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Hiking in Jaipur

Trekking & Exploring the Monsoon Forests in Jaipur

During trekking and hiking in Jaipur, I was astonished to witness how the topography changes during Monsoon.  The Grey-brown hills transform into a lush green challenging the mighty Himalayan landscape! It’s like saying the old still has some tricks up its sleeves! If you are unaware of the context, the Aravali hill range in Rajasthan is older than the Himalayas. Jaipur is surrounded by Aravali hills which is home to the Tropical Monsoon Forest.

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Beautiful Aravali Hills near Jaipur/ Skywatch Friday

Tropical Monsoon forest of Aravali Hills & Characteristics

Monsoon forest contrary to its name consists of dry deciduous trees that shed leaves during the long dry spell of summers. You can see how it looks in this picture.

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The dry grey-brown landscape of Aravali Hills in Jaipur

Presence of moisture in the air with the arrival of the monsoon, these very trees start teeming with life! A new offshoot of branches and leaves start appearing, transforming the topography of these forests.

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Monsoons herald a change in the landscape with new offshoots & leaves. Aravali Hills, Jaipur

So essentially, the Monsoon forest consists of trees that shed leaves soon after spring rather than autumn. It is a mechanism set by nature to conserve water in difficult and dry conditions.

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The Himalayas have some competition. Aravali Hills in its full glory!

The landscape during the monsoon is way too strong to keep me away from hiking in Jaipur. The lure of watching a sunrise is a big bonus! Being an avid hiker, I have spent many months in hibernation away from trekking in Jaipur, until recently. During summers, the trees devoid of leaves are always a pain during hiking because they result in bruise marks on the skin. Many hikers, therefore, prefer to stay away from hiking in Jaipur during this period. A pain of hiking in the monsoon forest, probably! However, this is not a problem in monsoon.

Check out previous posts on Sunrises in Jaipur – Jaipur Sky.

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On a hiking trail near Jaipur

So earlier this week, I was back in the hills traversing through the beautiful green cover in the wilderness along with my trekking group in Jaipur. It’s not possible to undertake a Himalayan trek frequently which requires 7 to 10 days.  On second thought, we have a beautiful landscape out here in Jaipur. What if it’s only for a few weeks till the Monsoon season? There are many interesting trekking routes in Jaipur and nearby. I’m posting one such picture of trekking in Aravali hills.

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Trekking through the trail in a forest near Jaipur

Posting another hiking picture that I recently shared on Instagram. If we are not following each other, let’s connect on Instagram.

Read What makes a hike along the Dhok tree trail alluring?

Let me also share an interesting pattern and texture, I found a rock on this trail. Some say these are Leopard pug marks. Really? But who knows if it’s true? After all the hills around Jaipur are home to Leopards. In case, you don’t know that Jhalana Nature Park forest in Jaipur offers India’s first Leopard Safari. More on Jhalana Leopard Safari in Jaipur some other day!

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Leopard pug marks?

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This post is part of the Weekly Photo Challenge- Texture trekking in Jaipur wilderness. The hills are green.

75 thoughts on “Trekking & Exploring the Monsoon Forests in Jaipur”

  2. Great read!!! Love the hiking tale 🙂 I gave ya a follow. I have a few hiking tales myself you might enjoy, would appreciate the follow back. But otherwise thanks for the tips and story 🙂

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    1. Thanks. Happy to know that you liked this post. I visited your blog. It is amazing and has many interesting stories. Thanks for commenting and leading me to your blog. Stay tuned for more posts.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Well, it is this green only in monsoon! Otherwise it is dry and brown…quite like the second picture! So where all have you hiked? Do you hike regularly?

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  5. These forests are beautiful. But they are all under immense threat. We must fight hard to protect these beautiful gifts of nature, our national natural heritage. Do you know of any organisations that works at protecting and maintaining these ancient forests?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You are right. I haven’t come across any organisation working to preserve these forests. The biggest threat to these forests is human activities. Luckily some of these are notified forest lands and being in the midst of hills has at least prevented humans to build dwelling units.

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