elephants. So try to book first safari. No need to worry about darkness.. by the time you enter forest, there is sufficient light. Biggest advantage of elephant safari is you can see rhino from 20-30 feet distance which is amazing.
Jeep safari:
It starts in the afternoon. The probability of locating animals is very less & even if you see them you can't go as closer to rhino as you can in elephant safari. The only advantage of this safari is you cover more forest landscape as jeep covers around 30-40 kms of periphery in the safari whereas elephant covers merely 2 kms. I guess those who want to see more kaziranga forest should opt for jeep safari.
As of 18/11/2009 Elephant safari costs Rs. 325 per person & 4 ppl sit on every elephant. Jeep safari is bit expensive around Rs. 900.
Things you should know before visiting Kaziranga:
1> There are around 40 resorts to accommodate you near Kaziranga but none of them is inside forest. So if somebody says stay inside Kaziranga he/she is giving false info.
2> Kaziranga is not a zoo. Nobody can guarantee whether you will see any animals & how many of them you will get to see.
3> Safari is not a usual picnic where you can go sing songs, chat loudly & enjoy as you wish. You need to keep pin drop silence, if not the animals get distracted & run away. Finally you as well as other tourists will land up seeing no animals. So please follow the law of forests.
4> Again, its not zoo, don't mischief with the animals. They are open & your mistake can land you in big trouble.
5> Carry your camera, there is a lot of matter to shoot / click. But video camera charges are Rs. 500. Still camera Rs. 50 as of 2009.
6> There is a big river flows through Kaziranga, try fresh water fish from this river.
Visiting Kaziranga was great experience & I am sure even you will enjoy it.. but I felt very bad to see, negligence of government towards the forest.
They can create a small gallery/ museum showing photographs of different animals found, their info., store skins / hornes / skulls of dead animals / show map of forest etc.
You can contact Mr. Shanku Sharma 09957166630.
amazing is elephant grass. If you are lucky enough you can also see Tiger, Indian Bison, dears, Gadwall duck, Wigeon duck, blue winged duck, white winged wood duck, leopard, clouded leopard and the list will go on
& on.
You have to stay near Kaziranga if you want to enjoy the safari. There are two type of safaris available elephant safari & jeep safari.
Elephant Safari:
It is normally in the morning time & elephants enter the forest in groups. The first safari starts at 5:00 am. & continues till 6:15 or 6:30 am. The probability of locating Rhino is very high in this safari & as the day progresses this probability reduces. The reason is, with first batch of elephants entering the forest most of the animals get distracted & move away from the usual track of elephants. So try to book first safari. No need to worry about darkness.. by the time you enter forest, there is sufficient light. Biggest advantage of elephant safari is you can see rhino from 20-30 feet distance which is amazing.
Jeep safari:
It starts in the afternoon. The probability of locating animals is very less & even if you see them you can't go as closer to rhino as you can in elephant safari. The only advantage of this safari is you cover more forest landscape as jeep covers around 30-40 kms of periphery in the safari whereas elephant covers merely 2 kms. I guess those who want to see more kaziranga forest should opt for jeep safari.
As of 18/11/2009 Elephant safari costs Rs. 325 per person & 4 ppl sit on every elephant. Jeep safari is bit expensive around Rs. 900.
Things you should know before visiting Kaziranga:
1> There are around 40 resorts to accommodate you near Kaziranga but none of them is inside forest. So if somebody says stay inside Kaziranga he/she is giving false info.
2> Kaziranga is not a zoo. Nobody can guarantee whether you will see any animals & how many of them you will get to see.
3> Safari is not a usual picnic where you can go sing songs, chat loudly & enjoy as you wish. You need to keep pin drop silence, if not the animals get distracted & run away. Finally you as well as other tourists will land up seeing no animals. So please follow the law of forests.
4> Again, its not zoo, don't mischief with the animals. They are open & your mistake can land you in big trouble.
5> Carry your camera, there is a lot of matter to shoot / click. But video camera charges are Rs. 500. Still camera Rs. 50 as of 2009.
6> There is a big river flows through Kaziranga, try fresh water fish from this river.
Visiting Kaziranga was great experience & I am sure even you will enjoy it.. but I felt very bad to see, negligence of government towards the forest.
They can create a small gallery/ museum showing photographs of different animals found, their info., store skins / hornes / skulls of dead animals / show map of forest etc.
You can contact Mr. Shanku Sharma 09957166630.
Majouli River Island - Asssam
We have heard or seen many beautiful islands around the world, then what so special about this one??
Usually when we visualize island, its in sea, but Majouli is a biggest river island in the world. Its surrounded by mighty Brahmaputra river from all sides. So its very different experience to visit this scenic island.
The island is in Assam state. One can travel till Jorhat town which also has airport. If you are travelling by road, on NH37 & if you are travelling from guwahati - dibrugarh you can see diversion for place called Nimati Ghat to your left. Nimatighat is 10 kms away from high way. From here you have to catch a ferry for Kamalabari.
