Desert Survivor: Dune bashing with Mahindra Adventure

By Deepankar Sadekar • 5 years ago

Jan
2020

Desert Survivor Day 2

It wasn’t an early morning the next day as we had returned late the previous night. After a relaxed breakfast, the convoy set off for the day’s driving session at 10.30 am. For this session, I got behind the wheel of the Thar. Somehow I feel more connected to the Thar than a Scorpio, but that’s just me. It started to get a little hot by the time we entered the dunes, but the bright sun shining on the golden sands was a sight to behold. We had a free driving session and the dunes were like an open playground for all of us. Going sideways, getting stuck etc were all part of the day’s games.

Towards noon, we got a theory session on winches and the procedure of recovering a stuck vehicle with the help of the winch. The informative session gave us an insight into costs, types of winches and safety precautions as well. This was later followed by a live demonstration of vehicle recovery from the sand with detailed explanations of do’s and dont’s. The group returned to camp for lunch followed by some rest. The convoy hit the dunes again one final time after 5 pm for a short driving session and to enjoy the desert sunset. The weather was beautiful and chilly and feeling of witnessing a sunset in the desert was absolutely unreal. I took to the Scorpio for this driving stint and got some nice shots of the SUV in twilight. We all returned to the camp at around 7.30 pm. After freshening up, the group gathered around a bonfire for chit chat and snacks while enjoying the cultural programme that was arranged for us. Certificates ware handed out to all the participants followed by dinner. While some participants hung around after dinner, I retired to my room tired after a hectic day. The next morning I was dropped off to the airport post breakfast for my flight back home.

Just like all Mahindra Adventure events, the Desert Survivor too is a one of a kind experience. It is completely different from the off-road courses that you can do at the Igatpuri Academy. I had no idea there would be so much technique involved in 4×4 sand driving. The night session especially was the cherry on the cake. A bunch of Mahindra 4x4s, brilliant weather, the scenic desert and great company made for the perfect weekend. So if taking on the sand dunes in an SUV is your thing, sign up for the Desert Survivor course with Mahindra Adventure. It’s totally worth it.