Kaas Plateau is growing as a popular tourist hotspot branded as valley of flowers.I had Kaas trip on my radar since last year, I was in two minds going there this year with the extended rainfall spell continuing in Pune, however my new Canon EOS 550D DSLR I got last month got me motivated for a day's trip to Kaas last weekend also few office friends had already been there recently. Route: It's roughly 140 kms away from Pune, you need to head towards old katraj ghat via Satara road and connect to NH4 on the Pune Bangalore highway, I did not take the Ramnagar route via a right turn from NH4 at service road junction before Khed Toll Naka that skips Satara city circle, I entered Satara by the Khed toll route following sadar bazaar road you would reach a chowk in Satara city, take a right turn from the effiel tower replica at the chowk and again a left turn on Rajpath road which would lead you to nana chowk ahead.
Don't take the straight road via tunnel, take the road on the right and you would begin your trip uphill towards Kaas Plateau. The view on the way is very scenic with proper sunshine it looks more amazing. Road condition is okay, thankfully very less potholes but very narrow so drive cautiously.
We stopped on the way up to click pics which are a treat for a landscape photography enthusiast like me. Once you reach a checkpost made by forest department you can choose to park your vehicle there and walk a distance of 2-3 kms or take a 5 min ST bus ride to the plateau plying at an interval of 15-20 mins to and fro at the plateau, It had being ages since I had last boarded an ST bus. If you are planning to vist Bamnoli village ahead you can take your car via the Kaas Plateau route and park your car ahead of the plateau and climb back up the slope. In case your are inquisitive about knowing the flower names that grace the Kaas Plateau, you can buy a pocket guide leaflet some local kids would be selling at the car/bus parking area.
There are quite a few forest department rangers and police officials patrolling on the plateau to make you feel safe and enjoy exploring Kaas landscape.Terrain on the plateau is walkable, please make sure not to step over the flower beds there are enough rocky patches for moving around freely. Forest department has done a commendable job putting up temporary fencing around the some patches restricting entry to certain spots on the plateau.
The best time to visit Kaas Plateau is between Aug - Oct, I visited Kaas probably towards the end of blooming period here still it had quite good flora present to make my visit worthwhile, please ensure you move early morning to catch the flowers blooming, afternoon heat can be little taxing and not the best time to click pics. Have your breakfast/lunch in Satara city or while travelling via NH4 route you would spot quite a few eateries on the highway after moving out of Pune, carry your liquid refreshments with you once you reach the parking area as Kaas Plateau is still developing as a tourist spot which is seasonal and does not attract too many visitors as of now, do not expect toilet/food facility once you reach there.
You can check out my pic gallery here for more pictures
