Older than the Himalaya mountains, is the Western Ghats ranges that runs
parallel to the western coast of the India through the states of Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A drivable road from inside
the lush green forests and alongside the coastline will take you on a journey
to a different world.
What is Western Ghats? A world set aside in the serenity
of the green mountains, where music of chirping birds and where streams of
flowing water play a perfect symphony to the tired souls. Well known for
their rich and unique flora and fauna, Western Ghats is one of the eight
"hottest hot-spots" of biological diversity in the world and UNESCO
has declared Western Ghats, a world heritage site.
As per the studies, Western Ghats are sustaining around 7402 species of
flowering plants, 1814 species of non-flowering plants, 139 mammals' species,
508 bird species, 179 amphibian species, 6000 insect species and 290 freshwater
fish species. This is not all, many may get discovered tomorrow. Over and
above these, Western Ghats provides shelter to at least 325 globally threatened
flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species.
A small welcome break from the business schedule opened a
window to explore the incredible Land of Western Ghats, its biodiversity,
nearby a small coastal town of Alibaug. Alibaug is much popular for its neat
and clean beaches. It was the time to enjoy attractions near Alibaug.
We started early morning for our first destination, Korlai Fort which is
approx. 25 Km. (75 minutes) from Alibaug. Though now in ruins, Korlai Fort is
an old Portuguese structure situated on a hill top. Built in the year 1521,
Korlai Fort originally meant as a watch point for the invaders and was used to
be a house of 7,000 people including horses and Portugese army men. The Korlai
Fort is surrounded by Arabian Sea on three sides and has a beautiful lighthouse
as major attraction.