The moment I started watching the video, the only thing that was going through my mind was from where did he get the courage to do something like that? This is an incredible story of a young adventurer from Australia, Tim Cope, who set out in 2004 to cross 10000 kms from Mongolia to Hungary by horse, alone and unassisted. The catch is he could barely ride a horse. Learning everything he could from the nomads who inhabited these unforgiving desolate lands, he traced the trail of Gengis Khan in three and a half grueling years! From camping with the wolves to dealing with horses that abandoned him, from terrifying lonely days to the incredibly welcoming nomads, this is one adventure that will not let you rest until you have seen all the 6 parts of this mind-blowing documentary! Central Asia has captured my imagination for ages this amazing adventure is the first crossing of the steppes in the modern times. He filmed the entire journey which is now available as a documentary and he is also writing a book on the same.

Watch the entire series on youtube - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

This is yet another never-before-done adventure of epic proportions! Ed Stafford walked the entire length of Amazon continuously for over two years to become the first person to do so. From dealing with drug mafia to a botfly living in his head, this journey has all kinds of extreme situations that Ed and his guide deal with. If Tim Cope’s journey had me wondering about courage, this made me wonder about his determination and commitment. It is not easy to get up every morning and walk non-stop in a jungle along 6530 kms of Amazon River for 860 days. Even if the whole world said it isn’t possible, to have the single minded dedication to commit to a goal as challenging as walking the Amazon just goes to show what humans are capable of. While intense cold or heat can kill within a short span, jungles are like slow poison. Of all the adventures I have known of, I’d say this would be one of the toughest ever! Ed Stafford also filmed the entire journey now available as a documentary and there is a book too.

Watch the two part documentary on youtube - Part 1, Part 2

Ever since I saw Ewan McGregor singing as the adorable Christian in the movie Moulin Rouge, I had fallen in love with him! You can only imagine my surprise when I found out he can rough it out and have an adventure. Actors and friends, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman rode around the world on motorcycles starting from London going towards east through central Asia, reaching Russia after which they flew to Anchorage in Alaska and rode till New York. After you get over the initial pangs of jealousy at all the support they were getting, it is a really well made 7 part documentary because they also had a cameraman riding with them alongside. While the initial parts of riding in Europe is boring, all the fun starts once they enter Kazakhstan and it continues till they reach Russia. Beautiful landscapes, funny situations, good adventures, motorcycle breakdowns aside, what makes this fun to watch is the wonderful camaraderie between the two bikers. They will remind of you of your rides with your friends, of the ups and downs and all the crazy moments in between. 

After the success of their first journey around the world, the same team of Long Way Around gets back together for another entertaining documentary covering Ewan and Charley’s journey from the northernmost tip of Scotland to Cape Town in Africa. With the same production team and cameraman, the quality of the filming is top notch again. If long way around was about crazy places and adventure, Africa was all about people and children and problems. It is very difficult not to be affected by the plight of the war torn continent. Even though it is sad to watch at times, the journey does bring into light a lot of issues about Africa. Meanwhile the crazy adventures continue as Ewan’s wife also rides with them for a while, they drill holes in shoes, have signboards inviting them for coffee. It gets funny when Ewan expected to be mobbed at a stars wars location in Tunisia but nothing happens. This journey also turns out to be as entertaining as the previous one, if not more. 

While I haven’t seen this yet, I imagine it must be a good watch. About the only Indian adventure documentary I could find, Gaurav Jani films his journey from Mumbai to the remote deserts of Ladakh. Just the fact that this documentary is filmed in Ladakh is enough to convince me watch the movie, which I will be doing very soon. 

Again another movie that I haven’t watched yet, but the trailer looks promising and the idea, crazy! Three ultra runners, Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab and Kevin Li ran 6920 kms across the Sahara in 111 days covering about 80kms per day.  What I really liked about this adventure was that the team had decided they would abort the expedition if one of the runners went down, which meant they had to support and encourage each other all the while. The desert run is yet another glowing example of what the human body and mind is capable of. I will be placing the order for this movie soon. 

These are my recommendations of films that showed us impossible journeys undertaken by people pushing their mental and physical limits. All these were filmed during the adventure and not later re-enactments. We'll make another list of those kind of movies too. 

So, how many of these have you watched? Any other suggestions to add to this list?

