Safari rides, treks back in Amrabad Tiger Reserve
Apart from sighting wild animals, visitors will also learn about tiger conservation and lifestyle of Chenchus
Hyderabad: Pack your bags and explore Nallamalla forests flora and fauna like never before as Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) is launching safari rides, including treks in the jungle from Wednesday.
Apart from sighting tigers and other wild animals, these safari rides provide an opportunity for visitors to learn about tiger conservation and lifestyle of local Chenchus.
Visitors have to arrive at Community Based Eco Tourism Centre (CBEC), Mannanur by 12 noon. Before the rides, visitors are taken to Environmental Education Centre, wherein they are given a presentation on ATR and the activities taken up by the Forest Department, especially tiger conservation.
As part of the safari rides, visitors are taken into the forest through Farahabad gate and exit through Gundam gate. The entire ride covers about 50 km, including 20 km in the forests.
En route the three-hour rides, visitors will also have an opportunity to witness the Chenchus huts and their lifestyle. After returning to CBEC, Mannanur, where visitors are provided accommodation, there will be cultural shows, including dramas by local artists, besides campfire at night. The next day morning, visitors will experience the beauty of Nallamalla forests on foot as part of trek from Mannanur to Umamaheswaram temple.
Descending the hill, visitors cover a distance of five km in the deep forests. During the trek, visitors will have an opportunity to sight different bird species, including migratory, local migratory, passage migratory and rarely seen. They are given a checklist to mark the sightings during the rides and trek.
The objective behind launching the forest trekking and safari is to create awareness among people on forest conservation, especially tigers. This apart, provide employment to local Chenchus, said ATR Field Director B Srinivas.
Under this initiative, ATR trained local Chenchus to serve as guides. They were trained on few basic aspects about receiving the tourists, briefing them about flora and fauna, especially bird species, he said.
Every day, few slots are provided for accommodation and safari rides. Bookings have to be made online and depending on the participants, the accommodation charges vary.
For two persons, including trek, safari and accommodation, total amount is Rs 4,600. These rates are excluding food and guide charges.
Creating awareness on forest ecosystem
Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) safari rides are not just about exploring wildlife and having fun but they are also about mankind’s responsibilities towards forest conservation.
As part of the rides, visitors will also be able to learn about pollution, especially plastic and other waste strewn by people in the forests and its impact on the wild animals. ATR has set up a plastic baling machine at Mannanur and has tied up with an organisation, which deals with recycling of plastic waste.
This apart, they are educated on the adverse impact of high speed driving and road killings in the ATR limits. The speed limit in ATR is 30 kmph but seldom motorists follow these guidelines and as a result, many wild animals get killed due to accidents, says ATR Forest Divisional Officer Rohit Gopidi.
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.
Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .
