And you thought now was the time to sit indoors and smell the wet earth? Or better still, go to the wet spots in the country and watch the rain beat down in the sanctuary of your hotel room? Ever thought of enjoying the rains indulging in some fun sport?
There are places and more places to go to and enjoy the rains in the country. And they range from the exotic to the exciting. There are the cliffs and seas to explore, treks through the jungle as the water comes dripping through the thick foliage, safaris too and of course, mountains to climb and come down. There?s also the spine-tingling bungee jumping.
One of the most fit and enthusiastic sporting buffs amongst actors, Rahul Bose, reels off some of the best adventure sports he has enjoyed. He says, if water sports excite one, try out whitewater rafting. The best place to do that is in Prayag. ?Go down the Ganges to Rishikesh. The 150 km sweep down is thrilling and the most sought after for whitewater rafting. The fun thing about here is that the place is spoilt for choice as far as adventure sport is concerned. So, if you have come down the rapids during the day, chill out at night in camp sites on virgin beaches. One can easily find a number of organisers who provide tent facilities, steaming hot food on cold nights and board games to while away the time. The whole idea of camping out is to watch the stars in the dark nights, wake up early for a dip in the Ganges and then indulge in river rafting, et al.?
The call of the mountains are irresistible to many. And most are bitten by the climbing bug whilst in school and college, as part of the National Cadet Corps. From then on, if the bug has bitten real hard, the mountains have to be climbed. Bose avers, ?the best place to begin is in Garhwal. The mountain ranges here are ideal.? Rugby has been a ?way of life? for Bose. He has tried almost every other sport but if there is one that he would like to check out is the deep sea diving in Lakshwadeep. ?But playing rugby for 25 years, no sport, adventure or otherwise comes close to it,? he adds.
The waters caught film director Homi Adajania?s attention, ?for no particular reason?, he says. ?I went to Lakshadweep 10 years ago on a whim to become a scuba instructor, with no clue of what it entailed.? But one dive later, Adajania came up loving the waters and its depths. Finishing all his courses, he became an instructor for rescue divers.
As a CMAS scuba diving instructor, Adajania has dived around various parts of South Asia including places in India like Goa, Andamans and Orissa. He reckons Lakshadweep Islands to be the best for diving. ?I have been there every year for a decade now and it is unmatchable in terms of visibility. It is also a region that hasn?t been explored much. So, it is not as affected as other more commercialised areas. I try and log a total of three months on the Islands every year, which are the same chain as the Maldives . The dive sites here match the foreign dive locations. But a lot of the coral has been bleached due to warming.?
Adajania rues that the country falls short of skydiving and bungee jumping. Until Adajania?s wishes come true, there are scores of other adventure sports to choose from. Like Milind Gunaji, actor, photographer, and qualified engineer and now COO, Adventure Tourism Division of Travelorg Adventures, Mumbai. Gunaji avidly treks in Maharashtra. He has also written a book on the Offbeat Tracks in Maharashtra. Says Gunaji, adventure tourism in Maharashtra ?coincides with historical interest sites?, which makes each site a fresh page out of history text books. ?The Sahyadris at 2,000 to 5,000 ft are ideal place for rock climbing. At 5,500 feet, Kalsubhai is the highest peak of Maharashtra and is good for rock climbing and rappelling. Trained tourists can do rock climbing at 2,400 feet and rappel down 60 feet.?
Besides the mountains, there are spots for river rafting and the green valley of Nanhegad is the best for this, says Gunaji. The Mulshi dam is another place to go for an adventure. Panchgani, a hill station, has a beautiful table top. It is an ideal place to go hang gliding below the table top. And Kamshet in Khandala is good for para-gliding.
Gunaji says, no matter which place is chosen for adventure tourism, the presence of guides is an absolute must for the safety of the tourists.
Every state in India offers myriad options for the adventure enthusiast. There are places aplenty to explore. Tarique Khatri, vice president, Business Development, Cleartrip.com, suggests some spots. Of course, it depends on what is your adventure sport and forte. If chasing the river is your idea of a good pastime, then river rafting on Zanskar is ideal. ?Go to Ladakh for it,? says Khatri. One can raft on Indus?s various water levels from end of June to late August. Rafters can take up two different stretches of the Indus river: one is from Spitok to the Indus- Zanskar confluence at Nimmu, and from Nimmu to the ancient temple complex at Alchi. Experienced rafters looking for more challenging routes can try out the route between Alchi and Khalsi.
Fancy a trek in the woods? Don?t leave Zanskar without traipsing through its lush landscape and seeing its culture up close. Trekking here is usually strenuous and beginners should not even think of going here. A trek for seven-eight days in Leh over moderately high passes takes one to a visit to Markha valley, Stok village and Hemis monastery.
Auli is the best place to go to for winter sports. It can be reached by road or ropeway from Joshimath. One can go climbing or skiing on its snowy mountain slopes. As you climb the summit, watch out for giant mountain peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dunagiri. Best time to go? January to March.
Snow and Gulmarg are synonymous. Close to Srinagar, Gulmarg has a ski hill with several ski lifts and also the rope tow. Incidentally, the longest ski run in Gulmarg is provided by the Gondolo Cable Car, where skiers can swoosh down the slopes from a height of 2,213 m. For water sports, nothing can beat Lakswadeep Islands. Not just scuba diving, but also snorkelling, a rendezvous with dolphins, et al are possible up, close here. Near Jammu, flows the river Chenab and close to it is the hill resort of Patnitop. It offers treks, pony rides, para-gliding and basic skiing facilities too. Then there is the evergreen Goa. An ideal spot for adventure tourists to indulge in para sailing, yachting, windsurfing, deep-sea diving, snorkelling and scuba diving.
Are you still indoors watching the rains? It?s time to check out the lovely spots mentioned here and regale your friends and family with tales from a wet spell in the country. Get out and get going.