Mar 15, 2009 01:33 AM
4807 Views
(Updated Mar 15, 2009 12:59 PM)
Wildernest is a nature resort, surrounded by forested hills on the Goa - Karnataka border. Geographically Wildernest belongs to Maharashtra but there are no routes from Maharashtra the only way to get to there are through Goa or Belgaum.
The staff at their booking office in Belgaum is every efficient, within minutes of my telephone booking, I got a mail from the resort confirming the booking. Credit cards are not accepted at the resort. You have an option to deposit cheque / cash in their bank account or pay the entire amount in cash at the time of check-out. The resort offers pick-up from most places in Goa for free, but to avail this you have to stay a minimum of two nights.
No plastic is allowed inside the resort and if you carry any plastic bags it is replaced at the entrance with cotton bags. We were a group of 4 and had booked the Valley View Family Cottage which give marvellous views of the valleys for as far as the eye can see. The cottages had huge glass windows on three sides. If the curtains in the room are opened it gives a feeling that you are sitting in the green outside. The attached bathroom was rustic but clean with nice eco-friendly wash and hair products.
You can even buy these products to take back home at the resort. The food is traditional Maharashtraian cuisine served in earthen pots at the buffets in the restaurant. The staff is very friendly and warm. The infinity pool is stunning with one side of the pool opening in a valley. We spent most of our time at Wildernest wandering through the jungle paths in the resort.
The activities - bird watching, trekking to sunset point, night jungle safari are all well worth doing and not too strenuous. The hike to the sunset point gives an excellent view of setting sun behind the mountain ranges. On the way down from the sunset point, my friend found a small dead snake which our guide picked up and took it back with her. She promised to show us live snake later(my friend kept reminding her of the promise whenever we met her during our 2 day stay).
The same night we went for the jungle safari. We started at 10 p.m. with 8 guests and 3 staff members in vehicles and after half an hour’s drive we had to walk down the jungle trek for about an hour. Though the staff claimed that in the past the guest had spotted wild boars and tendua, we were not lucky to spot any animals. But one of my friends did see a pair of eyes glittering in the bushes but when the staff turned on the tourch, the animal disappeared in the forest.
The staff claimed that it was a Porcupine. After waiting patiently for another half an hours near a water body in the jungle, we decided to return to the resort. Though we were not lucky to spot any animals, we were delighted with ourselves for daring to make the effort and it was one of a kind experience that we will never forget. On day 3, when we were checking out of the resort, we had a surprise waiting for us at the exit of the resort, our guide was waiting for us with small live snake in her hand. She kept her promise and hand-over the snake to my friend. We quickly clicked some pictures and drove away to Thivim to board the train to Mumbai.Wildernest is a fantastic place. For people who love peace and like to gaze at the nature for hours this place is a heaven on earth. Would recommend at least 1 night stay for the nature lovers.
