So when, I finally embarked upon a road trip across Chhattisgarh, I solely wanted to to capture the unexplored and also to equip myself with myth breaking facts. There is all-pervasive myth that Chhattisgarh is not safe for traveler and I wanted to break this unpleasant myth built around #MYCHHATTISGARH. And after a 5 days trip with fellow travelers, I can vouch that it’s safer than many top destinations across globe.

So, my this road trip took me to places such as Barnawapura Wild Life Santuary, Sirpur the city of ruins, Chitrakote Waterfall, Tirathgarh Water fall, Dantewada, Banks of River Mahanadi, Royal Palace of Kanker, The Mystical Town of Barsur and Tribal Planet Bastar, exposing varied nuances of Chhattisgarh. During this roadtrip, we traveled on best tarmac road everyday and each mile of road was passing thru lush green paddy field.

The entire Chhattisgarh looks like as if walking thru the aired episode on National Geographic Channel. We explored many distinctly new vistas; however, in this blog post, I would highlight 5 astonishing places one from each day. So, here comes five ultimate places to experience from #MYCHHATTISGARH.

Day 1: Barnawapara Wild Life Sanctuary

Every drop in the mobile network was giving way to a greener and intense landscape signaling our proximity to the jungle. We were headed to the Barnawapura Wildlife Sanctuary off the route on Raipur-Kolkata Highway, 90 KM from Raipur. Our arrangements were done By Chhattisgarh Tourism Board at Hareli Eco Resort situated inside the Sanctuary. The unavailability of mobile signal ensured that we fully get soaked in the vastness of the nature right in the middle of world’s one of the densest and oldest Forrest. Under these exceptional circumstances one can only spend time in admiring the verdurous surrounding and we did exactly the same which in itself was a long forgotten experience..

This wildlife sanctuary spread in 250 SQKM encompasses small rivulets, hummocks, reservoirs and is also home to Bison, Leopard, Sloth Bears, Wild Dogs etc. During the jungle safari, we passed through verdant landscape which I never found anywhere in recent times and enjoyed the pristine surrounding full of Teak, Saal, Mahua and Bamboo trees.

For me, the best part of this forest trail was when we hit upon a water-body which was abode of standing white dead tree of Sal and Sagaun making the entire scene somewhat mystically astonishing. The reflection of these dead trees on the water made the entire setup look enchanting and left me speechless. This was the first hidden gem of the Chhattisgarh that was lying unfolded before me.

And finally, we came back to resort when Sun was spreading its golden rays and the small lake next to Resort was the best point to click golden hour clicks.

And during night, the severe quietness of the place and the absence of the mobile network reminded me of Desert Camping in Thar Desert of Rajasthan. The dense forest had its own charming characteristics such as the Musical Jugalbandi from crickets and frogs attributing a voice to the looming darkness all around.