Mumbai for kids: Tungareshwar in Vasai is a great trekking trail for kids

Kids and adults look through binoculars to spot birds

The water is clear and it's a delight to dip your sneaker-clad toes into its delicious coolness. We are in Tungareshwar. There's a cloudburst. It is perfect. A month ago, the same path upwards was lined with a mix of trees with bare branches while other had tired, dusty leaves and flowers; everything was covered with a thin layer of dust from the parched soil. Today, it's hard to believe we are in the same place. The trees are lush with new leaves and every surface is a gleaming version of verdant. Flanking the main path of the trek - a beaten path of approximately 10 feet breadth are impromptu streams and tiny springs.

Kids and adults look through binoculars to spot birds

Tungareshwar is a mountain peak in Vasai, two hours from Bandra (and hour and a half from Dadar), and one of the nicer treks to do with kids because the incline is gentle and it falls under easy to medium-easy trekking trails. If you love the monsoon, and want to do something outdoorsy with your kids, Tungareshwar it is. Just hop into a car, get set for a long drive and step out for a long nature walk. It's popular with trekkers all through the year. But in the monsoons, it comes alive with waterfalls and gushing streams.

Also read: Kids will love the Tungareshwar trail in Vasai

Tungareshwar is home to annual and biennial trees

The main winding track runs parallel to a river for a few miles and before reaching a Shiv temple set on the side of the mountain. The path is surrounded by dense forest and the river cuts through in some places.

The path has its own charm; and if you stand still for a bit, you will spot unusual birds and insects. In summer, we spotted Damselflies and Dragonflies, bees, wasps, caterpillars, dozens of Pagoda Ant nests, Greater Coucals, Orb Weavers and a Tailor bird.

In the rains, wildlife-spotting is vaied. As we walk, we spot other trekkers, in twos or in small groups, binoculars in place and cameras hanging from the neck. Everyone is clad in raingear and caps. But it's pointless. Water seeps into everything and somehow, staying dry no longer matters.

Tungareshwar is a fertile site for bird spotting

Tungareshwar's has a large number of deciduous trees as well as evergreens.

We love the trek because you can visit the spot over and over again, and it is never the same.