River Rafting and Camping in Kolad, Maharashtra
Hands on guide to Kolad in Maharashtra for adventure sports like River Rafting at Kundalika River.
River Rafting at Kundalika River, Kolad is the perfect weekend getaway to feel the adrenaline rush. A lot of companies organize such activites, where their well-trained and experienced staff takes you to experience the thrill. I had never experienced this before.
Kundalika River is a small but mighty river flowing from the Sahyadris all the way to the Arabian Sea. The rafting activity is conducted over the water released from a dam into the river. The first best place to experience deadly river rafting in India is at Rishikesh and the second is at Kolad.
Kolad River rafting promises you with a nerve thrilling experience by taking you through different levels of adventure intensity. To being with, they build up a team and prep up with all the safety gears as while rowing through these grades you might need to work on your maneuvering technique because the adventure is just about to get a little rough from here.
The moment you enter this level, you will be welcomed by raging white water. Brace yourself as you are likely to meet sudden drops. Beat the small waves rising high in order to lead forward without any tumbling. While maneuvering through these grades, make sure you have a better technique planned in mind – build up your team for a thrilling rafting experience.
How to get there?
Kolad is the perfect weekend destination for people residing in Maharashtra. It is merely 130 kilometers away from Mumbai and can be easily reached by road. It is approximately 150 kilometers from Pune.
There are also many train options available from Mumbai to Kolad Station and Pune to Kolad Station. Train is not only economical but also faster, and most feasible option when travelling in big groups.
Mumbai to Kolad by Road
We left from Mumbai at 11:30 in the morning. We were six of us on two bikes and one car. One of the bikes broke down on the way, and we could only reach Kalamboli by 2:15 PM. We took a quick lunch break and resumed the journey.
We took the Pen-Alibaug Highway. The roads were not all that great, but when you’re travelling in a group it doesn’t matter. The sun was setting by the time we reached in the main city of Kolad. The camping spot was 11 kilometers away from the main city.
Camping at Kolad
We reached the campsite by the time it was really dark, and the only source of light were our bike and car lights. Even in the dark we could see a lot of farmhouses and crowd on the way. By the time we reached our spot it was 8:15 PM.
The tent costed us INR 1000 per head which included 2 meals. The river rafting package was another INR 1000 per head. Even though we were tired the place rejuvenated us, and we danced all night.
Our tent stay included complimentary breakfast. We had some delicious poha before leaving for the water sport. There are many rickshaws available for rent, and we hired onto go to the boarding site. They charge a bomb, but the other option is to take your own vehicle. But since we didn’t know the way, we decided we’ll just book a rick anyway.
The ride costed us 800 rupees for 7 people but it was just fine for us. After that, we reached the river rafting point and singed a form before going for river rafting.
Kundalika River Rafting
We were very excited for river rafting, as none of us had done this before. Our river rafting guide was very helpful. He explained the rules and safety procedures in detail. He coordinated with the whole crew smoothly, and we were able to follow his instructions without any confusion.
I was not expecting something so energetic and thrilling so close to a city like Mumbai. It was my first time that I was trying something like river-rafting.
Helmets, life jackets for safety and paddles and raft is provided to every member. At least one guide was present on every raft. They are responsible for safely taking you through the process and bringing you back.
None of us were trained swimmers, so this is a safe activity for non-swimmers as well. You just have to keep the guides informed, so they take extra precautions for you. The experience began after an intensive training session. We pulled the raft into the river, got on-board for an experience for a lifetime.
The sound of the gushing water itself was so exhilarating, that we couldn’t wait for the current to pull us. As the raft moved, the water gushing in the raft from everywhere, there were excited screams and laughs. The guide helped us paddle the raft with every changing current.
By the time the ride ended, we couldn’t believe we did something like this. We forgot all our worries and humdrum of city life. All we knew was the cool water splashing on our faces and jumping into the river and making memories.
At the end point, we dropped that raft in the main area. There were small snack stalls, all of us grabbed a bite before going back to the campsite. Some of the other water sports that they have in their package are river crossing, kayaking and ziplining.
We checked-out from the camp at around 4 in the afternoon to go from Kolad to Mumbai, and reached home at 9 PM. If you have not been to Kolad, I hope this blog helped you. If you have, share with us your experience.