Kashid is reputed to have one of the best beaches on konkan belt. Kashid beaches are normally uninhabited during weekdays and only sparsely inhabited during weekends.

PHANSAD WILDLIFE SANCTUARY (Sanctuary Asia Aricle)

A withering dry leaf reveals itself to be  a blue oakleaf. A brightly coloured black  and orange rock turns out to be a fungoid  frog. At a distant, the melancholy, romantic  call of the curlew beckons. As you walk further, a shallow depression in the short  grass reveals two young Red-wattled  Lapwings as the concerned parents fly  noisily above.  An open grassland patch on a plateau  (ideal for raising lapwing young), streaks of  hardened, black laterite, thick forests, hills  and the Arabian sea — what a mix of  habitats! 

The Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary  is an amazing revelation. Primarily a bird  sanctuary, Phansad is also home to a whole array of insects, amphibians and mammals.  Spread across 52.71 sq. km., Phansad is located in the Murud and Roha talukas of Raigad District in Maharashtra. As you drive further from Kashid towards Murud- Janjira, you come across the board of the Phansad VanyajeevAbhyaranya or Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary. 

The gentle hills of this Protected Area are located between the northern Sahyadri range and the western coast of India and though these hills are not directly connected to the main Western Ghats range, the species found here are quite similar. The forest is mainly moist teak, southern moist mixed deciduous forest and west coast semi-evergreen. Ain, teak, kinjal,  dhavada, jamba, hirda are some of the main species found here. Mango and ficus are  found along the stream. There is also a patch of mangrove vegetation to the southwest. A number of endemic flora and fauna species are found here.  One can see wild boars digging up roots, frogs that are endemic to the Western Ghats, limbless amphibians or caecelians, and White-bellied Sea Eagles soaring high above. 

Barking deer, sambar and leopard are also found in this coastal woodland ecosystem. Insect-lovers will enjoy discovering the varied species on offer. Phansad's star attraction is, of course, the beautiful giant Indian squirrel but this arboreal animal is shy and wary and not so easy to discover. If one is really lucky, you can watch one slide down a tree before it slips away into the dense undergrowth.  This is definitely a birding paradise with a number of species including the Black Eagle, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Pompadour  Green Pigeon, Yellow Footed Green Pigeon,  Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Forest Wagtail,  Black Drongo, Shikra, Brahmini Kite, iora,  Spotted Owlet, Plum-headed Parakeet,  Common Wood Shrike, Golden Oriole,  Paddy field Pipit and Green Billed Malkoha found here. About 71 butterfly species such  as southern birdwing, the tiny pale grass-  blue, the large blue mormon, painted lady,  spot sword tail and common map can be  seen here. An ideal time to observe them is  the morning when they bask in the sun.  

The rulers of the janjira state had preserved  this forest as a hunting reserve. After years of  exploitation and degradation, it was declared a sanctuary in 1986. The ruins of the Siddi Nawab's bungalow at Kesauli offers a splendid view of the Kashid beach. A temple of the Dhawir Vardhini who is revered by the Aajri tribals is located inside the reserve. Winter is the best time to visit the park for bird and animal sightings.  Explore this sanctuary and take in the fresh earthy smell of the jungle air... enjoy the sight of birds and butterflies and a whole variety of insects and amphibians. Phansad is a wilderness not frequented by too many people and the forest reflects this with its green vistas and varied wildlife that will tempt you to stay back.

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