Camping at Khopoli with a big red tent

Camping was in our wish list for long and at the onset of this winter we decided to fulfil our dream. Various options were available near Mumbai and we decided in favour of Khopoli through Big Red Tent. We have been to Khopoli many times and were aware about the abundance of natural beauty of the place as well. We started preparing for our camping and believe us we were a bit anxious as well. Prep information was given by Big Red Tent that made it very convenient to prepare for the trip. Since Khopoli was not very far from our place we left around 3 p.m. so that we can comfortably reach at around 4 p.m. thereby avoiding the afternoon. We reached the campsite in an hour and the most amazing part was the navigation information given by our host though a text message which was sufficient enough to reach our destination. Nitish our host for the stay welcomed us and gave us a small tour of the site. He also gave us a briefing about the activities that one can indulge into nearby the site. Once we were in the campsite our anxiety was replaced with enthusiasm and vigour. Just 100 KM away from a hustling bustling city lies a place which is serene, beautiful, and natural. We saw the setting up of tent on our campsite. While having our evening tea we planned our itinerary till next day.

After tea we straight away headed for nature’s trail towards a natural rock pool. We set off in our car from campsite for a five minutes drive to the base of our trek. For a short distance we walked through the narrow lanes of village and after that through the woods with the backdrop of hills and greenery. Through the woods we witnessed an amazing view of sunset and kept walking till we reached our destination in 45 minutes. The natural rock pool was beautiful with crystal clear water and serene environment. We help ourselves relax and spent quality time together. By the time we left the natural pool it was dark and we walked through the pools braced with torch light which itself was an exciting activity. We always try to maximise from every opportunity to get the most out of the natural surroundings. By the time we came back to the camp it was dark and very pleasant. We were soaking ourselves in the songs of the nature and were enjoying every bit of it.

It was 8 p.m., now time for barbecue and dinner. The barbecue and food was awesome which added an additional flavour to our stay. The best part of barbecue is that one can bring marinated food along with them which can be barbecued over there. After a sumptuous dinner it was time to embrace ourselves release in the lap of nature. The campfire was set ablaze that brought warmth on a slightly cold evening. The right mix for a perfect evening with cool environment, music, campfire, singing, and chit-chat. Lying under the sky and looking at stars reminded us of our childhood days. We tried our hands on night photography as well and were able to capture some glimpse of what we witnessed. Finally, it was time to get inside our tent and sleep in one of the most natural environment with the songs of woods. It took us some time to fell asleep in our sleeping bags but had a sound sleep afterwards.

Since we did not want to miss anything we woke up early and captured dawn through our lenses and set ourselves abreast to witness the sunrise. We witnessed an amazing sight of changing colour of sky before sunrise. We patiently waited for the sun to peek out of the mountain and the feeling that arose in ourselves when the sun finally arrived cannot be explained. It was a lifetime experience where we actually felt the energy emanating from the sun and made our stay more than worthwhile. The positive energy was omnipresent. After soaking the positive energy we relaxed near our camp and had our breakfast amidst the natural environment. Later on we went near river side, a five minute walk from camp and did boating. One can swim and dive as well but we decided against it. After spending some time near river we came back to camp. We had a good conversation with our host Nitish. The lunch again was awesome and we loved it to the core.

Overall, our camping experience was outstanding and we never thought that it would be so comfortable. The campsite facility was sufficient to fulfil all our needs like clean drinking water, breakfast, lunch, barbecue, dinner, torch, boats, mattresses and sleeping bags. We would definitely recommend camping at this place for a perfect outdoor experience. There were few family groups as well in the campsite with children and they specially came for birthday celebration. We spent a quality time together and biggest contributor to it was non availability of network. The food and especially the Barbeque were just awesome and this makes the experience even better. The nights are cool and the bonfire makes it memorable. Plenty of activities were available here to keep us occupied.

This travelogue was first published by Cloud9miles.