Camping Out

It was time for a little adventure for Tiku, my 5 year old son and what could be better than a night out camping. We packed our rucksack, tent and sleeping bags in the boot of the car and set out on a Friday afternoon to a campsite near Khopoli, about 100 kms from Mumbai. There are a few campsites around Mumbai where you can experience the thrill of camping with the family while being assured of some basic infrastructure and security. One such campsite is run by Big Red Tent near Khopoli.


To reach the campsite take the Khopoli exit, immediately after the Khalapur Toll Plaza on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Turn right and cross over the expressway and then turn left to take the Khopoli-Pali road. At Mirkutwadi, take the right turn to Usaroli-Bhokarpada village. Just as you enter the village take a left turn up a dirt road for about half a kilometer to reach the campsite. The camping ground is located at a clearing in a wooded area beside a lake. Along the periphery of the ground, there are a number of prepared sites where you can pitch your tent.


View Bigredtent Camping Ground, Khopoli in a larger map

We reached the campsite at about 4:15 PM and set up our Quechua tent at a site on the north-eastern corner of the ground, overlooking the lake. On arrival, we were greeted with hot cups of tea by the campsite attendant who happened to be from Jhargram in West Bengal, and was only too happy to be able to speak in his native lingo with us. The campsite is very well organized. The staff were very helpful, right from the time of booking till we left the campsite. At the time of booking you are provided with sufficient information about camping for any amateur to make the experience a success. In any case, all the basic stuff that you require, including tents, sleeping bags, mats, hammocks, food, water and most importantly toilets and showers are all available to fall back on.

Sipping tea after pitching the tent.

After a hot cup of tea and biscuits it was time to explore the lake.

Testing the waters

Rock art by feathered artists

As dusk fell, the clear sky lit up with millions of stars. My attempts at capturing the Milky Way was however thwarted by the lights from the nearby industrial belt around Khopoli.

The magnificent Orion

Star Trails

After gorging on barbecued chicken, sausages, corn and rice for dinner, it was time to sit and chat by the campfire.

Barbecue

Keeping warm by the campfire

And then retire for the day. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, we were the only campers that night. While we had the whole camping ground exclusively to ourselves, we did miss interacting with other campers.

The utility tents, all in a row

Good Night!

We spent the next morning watching the birds by the lake, exploring the nearby jungle and generally having fun, before heading back home.

The campsite is ideally suited for both amateurs and hardened campers alike. You can either carry your own gear, books and games, cook your own food and enjoy a complete camping experience, or you can scale down your bit to whatever you are comfortable with, and let the staff at the site take care of the rest. You can find more information about this site at www.bigredtent.in.