Big Red Tent, off the road to Palli near village Usroli, is a five acre property where one can set up a tent under one of their canopy’s and enjoy the thrill of camping within the safety of a private estate, with some basic support infrastructure – food, water & washroom’s – all under pretty spaced out tents.
Pretty eager to test our new gear (look up Avi Industries for camping and hiking gear), Big Red Tent (BRT) seemed just the place to start.
Captains Log; 0109.2011
About 55 km from Navi Mumbai, the drive on the old Mumbai-Pune Road (NH 4) up to Khopoli is pretty decent. The monsoon’s seem to have eroded the state highway, heading to Pali, of most of its asphalt.
The last 2-3 kms, beyond village Usroli, being off road, the Garmin Nuvi drew a straight line to the site (GPS co-ordinates 18° 44’ 21.1114” N; 73° 15’ 34.2558” E) through rice fields and over a hill off the road to village Usroli!
BRTs directions came in handy thereafter, though with the Nuvi, I at least knew my position with reference to the site.
The sites excellent, lush green all around, a small lake on the north edge fed by waterfalls about a km to the east.
Pretty eager to test our new gear (look up Avi Industries for camping and hiking gear), Big Red Tent (BRT) seemed just the place to start.
Captains Log; 0109.2011
About 55 km from Navi Mumbai, the drive on the old Mumbai-Pune Road (NH 4) up to Khopoli is pretty decent. The monsoon’s seem to have eroded the state highway, heading to Pali, of most of its asphalt.
The last 2-3 kms, beyond village Usroli, being off road, the Garmin Nuvi drew a straight line to the site (GPS co-ordinates 18° 44’ 21.1114” N; 73° 15’ 34.2558” E) through rice fields and over a hill off the road to village Usroli!
BRTs directions came in handy thereafter, though with the Nuvi, I at least knew my position with reference to the site.
The sites excellent, lush green all around, a small lake on the north edge fed by waterfalls about a km to the east.
Pitching up the Quechua tent was exiting and took all of fifteen minutes. Foam mats evened out the gravel. Lunch was a basic dal-roti affair which sort off adds to the ‘basic’ appeal of the place.
The mini trek up to the waterfall and around took us through slushy grass lands, wooded area and past numerous gurgling streams.
Birds spotted:
- White-Browed Fantail Fly Catcher
- Water Hen
- Red-Wattled Lapwing
- Cormorant
- White-Breasted Kingfisher (edit)
- Egrets
- Maina size, carbon blue belly of a Malabar Whistling Thrush, but was slatey grey on top, rusty red under root of tail, black bill.
- Sparrow size, black on top, with white chin and an off white belly.
