I have always been a wanderer. I wander looking for peaceful getaways in every three months, to recharge my creative engine. And that’s how I get to explore many lesser-known escapes. You know what; Odisha is home to some amazing getaways/escapes.
How to reach DEEP FOREST FARM-STAY?
Where: Athmalik, Odisha
Nearest Airport: Bhubaneswar (A 4.5 hr drive from Bhubaneswar Airport)
Nearest railway station: Angul (A 1.5 hr drive from Angul railway station)
Best reasonable connect: You can reach Angul via train from Bhubaneswar, and then you can book a cab to Athmalik DFF. This is more convenient and cost-effective.
Inside Deep Forest Farm-stay (DFF)
Have you ever been into a sanctuary? Have you ever taken a ride in a forest safari? That’s exactly how I felt when I entered DFF. I told my driver to go slow and not to honk. We drove slowly into the forest. The road is long & straight and goes as long as 3 km deep into the forest, and hence named as "Deep Forest farm stay".
Make sure you get down for a while to stand on that wild midway with no one around, with just the melody of the jungle and the blue-sky trail up above you.
Those 3 kms is like a nice tranquil welcome to DFF. The road ends with a right turn at a big strong iron gate, strong enough to keep wild jungle intruders away (like an Elephant).
The farm stay is spread over 3-4 acres of land inside thick forest reserve of satkosia ensuring a big geographical cut off from the city buzz. At DFF, you are at the service of very few but skilled caretakers. The captain of the farm stay is Mr. Anupam Dash, a techie by profession & a professional bird photographer. He left his lucrative job at Canada, to fulfill his fathers dream. And that’s how DFF came into being. Isn't that interesting ?
The set up at DFF!
At DFF you can stay in a tent. You also have concrete rooms purposefully made for families traveling with kids. You can also choose a hammock placed under trees to drench yourself in the goodness of nature, especially after a big fat afternoon meal.
And yes, that’s my hammock for the afternoon!
The food at DFF is simple and delicious. The veggies mostly come from the kitchen garden and from the nearby local rural market. The menu is pretty local with seasonal veggies. The meal that they serve is a Happy Meal indeed.
DFF offers a fantastic itinerary for travelers. The itinerary spreads around DFF and some nearby places. There are visitors who just want to spend time inside DFF, while there are many travelers like me who would love to move around.
My itinerary at DFF for you:
• 7.30 am: Breakfast
• 8 am: A forest trek to natural spring – kukuda jhara
• 9 am: indulge yourself in a natural pool bath at Kukudajhara
• 10.30 am: a trip to Deulajhara
• 12.30 pm: Lunch
• 2.30 pm: A short trip to Binkeyi
• 4 pm: A short trip to Belpunjh
• Add Ons
# Birding/ Bird-watching with Anupam
# Barbecue, Bonfire, Stargazing at night
Note: Don’t forget to get your camera. The above-mentioned places are incredibly beautiful.
One piece of advice: The food at DFF is delicious. You might want to eat more, but then, please keep it light, so that you don’t feel sleepy.
Off to Binkiye>
2.30 pm is a good time to start for Binkeyi. Binkeyi is a ‘Pithaa’- A place of worship of goddess Durga on the banks of Mahanadi. I took a good 40 min by car to reach there. And the canvas that I saw was awesome. Binkeyi, geographically is the point of origin of satkosia gorge. It’s a popular picnic spot. It is less visited.
Off to Belpunjh >
However Anupam’s favorite place is Belpunjh. Belpunjh looks like a Virgin River beach with big rocks and pebbles spread across miles. The sunset at Belpunjh is magical. Belpunjh is a good 60 min drive from DFF and the roads are a little difficult moving through some villages. But for god sake, please be patient, a paradise is coming your way.
If you are fond of collecting pebbles, like me, you will have a great time on the sands.
(Deulajhari can be visited while going to Belpunjh. It’s an ancient lord shiva temple with hot water springs around. I didn’t go to deulajhari because I have been there once. But if you are a first timer, please pay a visit)
An evening bath at Belpunjh was a delight. The water is refreshingly cold.
The whole idea of spending a night under the sky fascinates me. For me a night grows like progressive trance and holds you till the sun is back again.
Me, Anupam and my driver left Belpunjh for DFF at around 6.30 pm. I was pretty excited for bonfire & barbeque with some wine and stargazing.
I have always been fond of meeting new people. Everyone has something to share and that’s where my learning comes from. Anupam and his family had a lot to share and I was pretty excited to listen to them, in particular, Anupam's eternal love for Birds and the whole idea behind putting up Deep forest farm stay.
That long Night >
The music played its part.
I went on a thoughtful ride with the nature around.
The dinner was getting cooked.
The bonfire was warm & relaxing.
Anupam dash is a brave man. It needs dare to sacrifice a sorted life at Canada & it needs something more than passion to create something incredible like a DFF for all of us. Someday all of us would die, like everyone does. But what we create and leave behind for the world to cherish really makes one special.
A Big shoutout to Anupam and DFF in that context.
I thank Anupam dash & his family to have created a paradise in form of Deep forest farm-stay. Its really difficult to build one in the core of a jungle and maintain it for years to come. All he needs is tourists & travelers to visit, stay, appreciate and spread the word DFF.
There are many more places around DFF which are yet to be explored and tapped. So if you have a mind of an explorer, please book yourself for a couple of days.
Deep Forest Farm-stay connect:
Mr. Anupam Dash - +91 99374 12336/7008131200
Deep forest Farm stay - facebook page link:
https://www.facebook.com/deepforestfarmstay/
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