Saputara is a city and a hill station municipality in the Dang district of Gujarat state in India.
In winter, at the spill of dawn, trek up to the Gandhi Shikhar as the river of light bathes the streams over undulating mountains and the drifting birds, into a magical dance of awakening.
In rains, breathe in the rolling hills of Saputara, echoing green hues, lush with flowers, and watch the meditating rain drops sitting still on sloping leaves. Some of the thickest forest cover in the state envelops you.
In summer, walk carefree on the expanse of the Governor’s hill and see the sun dip into the Saputara lake as the sky begins to shimmer with stars.
As your bus chugs uphill, crisscrossing over the Ambika river, you leave all the congestion of towns and cities far below you and enter the spirit world of tribal people. Nestled in the Sahyadri range, at an altitude of about 1000 m, this Dangi enclave derives its name from the Snake god revered by the tribals and translates as ‘the abode of serpents’, Saputara.
In spite of being the only hill station of Gujarat, it is minimally commercialized, still unspoiled.
Sight-seeing
Artist Village : This is a place to not only see and buy the tribal artifacts on display, but also to get your hands to work. You will feel welcomed and inspired to try out warli painting or craft tribal objects. Run by Chandrakant Parmar and Surya Goswami, it is a good place to learn about the culture of this region, especially for school groups. The community also provides simple accommodation for a very reasonable cost.
Vansda National park : Originally, a private forest of maharaja of Vansada, the park now covers on area of 24 km². Despite its small size the park harbours tiger, leopard, pangolin, Rusty-spotted Cat, python, giant squirrel, four-horned antelope etc. Prior permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden, or DFO, Ahwa, is required before visiting the park.
Purna Sanctuary: Covering an area of 160 km², Purna Sanctuary is a part of a dense moist deciduous forest in the Western Ghat of Gujarat. Situated at Mahal, 60 km north of Dangs, the sanctuary is crossed by Purna and Gira rivers. There are bamboo-lined pathways for trekkers. Prior permission is necessary for visiting.
Boating: The Saputara Lake surrounded by greenery makes it pleasurable to sail in the lake in a row or paddle boat.
Sunrise Point: It is a point which offers the best view of Saputara and adjoining Malegoan could be reached after a walk of 1.5 km in the direction of Waghai. The naming restricts the tourist traffic to this best place as tourists believe that the point should only be visited at sun rise, however, one may visit it at any time of the day to catch a panoramic view. The Tata Consultancy Services has suggested renaming this point as Valley View Point to enhance tourist traffic.
Sunset Point: Gives a breathtaking view of a vast spans of Dang Forest. It provides an aerial view of distant villages in forest. This thick forest around Saputara is dotted with Adivasi (tribal) villages.
The Ropeway: A ten minutes ride across the valley to the sunset point organised by Hotel Vaity.
Gira falls: Makes an excellent excursion option from Saputara. Just 52 km away from Saputara the Gira Waterfalls should not be missed especially during the months of June to November.
Gardens: Rose Garden, as the name suggests, is a spectacular garden with many variety of Roses. Step Garden is a garden set up in steps. On the steps are laid beautiful plants and flower pots. Another garden is Lake Garden on the banks of Saputara Lake, which is an excellent picnic spot. All these gardens make Saputara a beautiful place. Gardens: One another attractive place in Saputara, step garden has the unique feature of a garden set up in steps. Well laid out steps are adorned with beautiful plants, flower pots ... (more) One another attractive place in Saputara, step garden has the unique feature of a garden set up in steps. Well laid out steps are adorned with beautiful plants, flower pots and in the midst of nice woods. There is a forest hut for the comfortable stay of the visitors, placed amidst the garden. The Garden is well maintained and offer many varieties of flowers and plants. Garden has open space for children to roam around. This is a nice place to spend the evenings away from town bustle and hustle.
The hill resort of Saputara promises to refresh the tourists throughout the year with its cool weather. Saputara does not experience any extreme temperature variations and is an ideal getaway for the sun-scorched souls of the plains. The monsoon rains add to the magic of Saputara. Thus you may plan your trip to the Saputara hills any time of the year the best time is from middle of March to middle of November.
Transport
Saputara is 172 km from Surat, 80 km from Nashik, 280 km from Mumbai, 80 km from Bilimora 420 km from Ahmedabad, 300 km from Vadodara, 589 km from Bhavnagar, 603 km from Rajkot.
Air: Surat is the nearest airport, 172 km away, Mumbai is the nearest international airport 225 km away.
Rail: Bilimora is the nearest railway station on Western Railways. There is a narrow gauge (0.7 m) (small train) from Bilimora to Vaghai.
Road : Bus facility is available from Chikhli, Bilimora, Nasik and Surat.
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