Your vehicle is also transported using ferry but be careful.. There is place for only 3 cars in each boat so if there is huge rush.. it may be a problem.. Ferry service starts @ 7:00 am in the morning & last ferry is @ 4:00 pm. Ferry takes around 90 minutes to cross mighty Brahmaputra & its great experience to see such a huge river.
Once you reach the Majouli, road till Kamalabari & bamboo huts on will give hints of amazing things awaiting for you. These are tribal villages on Majouli. After reaching Kamalabari you can head straight to
the village Garmur. There are many bamboo cottages built by locals for tourists. There are two beautiful cottages constructed by French & British person. If you are lucky you can get chance to stay in one of
those.. & trust me its wonderful experience to spend time in bamboo cottage. You can also enjoy local thali here. Contact Manjit 09957186356, & he can arrange food, accommodation & guide for you.
Places of Interest:
Majouli is spread across 700 Sq. Kms of area & has many small villages spread across the Island.
If you are visiting Majouli in winter you can enjoy bird watching in various plains on the island, as many birds migrate here from all over the world.
In mid November, you can also visit annual festivals of Satras.
There are 17 Satras spread across the Majouli.. No need to see all, guide can show you selected few near Kamalabari. Satra means temples of Vaishnav's. Vaishnav's are people in Hindu religion who are devotees of
lord Vishnu. These Satra's are not just temple building but they have community centers, library, museum & quarters for Vaishnav people. If you have visited or read Bali, you will find many similarities in rituals carried out in Bali & Majouli.
There is a big mask making industry & pottery making industry on this island but you jave to travel 20 Kms from Kamalabari to visit these places. These masks are mostly used in mythological dramas by local
artists of Satras.
You can also visit Tribal villages near Kamlabari.. visiting their bamboo houses is fun.
For coming back again you have to do ferry exercise.. load the vehicle in ferry & come back...
From me they took Rs. 600 for tata Sumo & they take 400 for small car. I guess me being visitor rate was bit high.
Most amazing thing in Majouli is people on the Island.. if you visit the island don't leave a single chance to interact with them.. Every year Brahmaputra washes their homes... no facilities of commute provided
by government but still you can easily notice smiles on their face & their welcoming nature...
If you are planning to visit Assam don't miss Majouli.
Usually when we visualize island, its in sea, but Majouli is a biggest river island in the world. Its surrounded by mighty Brahmaputra river from all sides. So its very different experience to visit this scenic island.
The island is in Assam state. One can travel till Jorhat town which also has airport. If you are travelling by road, on NH37 & if you are travelling from guwahati - dibrugarh you can see diversion for place called Nimati Ghat to your left. Nimatighat is 10 kms away from high way. From here you have to catch a ferry for Kamalabari.
Your vehicle is also transported using ferry but be careful.. There is place for only 3 cars in each boat so if there is huge rush.. it may be a problem.. Ferry service starts @ 7:00 am in the morning & last ferry is @ 4:00 pm. Ferry takes around 90 minutes to cross mighty Brahmaputra & its great experience to see such a huge river.
the village Garmur. There are many bamboo cottages built by locals for tourists. There are two beautiful cottages constructed by French & British person. If you are lucky you can get chance to stay in one of
those.. & trust me its wonderful experience to spend time in bamboo cottage. You can also enjoy local thali here. Contact Manjit 09957186356, & he can arrange food, accommodation & guide for you.
Places of Interest:
Majouli is spread across 700 Sq. Kms of area & has many small villages spread across the Island.
If you are visiting Majouli in winter you can enjoy bird watching in various plains on the island, as many birds migrate here from all over the world.
In mid November, you can also visit annual festivals of Satras.
There are 17 Satras spread across the Majouli.. No need to see all, guide can show you selected few near Kamalabari. Satra means temples of Vaishnav's. Vaishnav's are people in Hindu religion who are devotees of
lord Vishnu. These Satra's are not just temple building but they have community centers, library, museum & quarters for Vaishnav people. If you have visited or read Bali, you will find many similarities in rituals carried out in Bali & Majouli.
There is a big mask making industry & pottery making industry on this island but you jave to travel 20 Kms from Kamalabari to visit these places. These masks are mostly used in mythological dramas by local
artists of Satras.
You can also visit Tribal villages near Kamlabari.. visiting their bamboo houses is fun.
For coming back again you have to do ferry exercise.. load the vehicle in ferry & come back...
From me they took Rs. 600 for tata Sumo & they take 400 for small car. I guess me being visitor rate was bit high.
Most amazing thing in Majouli is people on the Island.. if you visit the island don't leave a single chance to interact with them.. Every year Brahmaputra washes their homes... no facilities of commute provided
by government but still you can easily notice smiles on their face & their welcoming nature...
If you are planning to visit Assam don't miss Majouli.
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