Velas beach trip gang – Chanak, Nehal, Vishal, Mansi, Rhea, Bhavin and Tina. We were really excited to see the Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings which were expected around last week of December 2013. So we planned our trip to Velas on 28th December 2013. We started at 3:00 pm for Velas which is 210 km from Mumbai. We decided to take the shorter route to Velas, Mumbai – Panvel – Alibaug – Mangaon – Mhasaala – Harihareshwar – Baagmandla (Jetty) – Vesvi – Baankot – Velas. Unfortunately we got stuck in traffic at Vashi, Panvel and Alibaug and reached Velas in 6 1/2 hours Phew! It is better to start early in the morning for Velas since it is not advisable to drive in the Ghat section at night. Normally, if you start in the morning by 7 am, you can reach Velas in 5 1/2 hours. The jetty operates 24 hours but if you reach after 10 pm then you have to pay extra Rs. 200 for 4 wheelers. The best part of this drive was the boat ride from Baagmandla to Vesvi, just park your vehicle inside the boat and enjoy the evening cool breeze. This 20 minutes ride is refreshing and you can really have a nice time clicking on the upper deck.
We were famished since we only had light snacks on the way. We did not have to wait since Mr. Sunil, homestay owner had already made dinner preparations. Dinner was awesome, simply and homely unlimited Maharashtrian food. After Dinner, we all decided to have a stroll at night and called it a day zzz.
Day 1 Expenses:
Accommodation in homestay with meals: Rs. 700 per person
Boat Ride at Baagmandla Jetty: Rs. 100 for Wagon R, Rs. 10 per passenger
Fuel: Rs. 500
Next Post: Velas Beach Trip Day 2