With rock climbing, night camping, forest trekking and cycling and many more activities as its main attractions, Bhupalpally district, which has huge chunks of greenery vegetation, waterfalls and rocky formations, is attracting adventure sports lovers from Hyderabad.
Night camping, in particular, has become a hit with IT professionals and families from Hyderabad. “You can find IT professionals and families camping at Laknavaram and Eturunagaram wildlife sanctuaries on weekends. They often book for night camps,” district eco-tourism coordinator Kalayanapu Suman says.
While the bonfire and stargazing add excitement tonight camping in the hills, adventure enthusiasts, who always look for more thrill, often opt for new things such as rock climbing.
Many Hyderabadis, who used to go to hill stations in north India and other places to do rock climbing, are now visiting Pandavula Gutta, a hillock. “We have created 26 routes for rock climbing. We have even created separate climbing sites for adults and children,” Suman explains.
According to him, a lot of people from Hyderabad, especially IT professionals and those working in other corporate companies, have started enquiring about various adventure and eco tourism spots in the district. “The media coverage of late is helping us promote the district as an adventure and tourism destination. We are expecting a larger number of visitors this summer,” he says.
Following the good response, forest officials are now planning to introduce more adventure sports such as zip-line cycle, rope projects, net climbing, tree courses and rifle shooting shortly. Already, a decision to this effect has been taken by senior forest officials and will take a final decision after identifying the suitable spots.
Zip-line cycle is a combination of cycle and zip-lines that allow one to cycle above the treetops, while taking in the beauty of the forest and the animals that inhabit it. “Zip-line cycling will surely attract a lot of adventure sports lovers. We have plans to have it at Laknavaram and Bogotha waterfalls,” reveals Suman.
Apart from this, forest officials also plan to set up deer parks at Laknavaram, Bogotha waterfalls, Kaleshwaram temple and several places in the district. A deer park has already been established in Laknavaram and it is nearing completion. There are plans to develop a children’s park too.
“Last year, we started conducting events during weekends and on special occasions. These events are slowly catching the eyes of people coming from Hyderabad and nearby places,” claims Suman.
Recently, a 14-member team of German tourists visited Blackberry Island in Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary. The team, associated with Sri Sai Spiritual Satsang, visited the district at the invitation of Sai Reddy Choleti when he came to know what the district has to offer in terms of eco-tourism. Similarly, an 18-member team from Mumbai visited the adventure sports spots in the district recently.
The place is also attracting students. Those from educational institutions in the erstwhile Warangal district regularly visit Bhupalpally to explore its beauty. Over 200 students from Vagdevi College in Hanamkonda have also visited Bhupalpally to take part in adventure sports. Very recently, about 20 SSC students from a school in Hyderabad too visited the place. With all the activities getting good response, the forest department are now planning more activities to attract more visitors. #KhabarLive
