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