Aptly called Maharashtra's Cherapunji – a Biodiversity Hotspot, Amboli – is situated deep within the dense foliage of the Sahyadris range in the southern most portion of Maharashtra and exhibits the highest rainfall to the tune of 7446 mm. An amazingly calm and serene atmosphere of this place has still not seen the ugly face of commercialization. With the exotic lesser fauna, eye catching waterfalls, greenery spread upto the horizon, play of wind with clouds and densely packed fog in the woods with a surrounding silent and calm atmosphere and mouth watering Konkani food – one is bound to feel out of the world during his stay in Amboli. DCP is organizing a two night three days Herpetofauna Photography workshop at Amboli.
Possible biodiversity
Amboli tree frog (Philatus amboli)
Bombay bush frog (Raorchestes bombayensis)
Indian Rock Frog (Indirana leithii)
Amboli Night frog
Malabar gliding frog
Beddome's burrowing frog
Wrinkled frog
Fungoid frog
Koyna toad
Caecelians
Malabar Pit Viper
Banded Racer
Green Keelback
Olive Forest snake
Beddome's Keelback
Shield tail snake
Common Vine snake
Checkered Keelback
ITINERARY
Scheduled dates – 21st to 23rd August 2015
Day 1
The first glimpse of the forest mesmerizes with a typical picture of a mystic rainforest with tall trees and their whispering canopies, creepers and climbers, with intertwining branches of trees with mosses hanging down and most of times made even more mysterious by the dense fog packed above the forest floor. Every corner of the forest is alive, below every little leaf, behind every dried bark and under every soaked rock, there is a life vibrating.
Rajyarani exp (11003) departs from Mumbai Dadar at 23:55 hrs on previous evening and reaches Sawantwadi station next day at 10:55 hrs. Amboli is situated approximately 40 kms from Sawantwadi. From Sawantwadi railway station. Our expedition starts post lunch, after our guests have taken adequate rest after the travel. After lunch we will move out for a nature trail in Amboli Ghat and we will return to hotel by evening. We will have one exclusive session on ‘Amphibian and reptile Photography’ in the evening. After dinner, we will go out for a night trail to Shirgaonkar point.
Meals – Lunch, dinner, tea, snacks.
Day 2
Amboli was developed as a hill station by a British political agent, Col. Westrop, who chose this location in the Vengurla – Belgaum state highway no. 112 situated in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Extremely rich herpetofauna, wild flowers and birds make this place a dream destination for any naturalist.
In the morning, we will go upto Parikshat point and will have an onsite macro photography hands on training. We come back the hotel by lunch. In the evening we have requested Mr Hemant Ogale to address the group with a few words on conservation efforts taken by Malabar Conservation Club. During late evening, we will go for a trail near Mahadevgarh. Post dinner we will have a night trail near the resort.
Meals – Breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, snacks.
Day 3
We will visit Shirgaonkar point in the morning and will do onsite macro photography for two hours and then come back to the resort for breakfast. After breakfast, we shall conduct a short trail near the resort till 11 am. Our expedition ends here. Our returns is from Kohlapur. You will be dropped to Kohlapur station. Preferred train is Mahalaxmi Exp (17412), which departs from Kohlapur at 20:30 hrs and reaches Mumbai CST next day morning at 07:25 hrs.
Meals – Breakfast
STAY
Whistling Woods, Amboli is uniquely situated very close to the forest and away from the crowded main road, assuring you solitude. The rooms are charming, generously sized & overlook a thick forest. Branches dip below the windows and birdsong wakes you every morning. All the rooms are equipped with Color TV, intercom, 24 hrs hot water supply, laundry service, doctor on call, car hire facilities and more. All the rooms have own 'sit-out' area, large windows and garden hammocks.
GETTING READY
Things to carry
Carrying your macro lens is a primary need.
Also carry wide angle lenses for landscape photography.
Carry fully charged batteries for your camera / flash.
Carry battery charger. Carry extra pack of camera batteries
Carry backup memory cards / HDD storage drives, Laptop
Fill your camera bag with silica gel to protect your gadgets from moisture. They are available in chemist shops.
You must carry headlights / torches for the night search. Headlights make your both hands free to operate your camera.
We also advise you to carry protective footwear – gumboots are best. These boots give enormous confidence while walking through the forest floor or marshy areas. In case you are reluctant to use Gum Boots, do carry tough shoes (preferably covering upto ankle).
Carry Leech socks and way to use them will be demonstrated during workshops
Do carry protective rain gears for yourself and for your equipment. We find Ponchos very good
Carry basic first aid along with you. Carry regular medicines if you are on medication. Carry Odomos to keep you protected from mosquito bites. Carry Permite cream to keep you protected from tick bites.
FIELD LEARNING
On field learning from the experts is said to be one of the best methods of improving your skillsets. Our Wildlife Photography Expert will hand hold you at every possible step for a better understanding of perspectives, camera controls and how to make use of the best opportunities to get better images. The training will focus on the following
How to approach Wildlife in the field
Exposure control in field under difficult light conditions
Use of external lights and creative wildlife photography
Mastering metering techniques (Spot, partial, center weighted, evaluative)
Mastering auto focus, focusing points, AF locking and focus tracking for moving subjects
Framing and composition in the field
Ethics in Wildlife Photography
EXPERT
Amit Rane is one of the most skilled Wildlife photographers in the DCP family. He has travelled extensively across Indian geography for more than 18 years and has in depth knowledge of difficult terrains spread across the Indian subcontinent. He has brilliant photography skills in all genre of Wildlife photography starting from bird photography to mammals, from landscapes to macro photography, from reptiles to amphibians. He is a trained Herpetologist and loves reptiles. He is a regular travel photographer and writer. He also has a deep interest in product and fashion photography. He has a fantastic teaching acumen. He is a trainer, biodiversity expert, wildlife photography advisor and holds the chair of Director, Outbound Expeditions.
COST
Rs 9000 per head (Stay on twin / triple sharing basis) plus service charges
Cost includes:
Two nights three days at Whistling Woods
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, snacks as indicated above
Two night trails along with onsite macro photography each of 4 hours.
Three day sessions of macro photography with tips and tricks.
All Taxes and service charges.
Cost does not include:
Mumbai – Amboli – Mumbai train travel expense
Any kind of insurance, Medical or/and Emergency Charges.
Any extra meals not included in the above itinerary
Cancellation policy
All cancellations before 30 days of the event date – 100% refund
All cancellations between 20 – 30 days of the event date – 50% refund
All cancellations within 20 days of the event date – No refund possible
REGISTRATION
Please click on the ‘Tickets available’ and then ‘Register for Workshop’ tab on the top / bottom right corner of this page to register yourself. Once you fill in your details and click submit, you will be redirected to the online payment page. Your registration is completed and confirmed only after a successful payment process. Once you complete the online payment, you will receive an auto generated email from CC Avenue, our online payment portal. Consider the same as a confirmation of the transaction. Our team will soon revert with further details of the tour. In case of any difficulty, please connect with us through any of the following route – Land line: 022-61818464, Fax: 022-61214950 Mail:
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Biodiversity of Western Ghats, Amboli Ghat – August 2015 appeared first on
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