Adventure Geek invites you to Velas Turtle Festival 2022 from Pune

Velas is a small fishing village on the western coast of Maharashtra. About 200 km away from Pune, 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.

Olive Ridley is a prominent visitor to the shores of Maharashtra for breeding purposes. Other species are the Green Turtle, Hawksbill and Leatherback. A lot of the other information is already available online, like what does turtles eat, how a turtle looks like. The difference between a turtle, a tortoise, and a terrapin. It is a culmination of a lengthy process, which started when, under the cover of darkness, its mother emerged out from the rolling waves to lay her heap of 100-120 eggs on the sandy beach. Oblivious to the world that awaits it outside its sandy cocoon, the tiny hatchling is soon followed by a hundred others, all crawling their way towards the brightest lights of the horizon.

Adventure Geek invites you to the Velas Turtle Festival journey from the nest to the sea which draws oohs and aahs from tourists each of whom is gathered on the shore to witness this miracle of Nature. The location is Velas, a remote village in Mandangad taluka in Ratnagiri district approx. a 6-hour drive from Mumbai. Olive Ridley turtles Velas conservation trends and knowledge has spread to nearby villages that have also started similar Velas Kasav Mahotsav.

Highlights

• Traveling by Bus
• Watch and Learn about Turtle Hatching
• Witness Turtle Taking First Step
• Ferry Ride
• Fort Visit
• Harihareshwar Temple
• Konkani Home Stay
• Authentic Konkani Delicacy

Itinerary

Velas Turtle Festival 2022 from Pune

Itinerary

Day 00 -Friday Pickups

10:30 pm Pickups will be Swargate Bus Stand, Swargate Flyover, Mukund Nagar,

11:30 pm – Exit Pune city, move towards Tamhini Ghat

Day 01 Saturday

Reach Velas by 05:00 am. Watch Turtles taking their first steps. Post sightings, a briefing session would be taken to educate about Olive Ridley Turtles. 

9:00 AM - Proceed towards Konkani style home-stay. Freshen up.

10:00 AM - Have a delicious homemade breakfast.

11:00 AM -Proceed for a visit to Bankot Fort, which is known for its history and breathtaking views of Velas beach and Harihareshwar. 

2:30 PM - Have a home-cooked & Hygienic lunch. Post lunch, you can rest till evening. 

5:00 PM - Visit Velas beach again to sight more Olive Ridley Turtles. Spend the night by enjoying group games, sharing stories and experiences, etc. 

9:00 PM - Have dinner.

10:30 PM - Retire for the day.

Day 02 Sunday

6:00 AM - Wake up early morning with the hope of sighting baby turtles again. 

9:00 AM - Post-sighting session, have breakfast, and leave for Harihareshwar. This is the time when you will experience one of the most interesting moments of the Velas turtle festival tour, where our bus will be transferred from one district to another in a jetty via sea route. We will explore Harihareshwar Temple and the beach.

2:00 PM - Have yummy lunch and leave for Pune, Reach around 9-10 PM tentatively. Velas Turtle Festival conclude herewith good memories