Kada Dam of Jambughoda Sanctuary near Vadodara is a natural delight

When we talked about nature, the things comes to our mind are mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, springs, wildlife and a variety of birds. Kada dam at Jambughoda is one such place which is full of natural beauty. This is basically a very small, lake under the control of the Irrigation Department to benefit the irrigation needs of farmers from nearby Dhanpari and Kada villages.

Forest Officer of the area and presently Assistant Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Department, Vadodara, H.D. Raulji says that the main source of water for the lake is rainwater from nearby small to large hills. This year monsoon has been weak in the area and in this situation in summer it is filled with the help of Sukhi canal which quenches the thirst of the wildlife along with farming needs.

Jambughoda can be reached from Vadodara via Halol-Shivrajpur and Dabhoi-Bodeli. The Kada Dam site can be reached in between two petrol pumps outside Jambughoda village. Kada Dam, Dhanpari Nature Tourism Center in the forest of Sadra, nearby ancient Jand Hanuman temple and Targol Irrigation Lake are connected to each other and are considered to be the best for a 25 to 30 km forest trek.

There are accommodation arrangements like tents, cottages, dormitories at Kada and Dhanpari Nature Tourism Center. Facilities like inverters, solar geysers, hired bicycles for hiking in the forest, vans for forest walks, meeting room are also available.

This is a protected forest area so a tourist fee should be paid to visit there. Forest Officer Vanrajsinh Parmar said that small bird sanctuaries have been developed around the Kada Dam, which benefits from irrigation. The area is home to a wide variety of native birds for many months, as well as small flocks of migratory birds in the winter due to the wetland created by the lake. Leopards along with wild animals bear, ant eater, Nilgai, Hyena and fox lives inside the forest.

The Jambughoda area was recognized as a sanctuary by the former rulers here through very scholarly representations. They get important help from Late botanist and environmentalist of Vadodara, Dr. Gunwant Oza. There is a variety of reptiles in this forest area and trekking here needs to be done very carefully. There is a nature tourism center at Bhat on the way from Halol to Jambughoda, waterfall called Hathni Mata.

The nature tourism centers here are run by village groups and they offer simple meals and snacks to the visitors. Solar has been used by the forest department. The amount of greenery has increased due to the cooperation of the people and the care of the forest department. Bamboo house made from green bamboo inside the premises in one of the attraction.

Here a former guard of the forest department serves as the jungle guide. Recently, the Forest Department purchased a vehicle that can take tourists on forest roads.

There is also a facility to organize forest camps at both Kada and Dhanpari. The peculiarity of Jambughoda Sanctuary is that villages and farms are located in the middle of the reserved forest. That is why the excellent atmosphere of human and nature coexistence can be seen here.

The forest is managed by the Wildlife Department, Vadodara under the guidance of Wildlife Circle, Kevadia. The best time to visit this forest area is from autumn to winter.