Phasand Sanctuary

The Phasand wildlife sanctuary is located in Murud and Roha Talukas of Raigad district in Konkan region. The sanctuary represents a Coastal Woodland Ecosystem of Western Ghats, which makes the habitat very rich and offers highly peaceful atmosphere to the visitors. A number of endemic flora and fauna species are also 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.

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 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! 

topAttractions

• Flora  -
  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. 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. A patch of mangrove vegetation can be found to the southwest. The sanctuary hosts atleast 21 species of endemic plants such as Clitoria Biflora, Balevia Gibsoni, Ramphicapa Longifolia etc. The ethnobotany of the sanctuary is represented by about 91 plant species. Tourists can also spot number of medicinal plant species in this area
  
• Fauna -
  The barking deer, sambar, panther, wild boar, hyena and leopard are 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 the Green Billed Malkoha. About 71 butterfly species such as the 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.
  

topReaching There

Accommodation