There's a beautiful canopy of green just outside Mumbai that you knew about but never cared to get intimate with. Do take the trouble, you'll find the air here refreshing, the walks energising and the getaway completely revitalising. Karnala is a great place for a weekend break with friends and family, especially because most Mumbai kids get no opportunity to experience the wilderness. Thick forests, entwining vines, mushrooms and toadstools, wild ferns, chirping birds, frolicking squirrels, observant lizards and geckos, flitting butterflies, monkeys swinging in the trees and the shrill call of jungle fowl... These are some of the elements of the natural world you'll encounter in neighbouring Raigad district?s Karnala Bird Sanctuary, just a short drive around the corner from Mumbai.