Climate & Wildlife

Climate

The climate at our chosen times could be described as ‘perfect.’ The sky is (usually) clear and the temperature around 28 degrees during the day dropping to 22 in the evenings. When looking at the ‘Practicalities’ section of our website please bear this in mind as you will need to bring lighter clothing. As there is a shopping trip in Delhi plus numerous cloths shops in the area you can purchase a wide variety of Indian clothing plus the sort of garments sold in the West. (There are also countless jewellery shops where gems can be purchased for less than a third of the price in the West.)

Wildlife

There are many Langur and Bonnet monkeys in this area that have become accustomed to living with humans and are unafraid of large crowds. So be aware if you’re carrying food/fruit or eating it when crossing either of the bridges as we can guarantee you will not finish digesting all of it by the time you reach the other side. When dealing with a Bonnet monkey it's best not to stare at it.

There are friendly dogs roaming everywhere but at times you may find it distressing to see those obviously dying of starvation and neglect. It’s not that Indians do not love and respect animals its more that due to poverty it’s hard enough for people to feed their families let alone the numerous animals roaming free. You will also see cows, bulls, pigs, donkeys, goats, small pony’s, wildcats, yaks, buffalo and even the odd elephant roaming the streets and living side by side in harmony leaving many westerners with a sense that the type of neurosis born from a developed ‘civilization’ also extends to its animals.

We will be making a trek into the jungle where amongst other creatures tigers, leopards and numerous snakes live but during our retreat dates snakes will be in hibernation. Rest assured that these creatures are afraid of us as much as we are afraid of them and when people are walking in groups they tend to stay well clear. Around dusk the tropical birdsong in this area is delightful.

Dates for our Australian ‘Blue Mountain’ retreats, plus the retreats in Holland and Wales, will be announced by the end of February 2007