Hear the call of wild, pack bags for farmstay in Odisha’s Athmallik

Bhubaneswar: The picturesque Panchadhara hills in Athmallik extends a warm and green welcome as you take the winding road with the gurgle of a spring in the backdrop, leading to Deep Forest Farmstay, the latest entrant in Odisha’s ecotourism.

A three-minute video released recently takes you through this magical world created near the hills with breathtaking natural beauties around by IT professional-wildlife photographer-turned-conservationist Anupam Dash.

A trailer, which is both inviting and alluring, to this initiative opened in November 2017 with two cottages and as many tents for visitors to spend some quite time in the midst of nature and its awe-inspiring wonders, it has been mostly shot with a drone over a period of three months. The place is about 200 km from Odisha capital.

“It offers a glimpse into nature’s bounty in and around Deep Forest Farmstay and includes Panchadhara hills, Binkei, Belpunji and Manjoor Dam,” said Dash.

Deulajhari, the hot spring and site of tourist interest about 3 km from the farm, will find space in the complete video. “We need special equipment to shoot the place,” he said.

When Dash shifted base to Odisha from Canada in 2016 on being coaxed by his parents, he knew IT was not something he would like to continue. The pull towards nature was natural for this wildlife photographer, whose carefully crafted impressions had been picked by Canadian Geographic.

Initially, he started by conducting wildlife photography tours and the thought of giving back to nature that feed him, gave shape to Deep Forest Farmstay.

“We have planted trees for birds. The Singapore Cherry trees will soon be in full bloom. We also do honey bee and organic farming, besides vermicompost. There is also a butterfly garden. Fortunately, we also have the support of Athmallik DFO in our conservation efforts,” Dash said.

Since being opened to visitors, the farm has been able to draw people looking for a weekend break far from the maddening crowd and city life. “We are booked on almost all weekends,” he said.

Besides trekking and camping, the guests are taken to important sites around the place, which is also close to Satkosia Tiger Reserve. “One can sight wildlife including elephants here,” he said.

If you can hear the call of the wild and live by the tagline, ‘May the forest be with you’, this is your next travel destination.