Bhubaneswar: As many as 22 hikers from several states of the country recently participated in a 3-days, 2-nights hiking expedition at the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary near the Hirakud Dam organised by the sanctuary authorities in collaboration with trekking group India Hikes.
The hikers joined from different parts of India including Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Haryana, Karnataka, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, and Delhi. They were accompanied by two experts from the hiking group who guided them through the sanctuary.
“This hiking programme was organised under the Nature Education Programme of Hirakud Wildlife Division and trained naturalists accompanied the participants for three days, giving them details about the flora and fauna of the sanctuary,” said an official.
The group covered different landscapes of the sanctuary including the valleys, cliffs, mountains, grasslands and islands.
“On the first day, the hikers trekked up to 500ft altitude and held their night camping at Ranibasa. Next day they trekked down through mountains and valleys and reached Batisland. Next night they camped at Cattle Island after hiking through the uninhabited island situated in the middle of Hirakud Lake. Night camps were temporary and were made with sustainability in mind with zero plastic and zero litter. Limited bio toilets were used during the hiking,” informed the official.
The official informed that the sanctuary conducted different activities for the hikers including ‘connect with nature and talking to the trees.’ “For the first time, night camping was organised at the cattle island in an eco-friendly manner, an initiative we intend to carry forward,” he added.
Arindam Ganguly, OP
