On what should have been an otherwise energetic start to Zanzroli lake, Palghar, began strenuously when the Mumbai – Ahmedabad highway identified as National Highway – 8 was traffucked for no visible reason early on a Sunday morning. People say that the due to the ongoing construction of the new bridge and increase in to and fro of the heavy vehicles over the past few months had lead to the occurrence of such a dreadful incident, thus escalating the traffic tremendously on NH-8 in the last few days.
We saw the traffic. Half hour, One hour, two hour. Sweat trickled down our forehead and we jumped every time we saw any vehicle coming towards us from an opposite direction. Checking, again, to see if we really should move ahead, we turned up at a local diner to sit and discuss about the journey ahead. ‘I wish this traffic clears up soon!’ I thought. We were late and needed to be back home soon but something, some feeling made us to continue towards Zanzroli lake despite the heavy traffic.
The car horns constantly blared, letting the entire world know about the heavy traffic on NH-8. There was no way, no shortcut, no route to turn back. Seeing no other option we went ahead and more ahead until we reached Vasai.
Almost an hour and a half later, the highway cleared up and slowly the mighty Sahyadri mountains started to be visible at a near distance. We had crossed Virar and now were smoothly making our way to Zanzroli lake, Palghar.
On our way, I checked the location co-ordinate of Zanzroli lake and thought ‘Thank God someone had named the lake otherwise 19.6323264, 72.8197906 would have been quite a number to remember’. At this point we were only an hour away from our destination and both of us were excited to reach and explore this offbeat lake that was formed by the backwaters of Kelve dam.
After another hour or so, we made our way through the picturesque roads, twisty and twirly mountains and even a patch of pothole filled roads to finally reached our final destination of the day: Zanzroli lake.
“Wow,” I murmured, gazing out over the lake. The peaceful Zanzroli lake was lied right in front of me exactly like I imagined it to be. The mighty Sahyadri mountains stood tall over the lake covering it on all sides as if protecting the lake from some sort of danger. The water in the lake was unmistakably clear and it was possible for one to see the entire lake bed in just a glance. Zanzroli lake appeared to be one of the main source of water for the region and the place is much visited for the garden that is located next to the lake, which is a popular picnic spot among the locals.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Though you can visit the lake anytime of the year, the best time to visit Zanzroli lake is from the months of January to May and October to December. During this time, the weather of the state is perfect to plan a visit to the lake. You will find it in all its glory and the weather would not hamper your experience of absorbing the beauty of the surroundings.
HOW TO REACH:
The serene beauty of Zanzroli lake combined with the surrounding majestic hills can be reached either by roadways or by railways.
By road: It takes approximately 2 hours 30 minutes from Mumbai to reach this lake. One needs to take the NH- 8 and exit from Varai village. Once you take the exit reaching Zanzroli Lake is quite easy. Guidance from google maps would be highly recommended once you enter Varai village.
By train: If the road is not your option then you can always choose the affordable train ride. Once you board a Dahanu train from Mumbai, you will need to get down at Saphale as it is the nearest railway station. All you need to do from there is to book a shared jeep/tuktuk and you will reach this beautiful location in just about 15-20 minutes.
The serene atmosphere, hidden location and mesmerizing sunset views makes the place quite special. Even though they have not commercially started with any water activities like Canoeing, Kayaking or even boating but still simply sitting in the garden overlooking the Zanzroli lake is nothing more than pure bliss. For a minute one feels free from all their worries and troubles and trust me there’s no better feeling that can beat such an experience that too so close from Mumbai. This day trip is a great place for those looking to take a full day’s break in nature’s lap away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Natural beauty of Palghar is one of the best thing you can enjoy in life and Zanzroli lake offers just that!
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