The monsoon season is the best season to go on trekking or see the wonderful wildlife of the forests. Recently, 2 months back, our group of friends suddenly made a plan to visit the famous Jambughoda forests near the city of Baroda. So, off we went towards our destination during the weekend from Anand, in our Innova car.
The Distance to the Jambughoda Forests
The Jambughoda jungles are located in the Panchmahal district of Gujarat with about 90 km from Vadodara. One has to cross the Halol state highway and move towards Bodeli, to go towards the jungles. Luckily, we started out at 4 30 am from Anand and reached there at early morning.
We passed the Vadodara highway and went towards Jambughoda forests. The destination was reached quite early at 6 am. The Jambughoda is a wildlife sanctuary that is spread over an area of about 130 sq km. We basically wanted to see the wildlife which we saw upto some extent. Luckily, a guide was hired, where he showed us the major locations of the forests.
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Wild Life of the Jambughoda Forests
The forests are said to house wild animals and birds that include hyenas, jackals, crocodiles, cobra, python, the tailor bird, the golden oriole, teals and ducks among other wildlife. The Jambughoda forests are famous for leopards. We were lucky enough to spot jackals and hyenas and yes a leopard also in the distance. We spotted trees like the teak and mahuda along with bamboo.
While we were exploring the forests, we experienced peace and quite in the wonderful nature, that is rare in the city. I made it a point to visit the place and rest in the forest guesthouse at least once a year to experience peace again. It was a calm feeling for sure. We also saw various peacocks dancing in the drizzle that came about. Since it was monsoon time, we were lucky enough to breath the clean and a fresh air.
The forests are maintained by the Gujarat forest department and travelers can avail the jeep safaris, like we did for some time before travelling on foot. We were also led to the kada dam where animals come in the night to drink water. We noticed various pug marks of the animals.
Various Attractions near the Jambughoda Forests
Near the Jambughoda forests, we made our way towards the famous temple of Lord Hanuman, called Jhand Hanuman. This temple is situated right in the middle of the forest with many range of trees and silence all around, and situated about 12 km from the main forest. The main attraction of this temple is to see the big idol of Lord Hanuman, which is about 18 ft.
We also made our way towards the famous waterfall called the ‘Hathni Mata’ waterfall, which is a cave itself. It is a wonderful sight to behold the waterfall. For photography enthusiasts, the Kada Dam can be visited for the bird watching and shooting the pictures. The Pavagadh hills and Champaner are also quite nearby the forests.
After visiting the major places around, we decided it was time to move back as evening was nearing and we had a wonderful all night party plan for the weekend, so we headed back after paying the guide some bucks for his service.
We took the advantage of eating continental and Punjabi food during our journey to and from the forest, from one of the hotels that come on the way. Local eateries can also be purchased from the tribals who live there.
Going back from the Jambughoda Forests
For all those people, who plan to stay overnight near the forests, there is a palace which has been converted into a hotel. The rent is quite affordable for the tourists. Various camps are also organized by the nature camps, where the campfires are lit in the night time. The forest guest house is also another option for the tourists. Other hotels also offer cheap accommodation for a one night or two night stay.
The location from Vadodara as noted above is about 75 to 90 km. The distance from Ahmedabad is about 140 km. The nearest railway station and airport are at Vadodara.
