Offbeat Destination Kaas Plateau
Valley of flowers
Kaas Plateau
Kaas plateau is a plateau located around 25 km from west of Satara in Maharashtra state. It falls under the Sahyadri Sub Cluster of the Western Ghats, and it became a part of a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2012. The plateau is situated at an altitude of 1200 metres and is approximately 10 square kilometers in area. Kaas Plateau is rich in its Bio-diversity. Many species are observed on plateau
These high hill plateaus and grasslands turns into a‘ valley of flowers’ during monsoon season, particularly from August to early October. Kaas Plateau has more than 150 or more types of flowers, shrubs and grasses. The orchids bloom here for a period of 3 – 4 weeks during this season. Kaas plateau is a World Natural Heritage site. To control possible damage by tourists, the number of visitors to the plateau has been restricted to 3,000 per day.
There are two ways to reach Kaas. One the more direct way from Satara and another from Tapola via the link road connecting Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani to Kas Pathar. Kas plateau is 20 km away from Northern part of Koyana Sanctuary.
Distance from main cities to Kaas Plateau: From Satara- 25 km From Pune- 125 km From Mumbai- 280 km From Kolhapur- 150 km
which are new to the Botanical Science. Many of the endemic, endangered plants are found on Plateau. More than 850 species of flowering plants are reported on the plateau. 624 species have entered in the Red Data Book. The major portion of the plateau is reserve Forest. The plateau is largely formed of basalt which is directly exposed to atmosphere. The plants growing on Kas plateau are typically of herbaceous nature of like grasses. The small shrubs and trees are located at the periphery of the plateau at Kaas plateau.
16 | Travelnjoy | January 2017