Its kind of addiction that I've developed I guess. That a visit to Amboli must happen towards the beginning of monsoon every year. If you are travelling in early/mid June, all along the way, you will be anticipating clouds to take over the dry landscape. And it never disappoints you; very soon you will be absolutely thrilled to feel those light drizzles followed by heavy showers welcoming you into the majestic ghats. Here are some pictures to get a glimpse of the mystic place and its monsoon magic.
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| The thing that I love in Amboli most is the Mist |
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| Mystic roads of Amboli in Monsoon |
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| Mahadevgad |
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| Huge lush green valleys of Mahadevgad |
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| Nangartas falls |
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| Valleys of Kavlesad |
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| Kavlesad landscape |
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| Many random waterfalls at the Kavlesad |
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| Inverted bowls of karvi plants |
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| Light play at the Kavlesad point |
The best thing one can do in Amboli is to walk around, feel the mist, get drenched in rain and see some breathtaking wide vistas of the huge valleys. Every step you walk would lead you to discover many wonders in nature. Biodiversity in and around Amboli is amazing. If you are careful in your observation, you always get to sight a frog or a snake or a wild flower. I'm sure I would miss to see such wonders if I do not walk around the place.
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| Cobra lily |
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| Curcuma sp |
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| new leaf |
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| Dew lit spiderweb |
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| Beautiful dew lit Spider webs early in the morning |
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| Green vine snake |
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| Blue crab |
Everyday we woke up to the bird calls followed by heavy downpour. Mornings were almost dipped in the clouds and we hardly were able to see the roads. That I love the mist, I was absolutely thrilled to be there and feel it. All around the place we were absorbed in the melody of the Malabar Whistling Thrush. Although we could not get a glimpse of her, we enjoyed her songs on all the three days. Along with the songs of these birds, the other song was the continuous downpour of rain. It used to play with us; sometimes heavy and all of a sudden completely off. We never could see the sun for three days and could not miss taking off eyes from the rain!
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| Frogs and toads |
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| Some beautiful orchids in bloom |
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| Fantastic fungi |
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| Beautiful Ferns |
Going by motor vehicles to see the tourist points is the most boring thing for a nature lover. Not just the boring thing, but also one would ignorantly drive over frogs or snakes while they are crossing the road. You will begin to think that roads are one of the worst discoveries on this planet after seeing those road kills. This time I saw too many road kills and felt very sorry for those poor spirits. Many species of frogs, crabs and snakes were killed. Speed limits are a joke! on these roads. What is the fun in going with the speed of 20km per hour? Long live those tourists!? Responsibility matters, if they think they are responsible enough to save wildlife and protect the habitat, they will drive carefully. One can easily spot these creatures on those smaller black roads for their sheer display of colors. And how can one drive over them even after noticing them on roads? Only if they are careful and slow (just by following the speed limits), they can save a lot of wildlife. Drinking and driving in the night just for fun will also lead to a lot of road kills. And this happens almost all the time at such tourist destinations. There is absolutely no control over such acts. Unless people take responsibility on their own without waiting for any regulations to follow, this will continue to happen.
But for these road kills, the place was a wonderland for me. We absolutely enjoyed our visit and were able to sight many wildlife as well. We were lucky to spot so many snakes, frogs, crabs, orchids, wild flowers, birds, Giant squirrels and a civet too (a quick glimpse). More than anything we all enjoyed walking in the rain and witnessing the nature in its pure monsoon wetness was magical.
Srik
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