Nap in coconut grove on hire

Au00a0twohour drive away from Mumbai lies Big Red Tent Shahapur Indias first outfit that focuses on the rental camping experience Everything From the tents you pitch before sundown to the barbeque you grill food on is on hireLiving in tents building a campfire and grilling your dinner makes camping a serious lesson in the art of chilling Three happy campersu00a0 corporate consultant Rahil graphic designer Janki and landscaping businessman Milindu00a0 have started Big Red Tent to popularise rental camping among young professionals We dropped in to their campsite at Shahapur for a dayu00a0 You pitch your tent before sundown and grill your own food picssameer markande A walk or yoga in the morning pitching your tent on time just before sundown and firing up your barbeque grill was the norm With 10 planned sitesu00a0 tenting areasu00a0 and a common camping area for solo campers Big Red Tent can accommodate 35 campers while ensuring solitude for each one We bumped into a wildlife photographer on a shooting spree an ad man with his 10 yearold daughter and a bunch of interns on their first camping tripu00a0 AmenitiesIf you thought Living with nature is great but I need a clean bathroom plan a trip here Sparkling clean tent showers and WC units stood neatly on the periphery Lockers for valuables are an added advantage over camping independently Each site is equipped with a plug point where you can charge a mobile or use a fan Selfcooked meals and barbeques are encouraged But they rustle up reasonably priced homecooked food too Whats to doThis is one place where you can really be with nature considering a 40acre horticulture nursery is a stones throw away A walk in the nursery reminded us of everything we learntu00a0 and quickly forgotu00a0 in botany class Mini tractors sinewy tillers flowers ferns and unidentifiable trees When you arent camping and cooking tenting and chilling try your hand at darts carrom frisbee and improvised volleyball Young stressedout professionals would rather walk barefoot or conduct experiments in quietude though as was evident from the blissed out campers we saw doing just that around Bhatsa lake As poet Wallace Stevens said Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lakeAround ShahapurA drive around the Mokashi farm curbs the cityspecific restless attention syndrome Up ahead treks abound The Shivalinga shaped Mahuli Fort makes for a great hike Visiting Ajoba Ashram in the middle of the forest drives to Tansa and Bhatsa dams a visit to the nearby Manas Mandir are just a few possible outings if you are in the mood to exploreYou shell outTents a sleeping kit site rentals a camping light access to common areas and games are available for Rs 1200 per person for two adults A friend can join in for an extra Rs 1000 Up to two kids under 8 years can share a tent with their parents for Rs 500 eachWin couple stay at big red tentHow long is the drive to Big Red Tent from MumbaiMail your answer to this question to thetripmiddaycom A winner will be selected through a random draw and contacted on phoneBig Red Tent will offer a stay on any night except Christmas and New YearsHow to get thereCAR The twohour drive to the campground from Mumbai is beautiful Start off early in the morningu00a0 you wont have much to do if you get there in the evening Approach the Eastern Express Highway via Sion Avoid the broad right to Chembur Continue straight on the Eastern Express Highway towards Nashik Shahapur The Mahauli mountain range makes a splendid appearance to the left about 50 kms down from point zero Bhagat Tarachand a few minutes ahead is the perfect halt for an authentic desi breakfast Dont miss their amazing selection of rotisu00a0 Missi Roti with Palak Paneer is our favourite Turn right at the road sign indicating Shahapur Another 15 kms ahead turn left at a road sign leading to Vajra Hydroelectric Plant and Liberty Oil Mills It will lead you to a narrow private road leading to the camp ground BUS Take a NashikShirdi bound bus from Mumbai and get off at Shahapur A Rs 50 rickshaw ride will take you to the camp ground TRAIN You can take a Central Railway train headed to AsangaonKasara from CSTDadarKurla and get off at Asangaon trains are available at onehour intervals and hail a rickshawTo bookCall 91 9820193347 for booking and queries Or drop in to the Mumbai office at 109 Unique Industrial Estate opposite Siddhivinayak Temple Prabhadevi