The ultimate adventure for water babies in Maharashtra – Kolad rafting

Posted by The Wandering Pen on December 1st, 2020

My earliest memories as a kid involve me enjoying myself surrounded by water. Be it spending hours staring at the beach from my bedroom window or learning how to swim as a little child, I was happiest when my inner water baby felt at home. Growing up in Mumbai, I always had the sea by my side but the overly-crowded beaches never felt like the right place for me to enjoy myself to the fullest. And now, being a working woman entangled in meetings and tight schedules, I never get the chance to step out of the city to explore nature and its waters.

But then, in the middle of September, when the monsoons were yet to depart, a bunch of my colleagues and I decided that we wanted – nay, needed – to take a break from our hectic lives, even if it was just for a short weekend. I’d heard that monsoons are the perfect time for river rafting in Kolad, so I jumped at the opportunity and practically forced my colleagues to pick the little hamlet for our quick getaway. They eventually agreed and I felt like a kid on Christmas day, squealing with joy and excitement.

Our Kolad rafting trip came by quickly, and we drove down to our campsite at the crack of dawn. We checked into our tent and quickly freshened up for our impending adventure. At the start point of our rafting stretch, the instructor handed us our gear and ran us through the safety guidelines and instructions. Soon, we hopped onto our rafts in groups of 5 and set forth to tackle the thundering Kundalika river.

We splashed through rapids that engulfed us and our rafts in chilly water. And then, just as I had hoped, the rain came pouring down, taking the fun up a few notches. We hollered and laughed with excitement as we struggled to gain control and see past the sprays of white water. It was a hard and challenging battle, but we powered through, with our helpful instructor by our side.

12 kms and two hours later, the turbulent waters morphed into calmer stretches and the downpour slowed down to a light drizzle. The instructor allowed us to jump out of the raft and into the river. In that moment, my heart was full of pure joy. I tuned out the shrieks and hoots of children playing in the water and floated on my back with tiny raindrops brushing against my face and open palms. The cool breeze carried the sweet scent of petrichor through the air, reminding me of the lush greenery around me even as my eyes were closed in bliss. My thrilling day of rafting in Kolad ended as we stepped out of the river and made our way back to the campsite for lunch. I spent the day exploring the woods around our camp, constantly surrounded by the sound of the gushing river. Though my time in the water was gone, the night was still filled with fun as we huddled around a bonfire and sang timeless classics through dinner.

The next morning, I awoke to the sound birds chirping outside my tent, only to realise it was almost time for us to head back to Mumbai, to our busy lives. I hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. This Kolad rafting trip reminded me of when, as a kid, I would swim towards the deep end in the pool, stick my head beneath the surface and pretend it was my very own underwater world. With treasured memories and a heavy heart, we left Kolad, but I knew I wouldn’t wait this long for my next water adventure.