Nature Encounter - A trip to Mahal Eco Campsite

Nature always amazes us. May be because it shows how much serenity and beauty exists around us or we just want to connect to our roots. On my wife's birthday, along with giving a gift, I decided to do something else. She always wanted to go trekking and I, being a nature lover, thought of a place where we can enjoy nature as well as do trekking. I searched for nearby places, so we can be returned in a day. I came to know about Mahal Eco Campsite. It is controlled by North Dang Forest Division and is located in Purna Wildlife sanctuary, Dang district, Gujarat.

I wanted to surprise my wife by not telling where we were heading. But for trekking, she should be mentally prepared. So, I just told her that we are going on trekking without revealing the place. We started the trip at 8.00 AM. It was around 150 km driving. We stopped for breakfast at Hotel Satvik on Chikhli-Vansda Road. The place was very calm and had decent food. I recommended anyone to try who are travelling by that road. We continued our journey.

Here's a suggestion for anyone who is planning to visit Mahal Eco Campsite. There is no proper marking of Mahal Eco Campsite on Google Maps. The marking available is for Actual campsite. But the entrance is 3 km away from that. I have added the entrance as "Mahal Eco Campsite Entrance" on the map. Alternatively, one can also search for "Mahal Forest Rest House" or "Mahal Branch Post Office". They both are very near to campsite entrance.

We continued on Chikhli-Vansda road and then Vansda-Waghai road. The road condition is almost good with some random potholes. At some places, the road runs parallel to a river, which is good place for photography.

But, after Chikatiya village, the road is very narrow. And as we proceeded on the road, it sent shivers down my spine at some places. Sharp curves, occasional open causeways and frequent gorge on either side of road implies that the road is surely not for amateur driver. And one has to driver slower than the usual speed. But, in spite of that, the view of surrounding was astonishing. The dense forest and craggy landscape offer some splendid views. And at some places, you don't even see any humans for kilometres.

We reached at the entrance of Mahal Eco Campsite at 12.00 Noon. But, the person at entrance told us to wait as forest officer meeting was going on. So, in meantime, we decided to explore nearby area on foot. We heard water babbling and headed for its direction. And to our surprise, the sound was from Purna river. Just 2 min walking from Campsite entrance and we were on a bridge over river. The landscape on both sides was breath-taking.

We clicked some pictures and returned to the entrance. The entry was started. There is Rs. 200.00 fees for a car with 5 persons and Rs. 20.00 for a single person entry. We entered and drove for another 3 km inside the camp and reached the base.

Here one can explore the base area which is also an adventure park or can move to bank of Purna river. In adventure park, one can do activities like Log crossing, Hanging stairs, Commando net, Zip line, Tyre bridge, Burma bridge, Climbing and Rappelling. We inquired about the trek and come to know that one cannot go for trek without a guide. Induced by the reason, that the path of the trek is tricky and one can get lost easily, we hired a guide named Vasant. He led us to the trek. We inquired about the trek and come to know that it is 3 km long path called 'Karanjava Trail' and the path has various branches. So forest department made mandatory to hire a guide. One guide can lead a group of 10-12 persons. At the end of the trek is a waterfall. And it will take 45-50 minutes to reach there.

Karanjava Trail

At 1.00 PM, we started our trek by crossing a small creek near bank of Purna river. First 700-750 meter was ascending path, which consumed most of our energy. We had to take frequent stops in between. But after that, the path is mostly flat. Vasant told us that in morning you can see leopard or wild boar sometimes, but as sun rises, they hide in deep jungle and mostly roam at nights. The forest mostly contains Teaks and Bamboos. The surrounding was almost peaceful. The only sound you here are some chirping and tweeting. Little Butterflies and scary spiders accompanied us frequently.

As we were getting close to end of trek, we started to hear splashing sound of waterfall. Our curiosity started to increase. At one point, Vasant stopped us and told us that we have to descend from there, by stepping carefully on rocks, to reach the water fall. We started descending. And after descending for 3-4 meters, we were flabbergasted by the view.

It was a very good treat to the eyes. We stopped there and started taking pictures. Vasant told us to get to the extreme bottom and encounter the waterfall closely. We got down. The view was way more beautiful than before. And the best thing, no one was there as we got there on weekdays. From close, the waterfall looked like this.

You can go under the waterfall and enjoy the cold water plunging from the rock. We did the same. After about half an hour, we sat on a rock near waterfall and rejoiced in for some time. At 3.00 PM, we started our return journey to base. Once reaching the base, we tried to get some food. But unfortunately, we got nothing. We returned to the car and drove out. Before heading to our home, we laze for a few  minutes on the bank of Purna river. After a while, the watch was showing 5.00 PM and it was time to say good bye to this magnificent location.

It was a day nice spent. And why not? We spent an entire day in nature's lap and we humans are genetically wired to be in contact in nature. Aren't we?

-- Purvit Soni