Weekend Getaway Destination in Jammu: Hunter’s Ranch

I have stayed in Hyderabad and Bengaluru for 9 years and don’t recall having faced any dilemma about planning a weekend getaway trip. All I would do is open Google and use different search queries and google would instantly throw away umpteen results. Now that I have permanently moved to my hometown, Jammu since 2017, planning a weekend getaway trip gives me anxiety. Though tourism potential of this UT is huge but there has been lackadaisical attitude of all previous governments in doing something in developing the tourist potential of Jammu. Trust me, if you are in Jammu and want to plan a trip, google will fail to provide results and you have to find a local friend for travel suggestions. 

With the growth of startups, we do have local entrepreneurs coming up to travel planning. GoLimits is one such startup which can offer you great travel advice and even help you plan your travel better. You can reach out to them for hassle-free travel suggestions. 

Let’s move forward to my personal escapade last week. I was looking for a weekend getaway destination with my wife and 2 year old kid. As I mentioned above, we have limited options to choose from. We shortlisted few places: 

1. Panitop-Surinsar 

2. Krimchi Mansar temples 

3. Atal Setu 

4. Hunter's Ranch Jammu 

5. Shikargah 

The trip to Patnitop is the most revered destination for people of Jammu looking for a quick break from mundane life. But the road until Udhampur is great but the ride beyond Udhampur is one hell of a ride. We planned to travel on Saturday morning, I decided to check with J&K Traffic Police for a road traffic update. The traffic control room informed us that due to bad weather and the day before yesterday traffic of NH-1A was stopped for road maintenance, there was a huge traffic jam. So the idea of Patnitop is dropped. Next on the list is Krimchi Mansar temples. Again the place is nice but lacks facilities such as restaurants, restrooms or hotels. The place is perfect for a day picnic. You need to carry your food along with. Next on the list is Atal Setu, which is again a perfect spot for day picnic and you need to carry your lunch with you. So we were left with only one last option i.e Hunter’s Ranch. As our family trip was long overdue and I couldn’t afford to drop this time lest I had to face the wrath of my wife, I decided to give it a shot and started my planning for the trip. 

Hunter’s Ranch is a place situated in Bajalta town, approximately 20 KMs from Jammu. You need to take Mansar-Surinsar road from Sidhra bye-pass near Honda Hill-vew showroom. The road itself gives you one of the best scenic beauty of Jammu. Once you read Bajalta, you need to take a left turn towards Colonels adventure hub which is approximately 3 KMs from main road.You can also visit Shikargah, a Hotel and restaurant situated on the Surinsar-Mansar main road. Shikargah is a subsidiary unit of Hunter’s Ranch popular for Desi-Murga. The Hunter’s Ranch is spread on a vast farmland in close proximity to river Tawi. We reached at around 05:30 PM. The first thing we did was to check the cleanliness of the room. The room was in hygienic condition and we decided to stay for the night. Our 2 year old daughter was super excited with joy and kept on exploring the campus. We ordered tea and butter toast. Meanwhile our order was getting ready, the manager took us for a brisk walk around the campus. 

I stop here as I got to go now. Will write more about Hunter’s Ranch in my next post. If you are interested you can read more about the place in a piece published in Daily Excelsior Hunter's Ranch: A step towards village tourism

.....To Be continued