If you are interested in white water rafting, rappelling down a cliff face, or hard-core trekking in the Himalayan mountain ranges, then you need to head towards Byasi, Jayalgarh, or Tapu Sera. Byasi is incidentally two hundred and forty kilometres from Delhi, and you could drive towards it. Or take a train, the Shatabdi, preferably till Haridwar and then take a cab till the camp. The camp that I visited along with some students is set up by an Adventure Group called, “Nature Connect”. The camp at Byasi is made up of tents close to the flowing waters of the Ganga. There is no electricity at the camp, so one has to rely on the solar lamps provided by the organisers of the camp. The camp set up by Nature Connect is not for the weak hearted as is proved by the range of adventure activities hosted by those running the camp. These activities include white water rafting activities over rapids ranging from grade one to grade four! If the names, roller coaster, butterfly, three blind mice, double trouble, golf course, and crossfire appeal to you then let me tell you that they are the names of the rapids that you would cross on the run from Byasi to Rishikesh. Some of these rapids can be most daunting, and guaranteed to pump up your adrenaline!
Rappelling down the rock face is yet another activity that will give you an adrenaline rush that will leave you with a sense of accomplishment after you have descended from the rock face safe and sound. Conducted and supervised by experienced and trained supervisors employed by Nature Connect, this can be an achievement that you could speak of all your life with great satisfaction!
After a fun-filled day of rappelling, and belaying, you could just lie down on the white sands gazing at the star-studded sky. If you are lucky, who knows, you might see shooting stars and make your wishes. The night sky appears clear and bright and you would be able to identify various constellations like The Seven Sisters, The Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia. The planets Mars and Venus were clearly visible in the night sky.
No, this is not the sky but a photograph of a scorpion on the sand lighted with a torch, but then this is a symbolic representation of the sky at Byasi.
This is a photograph taken in the wee hours of the morning.
Another camp set up by Nature Connect is located at Tapu Sera, Village and Post Office, Chammroli on the outskirts of Dehradun. It is about thirty eight kilometres from the camp at Byasi in Uttarakhand. You could order a cab to take you to Tapu Sera. Located in a valley surrounded by tall mountains, the Camp of Tapu Sera lies by the flowing stream of the Bandal river which is an important source of drinking water for Dehradun. The series of canals built by the British still exist although today they are being covered. The primary activity at the Tapu Sera camp consists of a really difficult trek up the mountain.
This is a photograph taken of the camp while trekking on the mountains surrounding the camp.
A must visit destination on the trek is the village of Chamroli inhabited by twenty-one families. The total population of this village is 90. The village has a primary school which provides education till grade six. The oldest resident is Mr. Indersingh who is eighty-five years old. The people at the village cultivate wheat through step farming.
The innocent looks of the village folk belies the hard life they have to undergo in order to survive.
A village belle looking out of her window
We saw various examples of the use of renewable energy sources at the camp at Tapu Sera. One very pertinent example was the water mill used for grinding wheat.
This mill was run purely on energy provided by the water flowing down an aqueduct!
The camp at Tapu Sera is incidentally not connected to major cell-phone networks. Once you reach the the camp, you are literally disconnected from the outside world. This camp, run by Nature Connect is meant only for those who want to be disconnected from the hustle and bustle of the busy world of the cities! An ideal place to recoup your energy and to disconnect from the stress and toil of the cities, Tapu Sera is apparently a wonderful place to visit! The trek on the mountain range surrounding the camp might however be a hard one compared to others you might find on such expeditions! Those who are interested in adventure activities organised by Nature Connect may contact Mr. Ajay Kandari on +919410313897 or connect on www.natureconnect.in. or alok@natureconnect.in.
Technorati Tags: Connecting with nature
No comments:
Post a Comment