Holi and Camping at Bhandardara

Mumbai celebrated Holi in weekdays and each and every corner of the city was a crowded mess.  I was looking to celebrate Holi in a much different way and came to know about Holi special camping at Bhandardara.  I've never been camping before so I was excited about the camping activities.

Bhandardara sits by the Pravara River, is situated close to Igatpuri and is just 185 kilometers from Mumbai, in the Indian state of Maharashtra.   Surrounded by natural beauty, waterfalls, mountains and greenery,  a campsite at the Bhandardara Lake offers one of the best place to relax and enjoy.

Day 1: 7th March

As scheduled, all of us assembled at Kasara station at around 3 PM and left towards Campsite by hired jeep. We reached Bhandardara at around 5 PM.  After having freshened up and short break in one of the village house, we moved towards our campsite.  

We had a big task in front of us. As many of us didn’t have the experience of pitching a tent, the local villagers arranged tents for us at the campsite. Within a hours time, our campsite was ready.

The place was  absolutely breathtaking. The campsite was in the shore of river surrounded by hills on all sides.  We had a photography session with breathtaking backdrops. The surrounding was a breath of fresh air. I walked around by enjoying unmatched view of hills and water.

The sun was about to set. The hills and the water in sight, I took the beauty of nature in  my camera at its best.

We kept our luggage inside the tent. Our coordinators were busy arranging a bonfire!  Before the night set in, we collected enough firewood from the surrounding area. Around midnight, each one of us had gathered around the campfire. By that time, the temperature dropped and we began to freeze. It was time for activities - Barbeque, songs, games, DJ using mobile phone and Speaker, UNO and Star gazing , it was a pure joy. We illuminated the tent interiors with the torch light.

The air was so cold and fresh.  I was warming in my sleeping bag.

Day 2: 8th March

By 7 AM everyone was awake. When I stepped out of my tent, I saw the magnificent view of the surroundings. Then a gentle walk along the shore of the lake. The early morning was magical - village life, beautiful  sahyadri mountain ranges and sunrise

Then we cooked magi noodles for breakfast. Then is the much awaited Holi. The villager's provided  organic colors. We put colors on each others face and deliberately pulled others to water .

The water was a too cold . The mobile phone and Speaker were switched on and few of us started dancing.

By 12.30 PM we were ready to leave the place and proceeded to pack up the campsite and clean away our trash. 

Around 2.30 PM we left the camp site. Our jeep guys were waiting for us. We returned back to Kasara station to proceed to Mumbai. It was my first time camping experience and Holi with unforgettable memories.