Travellers heading for luxury India holidays this month can enjoy the first-ever Dolphin and Turtle Festival along the Maharashtra coastline.
The beautiful beaches of Murud Harnai and Velas are to host an array of activities for an expected 6,000 tourists between March 15 and 17, when visitors will be able to witness schools of friendly dolphins playing in the sea off Murud and see endangered Olive Ridley Turtles lay their eggs in the sands of Velas after long migrations.
Around 500 tourists will be given the opportunity of seeing the spectacular sight of baby turtles hatching and heading for the sea thanks to a collaboration between the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and the Kasav (Turtle) Mitra Mandal.
The managing director of MTDC, Dr Jagdish Patil, said he wanted to show off Maharashtra's "unexplored marvels" to help increase nature tourism in the state.
Beach attractions in Murud Harnai will also include celebrity cricket, sports and sand sculptures and visitors looking for a taste of India can sample the local Malwani cuisine with fish from Kardhe, traditional foods such as modak and sonakadi and fresh mangoes.
Culture vultures can enjoy listening or dancing to local folk music and well-known singers will perform ocean-themed film music among a medley of activities surrounding the event.
