Valley of Flowers at Kaas - Revisited

We revisited the Valley of Flowers at Kaas Lake after two years, not knowing what changes to expect this time. The area has been declared as a heritage site a few months ago and we'd heard that there were a few new rules in place. The experience left us pleasantly surprised for once.

The key was reaching there really early in the morning (as early as you could manage to start from Pune with two toddlers... though I think we did a good job!) As you drive into the beautiful view, there is a makeshift ticketing office where you buy tickets for the group, your vehicle and your camera.

The parking area is far away from the flowers, so that does take a bit of hiking. Better if kids and older people are dropped off near the flower area while someone parks the car. 

There were clearly marked trails around the flowers to avoid trampling, and a few guards were working hard to ensure order. This time we were able to take our time and explore a larger area. All of us who had been there earlier felt that there were more varieties of flowers this time and the beautiful belts of colour made it amazingly vibrant.

Food and water is allowed so we even had a nice picnic type snack amidst all the natural beauty. We were blessed with a mild cloud cover that made it really pleasant all the way. Later we drove down towards Kaas lake and picnicked again under a shady tree. We spent around 3 hours in the area in all, and when you go in a group that can't be accomplished without an adequate supply of foods, right? 

Food joints along the road are scarce (which is a good thing actually) but mind that toilets are totally missing from the scene as well. A policeman told us that mobile toilets are likely to be installed soon but no idea if that has really happened. A lone restaurant before the flowers start was the only source of relief!

Valley of Flowers At Kas Lake

At about half hour's drive from Satara city is the beautiful Kas Lake. The landscape is arguably similar to what you would see in Mahabaleshwar or several other spots along the Sahyadris in Maharashtra. However, a special attraction and a totally unique one about the Kas plateau is its Valley of Flowers. Wild flowers blossom by the millions for a very short time very year - around August end to October on this 5 km stretch of flat land. And the sight is an absolute heaven on earth.

We left Pune early in the morning; a leisurely drive along with a brief breakfast halt on NH-4 took us some 3 hours. As we neared the Kas plateau, we could see plenty of beautiful spots and a whole lot of yellow (Sonaki) flowers. You need to continue along the road until about 5 kms before the actual Kas Lake. The flowers start rather abruptly along a turn and you behold the mesmerizing landscape agape.

The flowers are hosted on short bushes about 6-8 inches tall. They are of various shapes, sizes and also colours. The place is a haven for butterflies and bees of various kinds. I think there could also be some potential for bird watching if you hit it very early in the morning. Apart from enjoying the flowers, you can relax in the true European style under some shady tree with a sandwich lunch, or even go down to the lake if the weather is good. Be sure you don't litter around and spoil the sanctity of the place.

The valley is so far quite clean and a Forest department officer was seen doing the rounds, urging people to keep off the flower beds and park in the right lanes. Thankfully there are still no wada paav or bhutta vendors and therefore only true nature lovers seen along. Visit before that changes! A place not to be missed.