A monsoon walk in Bhondsi

Robert Frost’s ’The woods are lovely, dark and deep…’ is what comes to mind when I think of Bhondsi.

Imagine a place far from the madding crowd; a picturesque woods teeming with peacocks, a small lake with water birds and ducks floating by, winding hill trails, a beautiful forest temple, a small ashram – that’s what Bhondsi is. And all this just a stone throw away from the heart of Gurgaon.

Bhondsi is magical, especially during the monsoons.

A green belt area adjacent the Aravalli hills, Bhondsi is rich in bio-diversity and is home to peacocks, rare bids, and small wild animals. Once belonging to former PM Chandrasekhar and intended to be a resort/farmhouse the place is now abandoned, but is open to public.

Tucked away just about a kilometre away inside on the Gurgaon-Sohna highway, the 500-acre wooded area with a small lake and winding trails is perfect for a day out with nature, especially during monsoons. 

My friend and I set out one sunday with our dogs to explore. It had rained the previous night, so the morning was deliciously cool and delightfully promising. We knew there were numerous bird species and wildlife there, but to our delight and surprise we found the whole place is literally teaming with peacocks. 

The day was set perfectly right for a peacock dance, unfortunately guess it was too early in the morning for them, or maybe they dance only in the rain, so there was no show.

It’s a wonderful spot for a morning of brisk activity and adventure as some of the trails wind up and downhill making it perfect for a pleasantly tiring nature hike, or some off road cycling.  We however, settled for a slow hike, taking in the beautiful sights and sounds - the morning light highlighting trembling water droplets on glistening leaves, the air fresh and crisp heightening our senses.  We were, however, warned by some locals there not to stray too far into the forested area, as there had been some leopard sightings. 

The lake is a bit marshy, so it wasn’t a good idea to try a dip in, but it’s incredibly beautiful and peaceful to just sit and watch the birds and occasionally a swan/duck or two glide by. Our dogs were thoroughly disappointed at not being let in for a splash around.

A small but beautiful hilltop temple of Goddess Bhuvaneshvari overlooks the woods and is maintained by people of an ashram nearby. Original inhabitants of the Raghav clan of villagers still live here and are self styled custodians of the area, looking after and protecting the forests and its wildlife they welcome stragglers like us into the ashram and love regaling you with stories about the place. 

We spent a wonderful couple of hours hiking and trampling through the woods. Wish we had managed to get the kids up (they preferred to sleep in on sunday morning); could've had a lovely picnic.  

We are glad we discovered the magic of Bhondsi. Love to come back sometime. 

How to get there: Take exit 10 on NH8 towards Sohna. Cross Badshahpur village (about 7 kilometers from Rajiv Chowk.) Look for BSF camp signboard on right side of road. Take mud road adjacent the camp. Travel about 1 km to entrance or further another ½ km to temple.