Greeting Baby Turtles & Beaches on 28th Feb & 1st March - Velas Turtle Festival with Mapping Journeys!
Things you must know about Olive Ridley Turtles
Of the five species of Marine Turtles occurring on the Indian coast, except Loggerhead Sea turtles, all the other four are seen on the coast of Maharashtra.
At Velas, we will be seeing The Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys Olivacea)
Nesting Sites: Tropical Coastlines across the world
Natural Habitat: Seas in tropical and sub-tropical regions
Weight: 50 kg
Colour: Olive Green
Food: Gastropods (animals with shells), jellyfish, etc.
Breeding season: Throughout the year, mainly November to March
Current status: The species is endangered due to the consumption of its eggs, destruction of breeding habitats, and the slaughter of adult turtles for leather and oil. Protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
Things you must know about Velas Village (Where this Turtle Festival is held)
Velas is the birthplace of Nana Phadnis, one of the great prominent personalities in Maratha History.
Location: Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra
From Mumbai: 250kms south of Mumbai
From Harihareshwar: 20kms south of Harihareshwar
Harihareshwar
Harihareshwar is one of the small but beautiful town situated in a place of tranquility etched along the Konkan border in Maharashtra. Roughly 200kms from Mumbai, this is a great weekend getaway to relax for the busy and workaholic metropolitan crowd. One of the best features of this place is that it combines your religious and rejuvenating trip at the same time – that is, this place is known for its temple along the seashore.
Bankot Fort
Region: Mandangad
District: Ratnagiri
Height: Sea Fort (Slightly above sea level)
Difficulty: Simple
Bankot is a town in India. It was made part of the Bombay Presidency in 1756. Its most famous structure is Bankot Fort. This was the first residency of the British Raj in Southern Konkan.The actual creator of this fort is not known to anyone but it is standing here since a long time and what is known is that it was under the ownership of Adilshahi till mid-sixteenth century and after that in the year 1548 Portuguese captured this fort from Adilshahi dynasty as Portuguese were strengthening throughout the coastline. But Marathas then fought with Portuguese and took over the fort under the brave leader named Kanhoji Angre. The Marathas renamed the fort as Himmatgad. Bankot is a square shaped fort.
Itinerary:
27th February (Friday Night)
Meeting Point:
11:00pm: Pritam Hotel, Dadar East
Pickup Points:
11.20 pm: Chembur Diamond Garden
12.00 pm: Vashi Below Main Bridg
12:30 pm: Panvel ST Depot (For people heading from Pune)
28th February, Saturday
05:00am: Reach Velas
06:00am: Freshen up, Visit Velas Beach for Turtle Festival and watch baby turtle hatchlings!
08:30am: Return to the Villagers Honme for some local breakfast
09:30am: Post breakfast, head to Bankot Fort and explore around. (15 Minutes Trek)
01:00pm: Return to Velas for devouring some delicious Veg. Konkani Food
Spend the afternoon lazing around by the shore or in the village, talk to locals, explore around. Perhaps, play with the kids and stroll around :)
05:00pm: Velas again! This time with the perfect setting of the sunset and some Olive Ridley's hatching themselves and taking their first baby steps towards the ocean. Imagine that sight. Just imagine.
08:30pm: Return post all the fun for Dinner and a Night Walk around the village
1st March, Sunday
05:30am: Wake Up Call
(We sing loud songs in our ugly voices to make up for the lack of alarm clocks to wake you up!)
06:00am: Freshen up and head to the beach for some walking, posing, clicking and beach games. We might get to see some more turtles, if we are lucky!
09:30am: Return for Breakfast and then with the troop, we'll head to Harihareshwar Temple
11:00am: Enroute Harihareshwar
01:00pm: Lunch at Harihareshwar/ Mangoan
03:00pm: Bid goodbye to the sands and beaches and baby turtles! Enroute Mumbai.
10:00pm: Reach Dadar
Special Note: -
1) Emergence of Hatchlings of turtles is a natural process, so we cannot give guarantee of emerging possibility of the turtles on the mentioned dates. These are the most likely dates.
2) The above beaches have strong RIP currents so we will not allow you to go into the water with or without Life jacket / Life Guards
Cost:
Rs. 2200/- per head (With transport from Mumbai)
Inclusions:
Travelling from Dadar to Dadar by Private NON AC BUS
All Meals, as mentioned
Accommodation Charges. (Dormitory / Home Stay type Accommodation will be provided)
Turtle Festival and Velas Beach Entry Charges
Exclusions:
Meals during travel
Personal expenses
Insurance of any kind Medical hospitalization, evacuation and related expenses Any item not covered under “inclusions”