FORTY-EIGHT km away from South Mumbai is Chinchoti forest, a nature lover’s paradise. There are three waterfalls ((virtually forming Chinchoti Nalla) here. At the highest point of this forest, there is a deep valley, giving one the feeling that one is in the evergreen forest of Dandeli in South India. Nine and a half kilometer of steep track and you are in the finest woods of the least represented Malabar coast of Western Ghats. There are three waterfalls (virtually forming Chinchoti Nalla) in Chinchoti.

When I, along with five of my co-travellers (including two Canadians) reached this place, we were greeted by Petronias, Bulbuls, Drongos, wood swallows and Sunbirds. We were also delighted to see a Hoopoe flittering here there and chasing away a mynah. At the water body near the settlements, we spotted a white wagtail and White-breasted Kingfisher. Suddenly, the Drongos and Bee-eaters were everywhere as we went deeper into the forest. Eranthemum roseum and Hibiscus hirtus also abounded. At the lower waterfall, I encountered the day’s first blue oakleaf butterfly. A group of five men and three women nearby were felling trees. One of them carrying wood on his head, was nice enough to allow me to take a photograph of him.

Around 10.30 am, the temperature had risen to 24 degrees and butterflies came out in large numbers. Psyches, grass blues and darters were all around. Also, Tawny coaster, angled perriot and bush brown. Spotted dove and plum headed parakeet, along with the brown-headed barbet, made their presence felt with their identical calls. The Red cotton tree was in bloom too and a couple of trees had good flowerings throughout the trail. On the upper waterfall, we rested and ate something to satiate our hunger. Suddenly, we spotted a lone bird perched on the high anjan tree and we wondered whether it was the Eurasian Black Bird. We weren’t sure. Anyway, we proceeded on our trail of discovery.

It was now 1.00 pm and it was becoming hotter. We had reached the dark and steep woods of Teak and drying pods of Karvi. Urena lobata and Blepharis asperrimawre was seen on the green carpet of this dense region. Raptors were hovering above in the sky. The Serpent Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle and others were out on the hunt. On one of the teak branches, we came across a beetle, which we had never seen before. My Canadian friend Jennifer was mesmerised by this insect and lost no time in clicking it.

By 2.30 PM, we had reached the upper waterfall. We took some rest here savouring the scene before us. After some time, we started our downward journey, happy that we had had our fill of this wonderful wildlife habitat.