Shivram Warrior, 50, a seafood industry consultant, went on a nature holiday in April with wife Sabrina, 52, daughter Alena, 10, and 33 others—all friends and their children, ranging in age from 10 to 54. Warrior says it was a life-changing experience
Thirty-six of you on a trek. Wow!
Yes, we’re all friends and have often travelled together, though never in such a large group. It was summer holidays for our kids, and instead of the usual beach holidays and city sojourns, we decided to take them on a nature trek. Besides, we all wanted to try our hand at river rafting, and see the tigers at Corbett. So, we blocked 10 days in April and went off first to Corbett and then to Rishikesh, before hitting the Chopta-Tungnath trekking trail. I understand we were the single largest group to come to the Chopta area.
Spectacular view: Setting up camp at Chopta.
You’re right, we do have hills close by. But we wanted to see the mountains, and that meant heading north. For, what’s better than the Himalayas?
I believe Aquaterra took care of the logistics and the trek.
That’s right. Though some of us had trekked earlier and others had gone river rafting, many members of the group were first-timers. Plus, we had 14 kids below the age of 16 with us. So, while Aquaterra took care of the nitty-gritty, we did our bit of prep by gymming and walking. Since we had consciously opted for an ‘easy’ trek, we didn’t feel the need for anything more rigorous.
Tell me about Corbett. Did you spot a tiger?
We spent two days there and the night at the Dikhala forest rest house, which has stunning views. For the forest sojourns, we broke up into groups, of course, and two Gypsy-loads were lucky enough to spot a tiger. The rest of us had to be happy with elephants, deer and other wildlife.
And Rishikesh? What was that like?
I had rafted down that stretch of the Ganga earlier, and I have to say that the volume of water was considerably less this time, apparently because there had been a landslide higher up in the mountains. The water was cold, but not as cold as we’d expected it to be, and it made for an enjoyable 3-hour experience on the river, tackling 8-10 different levels of rapids. The entire group tried its hand at rafting, though the kids had to take a break on a particularly difficult stretch in the middle. But they were back on the boats for the last 4km.
And then the walk itself. You drove up from Rishikesh to Devariyatal?