Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pawankhind Resort, Amba, Kolhapur

Pawankhind resort is situated around 100Km from Kolhapur and is a fantastic place to visit. You need to spare 2 complete days to visit this resort, because the tour package is for one & half days.
The resort is situated at the foot of the hills and is just around 2kms away from the highway. Resort has 2/3/4 & 6 bedded rooms. It also has a medium sized swimming pool.They have also provided carrom, TT in the recreation area.It also provides good space for parking and that too is covered with a lot of trees and so your vehicles in the shade for most of the time. You would anyways not need them while you are in the resort though.
One more interesting thing that i noticed was, that extensive use of solar power is made here. Everything from water heating to lights in the rooms, passages, etc are run on solar power.Till the time i visited this place, i was a bit dicey about the usage of solar power. But after checking the usage in this resort i am fully convinced that solar power can be used in a very efficient manner.I am sure you would also realize it once you visit this resort.

Day 1:
The package consists of a tour to a nearby "earthen dam"....which is basically like a lake. The best part of this resort is the "canopy vans".....these are used to transport people. Its really an unique experience to sit on top of these vans.Initially its a bit scary but you get used to it in a while.
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Day 2:

The day starts with breakfast, and then you move on to the actual "Pawankhind".... The entire journey from the resort to Pawankhind goes thru almost-dense forest and there are scenic locations on the way. One of them is the "konkan point"...which offers a breathtaking view of the konkan valley below which is a part of the Ratnagiri district.
The best part of the tour is that they dont have any tourist guides. All the information that needs to be conveyed to the tourists is being already recorded and is played back thru an i-pod. The i-pod is connceted to speakers on the hood of the "canopy vans" so that all visitors are able to hear the information. As we move forward and reach a point where information needs to be given to the tourists the vehicles stop and the recordings are being played. A very unique way of passing information. Also all the information is played back in Hindi, Marathi & English.

The next part of the journey is a "jungle walk".....its not dangerous as it the name suggests. You need to walk over the tar road that goes thru the jungle for around 3kms or so......just a fun walk....

After this you reach the "Pawankhind"....this is where we were heading for..... You need to get down into the river gorge, which is well facilitated with metal stairs. This gorge is formed by the River "Kasari" which orginates here. The water from its origin is extremely sweet and cold, which feels like a blessing in the scorching heat. There are huge rocks in its path and a small stream of the originating river. Its seems horrible to know that people fought a battle in a place like that.

There is a tourist guide here (from the resort) who helps people to move thru the huge rocks.Once we reach back to the vans, you get nice cold drinks which feel very soothing. The next point to visit is the backwaters of the River "Kasari", this is a very fascinating & picturesque view.

 Next we head for lunch. This is a great surprise for most of the tourists. Lunch is served right in the middle of jungle and you are served with "barbequed" chicken, and for veggies they have potatoes, onions, corns & brinjals.....all taste so awesome.....its just a once in a lifetime experience..... Thats not all, after this you are served normal buffet lunch as well.....but there is hardly any space left for this food....

After lunch you head back to the resort where you are served tea/coffee and then you start your journey back home.... Hope you liked the review....

To view all the pictures from the tour visit the following link:

Pawankhind/pics

In case of any other details please visit the homepage of Pawankhind resort
http://pawankhindtours.com/

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Thanks !!