Kolad - A white water rafting getaway.

  

In the Rapids

Think rafting and the first place to cross your mind is Rishikesh. Nestled in the Himalayas, with the mighty Ganga flowing by, Rishikesh is an ideal rafting spot. But then it’s not all that close by, is it? What if there were a place for white water rafting just a few hours’ drive from Mumbai? It might not have the same degree of rapids as Rishikesh but then at the end of the day you will have rafted, right? Enter Kolad. At a mere 135 odd km from Mumbai, Kolad is a small town close to where the Kundalika river flows. The river, aided by the water released by Tata Power Co. for its hydel power plant, is an ideal place for rafting. It’s mostly independent of the monsoon so it can be done all year round.

Rafting @ Kundalika

The rafting stretch is of about 12km and lasts for around 2.5 hours. The river has around 3-4 rapids. For first timers like me it was sheer joy with the waves crashing in on us in the rapids. The river meanders its way and there are a few calm stretches of water. Here the instructors allow you to jump into the river and let you swim. This I feel is one of the most exciting parts, after you are down with the rapids I mean. Simply floating in the river, buoyed up by the life vest that you are wearing, you hardly have to even move a leg to keep yourself afloat. You can swim, play around, dive, race, float or even try wading against the current. The instructor will then ask you to enter the raft after a while but you can always try to coax him into letting you be in there for some more time or even let you into the water at a different spot.

Rafting is surely tiring though and as you near the end most people in your raft won’t be rowing. So ensure you sit with people who are really enthusiastic else you will be left rowing the raft alone and that certainly is not an easy task. After alighting from the raft you need to carry it to the top of a small hillock with the help of your co-rafters. When you reach the top you will be greeted with piping hot vadas and pakodas with their super spicy chutni. Tea, coffee and other such stuff is also available so don’t forget to carry money on you. From there, you need to walk a little to each your vehicle. In case you have come with a driver, instruct the driver to come to this point. In case you don’t have a driver but have your vehicle, you’ll have to hitch a ride back to the starting point as that’s where your car would ideally be parked.

Our cottages @ Pooja's Farm

One session of rafting costs Rs650 on weekdays and Rs1250 on weekends. Rates may change in the monsoons. In case you are staying at one of the farm houses you need not pay the rafting guys there and can later pay the farm house guy, so no need to carry all the cash around. We stayed at Pooja’s farm and he arranged the rafting for us. I would strongly recommend Pooja’s farm for its sheer beauty and scenic surroundings. Check it here Pooja's farm. The owner, Mr. Dinesh Tawate,  is a very decent guy and will ensure your trip is sans hiccups.

Kayaking is fun!

Next day we went for water sports. This place is a little away on the road to Roha. Here the river is again pretty still and it offers not only water sports but tents by the Riviera too. That’s something to try out! You have kayaking, bumper rides, water biking, river crossing, etc. Mr. Sanap would help you with this. He can be contacted here Adventure Kolad. The same rules apply here regarding payment. Carry money if you are not staying at any of the nearby farmhouses. Else the farm house owners will guide you how to go about it. The costs per activity are different. Kayaking cost us Rs350 and the bumper rides Rs500 per head.

Tumbling on the Bumper Ride

Kolad is a good weekend getaway. You can either do a day trip by leaving very early in the morning and coming back a little exhausted or can space it out over 2 days like we did. The ideal thing is to leave Friday evening and come back Sunday night. This way you can enjoy the environment and the good food at Pooja’s farm as well. Just a word of advice – make sure you get the directions correct before proceeding. 

Directions for Pooja's farm - Google Maps