Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Sanjay Gandhi National Park, better known as “Borivali National Park” is set in hill ranges around the western suburb of Borivali in Mumbai.

Notified in 1974, it offers a pleasant change from the usual sights and attractions of the big city. It is hence common to see the park teeming with school picnics, college picnics and other organized excursions.

The undulating green lands of the Borivali National Park are just the kind of surroundings to which one would love to retreat for some moments of quiet introspection or meditation. The great panoramic views of hills, valleys, lakes and open expanses can actually have a therapeutic effect on mind, body and soul. Rising from an elevation less than about 30m above mean sea level, the terrain park culminates in a series of peaks dispersed throughout the park - the highest, near the Kanheri Caves, being 468m.

A NATURAL WONDER OF WILDERNESS

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is unique because it can be visited all round the year. In the hot, dry summer months the jungle is a riot of colour as Goolmohar known as “The flame of the forest” and the flowering silk cotton give the otherwise harsh brown forest a crimson blush.

BORIVALI in the rains has a charm of its own. The entire forest is a carpet of green and streams, swollen with rainwater tumble and meander downs the slopes. The rains automatically draw trekkers, bird watchers and nature lovers of all ages to this verdant paradise. Visitors to Mumbai are rather surprised to see that there are 104-sq-km of virgin forest within its borders, just waiting to be explored. The recreational area of this park includes the Kanheri Caves, the Tuisi and Vihar Lakes, the Lion Safari, the Deer Park, the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi and the gardens.