Bandhavgarh National Park

Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the many wildlife sanctuaries in India. It is located in Madhya Pradesh, at about 197 km away north-east of Jabalpur. The name is derived from an ancient fort in the area. It belongs to the Vindhyan mountain ranges of central India and has the highest density of tiger population in the country.

It was a hunting reserve of the royal family of Rewa and was declared a park in 1968.

The other wild animals which can be sighted at Bandhavgarh NP include, Nilgai, Chausingha, Chital, Chinkara, Wild Boar and sometimes a Fox or Jackal.

Visitors to the park can enter in four wheelers or can also have a look on Elephant back.

About half the Bandhavgarh park is covered with fine trees of Sal, while mixed forests are found in the higher reaches of the hills. Stretches of bamboo and grasslands extend to the north.

Some more information about the park, is as follows :

Area : 450 sq. km (Core area: 105 sq. km)

Altitude : 800 m above sea level

Temperature range : 42°C to 2°C

Rough Itinerary

Tour fees: Rs.9,500/-

Includes: Travel from Katni to Bandhavgad, accommodation, food, 4 jeep safaris.

Does not include any personal expenses or anything not specifically mentioned. Also does not include train fare to Katni, which can be booked as per choice – second class or AC, etc.

The annual Independence Day trash dash this year had to be postponed and will be taking place on the 2nd of October 2009. We urge everyone who can, to attend. Here is the email from Avishkar of NOET:

For the fourth consecutive year, this 2nd of October, the Natura Outdoor Education Trust (NOET), will host the I-Day Trash Dash for Mumbaikars to do their bit for the country’s forests and enjoy themselves while doing it. The Trash Dash is essentially a crazy-fun Clean-up Marathon in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park(SGNP), which sees people of all ages scramble through the forest, trying to collect the most amount of garbage; while at the same time having themselves a great time with the many games and activities along the way. This year, Trash Dash aims to involve 500 participants in clearing out almost 3 tonnes of garbage out of our city’s precious forests.

The Trash Dash History:

Trash Dash began with just 40 people coming together to clean up their beloved forest. They managed to collect about 175 kg of garbage. The next year the number grew to 75 and the collections swelled up to 320kgs. Last year the 3rd Trash Dash saw more than 200 participants collecting, in a span of just 5 hours, One Thousand and Ten Kilograms (1010 Kgs) of trash being hauled out of the National Park. This year, therefore we would like to take the figures up to 500 participants and 3000 kgs of garbage!

Why the National Park?

Simply because its time Mumbai-ites realised that the 104-sq km National Park is the only one of its kind in the midst of any megapolis in the world and that it provides us the clean air we breathe and the water we drink. Its about time Mumbai’s citizens helped in healing the lungs of our city.

Why the Independence Day?

For years now, our national holiday had been reduced to blaring patriotic songs, plastic flags at traffic signals and extensions to long weekends. The Trash Dash has been held on this day simply to remind people of the many ways do their bit for the country. Though, This Year  we decided to postpone the IDTD to a further date from the usual 15th August . We did this out of respect for the city’s concern over a public congregation amidst the fears of a H1N1 pandemic in Mumbai. After days of deliberating on the next perfect date for the Trash Dash, we’re happy to announce the rescheduled date of the I-Day Trash Dash as the 2nd of October 2009.

The Plan This Year;

The Trash Dash this year will be, in effect, 2 simultaneous events at 2 ends of the SGNP. At Borivali, 350 participants will clean out the most impacted areas; while in Yeoor, Thane, 150 individuals will clear out the main public access area. At both the events, the clean-up marathon will be dotted with numerous activity stations letting the crowds indulge in some quick fun to keep the tempo high throughout. Loads of prizes will be given out to the people who collect the most garbage as well as loads of freebies to almost everyone taking their time out for Trash Dash.

Life after the Trash Dash:

Following up on this event, we’ll be involving a corps of ParaForest Volunteers to assist the Forest Department with the day-to-day running of the park, whether by participating in an anti-liquor patrol or by educating visitors to the park about the perils of littering. This way, instead of becoming a once-a-year event of little consequence, NOET’s Trash Dash promises to be a starting point in encouraging Mumbaikars to take responsibility for our magnificent National Park.

Email: info@noetindia.org

Phone: +91-22-65259195

Facebook: Independence Day Trash Dash

Register for IDTD’09 | Join us on

Looking forward to seeing you at the 4th I-Day Trash Dash ’09!

