If You Are A Nature Lover, You Must Visit Tilari

Tilari-  A forest located in the hilly ranges of Konkan-Western Ghats corridor is a popular destination among the wildlife lovers. 

It is located 492 km away from Pune in Belgaun district of Karnataka, bordering the forests of Goa and Maharashtra.

Surrounded by dense green forest, Tillari is home for a variety of animals and birds like  Hornbill, Paradise Flycatcher, Drongo, Yellow-Browed Bulbul, Red-Whiskered Bulbul, Crimson-backed Sunbird, Orange-Headed Ground Thrush, Indian Scimitar Babbler and a lot more.

Tilari is also home to several animals like wild boars, antelopes, deer, monkeys, bison, elephants, tigers and leopards.

You’re not allowed to enter the forest without permission. The availability of resources like food and water is limited, so ensure you carry enough. 

The forest also features three perennial waterfalls which are a huge tourist attraction.

While driving to Tilari, the ghats offers a thrilling experience. It is known to be the steepest ghat in the Sahyadris as compared to others such as Karul, Fonda and Amboli ghat.

Reaching There:

By Road: Drive witnessing the beautiful dense forest enveloping both sides of a road. Get on to Pune Satara Road- Satara- Kolhapur- Belgaun- Pass hotel nivara and turn right and drive straight for a few kilometres and you’re there.

By Train: There are various trains available from Pune to Belgaum, however, to reach tilari one will have to be depend on public transport. It is advisable to recheck the train timings before you leave for tilari.

By Bus: From Swargate take a bus to Goa and get down at Belgaun, from there you can rely on their public transport.

Stay and Food At Tilari

There is only one resort run by MTDC named Green valley which offers the best stay and food options to tourists.

While local outlets around Belgaum offer Pitla bhakri, and snacks. If you have time, there are are quite a few restaurants in Belgaun which offer North Indian and Maharashtrian cuisine.

Tilari Dam

Tilar Dam is a joint venture by the Maharashtra and Goa government. It is situated in Dodamarg Taluka and it is constructed on Tilari river.

The dam is located near the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka and the water is distributed among both the states. The lake formed by Tilari dam is a major tourist attraction, it is also said that wild elephants take shelter in the surroundings of Tilari forest.

Tilari Rock Garden

Apart from the inter-state irrigation dam project ,Tilari also has an attractive Rock garden which was specially designed for Tourists to enjoy the lush greenery of the forest.

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#Curated by Ankita Malekar for Pune365 in 2018. Reproduced for reader interest

#All details and distances are indicative and readers are advised to check all details at the destination.