We like to keep the line between the city and the wilderness blurry but wilderness has its own rules so here is some Advice on how to Camp & Glamp at Shibira.
For Starters
Please arrive before dark preferably before mid-day. Start early so you can slide into the weather well before the sun is 90 degree overhead.
Pack lightly and preferably in a back pack especially if you have chosen to live in our A Pod. We haven’t made any spaces to stow heavy city luggage but go ahead and pack your car to the gills. Don’t worry it’s all safe.
Basics
Carry cotton wear and cap. Irrespective of which month you are visiting, during the day you’ll want to be lightly dressed. If you care about your tan though, go ahead and cover up – a full sleeves.
Carry a warm hoodie. Irrespective of which month you are visiting, night times you will need something warm.
Days
Bring a magnifying glass and look close. You will be pleasantly surprised.
You will always feel like walking. So get shoes with firm hard soles. There are dirt roads to trek on, many natural rumblers (speed breakers) around and spots which may look firm enough to walk on but in reality they aren’t.
Eye Candy
Our views here are nature’s art. Whether its morning or night, if Shibira is your home ground its sky is your auditorium. We should have our own telescope to watch the skies soon. Ask us for it.
Services
All the necessities will be available to you here at Shibira, your temporary home away from home. Anything extra like your favorite quilt you may wanna cuddle with, don’t forget to get it along with you. There is no room service.
Recharge your own batteries at our Farm but don’t be unduly worried about unplugging completely. We understand that you want to be a phone call away if family needs you and at Shibira we’ve got a pretty good Wifi connection set up for you so that shouldn’t be a problem. However, we recommend you try your best to disconnect from the world you leave behind and be here while you’re here.
Camping
Camping doesn’t have to be an endurance test for it to be a calming effect or teach life lessons. On the contrary you can grow into nature with lived experiences. You are safe here and you’re here to enjoy all of what Nature has to give us. We have enough tents available, just in case, you came to glamp but now want to experience camping but don’t have the apparatus. You can stay in our glamping Pod or pitch your own tent.
Heart of the House
Shibira’s Fireplace is a kitchen + study, built so even when the sun shines too bright, or the skies rain down heavily, you can lie on a charpoy, a yoga mat, a chattai or the floor, or chair with or without a pillow and just read a book, listen to music, listen to the world outside, chat with a friend or play a board game or work from “home”.
Food
All meals are cooked in the Fireplace, every meal is cooked from scratch and we can assure that you will return with your hearts full and your body light.
We don’t do Buffet. To us, buffets are major sources of food wastage & food loss and we feel that unlimited food options are an unsustainable way to live. Always tell us if you have food allergies when you book. Meals are best when discussed and finalised with your inputs. We don’t encourage bread for breakfast as its not available fresh anywhere close by.
You can also cook yourself a Hobo dinner. Our experience of cooking in Shibira ourselves for a year or two has been quite exhilarating and even in Shibira 2.0 we like to cook ourselves. You can bring your own groceries (bread for sure) and use our pantry equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, gas stove, induction stove, utensils, staples, masala powders etc. Want to cook food with woodfire, we have a rocket stove and iron utensils available!
Important : Specific food orders must be done within a certain deadline. They will come home cooked by food chefs we know and their regional food is tried & tested.
You have to take away all dry waste so carry your own trash bag. Everything that is organic and will decompose can be left behind.
Slow Life
Farm Life is romantic. We get that ! Yet, it isn’t as easy for some of us as it is for others to leave the comforts of the city to wander in the wilderness. That’s quite ok! Most of us have not grown up to be naturally outdoor people!
Shibira doesn’t believe that romanticizing being wet, hot or cold serves any higher purpose. So trek to the stream for a walk / bath (no soaps) in flowing water and use our outdoor shower to clean up in our Restful Restroom complex. If you want privacy, head to the indoor amenities there and have access to warm water.
Good to Know
The quiet eliminates distractions. Expect a noisy quiet with calls of birds and the soulful timbre of your conversations with your friends, family and partner. You may often find yourself chattering away like a chipmunk or notice you’ve become quiet like a Yogi for hours on end.
The sound of wind plays with your senses. Light as a feather sometimes, strong and loud like a lion’s roar at other times. To us, as bikers, our minds make the wind sound like an incoming Hayabusa!
Don’t worry our Shibira is secured with a solar powered fence and is surrounded by coffee estate & plain meadows. You are highly unlikely to get any unwanted visitors.
Little People
Our experience with kids and young adults is that, even though there are tons of places to play hide and seek within our secure acre, exploring the woods is the most joyful activity for them.
We suggest that when bringing kids and young adults, please help them fully immerse in nature by curating their visits with their school gang or family cousins of similar age group.
Furries
We love pets and take our dogs when we visit Shibira. They love the open space and it’s a joy to watch them play, well out of our sights, without fear of them getting lost or in serious trouble with other humans.
So plan to come with your pets being mindful of certain aspects. Shibira does not have kennels right now and it is highly unlikely that we will build any in the near future. If your pets are used to sleeping with you, please carry your own bedsheets and pillow covers. If they are used to sleeping outdoors then carry their cushions/beddings to sleep. Remember it does get cool in the night.
Pets cannot be left unattended during your stay at Shibira. If the pet is a runner then let the staff know so they keep the solar fence gates closed. The fence is electric which is safe for both humans and pets. Once they get the jolt they will not venture near it again. Take them on a hike if you want to but take a leash along to use especially if you have experience of them getting ‘excited’ seeing cattle, village dogs or villagers.
Clean up all the common areas and cabins, if your pet has made an accidental poo or pee. Property damage and/or personal injury if any resulting from your pet are your responsibility.
Carry their favorite food, food/water bowls and toys. Alternatively you can cook for them also. We have some dog essentials based on what our dogs need and upon more feedback we will stock more to make the stay easier for all pet parents. There is a cover charge for Pets. However it is waived off if your pet is an indie or a rescue.
Wild and Natural
As you leave the village roads and take the left towards Shibira, you will be greeted by a pretty majestic Eucalyptus Grove. It is part of a reserve forest and just a bit before you enter Shibira’s coffee forest (a work-in-progress). If you were to miss it and enter through our Farm’s main entrance, the knocked down farm gate pillar is evidence that some elephants claimed their right of way. While the farm has not witnessed any elephant sightings in the last few years, you might spot a few foxes, wild boars, jungle fowls and the occasional deer, other than domestic animals grazing. We wish you luck!
While we haven’t spotted any reptiles in the area of the farm that is Shibira, it is best to expect some encounters. The Farm uses mulching, a labor intensive way of removing weeds. Being one with nature to us means we steer clear of all herbicides. Mulching protects Farm’s top soil from direct sun exposure. This gives small reptiles, insects, and the connected food chain a fair chance to flourish thus making the farm harbor small bird, insect and animal life.
Now, if reading this sends a creepy crawly shiver up your spine, that’s quite ok! Try always to have the Don’t Bug Me from Wild Ideas – a Rural Livelihood Project that came into being in 2014 in rural Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. In the Living Spaces switching on the plugged in repellant for about ten minutes before bedtime should keep the bugs from, well, bugging you. We suggest keeping the doors closed and the tents zipped to have a wonderful time overall. We understand that not everyone is born a naturally outdoor person but we also know that we can all learn by lived experience.
Come Back again. This space is often updated.
Shibira The Camp, Sakleshpur 