Thank You Sincerely Avishkar Tendle – 9869460871 Managing Trustee

So folks, come one, come all, and if possible with health and doctor approvals, Nisarg, our newborn son may make a brief appearance. Can’t think of a better first outing of his life.

In this year’s post-Diwali glow, add in the sparkle of adventure.

Wide Aware announces a three day high adventure experience to charge your spirit – valley crossing and rappelling on the tallest rock face in Maharashtra – the Kokankada.

Yep, you got that right. This is the tallest rock face in Maharashtra – a breathtaking exposure of 1800ft under your fragile body held to safety by a rope and altitude of 4671ft above sea level. You do a 1200ft long valley crossing and then descend by means of a series of rappels to the base of the face. Believe me, you don’t want to miss this. Seats limited, so get in touch with Raka immediately if you are planning on coming – 09869433342.

The schedule is as follows:

Day 1: Mumbai to Khireshwar by bus and trek to the top of Harishchandragad

Leave Mumbai at 7am from Dadar, have breakfast at Saralgaon at 9am and reach Khireshwar by 12noon. Begin the 4-5 hour trek to the top of Harishchandragad. Have lunch on the way and reach at the top of the fort by the evening tea.  Harishchandragad is one of the more challenging of the most popular hikes in this region. The fort has historical significance and a temple of Harishchandreshwar with a stone water tank in front of it. Accommodation is in caves. A short orientation walk later, settle into your cave for the day, and have an early night post dinner in preparation for the next days excitement.

Day 2: Valley Crossing across the Kokankada and Rappelling down from Bhavanidhar

After an early morning and breakfast we have a quick instruction session with the equipment and techniques explained for both the long and technical activities to follow. This is followed by the traverse. Kokankada is in a C shape, and the traverse is set across its two ends. Thus, during the valley crossing, you have the highest exposure possible in Maharashtra, without actually flying. The wind, the sheer scale of the surroundings, and most of all, the swaying rope holding our life safe present an unforgettable physical and emotional challenge. This is followed by a long rappel down the rock face – so long that you have to do it in stages to be able to maintain technique and safety. This day is an experience in the insignificance of man in front of a mountain, as well as the determination in man that makes him conquer one. We spend the night under the sky at the base of the Kokankada.

Day3: Trek back to road head and return to Mumbai

Wake up to nature, and hike for an hour or two back to the road  head. From here, the bus will take us back to Mumbai. Expect to be back by evening.

Dates: 27th to 29th November 2009 (Fri, Sat, Sun)

Charges: Rs. 3,000/- per head (inclusive of travel – Dadar to Dadar, stay and food, adventure activities – equipment, instruction and safety support). Does not include lunch on the first day which will have to be brought by participants.

Booking procedure: Call/SMS RAKA on 09869433342 or VIDYUT on 09892469127.This will reserve your seat for 2 days till you complete your payment. Registration will be confirmed only after complete payment and we are not responsible for any availability problems in case of delayed payments.

Payment information:

Choose whatever option is the most convenient.

1. Courier a cheque (payable in Mumbai) made out in the name of “Wide Aware” (Address: A32/501 Yogi Park, Yogi Nagar, Borivali West, Mumbai 400091)
2. Deposit cheque into our HDFC Account (Name: Wide Aware, HDFC Bank, Current account no: 02278310000028, Branch: Nehru Road, Vile Parle East)

Please do not deposit cash into the account without first speaking with us. Please inform Raka whenever you initiate payment – whether it is a cheque sent by courier or depositing a cheque into the account. This communication needs to clarify the mode of payment, amount and participant names and total number of participants.

Registrations strictly on first come first serve basis, as the batch size is limited.

Whoever is regular here has probably noticed that I’ve been missing in action for a while here. The reason is glorious.

Raka and I became delighted parents a little ahead of schedule on the 2nd Sept 2009. Its a beautiful boy.

Needless to say, we are so happy, we have no words expressive enough to be worthy of the news. Check out the pictures.

Our newborn son

Hi friends,

Here’s another monsoon classic from my friend Shauri’s outdoor adventure company. Another trail that I highly recommend. As before, when planning for this outing, do remember that unlike the regular Wide Aware programmes, this one begins from Pune, so plan accordingly.

Once more, this is one trek that you don’t want to miss, if you have a passion for nature, and getting wet.

Bring on the rain!

