Kaas Plateau of Wildflowers, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani and Satara
About this blog
September is the best season for wildflowers in the Western ghats region of Maharashtra, when the lateritic volcanic plateaus and slopes transform themselves into flower bedecked carpets of various hues.
From 2010 to 2012 we have done five trips to the Kas Plateau, the environs of Satara, to Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar.
Satara is a small town in Maharashtra, approx. 120km south of Pune, off the NH4 highway, on the foothills of the Western Ghats. It is surrounded by fertile fields, water bodies and grassy mountain plateaus or table lands. In the monsoon months the countryside is transformed to verdant shades of green, interspersed with a profusion of colourful wildflowers on the grasslands, slopes and table lands.
The Kas Plateau at approx. 1000m AMSL is about a half hour drive from Satara. It has now been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mass blooming of wildflowers at Kas surpassed our wildest expectations and the lush green monsoon environs rejuvenated our souls.
The Windmill plateaux of Chalkewadi, the Thosegar waterfalls, Kanher reservoir, Urmodi lake, Kas lake and Koyna backwaters at Bamnoli are among several lesser known scenic spots around Satara.
Mahabaleshwar at a higher altitude of 1400m is a mere half hour drive from Satara, via the scenic Medha Kelghar ghat route or the longer Kas Bamnoli Tapola route skirting the Koyna lake.
Despite the influx of tourism and its attendant consequences on the environment, Mahabaleshwar retains a decent quantum of forest cover with beautiful walking trails going through them. Panchgani has its own vast Table Land and many more plateaux, which also boast their share of wildflowers in this season, albeit at the further ends less trodden by man and horse carriage.
View photos from our trips to these beautiful places, on Flickriver:
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1There's a lot more to Satara than just Kas !!!
Satara, India on Sep 16, 2010
146 pictures
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3Kaas Plateau of Wildflowers - September 2010 Kaas, India on Sep 2, 2011
483 pictures
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4Ganpati Immersion Day at Wai and at Panchgani Wai, India on Sep 11, 2011
53 pictures
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5Panchgani Table Land on a monsoon morning Panchgani, India on Sep 12, 2011
54 pictures
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6Panchgani - Bhilar falls and wildflower meadows Panchgani, India on Sep 12, 2011
32 pictures
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7Panchgani - Kate's Point - Needle Point Panchgani, India on Sep 13, 2011
36 pictures
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8Panchgani - Harrisons Folly and Pangari village Panchgani, India on Sep 13, 2011
57 pictures
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9Panchgani - odd and ends Panchgani, India on Sep 13, 2011
20 pictures
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10Panchgani Table Land on a sunny September morning Panchgani, India on Sep 14, 2011
49 pictures
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11Mahabaleshwar to Satara via Medha Medha, India on Sep 14, 2011
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12The winding road from Kaas to Mahabaleshwar Satara, India on Sep 26, 2011
36 pictures
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13Lodwick Point and Elephant Head Point Mahabaleshwar, India on Sep 26, 2011
43 pictures
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15Wilson Plateau - Mahabaleshwar Mahabaleshwar, India on Sep 26, 2011
4 pictures
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16Tiger Path Ride and around the Bombay Point Mahabaleshwar, India on Sep 27, 2011
19 pictures
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17Venna Lake and slopes Mahabaleshwar, India on Sep 27, 2011
26 pictures
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19Evenings at the Panchgani Table Land Panchgani, India on Sep 27, 2011
78 pictures
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20Panchgani - Khingar Table Land Panchgani, India on Sep 28, 2011
56 pictures
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21Panchgani - Ancient Rajapuri Caves Panchgani, India on Sep 28, 2011
24 pictures
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22More Wildflowers and Windmills Satara, India on Sep 29, 2011
46 pictures
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23Of Windmills and Wildflowers and Waterfalls Satara, India on Sep 30, 2011
91 pictures
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24The Kaas plateau of wildflowers: September 2011 Satara, India on Oct 11, 2011
203 pictures
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