Dugadugi River: The river bank has a scenic backdrop of hills, a small broken bridge and a large sandbank which makes it a perfect river beach. Visit this place for sunset or sunrise and I am sure you won't b disappointed with the views. The river, along with its banks, looks especially beautiful during the monsoons and winters.

Dari village

The village in particular has nothing much to explore but it has a beautiful eco-resort named Dari village Resort, approximately 60 kms from Ranchi. The drive to Dari takes you through some of the most beautiful roads around Ranchi with long stretches of green cover on the road and patches of dense forest. There is something so perfect about the drive that it instantly starts growing on you and brings in that holiday feeling.

The resort is nestled literally in the middle of nowhere with thick forest all around and mud houses to stay. The place has two rooms and a dormitory with 8 beds to stay. It was an old tribal mud house, well maintained with beautiful paintings on the exterior walls. The portico has photos of the host family and of the local tribes. The place has been done very tastefully and would instantly transport you to childhood with carom board in the portico and dormitories to sleep in. The rooms have a double bed, mud floor painted in earthy colour and old school wooden ceiling. The charm of this place instantly takes over you and your senses.

The moment you walk out of the cottages you will find a lush green lawn and trees as far as you can see, a fireplace to sit in a circle during winter time and bamboo shades to enjoy your meals. The caretaker is a local guy and would always do his best to make sure you have a wonderful time and experience.

You will wake up in the morning with a dozen roosters making noise but the very moment you step out, the freshness in the air rejuvenates your soul. The resort campus has two beautiful lakes and a lot of trails worth exploring on foot.

Dalma wildlife sanctuary

Located on the outskirt of Jamshedpur, the wildlife sanctuary is 100 kms from the state capital – Ranchi. The forest is spread over over 200 sq kms but the part accessible by road is much smaller and on top of Dalma Hills which is at an altitude of 3000 ft from sea level.

Dalma Hill view point

The forest here is extremely dense with some really old trees and houses a major population of Indian elephants. The hilltop has a Shiva Temple which is famous among local tribes and there is a Government guesthouse 3 kms before the temple which is the only place to stay inside the forest. The guesthouse overlooks the entire forest and Jamshedpur City. It also has a huge balcony which is perfect for star gazing and post-midnight you will literally be on clouds. You can drive up to the Shiva Temple from here or take a quick trek to the top of the hill to the temple and the viewpoint.

Netarahat

The name says it all — Nature’s Heart. It is a tiny place popularly known as the "Queen of Chotanagpur", and is a hill station. The town is also famous for Netarhat Residential School, set up in 1954 and has given India some of the most brilliant minds. The town is on top of a plateau at a height of 3500 ft and is cold throughout the year. I recommend carrying jackets even during summertime as evening tends to get very chilly.

Pool at the lower ghagra waterfall

The place is 150 kms from Ranchi and is well connected by road. The last 30 kms stretch is climbing up the valley through dense forest which will compel you to stop for many photographs and videos. The moment you enter the town, you will cross a small village market which is all this place has when it comes to buying groceries or food. The place now offers several guesthouses and hotels for a stay but my recommended stay opens are the Tourist Hostel – Prabhat at the sunset point, Circuit House and Forest Guesthouse. There is also a camping ground called Naturahat Resort with luxury Swiss tents to stay in. The place also boasts various activities like boating, trekking in the pine forest, sunset and sunrise points, Koyal river viewpoint, lower and upper Ghagra waterfalls and a beautiful orchard where they grow peaches these days. The walk through the “The Netarahat School” instantly transports me to the good old days of my boarding school and its architecture is worth admiring. One of my favourite parts is getting to see a million fireflies every night as they dance on trees in sync. Like a ballet. It is indeed magical.

Sunset point at Netarahat

Besides that do go for the trek to lower Ghagra waterfall. You can rent a bicycle from the bazaar or go in your own car, however, after a point, you have to park your vehicle and start walking in the untouched forest to reach the waterfall. You reach on top of the waterfall which has a tiny pool to swim in and overlooks the beautiful valley.

60 kms from Netarahat is the highest waterfall in Jharkhand called Lodh Fall which is a must-visit. This waterfall is in the middle of the dense forest and untouched by tourism.

Betla National Park

This is the closest National Park to Ranchi and is approximately 140 km from the city. The best to reach there is by road wherein one can hire a private car from Ranchi or take a bus from Ranchi which will drop you at a junction 14 KM’s before the park and then you need to hitchhike or wait for a bus/vehicle to drop you to the pretty rare park.

Deers gazing early morning at Betla

I’ve been going to Betla National Park since childhood and had beautiful memories attached to the place and its people. The place instantly transports me to those good old days with my parents. The forest here is pretty dense and green. It houses the Bengal tiger beside other animals but is very rare to sight. Most easy sights are the elephants, Bison, Deer, Wild Boars, Bara-singha, bears and more.