Weekend getaway from Gwalior - Pagara Dam site

Adventure is my passion and nature has been my greates motivator. I love exploring new places and new activities. This time the exploration led me to one of the most amazing places near Gwalior. For new year celebration we decided to spend our time amidst nature. From a friend I came to know about a beautiful place where we can Camp and spend the 31st night. I shared this idea with friends and we decided to spend this new year in a unique way by camping under the sky near Pagara reservoir. This exotic remote location Pagara water reservoir is near Morena in Madhyapradesh.

This place is 75km from Gwalior. It is very well connected by road from Morena though the camping area is at very remote place near a small village.

This place is rich with natural beauty all around. Grass slopes, water ponds, farms, hills and vast camping ground makes it a perfect place to hangout near Gwalior.

We hired a taxi to reach at the place. Camping and food arrangement were done by a friend who operates a travel agency in Gwalior. Anyone can have their tents set up there but it is preferred to hire services from the local operator to ensure safety. Camping, small trek, barbecue, star gazing, bonfire can be arranged by the local operator.

We started our journey from Gwalior after lunch and reached at this place around 5 in the evening to enjoy beautiful sunset. We were welcomed by the staff and after putting our luggage inside our tents, hot tea and snack were served. It is indeed so refreshing to breathe in fresh air and sip your cup of Masala tea. The kitchen staff were serving hot pakoda and delicious sandwich.

Everyone was surprised to see the beauty of the place. There are huge grass slopes and water ponds everywhere. At a distance there are beautiful farms. The sunset colors were reflecting from the water ponds and grass. The whole atmosphere was so peaceful and the cold breeze were making it so relaxing to sit near the water. Soon the son went down and tiny little stars took it's place in the sky. Beautiful lanterns were lit everywhere near the campsite. The cold wind started blowing soon after the sunset and we set campfire to warm ourselves. We talked, we laughed, we danced and we enjoyed every moments with each other. Soon dinner was ready. The food was awesome. Barbecue for both vegetarian and non vegetarian was the main highlight. Again after dinner we circled around the campfire with beer bottles in our hands.

Finally only few minutes were left for the new year to come. We lit sky lanterns and filled the sky with beautiful lights. At 12 everyone cheered and wished new year greetings with hugs and kisses. There was laughter and smiles everywhere. This moment become so special as it was probably our last trip together as our college was about to end in few days. We sat outside our tents till midnight. I wanted to click photographs of night sky but at midnight clouds covered the sky made it impossible for me to get pictures of stars. Finally everyone slept in their cozy tents.

Everyone woke up around 7 am. After having delicious breakfast we went for a short hike near the place. A local resident was near the water body with his wooden boat. He was kind enough to allow us ti sit inside the boat and took us for a small ride near the place. We thanked him and invited him to have snacks with us.

Finally it was time to leave the place. We clicked beautiful photographs and tries capturing the place as much as we can in our camera and eyes.

It was a lifetime experience for me and I believe this trip will be an unforgettable experience for every one of us.

Best time to go: Summer and Winter