Your chance to experience nature like never before

It’s that time of the year when nature lovers and birdwatchers pack their haversacks and head to the forest with binoculars and cameras. For this bunch of enthusiasts, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) has started its yearly nature trails to various points inside the 104 square kilometre park.

“During monsoon, the whole park comes alive. Snakes, insects, butterflies and birds can be seen in plenty and we arrange several weekend trails for students and nature lovers to create more awareness about the national park,” said Jagdish Wakhale, information officer, Nature Information Centre (NIC). The trails  — Shilonda trail, butterfly trail, bird watchers trail, etc — are all conducted on weekends by the NIC, which is attached to the SGNP.

There are short-distance trails and then there are long-distance ones which cover more than 15km. “Our trails are meant to educate as well as make people aware about various species of animals and birds, their habitats, the uniqueness of the forest, etc,” Wakhale said.

The longest trail at SGNP is also the one which takes trekkers to the highest point of Mumbai - 490 feet above sea level. “Not many people know about this place in the park from where one can view all three lakes - Tulsi, Vihar and Powai. The starting point of the trail is from Kanheri Caves and people are allowed on this trail only after they take the required permission. The trail is through dense forest and a variety of flora, fauna and wild life can be seen,” added Wakhale.

Known as view point, the trail is most popular among trekkers and wildlife photographers. “It was an amazing experience as I never knew there was such a place in Mumbai. We came across various streams and waterfalls and also saw how the forest is being littered with plastic and waste by tourists,” said Vinod Chogule, a birdwatcher, who recently took the trail on a Sunday.

According to Wakhale, monsoons are the best time for these nature trails as there is a lot of greenery around. “And, for those who are not very active, the 4km Shilonda trail is just perfect to get a glimpse of the wildlife,” said Wakhale. Also, the trails are not very expensive as the NIC charges anywhere between Rs50 to Rs200 depending on the distance of the trail.