Date: Sunday 6^th Sept’ 09

Age Group: Open

Activity:

§ Jungle Trail. (Walking for 3 to 4 km)

§ River Crossing

§ Waterfalls

Rich in natural beauty, Maharashtra is a paradise for nature lovers. There are many wildlife sanctuaries and wildlife parks within the state, having a wide range of vegetation. Wildlife parks are the home to a number of animals and birds including Tiger, Crocodile, Gaur, Sambar and rare migratory birds.

Let’s visit Bhimashakar Wildlife Sanctuary. It is situated over 2500 ft above sea level in the main Sahyadri Range. The area is densely forested with majestic towering trees festooned with numerous perennial creepers, and is richer in fauna. Bhima and Ghod, the two tributaries of river Krishna originate from this area. It is heaven for nature lovers. In Search Outdoors gives you a golden opportunity to venture into and learn from nature, in the beautiful valleys covered with lush evergreen forest, the songs of the birds and the mesmerizing colors of Butterflies. All awaits us!

Bhimashankar forest was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary to conserve the population of the Indian Giant Squirrels. This forest is spread over an area of 125 sq. km. The forest type here is basically semi-evergreen with patches of primary evergreen forest at some places. Places like Gupt-Bhima, Nagphani Point and Sambar Shingi are worth giving a visit. The Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is home to leopards, barking deer, pangolin, wild boar, the rare Giant Squirrel and many other tree dwelling animals.

It is a major pilgrim centre as Bhimashankar houses one of the five Jyotirlingas of Maharashtra. The Shiva Temple which has gorgeous carvings is constructed by the eminent Nana Phadnavis.

Fees: Rs. 430/-

No of Seats: 45

Travel: By Semi-luxury bus from Pune to Pune

Duration: Start at 6:00 am and come back by 8:30 pm

Reporting: Hotel Siddhi Gardens at 6.00 am sharp! (Parking facility available.)

Route: Pune – Nashik Road – Chakan – Rajgurunagar – Bhimashakar

Distance: Approx – 125 km one way.

Location: Ambegaon tehsil, Pune

Total Area of the Sanctuary: 130.78 sq. km.

Schedule:

06:00 am            –           Departure from Pune

08:00 am            –           Breakfast

10:00 am            –           Trail at Bhimashakar

01:00 pm            -           Lunch

02:30 pm            -           Trail at Bhimashankar

04:00 pm            -           Leave for Pune after Tea

08:30 pm            -           Reach Pune

Things to get along: Packed lunch, water, cap/scarf, rainwear, set of dry clothes, binoculars (optional)

Note: The place we are visiting is totally remote where eateries are not available, so necessarily get some thing light packed. Fees include Travel, Breakfast, Tea, Reading material, Forest Entry Charges and Expertise. Fees do not include the cost of lunch. Participants are expected to carry packed lunch.

Booking Procedure:

1) Please send a confirmation e-mail to info@insearchoutdoors.com with names, age and telephone numbers of all participants – OR –

2) You can SMS the above details to 9850826431 – OR –

3) You can call up on (020) 25443096 / 65007956 from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. (Monday to Saturday) After receiving the mail or SMS or call, we will block your seat on temporary basis for 48 hrs. You have to pay the fees within that period and confirm your participation. In case of default your name will again be transferred to the enquiry list. In Search outdoors is not responsible for such defaults.

These are some Artificial Climbing Walls In Mumbai:

1. Nandadeep School – Goregaon: Also Known as the Arun Samant Wall is in the campus of the Nandadeep School. This wall is open in the evenings and has an active community of climbers and charges very nominal fees.
2. Hakone Entertainment Centre, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai: The wall here is also open in the evenings.
3. Savarkar Vyayam mandir – Shivaji Park, Dadar: The wall here is open only to members. However, membership is not expensive.

Other walls are in educational institutions like Wellingkar Management Institute, Viva College (Virar), etc. An increasing number of educational organizations are now showing interest in developing climbing walls.

Still others are private walls in Gyms. Gold’s Gym in Bandra has one, so does Fitness Life in Borivali among many others. It could be a good idea to simply join a gym with a climbing wall. There should be one nearby no matter where you live.

It is widely believed that adventure sport develops personality. But how? What is the process of adventure based learning?

Most people believe thatakes climbing Mt Everest or something similarly exotic. However, that is not so. When we speak of adventure as a means of personal development, we are talking about any experience that challenges us and takes us beyond our known capacity or challenges our assumptions about our existing abilities.

