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The Hermitage Experience, Nersa

By Paradise Catchers

Experience # 1

A small river making its way through dense woods. Branches of the trees were hanging low over the river surface forming a natural sunshade. The frame through my lens was painted green with the surrounding greenery and its green reflections on the river. Completely deserted by human life, the silence of the forest was pierced by the sounds of insects and birds only.

‘This is like the little Amazon of India’, Indranil exclaimed.

We geared up for a swim in the river. The water was cold. The water was clear – hundreds of tiny tadpoles under water were clearly visible from the surface. The swim in the river was followed by sitting idle against a small stream that was formed due to some rock obstacles in the course of the river. We felt the force of the water on our backs and kept gazing at the beauty that the wilderness presented before us. I wondered if the swimming pool of any five-star resort can offer pleasure of this magnitude.

David wants this place to remain a secret from the world, completely untouched by mass tourism as it is now. I respect his view and prefer not to divulge the name of this river!

The inaccessibility of this place definitely adds to its beauty and wilderness. Oh did I mention that the only possible way to reach here is a rough and bumpy ride through the forest on David’s customized jeep?

We spent about two hours by the river and sure could have stayed even longer if Morvarid’s delicious lunch had not been waiting for us.

Experience # 2

A trek through the forest to reach the top of the ‘Bear Hill’. The nomenclature of the hill bears some exciting history – a bear was once sighted from very close when David and his guests trekked to the hilltop! And since then David and his family call it the ‘Bear Hill’!

The trek route to the top of the Bear Hill was no less exciting. After a few steps, David said, ‘Come this way’. Indranil and I looked at each other, confused.

Indranil asked me, ‘Where is the way?!’ We were expecting some dirt road, but instead what awaited us was this:

It was a 40-minutes uphill walk through these dense forests. Needless to say, we were continuously accompanied by the sounds of insects and birds on our trail. The forest is home to more than 270 species of birds! It gave us enough opportunity for bird photography during the trek, and the morning after as well.

The view from the top of the Bear Hill opens up an amazing vista of the vast rolling expanses of the Western Ghats. The trek is completely worth the effort.

Okay, hold your questions! I will answer them all!

Where is this place? How did we reach there?

Tucked in some corner of the Londa forest region of Western Ghats in Belgaum district of Karnataka, there exists this little village with absolutely no urban population. This village is only an overnight train journey (and a 45 minutes car ride) away from Bangalore. I woke up to a cool morning and found our train passing through dense forests on either side for a couple of hours before we hit the Khanapur station. We were picked up from the station for our onward journey to the little village. The narrow state highway leading from Khanapur town to the village was dotted by series of big trees. Our car suddenly took a diversion from the main road on to a dirt road inside the forest – and we knew that this vacation was going to be an exploration!

Finally, when we reached the village, we were welcomed by the broad smiling faces of David and Morvarid at The Hermitage.

By the way, this little village does have a name. A beautiful name. Nersa.

What is The Hermitage? Who is David? Who is Morvarid? Who is Katrina?

The Hermitage is a one-of-its-kind guesthouse in Nersa that caters to the traveler seeking some pleasure in solitude. David and Morvarid play the beautiful hosts of this guesthouse. After being born and brought up in the posh lanes of Mumbai, David gave up the urban life at the age of 21 to settle as a farmer in this piece of paradise on earth. Yes, some city people do have the guts to do that! 30 years have passed since. Today, The Hermitage is David’s home. He lives a full life with two beautiful women in his life – his wife Morvarid and his daughter Katrina. Their pet geese, gander and Bahadur, the Doberman dog make their life complete. The insects, the frogs, the spiders, the birds in the forest – all are their companions for life. They cultivate the food that they eat.

They treat the guests as extended family and share valuable moments that can be cherished forever.

David plans the guests’ itinerary and makes sure he himself is the guide of every activity that the guest indulges in – whether it’s an early morning bird-watching trail or a trek up to the hill top. He keeps the guests engaged with interesting stories and conversations – ranging from tribal rituals in Orissa to the presence of jelly-fish in Indian rivers. A lot of concepts, facts and ideas like – inter-caste marriage, the importance of non-cricket sports in India, life in Bandra in 1960s, the truth behind eco-tourism, the need of conservation, the mix of guests he receives round the year and what not – were discussed at the dining table.

Morvarid treats the taste-buds of the guests with delicious Anglo-Indian and Parsee home cooked meals three times a day. Please do not blame me if you end up going to this place and cannot stop yourself from overeating at every meal!

Katrina was a delightful company for the night walk in the forest. And of course at the dinner table, with her lovely stories of schooling and education and a lot more.

Where did we stay?

The Machan. The 11 feet climb of bamboo stairs leads to a small wooden room tastefully decorated with different artifacts and colorful candles. The room has two little windows opening to the big trees in the farm and one little door opening to a balcony. However, what I liked the best about our Machan is the open-to-sky bathroom, just behind the Machan.

The Machan is a basic but cozy stay option, just about fine for two people. It is definitely one of the most romantic places we have ever stayed in!

What did we do during our stay at The Hermitage, Nersa?

We trekked to the hills. We swam in the river deep inside the woods. We went birding in the forest early in the morning. We went on night walk in the forest adjacent to the farm and spotted some interesting wildlife like a nightjar with her chicks, night monkeys and a wild cat on a treetop. (But alas we were not carrying the camera while on the night walk).

We met new people and chatted for hours. We gorged on lip-smacking food. We read books. We listened to the songs of the birds. We gazed out of the window to observe nature change its colors. We sat on our balcony chairs and watched the rains drench the hills. We relished the silence and the sounds of nature in Nersa.

Should you go to The Hermitage, Nersa?

If you are planning a wild escape from the urban concrete jungle, if you do not need a list of ‘sightseeing spots’ for a perfect vacation, if you are fine with submitting yourself to the wilderness for a while and if you can survive a few days without any mobile phone network, internet, television, newspaper and other worldly pleasures, you must visit this place! You will come back rejuvenated for a fresh restart.

Paradise Catchers

We are Pubali and Indranil, an Indian couple living in Costa Rica and slow traveling Latin America and Caribbean.

Maradi Monsoon Magic

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