2013 Turtle Festival Velas Beach Ratnagiri booking

Every year, turtle hatchlings, primarily of the Olive Ridley turtle species, are gently guided into the sea from over 600 nests across 30 or more villages around the beach of Velas. This beach is located in the district of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.

The project of releasing the turtle hatchlings is celebrated as the Turtle Festival.


The Turtle Festival is supported by

• Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra
• Forest Department
• Velas Gram Panchayat
• Kasav Mitra Mandal (KMM)

Over the last decade, over 700 nests have been conserved and more than 32,000 hatchlings have been released into the sea.

2013 Turtle Festival Velas Ratnagiri Maharashtra
Nature lovers and other tourists are welcome to join the 2013 Turtle Festival at Velas Beach.

Olive Ridley turtles are released into the sea by volunteers in the morning at 7a.m. and then again at 4.15p.m when the temperature of the sand is conducive for the turtles to toddle to the sea. The baby turtles emerge from the sand and make their way to the Arabian sea at Velas beac. 45-55 days prior to this, the mother turtles will have laid their eggs in the sand, coming from the sea during the late hours of the night. The mass arrival and nesting of the turtles is known in Spanish as Arribada.

Date: February 9th, 2013
Accommodation at 2013 Turtle Festival Velas
The Kasav Mitra Mandal (KMM) at Velas provide accommodation and food in local homes. Tariff is Rs. 380/- per day per person. If you wish to participate in the ceremony of releasing turtle hatchlings, you need to pay Rs. 50/-. The accommodation is shared and basic facilities of bathroom and  toilet is available. The food is only vegetarian and it is simple  Maharashtrian fare. You don't need to make any advance payment. Contact in advance for booking (see contact info at the end of this blog post) and intimate about when you will be arriving. You will get guidance on how to reach and other information.

You should also visit the Marine Turtle Knowledge and Information Centre and Marine Turtle Research and Conservation Centre.

Location of Velas Beach Maharashtra

Velas is village in Mandangad taluka in District Ratnagiri. It is the birthplace of Nana Phadnavis, minister of the Maratha Empire during the Peshwa admnistration in Pune.

Travelling by Road: Take the NH-17 (Mumbai-Goa highway).

Travelling by Bus: You can board a State Transport (ST) Bus from Mumbai to Velas

Distance from Mumbai: 220kms

Distance from Pune: 195kms

Contact Information of Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra
11, United Park, Markandi,
Chiplun,
District Ratnagiri,
Maharashtra - 415 605
India
Ph: +91 02355 253030
Website: http://snmcpn.in/ Contact Information of Kasav Mitra Mandal
The following contact numbers have been provided at www.karmayog.in, where the details of the 2011 Turtle festival were provided.

1. Mr. Prakash Joshi 02350-220570

2. Mr. Milind Nijsure 02350-220629

3. Mr. Santosh Joshi 02350-220511

4. Smt. Bagkar 02350-220682