It could be something as ordinary as a walk on some peaceful mountain trail, or even a beach, or it could be a high voltage rescue situation. Each is something we are doing newly, and it accesses parts of ourselves that we don’t ordinarily use. We end up ldiscovering something about ourselves and our responses in different situations that we didn’t know before and this information is then known to us and available for us to count on in future situations – voila – a development in us!

In other ways, we could speak of adventure as a means of transformation. Transformation is simply becoming aware of more and more of our unconscious behaviour and being conscious of it. You may choose to change it or not. That is a different matter. But simply knowing that in such a situation, I feel like this, and tend to make choices like this empowers me to account for my own needs and decide if those automatic choices are what I want or if I’d like to take care of my needs in another manner and make a more useful choice.

All transformation is essentially this. Be it one on one work, like coaching or counselling or group work methodologies; whether the setting is indoors or outdoors.

However, outdoor activities offer a distinct advantage over other methods by magnifying the unconscious processes and making them more visible.Physical space, and involvement in the physical activity remove conscious “presented behaviour” and allow natural choices to be enacted.

For example, what could be me taking a mental vacation when someone I don’t like speaks becomes me staring at the horizon or physically doing something else in an outdoor context, which is easier to observe, and more difficult to ignore. If I get along with someone, In an indoor context, I may simply agree with them, or support or complement their opinions; which in an outdoor context could become as visible as me standing next to that person often, acting physically on their suggestions, etc.

In short, my unconscious choices get more space to be enacted in a manner that becomes highly observable and specifically definable. This helps me become aware of myself, or others to share their feedback about me in very specific and unambiguous language, enabling me to recall that moment and get in touch with the exact subject of the feedback or insight. This naturally makes these learnings more powerful.

The other great advantage of adventure based learning is that it happens in an atmosphere of fun. Even when potentially disturbing feedback is shared, it is in the context of a low stakes fun activity, leaving me to absorb it to an extent that I can comfortably cope with and process.There is no salary, promotion or professional image at stake, so I can embrace the risk of change easily, because the cost of failure is not threatening to my well-being.

This leads to ready acceptance of feedback and experimentation with change.

While the change that happens in the person happens in the context of the activity, that learning is accessible to try out and utilize in any aspect of life, enabling the participant to address problem areas with greater flexibility and ability to functionally engage in change.

And THIS my friends, is how adventure sports develop personality….. and why they are such a preferred method for change.

Just got an email from my good friend Shauri from In Search Outdoors in Pune. They are offering a fabulous sounding trip to Panchgani Table Land and Lingmala Waterfalls on the 30th of August 2009.

Considering that in my current condition, not much action in terms of open booking programmes is happening in Wide Aware, I thought I’d put this up for regulars to look into. I’ve been here, and loved it, and hey, its monsoon – the season for waterfalls!

Here’s the email. Go for it!

Monsoon Excursion to Panchgani Plateau and Lingmala Waterfall (Easy trail)

Age Group: Open

Activity: Monsoon trail to visit the flowers at Panchgani Table Land and visit to Lingmala Waterfalls. Light walking for about 2 to 3 km in the forests.

Panchgani Table Land is a unique habitat, which supports a large variety of wild ephemeral flowers and terrestrial orchids. The huge lateratic flat, which is usually used for fun fairs in winter and summer, attracts a large number of nature lovers and flower watchers in the monsoons.

Lingmala Waterfall (about 500ft.) is on Venna River. It is a very famous place to visit in the monsoons.

Fees: 470/-

Includes cost of travel, morning breakfast and tea, evening tea with biscuits, entry fees to Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar.

No of Seats: 45

Travel: By 3*2 Semi-luxury bus from Pune to Pune

Duration: Start at 6:30 am and come back by 8:00 pm

Reporting: Opposite Hotel Siddhi Gardens near Mhatre Bridge at 6.30 am sharp!

Route: Pune – Sinhagad Road – Khedshivapur – Surur – Wai – Panchgani – Lingmala

Distance: Approx – 130 km one way.

Things to get along:

- Packed lunch, water, cap/scarf, rainwear, set of dry clothes.

- Floaters/Sandals as we will be crossing the streams at Lingmala

*Note: The place we are visiting is totally remote where eateries are not available, so necessarily get something light packed.

Booking Procedure:

1. Please send a confirmation e-mail to info@insearchoutdoors.com with names, age and telephone numbers of all participants – OR –
2. You can SMS the above details to 9850826431 – OR –
3. You can call up on (020) 25443096 / 65007956 from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. (Monday to Saturday)

On receipt the mail or SMS or call, we will block your seat on temporary basis for 48 hrs. You have to pay the fees within that period and confirm your participation. In case of default your name will again be transferred to the enquiry list. In Search outdoors is not responsible for such defaults.

Payment Modes:

1. Now you can pay directly through bank transfers to our ICICI or HDFC accounts. Kindly get back to us for account details.
2. You can also pay in cash or Cheque by the name of “In Search Outdoors” at our office.

Please register ASAP to avoid disappointment.

Please note that unlike other Wide Aware trips, this one begins from Pune, so don’t forget to account for that in your planning.

Here’s a list of active adventure spots on and near Mumbai:

1. Kanheri Caves in the Borivali National Park are an active location for climbers in Mumbai.
2. Artificial Climbing Wall at Nandadeep School in Goregaon east has an active community of climbers every evening.
3. Gandhi Tekdi in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park has a smallish area where climbing practice is possible.
4. Mumbra is to the Climbers on the Central railway line what Kanheri is to those on the Western line – a hub for climbers.
5. Manori Beach is less active, being inconvenient to access by ferry from Marve Beach and then local transport. However, the climbing here is rather dramatic and fun for a change. Be careful of tides though, as the lower part of the face can get cut off during high tide.
6. Hiranandani Climbing Wall – another hub for sport climbers
7. Kondana Caves – Karjat – Lovely rappelling site, particularly in the monsoon, for waterfall rappelling.
8. Tungarli dam – Lonavala – another nice rappelling site.
9. Kolad , off the Mumbai Goa highway for whitewater rafting on the Kundalika
10. Vile, 21km from Kolad, off the Mumbai Goa highway for kayaking on the Kundalika

Of course, there are many more locations – there are as many locations as there are directions, when it comes to this part of the world and the season right now? Any fort is fair game for monsoon hiking. For that matter, so are lakes, general green areas…. However, these are the ones many people opt for for quick getaways from Mumbai.

Here is a list of places we buy gear from. Since we are based in Mumbai, most of these resources are Mumbai based.

Mountain Sports Academy

Nandu is this good friend with great passion for creating change and awareness of safety and quality in the outdoor professions. He also sells equipment, and gives it out on rent, (if he trusts you with it). Some of the best climbing harnesses we have used have come from him, and they are also some of the cheapest. They also offer adventure services, and Nandu’s partner Kaivalya is beginning to facilitate experiential learning groups in the outdoors.

Phone numbers: +91-98920 42704 and +91- 98693 31490

Address: 3/45, Chandan Mansion, Gokhale Road (North), Dadar West, Mumbai – 400 028.

Adventure18

Possibly the only real network of adventure stores in India. Their main office is in Delhi. You can find a wide variety of brands and equipment under one roof here.

Phone number: 022-23803102

4 Wallace Apartments 9/140 Sparka Center, (Behind Bhatia Hospital) Grant Road West, Mumbai-400007.

Avi Industries

Avinash and Ravi Kamat offer quite a select range of adventure gear from this Matunga based shop. We have found excellent sleeping bags and shoes here, though they do sell all kinds of equipment.

Phone numbers: +91 22 2414 3810  or  +91 22 6577 9787

Address: 13, Shriji Sadan, Chandavarkar Road, Matunga (E), Mumbai 400 019.

Great Outdoors

Sunil Joshi’s shops. Originally, he began as a manufacturer and retailer of bags, and his passion for mountaineering quickly led him to manufacture rucksacks, sleeping bags and other mountaineering related items. Possibly the one place in Mumbai to head to, if you need a kid size sleeping bag, or something off-beat, which doesn’t fit the regular sales traffic. Another of his products we have been very happy with are his excellently made toilet tents. A true enthusiast, if he doesn’t have it, he will go to reasonable extents to see if he can create it.

His main shop is in Thane, but he has started another in Dadar in recent years.

Phone numbers – Thane: 022 – 2542 2072, 6529 7654

Address – Thane Office: Shop No. 3, Gautam Villa Soc., Ghantali Devi Rd., Thane (W) – 400 602.

Phone Numbers – Dadar Shop: 022 65178100

Address – Dadar Shop: Shop No. 10, Sunshine Hights, Gyan Mandir Road., Opp Jain Health Centre, Dadar (W), Mumbai – 400028.

These are the resources we regularly use, that occur to me. Will add more as I recall them. Feel free to suggest any resources you know of which may be missing here.