2012 has been a year of lot of firsts and adventures, things I never thought I’d do. Looking back at the 12 months I realize I’ve had a bit of everything in it, from little joys to major milestones. I certainly spent some quality time refining my travel, writing and photography. Small changes and a conscious decision to find something new helped me immensely. I didn’t realize the impact of this until the very end of the year. As I look back at all I did in 2012, every experience and every trip has been different in more ways than one. And I say this at the risk of sounding clichéd, but each one of those moments has changed me in more ways than one. What more can a traveler ask for?

Wave after wave was crashing on my face and I couldn’t get enough time to even recover from each blow. With the surf board under one arm and the other hand tightly clutching Dhruv, my teenage instructor’s arm, I was going farther away from the shore. Lying flat on my stomach on the floating surf board, I would wait for the wave to come. Meanwhile, for one small moment, the sea would calm down. I couldn’t see the shore, neither could I see Dhruv. All I could see was the blue sky and a wave forming slowly, gracefully and silently. The blissful silence was ephemeral when another wave rose from behind and swept the board ahead. I tried standing up but within seconds I found myself tossed and tumbling underwater as if I was inside a washing machine. The ordeal continued for long that morning. If anything, I can only say I, very very briefly, managed to stand on the board and surf. I am not a beach person at all, I am a mountain person. But that was the first time I experienced the power of the sea, up close and personal.

I have seen Himalayas of Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Ladakh but Kashmir was in a different league altogether. Once in the unknown valleys of Kashmir, it was very easy to see why it is called “Heaven on Earth”! Beautiful alpine scenery, glacial lakes, crystal clear streams, wild flowers, green meadows, silver birches and everything else made it such a special place. For a week, the agenda was to sit by the stream every afternoon and just watch the show, of clouds, of mountains and of nature. I have travelled extensively in India and I can say that Kashmir is the most beautiful place I have seen yet.

In the summer of 2012 my cousins came to visit me. They were 10, 10 and 11 years old, all boys. They grew up hearing my travel escapades and watching the translated Bear Grylls shows on TV. Thankfully their interest in nature survived all these years. I have taken them on small day hikes earlier to waterfalls which they thoroughly enjoyed. But this summer, I took them on a major trek over a weekend to climb Chembra Peak, at 2100 meters, one of the highest in Wayanad, Kerala. One of the 10 yr olds freaked out before he started the trek but once he got on the trail he was in his element. The climb is easy but the gradient can be tough at times, all three of them climbed the peak effortlessly and were one of the first few to reach the top. And I am so incredibly proud of the three kiddos for never giving up and enjoying being in the mountains! It was a special moment for me, introducing outdoors to the next generation in my family.

Islands are special places. They have their own secrets and can be incredibly scary at times. Times like when I was in an island which was at least 6 hours by ship and another 1200kms away from mainland. I stayed in alone in bamboo huts amidst forest, scared to catch a wink but equally excited to be in such beautiful places. From the remote islands of Andaman I went searching for the headhunting tribes of Nagaland on the other end of the country. I stayed with the tribes in the frontier village at Indo-Burmese border. Entire northern Nagaland was plunged in darkness when I reached due to recent rainfall. The sun sets by 4.30 which meant a lot of darkness had to be endured. I was incredibly scared but felt incredibly alive. I was having the kind of adventures I have dreamed of since childhood. It was monumental that I took and survived these solo trips!

The rain was lashing at me and my oversized windcheater was acting like a sail, playing along with the raging winds. Meanwhile I was trying to cycle up the mountain to reach the peak. I bought my MTB (Mountain Terrain Bike) in early 2011, rode like crazy all through the summer and was eagerly waiting to take the rides in monsoon. But thanks to a failed Himalayan Cycling trip and lots of other travels, I couldn’t ride in the rain. However this year I did ride in the rain and how! It was refreshing to say the least, to feel the rain amidst nature. For two day we cycled in the rain, by the rivers, by the lakes, through fields and mountains. For me, life is in the outdoors!

It didn’t matter if I was in the Himalayas or in the tropical islands, this year I went out of my way to get out in the night and capture the galaxy and beautiful night skies. Since I bought the wonderful Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 Ultra Wide Angle lens, low light photography has really taken off for me. Luckily for me, this year all my trips have been to places with zero light pollution which meant brilliant views of milkyway galaxy. At this rate, in the coming years I will have an enviable collection of nightskies and I am extremely psyched about it!

Apart from these significant adventures, there have been many other things that made 2012 a good year. I won an award for photography, was invited to speak about my travels, learnt some lessons, made a list, spent time above the clouds and officially entered the world of travel writing and photography. My images and writings were published in national and international publications. But above all, I travelled much and I travelled well.

Here’s hoping 2013 will bring in more adventures. Hope you had a good year too!

It was a long day! We drove from Udaipur to the beautiful Jain Temples of Ranakpur situated in dense forest. The grand temple is built out of marble and supported by 1444 pillars, no two of them alike. The carvings on the marble were exquisite. But what interested me more was the forest surrounding the temple. I never imagined Rajasthan to have anything apart from desert, let alone a forest! But as one travels from north to south of the state, the difference is visible, the dusty surroundings slowly give way to greenery. There wasn't a settlement nearby. It was perfect - mysterious, beautiful and historic!

The afternoon was spent without realizing the day was coming to an end. Winters in Rajasthan meant sun would set much before 6pm. We still had a very long journey through surprisingly green and wonderful plains to the Mewar fortress at Kumbhalgarh. Situated on a hill top, this fort too is surrounded by thick forest. We arrived just in time to see the last rays touch the fort walls. Kumbhalgarh has a 36km long perimeter wall, broken but standing still. A walk along the wall could be interesting but that is for another day. Today we barely had time to see the fort, in fact we didn't, we just got to hang around the fort wall which looked splendid by the way!

Night fell by the time we started back to Udaipur. It was pitch dark, sitting in the front seat next to the driver my eyes were fixed on the night sky. Rarely, if at all, we would pass by small villages. About an hour later, we were passing by a group of 2-3 houses by the roadside. The streetlights were very dim and far apart. Between two such street lights and darkness, something suddenly sprung into the middle of the road. The driver applied the brake and the vehicle came to a screeching halt. It certainly looked like a cat, but in the darkness it was hard to tell. The cat lunged forward to briefly look straight into our eyes and the light from the vehicle reflected in its jewel green eyes! One more jump and it disappeared into the darkness on the other side of the road. Only when it jumped, we saw its huge tail and that confirmed it wasn't any ordinary cat, it was a leopard!

Well, this is not the leopard we saw on the road. This was a cute leopard cub from the previous day's safari at Bera with a flamboyant Thakur, but that story is for another day.  Because I am talking of a leopard, I thought you might want to see one!

What was more shocking than an encounter with a leopard on the road was the fact that this was a road by a village. There were houses by the road side right next to us and few men were walking just meters in front of our vehicle. The Leopard went into the village in front of our eyes! I imagined all the man - animal conflicts to be happening somewhere deep in the wild but this was shocking and very real. I wonder if the leopard managed to prey on cattle that night or if it was caught and killed like many other animals venturing too far into human territory or maybe it is the other way round. I'll never know but the glint in the green eyes will stay with me.

Did you say you need to see more photos?

Jain Temple at Ranakpur

Mustard fields in Rajasthan

Kumbhalgarh Fort

Beautiful country side of south Rajasthan

If untouched stretches of white sand beaches, gigantic forests that look straight out of Jurassic era and exquisite marine life is your thing, then Andaman might be the destination for you! Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of 572 islands in the waters of Bay of Bengal closer to Thailand than to Indian mainland. The islands are at a distance of approximately 1200kms from mainland. Blessed with immense natural beauty, friendly people and relatively low cost of travel makes Andaman a backpackers’ paradise! Of the 572 islands, only about 38 are inhabited and out of them very few are accessible in Andaman while Nicobar is completely out of bounds for everyone other than locals of Nicobar and govt. servants posted in these islands.

This list doesn't cover all the islands, for instance there is no mention of Havelock here. Most of the information is available online but for remote islands and logistics for backpacking. This post covers those aspects.

Complete Itinerary : Andaman, India
2 Weeks in Andaman - Photos of Tropical Paradise

Let’s get to the details then

1. Port Blair

The largest town in Andaman, this would be the entry point to the islands. Apart from few museums, water sport complex, cellular jail etc there isn’t really a beach here. All the ferries would leave early in the morning so if you get here by afternoon, you need to spend the night in Port Blair and head for the other islands the next morning.

