Young Naturalist Wildlife Camp – Dasara Special

CAMP OVERVIEW

The Outback Experience proudly presents its most special and unique offering, the Young Naturalist Wildlife Camp. This specially crafted two-day camp is a perfect opportunity for children between the ages of 8 to 14, to experience the best that nature and wildlife in Bannerghatta has to offer.

Located at The Outback Farm & Homestay, our own property on the edge of a gleaming lake, this is the perfect gateway to experiencing the joys of birding, wildlife tracking, angling and wildlife photography. What’s better, with award-winning wildlife photographer Phillip Ross as your camp leader, your child is sure to have a fun-filled time getting to explore areas of Bannerghatta seldom visited by tourists.

The campsite is situated right on the fringes of the Bannerghatta National Park. This unique park, home to wild Asiatic elephants, boasts of being the world’s closest wilderness to a metropolis. The park is richly diverse and is also home to tigers, leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears and an array of nocturnal wanderers including the rare honey badger or ratel in addition to more commonly sighted animals such as gaur, wild boar and various species of deer. The park is also a birdwatcher’s paradise, with over 150 species of bird, including the yellow-throated bulbul and rufous-bellied eagle. Be assured to sight at least 30 species within the property.

Come join us and enrol your child for this one-of-a-kind camping experience!

CAMP ITINERARY

Dates : 9th to 10th October, 2024

DAY 1:

Arrive at the pickup point in Bangalore at 8 a.m, and once all the children have assembled, we’ll depart in pre-arranged transport. An hour later we arrive at the gorgeous campsite set by a lake in the forests.

After check-in, Phillip will introduce the property while your child enjoys a refreshing welcome drink, and later we will get to know each other through a fun ice-breaking name game.

After the game, Phillip will talk to your child about ornithology and lead the group around the beautiful property to explore its avian wonders. We should come across at least 30 species over the hour we spend birding. Once back at the rooms, we’ll give in to the enticing smells coming in from the kitchen. Yes, lunch time has arrived and the chef will reveal the delicacies prepared.

After a delicious lunch, it’s time for the children to pull out their cameras and a presentation on nature photography will be conducted. Phillip will teach everyone about ideal camera settings for shooting wildlife, how to carefully approach and photograph wildlife in order to capture fantastic images and also the best ways to compose a beautiful image.

Phillip will now lead the group to the bird photography hide, where your child can practice what they’ve learnt from the photography lesson, and get to see and photograph birds like never before.

After the hide photography session, we’ll disembark on an exciting trek to a nearby hill from where we are treated to a panoramic view of the forests of Bannerghatta. From here, your child can witness an amazing sunset, click stunning landscape images and, if lucky, sight some of Bannerghatta’s wildlife in the valleys below. It’s a great place to spend the evening and practice what they’ve learnt from the photography lesson earlier. On the way down, your child will learn about camera trapping and set up a camera trap, hoping that some of Bannerghatta’s nocturnal wanderers chose to walk by sometime during the night or in the wee hours of the morning.

Once back at the campsite, we will have a fun entertainment and sing-along session while enjoying the campfire, and hit the sack soon after a scrumptious dinner.

DAY 2:

We’ll awake to the sweet calls of the birds found within the campsite and walk out of our rooms to watch the mist rising over the lake and the sun rays lighting up the surrounding forests. It’s time to grab the fishing rods and bait, and head down to the water’s edge. Phillip will now introduce the art of angling to everyone, and your child will learn about the various fishing methods, types of tackle and species of fish found in the lake, and how to cast, set the hook and carefully retrieve the catch without hurting the fish. Please remember that all fish caught will be released back into the lake.

After a working up an appetite hooking onto some of the monsters in the lake, we rush back to the campsite to devour the breakfast buffet.

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll leave to retrieve the camera trap. What may have crossed the trap during the night? Once the camera trap is checked, we’ll continue on our birdwatching trail. This is a great opportunity for the children to learn how to identify and study the diverse birdlife and how to approach birds without disturbing them.

During the last hour of the camp, Phillip will help put together the bird checklist and talk about wildlife conservation and the steps we can take in order to make a change.

Finally, since all good things come to an end, we bid farewell to beautiful Bannerghatta. On the way back we’ll reminisce about all the highlights of the camp and return to Bangalore as young naturalists!