KUNDALIKA River Rafting - Kolad
KUNDALIKA river rafting is a great starting adventure for the first-timers.
Situated in the Raighad Taluka in the state of Maharashtra, KUNDALIKA River is just two and a half hour drive from the city of Pune.
The early hour drive takes us through the twist and turns and sometimes bumpy roads as we head towards our destination. The natural surroundings that we see on the way are a treat to the eyes, especially during the monsoon. Fog covering the green mountain peaks and a number of waterfalls emerging from the mountains, makes nature come alive during this season.
Men, women, teenagers and even children accompanied by their parents converge at the Kundalika rafting site either in a group of their own or are brought there by various Adventure Clubs. The only thing on their mind is the excitement of River Rafting as they put on their helmets and get into their life jackets provided by the trainers at the venue.
The trainers at the venue are all professional coming from North India where they have been doing rafting in the rough rapids of river Ganges. They have to undergo a rigorous training of about four years before they are sent to take people on a rafting expedition. So we knew we were in safe hands. Our trainer was Surender, a very interesting and a jolly good fellow. We all liked him from the very beginning.
The entire crowd is divided into groups of nine members, who are then led by a trainer to the raft. The trainer also serves as the leader of the group. Once at the raft with the paddle in hand, we were given brief training on the basic command that we had to follow during the rafting.
Thereafter our group carried the raft into the water and took our positions on the raft. Surender took his position behind us on our raft and on his command, the expedition began.
The KUNDALIKA River is fourteen kilometers long and it will take us about two and a half hours to cover the entire stretch.
The trainer ensures that we as a group get what we have come here for which is some real excitement and a bit of fear!
He orders us to maneuver the raft through various rapids in the river. There are about fourteen rafts in the river, each carrying a group of nine people. Screams of joy and excitement can be heard from the rafts as it hits one rapid after another making the raft sway up and down. The excitement doubles when one wave rises above the raft and falls on the group.
The rafting adventure becomes more fun when Surender teaches us to cheer in Unison various slogans. One that I can remember is:
Chiri Miri, Chiri Miri
Dhoom Dhadakka
Hoo Haa!! Hoo Haa!!
One of the big Rapids of the river is rightly called the Johnny Walker; named after the famous brand of hard drink. As the raft moves through this rapid, it starts swaying as if under the influence of the Johnny Walker.
After going through a rollercoaster ride, finally the river becomes one smooth stretch and Surender asks the group to get in the water. From here on we will be floating and moving forward with the current of the water. Our life jackets help us keep afloat in the water, so whether we know swimming or not we can enjoy the experience for which we have come here.
As we jumped into the water we had a small guest in the form of a little frog who hopped onto the raft seeing it empty.
Lying on the waterbed with our life jackets facing the sky, it made me forget the immediate past, from where I had come did not matter and I became one with nature.
One of the gentlemen floating alongside me commented, ‘It’s like living a perfect retired life…’
After about half an hour of floating, we are again told to climb the raft and we told goodbye to our little guest as Surender dropped the little frog into the water.
At last the two and a half hours journey on the Rapids of KUNDALIKA River comes to an end as we touch the other end of the river. The group cheered for our leader and trainer Surender for making us live a life of adventure in the past two and a half hours.
We as a group carried the raft to a small hilltop from where it will be taken back to the starting point on a jeep. As we put the raft down we saw small stalls selling hot tea and delicious vada pavs along with other eatables for the adventurers of KUNDALIKA River.
It was one great experience for me and the entire group of which I was a part. The only thing I regret was that the adventurer was not able to take photographs during the rafting as carrying camera or mobile is a total risk on the raft.
As we drove back once again to our own world, I realized, life is not just about getting up every day and going to work, it is also about being one with Mother Nature once in a while through various activities.
It has been a week since my Kundalika River Rafting, yet even today I can feel the experience of KUNDALIKA River Rafting and hear another calling of the group on the raft swaying to the rapids of the river,
“Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby, hey!!
“Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby, hey!!
“Hey baby, hey baby, hey baby, hey!!”
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