The best part of living in Mumbai is the plethora of weekend getaways it offers to travel enthusiasts. Some destinations are so obscure, resting amidst the wilderness of western ghats that one has to dig deep on the internet(got the irony! 😉 to unearth them. Kaas Plateau is one such place. Maharashtra’s very own valley of flowers and one of Unesco’s World Natural Heritage sites.

Every year when monsoon starts receding, the whole plateau gets decked with wide variety of flowers giving it an elegant appeal. A new specie of flower bloom and wilt every week over a particular period of time over the period of mid-September to early October giving the plateau an entirely new color and even if you manage to reach there in this short window, it’s fairly possible that you won’t get as beautiful pictures as this awesome photographer whose photos are making rounds all over the internet.

Reaching Kaas

One can either drive all the way from Mumbai / Pune or catch an overnight train to Satara, the nearest railway station which again is in the outskirts of the city. But don’t worry, it is perfectly safe. Autos are available for bus stand even in the wee hours of morning.  There is one small problem – a total of only nine buses ply on the route during the day and the first one, (Bus No 7176) to gogowe leaves Satara bus stand at 5:45 am and the last bus while returning leaves around 5-5:30 pm(from the plateau).

Fare Details
Auto from station to bus stand – INR 200 | Bus fare from Satara to Kaas – INR 28 per head | Kaas Entry fee: INR 10/- per head | Camera chargers at Kaas: INR 50 for Normal camera and INR 100/- for DSLR

Update after my second visit in 2016. 

If you plan to visit Kaas in comfort of your own vehicle, you might have seek a prior permit from kas.ind.in

You will get a mail after online registration. The mail will be something like this:

From: <info@kas.ind.in>
Date: Fri, Sep 23, 2016 at 11:44 AM
Subject: Confirmation of kas visit
To: <…>

Dear …… ,
Thank you very much for online registration to Visit Kas Plateau .
Please carry print of this acknowledgment during visit and show at entrance .

The details you have given are,
No of Persons :         4
Payable Amount Total :  400  Rs
Vehicle Details :       (Vehicle No and Name)
Address :       ……..
City :  Mumbai
Email :         
Phone :         
Date of visit :         2016-10-02
Time of visit :         7AM-10AM
Order ID :      
Made Payment :

Please note that ,
“Kas a plateau of flowers is a divine gift. Please observe carefully, enjoy the beauty of these tiny tots and convey others also but not to hurt.”
Thanking you

Joint Forest Management committee of Kas
Dy. Conservator Of Forests
Satara Division Satara

Joint Forest Management committee of Kas, Atali, Ekiv and Kasani Village are looking after Visitor Entry, Parking Services.
Range Forest office
Medha
Dist. Satara Phone. (02378)285350

Update as on July 2107 

Online registration process has not yet started on the website

Dos & Don’ts

• Rocks are slippery because of the monsoon so wear shoes accordingly.
• Don’t litter and don’t pluck flowers.
• Camping is prohibited on the plateau.
• Needless to say, don’t forget the camera, micro lens, extension tubes and tripod.
• Carry a torch in case you are visiting the Plateau during the evening.
• The sun is too bright over there so carrying a sun screen would be a good idea to prevent tanning.
• There are no food outlets at the plateau. However there are few down the road near kaas lake.
• More

Kaas is fenced on all sides and usually travelers are not allowed to enter the area but in order to satiate the needs of photographers among you, supervised entry is allowed in some sections (trail 1). It opens at around 7 am and tickets can be purchased from guards standing at the gate.

The plateau is divided in two parts by the highway, the part to right, trail 1 is more touristy than rest but the I found trail 2 to be more photogenic and peaceful. Trail 3 was virtually non existent during my visit. There are few organized tours as well which one has to pre book.