Coorg Niwas Home Stay

H. No. 106/1 J.N. Road | Opp. Delanipur Petrol Pump, Port Blair 744102, India

This is a clean, simple homestay close to the jetty and the harbor. The market is a bit further away and there isn’t much to see close by but if you are in Port Blair just for the night, makes for a good place to stay. Room costs INR 1000 and above.

The lesser known island compared to Havelock, Neil is a 2 hour ferry ride away from Port Blair. Neil is a place that still has retained the charms of an unspoilt island yet manages to give enough comfort for the traveler. Explore the fields, the rock bridge, Sitapur Beach, Ramnagar Beach and Bharatpur beach. 

Getting there and getting out:

The speed boat (something between a ship and a boat) leaves from Pheonix Bay jetty every morning at 6.30am. During the peak season, book your ticket in advance as the same jetty goes to Neil, then Haelock, proceed to State Island and Long Island. There is no ticket counter at Neil, to get out, board the ferry in the morning and take the ticket once aboard.
Ship Ticket price from Port Blair to Neil - INR 195

Bikes can be hired for as little as 250 INR a day to ride around the island. 

For those who wish to snorkel with assistance, Niel has options at Bharatpur Beach for about 300INR. 

Boating and Fishing can be done too, ask at the resort.

Tango Beach Resort, Laxmanpur

Phone No - +91 9434270454 / +91-9474212842

A lovely beach front resort, Tango is a perfect place to relax. The beach is just a minute away from the bamboo huts and the sunset point, the southernmost point of the island is just about 20 mins walk from the resort. Bamboo huts are available for 1000INR and cottages are available at a higher price. I would say this is the best property on the island so far.

Far away from the tourist crowd, Long Island is as remote as an island can get. Apart from two tempos for carrying goods and 5-6 motorbikes, there are no other vehicles. You have to walk around the island through narrow roads and forest paths. It has no tourist infrastructure and visit this island only if you want to experience life in a remote island, dense forests and one good beach. Lallaji Bay is a beautiful unspoilt beach on the other end of the island and you could either walk through the jungle or by the beach for 2-3 hours or hire a boat to get there. Chances are high that you could be the only tourist on the island.
Ship Ticket price to Long Island - INR 195

Getting there and getting out:

I boarded the ferry at about 8 in the morning and reached by 1 pm. It takes a long 4-5 hour ferry ride from Neil, Havelock and Port Blair to Long Island only on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday (not from Neil) and Saturday. The boat to Port Blair leaves on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Every morning a ferry leaves to Errata Jetty, if you wish to proceed towards North Andaman, to Mayabunder or Diglipur.

Blue Planet does offer snorkeling, boating trips and Scuba diving at Long Island and nearby uninhabited islands too, but you might have to pay more because it will be organized exclusively for you, unless you find more travelers to form a group.

Where did I stay?

Blue Planet Resort

Phone No - +913192215923 / +919474212180

Don’t be fooled by the word resort, Blue Planet is an eco friendly property built around a tree using bamboo the traditional way. The rooms are very basic and separated by bamboo walls, even the flooring is bamboo. Book in advance during peak season as this place is famous with foreigners for its remoteness and Blue Planet is the only accommodation available here apart from forest resthouse. Rooms are available at 1000 INR which can be reserved online and 350INR which are for people who drop by without reservations. 

Kalipur, is a small village 25kms from the largest town in North Andaman, Diglipur. Come here if you want to trek to Saddle Peak(732m) , the highest peak in Andaman, watch the turtle nesting, experience unhurried village life, visiting Ross, Smith and Interview Islands. Again, this place doesn’t feature high on the tourist grid owing to the taxing journey to reach here, but it is a nice place to explore for those willing to take the journey.

From Long Island, ferry reaches Eratta Jetty. Buses/autos ply from Errata to Rangat, 30 mins journey. From Rangat, you can get buses to Diglipur. Kalipur is 25kms away from Diglipur, buses ply every 30 minutes and drops you right in front of the resort. 

From Port Blair, buses ply every day to Diglipur. No overnight buses are available as the Andaman Trunk Road passes through the Jarawa Reserve. 

