After Highway Tourism, Haryana To Focus On Adventure Tourism

Naveen Sharma - Chandigarh

Taking a leap ahead after pioneering in the area of highway tourism, Haryana tourism has added another facet to its tourism product. An adventure park, built by the Haryana tourism in the surroundings of the Tikkar Tal (lake), which was recently inaugurated by the Haryana chief minister, Om Prakash Chautala. The adventure park called Hosh and Josh Thrills Adventure Park at Morni, a picnic paradise in the foothills of the Shivaliks, is what the state aims to promote.

The park developed by Haryana tourism at a cost of Rs one crore, is part of the bigger plan of developing the area as an adventure tourism destination. Haryana tourism has also initiated several tourism activities around the lake, just two km from the park. The adventure activities available at Tikkar Tal include camping, boating, river crossing, para-sailing, biking, trekking, rifle shooting, rock climbing and rappelling, bonfire site and a dance floor for those wishing to let down their hair.

A café-cum-restaurant, lake-view huts with accommodation facilities for 32 persons, a huge camping site have also been set up in this area. The lake will also be used for various water activities like kayaking and angling. The adventure park has been so designed keeping in view the ecology of the land. There are no mechanical or other rides as found in most amusement parks; rather activities related to adventure themes are part of the park. For example, the park has river crossings, tarzan swings, tree houses, a maze, tree top works, a haunted house ( where the visitors have a rendezvous with fibre glass mummies using light and sound effects) etc. A `kutccha’ house on this land has been redecorated and converted into a restaurant. Morni is the only hill station in the state and attracts a large number of trekkers and adventure sports enthusiasts from the region.

Hosting adventure camps in this area has been a regular feature, as the place received approximately 3,500 visitors, including NCC cadets, scouts and guides, and families between the months September 2003 to April 2004.

Speaking about this new project, Navraj Sandhu, director, Haryana Tourism, added, "This year, many corporates from Delhi got their employees to Morni for trekking and rock climbing. The adventure theme park will further add to the adventure spirit at Tikkar Taal. An unique thing about the park is that students of two Chandigarh colleges- Chandigarh College of Architecture and Government College of Art, Chandigarh, were commissioned for creating the theme park." The spot will also have lake-view cottages, which will be ready soon for tourist usage. Apart from this, Haryana government has also planned to connect the road leading to Morni and Tikkar Tal with Shimla in order to promote tourism.