Jungle lodges, safari attract tourists to Thana

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

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Thana (Hoshiarpur), April 30

The jungle lodges-cum-nature awareness project at Thana village, which includes 3 lake-facing eco tents, boating and jungle safari gypsies, are attracting a large number of tourists and ecotourism enthusiasts this season.

These facilities are boosting ecotourism potential of this area and further enhancing the economy through employment opportunities. Depending upon the demand of visitors, these facilities can further be enhanced and other wildlife-rich areas such as Takhni Wildlife Sanctuary can be made a corridor for visitors. — Sanjeev Tiwari, IFS, Conservator of forest, Hoshiarpur

Recently inaugurated, this adventure-based ecotourism in the sub-mountain ranges of Hoshiarpur district, which borders Himachal Pradesh, is one of its kind.

A month after it started, the project has seen more than 3,000 visitors and the numbers are increasing with every passing week.

The state Forest Department has set up this amid serene and secluded Thana and Dehrian forests overlooking Thana Reservoir. “This forest has a pristine beauty and the Thana lake front offers a picturesque view for nature lovers,” said Sanjeev Tiwari, IFS, Conservator of forest, Hoshiarpur, while talking to The Tribune.

A jungle safari between Thana, Dehrian and Kukanet offers a great ride through sand dunes and through steady stream of water, which keeps flowing throughout the year. This stream has natural bamboo canopy on its sides, said a tourist Gagan from Jalandhar. He said he was lucky to spot a leopard on the way.

Another tourist Vivek said: “It is common to spot caves of wild animals. The nature trail near Dehrian also provides serene landscape from the watch tower. We are lucky enough to have this kind of ecotourism in Punjab.”

“These facilities are boosting ecotourism potential of this area and further enhancing the economy through employment opportunities,” said Sanjeev Tiwari. He said: “Depending upon the demand of visitors, these facilities can further be enhanced and other wildlife-rich areas such as Takhni Wildlife Sanctuary can be made a corridor for visitors.”