Velas Turtle Festival

Experience the joy of Velas Kasav Mahotsav in 2023 !

Maharashtra is blessed with a 720 kilometres long coastline and is shared with Konkan, Thane, Ratnagiri also Sindhudurg districts. Many marine creatures come to visit. However, the exact count and type are unknown from what is believed, and there is no detailed study available. In the year 2000-01, it was found that a species of turtle, Olive Ridley is a prominent visitor to the shores of Maharashtra for breeding purposes. Other species are the Green Turtle, Hawksbill and Leatherback. Much other information is already available online, like what turtles eat and how a turtle looks ,the difference between a turtle, tortoise and a terrapin.

After the success of the Velas turtle conservation project, many villages in Maharashtra have started the same model and hosting the Turtle festival in India at different locations. It helps with seasonal tourism income and also helps increase turtle numbers in the sea.

Why Velas Turtle Festival Maharashtra?

Velas is a small fishing village on the western coast of Maharashtra. About 220 km away from Mumbai, a little over a hundred houses on the coast of the Arabian Sea. It is that time of the year again when a tiny grey head pokes out of the golden sand and takes a breath of the fresh salty air of the Arabian Sea.It is a culmination of a lengthy process, which started when its mother emerged out from the rolling waves to lay her heap of 100-120 eggs on the sandy beach under cover of darkness. Oblivious to the world that awaits it outside its a sandy cocoon, the tiny hatchling is soon followed by a hundred others, all crawling their way towards the brightest lights of the horizon- in this case, the sea. Adventure Aim, invites you to this journey from the nest to the sea, which draws oohs and aahs from tourists – each gathered on the shore to witness this miracle of Nature. 

Velas Beach:

Velas is the birth place of Nana Phadnis, one of the great prominent personalities in Maratha history. Due to the sea-shore Velas is an existing place and it is situated near Bankot Bay. Velas is also one of the popular breeding sites of Olive Ridley, which is an endangered species of turtle. The hatchlings are heading towards the sea from the shore now-a-days. And we have at least 80% chances to see the emergence of these little new born turtles.

Bankot Fort:

Bankot is a square shaped fort. On the sides of Bankot fort, there is a dry moat (Revni) dug out in the Jambhya stone.Jambhya stone is peculiar type of stone adorning a purple shade and peculiarly it is incapable of storing water as the water invariable percolates through it owing to its much porous nature.

Harihareshwar:

Surrounded by four holy hills Harihar, Harshinachal, Bramhadri and Pushpadri Harihareshwar is a region in Konkan which is amazingly beautiful with hills playing the perfect foil for long stretch of pristine beach. The Harihareshwar temple built in the 16th century with the deities of Vishnu Brahma and Shiva is the primary attraction in Harihareshwar along with beautiful stretch of beach.

Day 0: Friday Night

23:50 – Meeting Point, Pritam Hotel Dadar

00.10 – Leave from Dadar towards other pick-up points

00:30 – Pickup from K Star Mall , Chembur

01:30 – Pickup from Vashi Below Main Bridge

Overnight Journey to Velas

Day 1: Saturday

05:00 am – Reach

06:00 am – Freshen up & Get ready for the first visit

06:30 am – Introduction round & Watch the hatching

08:00 am – Come back to the village for breakfast

10:00 am – Leave for Bankot fort

11:00 am – Reach Bankot fort & Explore

12:30 pm – Leave from Bankot fort

01:30 pm – Have lunch

04:00 pm – Visit the Beach for Turtle hatching & Sunset

06:30 pm – Watch Informative Documentary

07:30 pm – Play fun games

08:30 pm – Dinner & Night strolling

10:00 pm – Hit your bed & retire for the day

Day 2: Sunday

06:00 am – Wake up Call

06:30 am – Wake up and leave for Velas beach for the last sighting

08:00 am – Come back to home stay & Have breakfast

10:00 am – Leave for Harihareshwar beach

11:30 am – Visit temple and spend some time besides the beach

12:30 pm – Have delicious Konkani Delicacies

02:30 pm – Start return journey

10:30 pm – Reach Mumbai (Tentatively)

Includes
Travelling from Dadar and back by Private Non Ac Bus
Sightseeing
Entry charges
Dormitory Accommodation
Saturday Breakfast, Lunch , Evening Tea / Coffee , Dinner & Sunday Breakfast , Lunch
ADVENTURE AIM Expertise Charges

IMP Note: Sightings of Baby Turtles is purely on Luck. In our tour, We cover three attempts of Baby Turtle Sightings. Sighting of the baby turtle is not in our hand. It is the natural birth process of Turtle wherein we can’t manipulate the things.

Excludes:

Any personal expenses such as soft drinks etc.
Camera charges
Anything other than above mentioned inclusion.
Things to Carry:

Water Bottle (~2-3 Ltrs)
Camera, Cell Phone, Cap
Please avoid wearing Gold and other ornaments
Some ready to eat food. Plum cakes, Biscuits etc.
Medicine those if you require usually (Optional)
Extra Pair of clothes,extra pair of shoes or floaters if possible
A haversack to put all these things

COVID -19 Checklist :

Any travel history to/from any foreign country/containment or red zone in the past 14 days

Any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 during the past 14 days

Age above 45 yrs participants are not allowed to join any events till further notice

Trekkers must carry sufficient amount of sanitizer, masks, gloves, and a personal medical kit for the respective days of the trek.

Trekkers must also carry their separate set of disposable/washable utensils like spoon, plates or cups. This must be used by trekkers during their journey to and fro the base camp.

Apart from the above, trekkers must make sure they carry all the required things, Remember no sharing will be allowed. Trekkers will be responsible for disposable of their own items.

COVID -19 Guidelines for Participants:

Mask is compulsory to join for any events

Keep at least 1 meter distance during all social and inter personal interactions, trekking

Avoid Touching frequently touched objects and surfaces with bare hands

Living with Corona is the new normal. We must learn to take care of ourselves. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves and our Nation safe from Corona. While doing that we must follow our dreams too.

Notes: Please keep in mind that we shall change our policies and procedures based on Government regulations in future. As you know, there can be last-minute announcements and we will have to follow them. However, we shall try to abide by the Government rules keeping in mind the welfare of our trekkers.content

1. If cancellation done prior to 10 days of outing 75% will be refunded.

2. If done prior to 5 days of outing 50% will be refunded

3. After that no refund will be provided.

For Registration, Please make the payment in following bank acc,

Name of Acc Holder :- Adventure Aim

Bank name : State bank of India

Bank account number : 32171108434

Bank branch name and address : Kasturi plaza dombivali branch

IFSC code for bank : SBIN0007124

Gpay / Phone Pay / PAYTM: 9892619362

For any further details contact / send SMS to:

MAHESH SHINDE 9892619362, 8425842910,9930448070

It is mandatory that you visit your personal physician before enrolling for the trip if you suffer from any illness of any kind and disclose the same and your medical history to the organizers of the trip so that best possible arrangements can be carried out post approval. As organizers of the trip, we will be responsible for providing basic first aid throughout the trip. In case of unexpected mishaps or accidents, we will arrange for the injured patron to be taken to the nearest medical hospital wherever possible. The medical expenses will have to be borne by the patrons themselves.