A visit to Udaipur for any tourist, be it local or foreign, is not complete without a visit to the surrounding areas of the Udaipur division – lakes, rivers, dams, forests, mountains, et al and enjoying tea and snacks with the local village folk of the region.

We’ve been bringing you some fantastic pictures taken by our trekking teams this season – avid trekkers and nature lovers, who will walk, climb, ride, drive and do whatever it takes to indulge in the beauty of the City of Lakes, Forests, rivers and lively people of the region that is Udaipur.

Subsequent to a month long series of Udaipur treks within the city with Fatehsagar, Pichola, Badi; just beyond to Ubeshwar, Pipliya, Rayata villages, Piplanti mountains, etc. we now take you beyond towards the South east, to Jakham Dam, which is in Sita Mata Sanctuary in the Dhariyawad –Pratapgarh forest range around 160 km from Udaipur – road only

So drive through the main state highway, or ride on your bikes, and once you enter Sita Mata Sanctuary, you will do it justice only when you trek on foot, enjoying and taking in each inch of the beauty that it has to offer, in the form of flora, fauna, streams and then finally the exhilarating Jakham Dam, which when in full flow will make you feel like – “Oh, I wish I had planned this as a week long trip”

Jakham Dam, located in the Anuppura Village of Pratapgarh District, is midway between DHariyawad and Pratapgarh – 32 km from DHariyawad and 35 from Pratapgarh.  This Dam is the main irrigation project of the area.  Originating from the Jakhamia village in Choti Sadri, the Jakham River culminates into the Jakham Dam, the foundation for which was laid way back in 1968 by the erstwhile CM of Rajasthan, Mohanlal Sukhadia. Construction for this dam started in 1969-70, but took final shape in 1986.  The irrigation project work was completed much later, in March 2000.

The catchment of the Dam was initially over 5 Million Cubic ft, taking care of irrigating over 50,000 hectares of land.

Well, this is history and more knowledge enhancement stuff, but knowing all this will make one respect nature and human capability.

A visit to the sanctuary and then gradually to the Dam, one can take in its vastness and beauty – the massive spread of crystal clear and calm waters, the high and rugged mountains, all of green in the monsoon and thereafter before the sun ensures a new color of brown to add to the ruggedness.  Our adventure trip with our ever willing families started in the early morning when we took a small camper to ferry us to our destination – enroute from Hita village, Bhinder, Kanod, Baansi village, right till Anooppura in Pratapgarh, while crossing Dhariyawad on roof top.

Our visit this season was I guess one of the best visits we must have ever made to the place – with the waters at their best, the Dam releasing the excess water which is like a massive flow of pure white milk, which comes down gradually to a smoothed and sediment platform, converting into a stream that gushes across beautiful rugged stone.  Work done by the respective public department ensuring an easy descent down to the calmer streams is much appreciated and leg muscles are even more appreciated when climbing up back to the Dam towers.

Enjoy these pictures and let us know how we can add value to your adventure treks.

The authors are avid wild forest trekkers and bikers and can be contacted on <greencloudtreks@gmail.com>.