About Radhanagari nature club in Main road Near Bus Stand, Radhanagari

One of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites
Home for Rare and Endemic plants and animals
The oldest wildlife protected area in Maharashtra
Lets explore the land of The Gaur ..
Monsoon, the season of plenty ,brings in lots of bounty and during this time one can experience nature at its best. The best place in India to experience this melodrama is of
course, the Western Ghats, one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world. The Western Ghats region of Maharashtra also known as ‘Sahyadri’, although least explored, has assemblage of unique habitats with rich diversity of flora and fauna. Because of the exceptional biological
and aesthetic values, recently some of these habitats were declared as World Heritage Sites.There are four serially nominated World heritage Sites in Maharashtra. One of them is Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary , a place worth exploring, not only in monsoon but in all seasons. This pristine, lush green, undulating landscape with steep valleys is situated about 80KM West of Kolhapur city in Maharashtra. Prior to independence, Maharaja of Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Shahu reserved this forest mainly for hunting and he also constructed a dam on river Bhogawati near Radhanagari which is a vital water source for Kolhapur region. His
farsightedness resulted in the conservation of this pristine landscape and wildlife therein. In 1958 part of this forest was declared as ‘Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary’, the first wildlife protected area in Maharashtra. In 1985 the entire catchment areas of Radhanagari dam and
newly constructed Kalammawadi(काळाम्मावाडी)dam were added and it was notified as ‘Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary’ covering an area of around 351.16 sq. km.The forest is predominantly semi-evergreen with undisturbed and thick evergreen patches, locally called ‘dang’. Notable among these are ‘Kala dang’(काळा डंग) and ‘Patyacha
dang’(पाट्याचा डंग). Apart from this, there are many open grasslands inside the forest, which are grazing grounds for herbivores in this sanctuary.
Most unique features of this landscape is the presence of large, exposed, lateritic plateaus, locally called ‘Sada’ (सडा). These unique geological formations are seen mostly on top of the mountains and are flat with scanty vegetation in summer but they metamorphose into a picturesque landscape during monsoon. A visit to such plateaus like Idarganj sada (इदरगंज सडा) and Savrai sada (सावराई सडा) during late monsoon is a mesmerizing experience as they are covered with carpet of colorful flowers. Some of the forest patches are traditionally protected by locals due to its religious and cultural values. They are locally called as ‘Devrai’ (देवराई). Due to utmost protection and least disturbance, these patches are presently the gene pools for various threatened species. Plants welcome various seasons with offering of flowers in varied colours. The Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary has a good floral diversity, from tiny grasses to huge trees, a paradise and treasure trove for plant enthusiasts. Many of these plants have immense medicinal value and a few of them are only known from this landscape. These plants bloom across various
seasons and also use variety of substratum, from trunk of large trees to rocky crevices. The flagship species of this Sanctuary is Gaur. They are at home and if lucky, one can get a glimpse of herds of gaurs having occasional bite on karvi or freely grazing on plateau. The presence of the charismatic and dynamic mascot of Indian wildlife, Tiger is also regularly
reported from this Sanctuary. Some of the notable mammals caught on the camera traps set by the Forest Department in this Sanctuary are leopard, sloth bear, sambar and stripe-necked mongoose. Besides mammals the diversity of birds is also equally rich in numbers. Along with the common resident species, this Sanctuary is home to many rare, endemic and threatened species of birds. Due to this the BNHS, India and Birdlife International has declared this as one of the Important Bird Area.
Rich diversity of insects is also seen here. Among insects, butterflies are the most conspicuous and colorful insects. During early winter sightings of large congregations of butterflies can be an additional bonus.
Sightings of amphibians and reptiles are undoubtedly more frequent during monsoon. The Sanctuary has rich and unique diversity of amphibians and reptiles. The presence of only known gecko in India with iridescent scales, aptly named as, Kolhapur Dwarf Gecko, is only
reported from this Sanctuary. Management of this Sanctuary is carried out by the Forest Department as per guidelines laid down by the Government. The ecotourism activity in this Sanctuary is largely conducted by involving local villagers through the formation of VEDCs, Village eco-development commitees. This Sanctuary attracts large number of serious and amateur nature enthusiasts and tourists
as well. With the prior permissions from the Forest Department and following rules and regulations of Eco- Tourism one can have close encounter with the denizens of this Sanctuary and its natural beauty. A visit to Interpretation center before entering the sanctuary will give
you the brief idea about surroundings. Tourist can visit Vaghache Pani (वाघाचे पाणी), Sambar Kond (सांबर कोंड), Sapala(सापळा) , Konkan Darshan(कोकण दर्शन) and Savarai Sada (सावराई सडा). These are long, strenuous but equally enchanting treks. Visit to this pristine forest is a memorable experience. This reminds an invocation from the Rigveda, “He, the powerful and the holy holds straight this tree in unsupported space. Its rays, whose roots are high above, stream downward. Deep may they sink within us and be hidden /be bidden.”
















Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary is Oldest sanctuary in Maharashtra

We Also Providing-
Accommodation• Wildlife Tour Packages• Resorts• Sanctuary Safari• Birds Watching• Tracking,• Traditional Food• Study Tour•