To get out of Diglipur, there are buses which ply everyday no later than 7.30am and overnight ferry service also exists few times a week. The road journey takes about 12 hours.

Ship Ticket price from Long Island to Erratta - INR 40 (I think)
Bus ticket from Erratta to Rangat - INR 9
Bus Ticket from Rangat to Diglipur - INR 200 (approx)
Auto from Diglipur to Kalipur - INR 250

Bus ticket from Diglipur to Port Blair - INR 300 (approx)

Snorkeling, Scuba diving, trekking guide to Saddle Peak, fishing, guided night walks to witness Turtle Nesting

Andaman Pristine Resorts, Kalipur

Phone no - +913192272532 / +913192272532 / +919474286787

Run by the very friendly folks of Alex and his family, Andaman Pristine Resorts is located right by the beach in Kalipur and has all deluxe cottages and comfortable bamboo huts. The cottages can be booked before hand, the bamboo huts ranging from 1000INR, 600INR and 300INR can be availed after landing at the resort. 

If unexplored islands, really long stretches of beaches, pristine unspoilt beauty, breathtaking blues of the ocean, waterfalls and lagoons are your thing, then look no further than Little Andaman. There is practically no tourist infrastructure and very few make it this far but it is completely worth the effort. Devastated in the 2004 Tsunami, the island has returned back to normalcy and hides some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Andaman. This is a huge island, with a lot of people residing here. It even has two SBI atms and airtel, bsnl work like a charm. It is far but in no way undeveloped.  This place is still famous for the swell and lot of foreigners visit here with the intent of riding the waves. Beware of crocodiles in several of the creeks joining the sea. The jetty is located in Hutbay.

Samsun, a cruseliner leaves from Haddo Wharf in Port Blair everyday at 7am. Tickets have to be booked earlier because locals do travel a lot to and from Port Blair to Hutbay. Another ship Campbell Bay runs between Hutbay and Port Blair, starting in the afternoon at 2pm which doubles up as a sunset cruise too. It takes about 5-6 hours. Speed boats are available too. Ships get cancelled frequently, so do plan on leaving two days before from Hutbay to avoid missing your flight from Port Blair.
Ship ticket - INR 260, cheaper for smaller boats

Bikes can be hired for about 250INR a day, thanks to the foreigners who have made it here much before us.

Muthu, a local rents surfboards and teaches surfing at times. 

Share autos to travel in the island. 

Sea and Sand Hotel, 1km from Hutbay Jetty.

Blue View Resort, 8kms from the Jetty. Phone No - +91 9734480840

Sea and Sand Hotel is a very simple and basic lodge mostly for locals who visit on business. Room rates start from 300INR upto 700INR. Very close to the jetty but far from Butler Bay beach and Kala Pathar Lagoon.

Blue View Resort is nothing more than few shacks and a common toilet for all built across the road near the beach. Room rates are at 300INR and 500INR. Right across the

General Details

Most of us might have conjured up images of aborigines with spears and arrows inhabiting the remote islands but the reality is far from that. Sad truth is the aborigines have been pushed to the very far corners and migrants from mainland are the ones living in most of the Andaman Islands currently. There is large number of Bengali, Tamil and Telugu population living here. 

Can I meet the tribes?

It is fortunate for the tribes and unfortunate for the tourist, but as of now no one can visit the tribes. They tribal areas are off limits and human safaris illegal. So if anyone tries to sell you such a trip, decline. 

What language do the people speak?

Hindi is spoken and understood largely, in the remote areas, one of Bengali, Tamil or Telugu languages will work. English will work with some difficulty in most of the islands where tourists are allowed. 

Can I use my hammock instead of staying in resorts?

I haven’t tried it but I have heard that for a very nominal amount such as 60 -100INR, resorts will let you sleep in your hammock within the resort property and let you use the restrooms. If that is true, 

Can I visit Nicobar?

Unfortunately no! Nicobar still being inhabited only by tribes, entry is restricted. However, entry to Nicobar can be obtained by applying for a tribal pass with valid reasons. But the tribes are not weapons yielding naked hunters or something like that, they are developed.

Can I camp on the beach?
Officially it is not allowed unless the registered hotel or resort arranges for camping with permission.

Useful Links
http://www.go2andaman.com/
http://www.and.nic.in/transport/index.php
http://www.and.nic.in/tourism/howtoreach.php