Wilderness survival weekend
No experience neededNo certificationSahyadri Survival Craft2 daysNo reviews yet
Two days in the Sahyadris on the four things that keep you alive: shelter, water, fire and navigation.
Course syllabus & schedule ↓Certified instruction (1 instructor to 5 participants)
Full gear & equipment rental included
Assessment & official certificate
What the course actually is
A practical weekend, not a bushcraft fantasy. You build a shelter you then sleep in, purify water you then drink, light a fire without a lighter, and navigate out on the second morning with a map and compass.
Two days in the Sahyadris on the four things that keep you alive: shelter, water, fire and navigation.
Key course details
Essential specifications, instruction format, and eligibility at a glance.
- Academy Provider · Sahyadri Survival Craft
- 7 years operating · Bhandardara
- NONE
- Recognised skill qualification and assessment certificate
- Group Academy Batch
- 2 days · Join a cohort and learn alongside dedicated dive buddies
- Fully Instructed
- 1 instructor to 5 participants in open water
- Beginner / Moderate Intensity
- Basic physical fitness and comfort with progressive training drills
- Guided in English & Hindi
- Theory & eLearning materials available on request in French, German, Spanish, and Russian
- Group Size 1 – 10
- Small cohorts ensure focused attention, direct supervision, and safe buddy pairing
- Ages 14 & Over
- Junior qualification for ages 14–14; adult certification from 15+
Beginner-friendlyNo prior experience needed14+ yearsGear rental includedOfficial lifetime qualification
What is not included
Personal and travel arrangements to plan ahead of your batch.
- —Travel to Bhandardara
- —Sleeping bag
- —Personal kit
- —Certification of any kind — this course does not certify you in anything
Day by day syllabus
Structured training progression from foundational mechanics to assessed technique.
- Day 1Shelter, water, fireTraining09:00–21:00Arrive, walk in an hour, then build the shelter you will sleep in. Water and fire before dark.
- Day 2Navigation and outTraining06:30–15:00Map and compass work, natural navigation, and route-finding back to the road.
Best season for Wilderness survival weekend
Optimal training windows for safety, environmental conditions, and skill progression.
20 to 28 °C
Prime training season
Year-round published batches
School operates structured batches across the active seasonal window with calm currents and favorable visibility.
SKILL LEVEL
Beginner (No experience needed)
COURSE DURATION
2 days (09:00–16:00)
INSTRUCTOR RATIO
1 instructor to 5 participants
CERTIFICATION
NONE
EQUIPMENT INCLUDED
Tarps and cordage, Ferro rods, Water filters and purification tablets
PASSES & ACCESS
Site permits & facility fees
BASECITY & VENUE
Bhandardara, Maharashtra
MINIMUM AGE
14 years and over
FITNESS CRITERIA
Moderate fitness (1 hr continuous activity)
SAFETY PROTOCOL
An instructor stays awake through the night
WHAT TO BRING
Sleeping bag and mat, Sturdy boots, Rain shell
WEATHER POLICY
Rescheduled or refunded pro rata
What you will learn
- Build a weatherproof shelter from what is around you
- Find and purify water three different ways
- Light a fire in damp conditions without matches
- Navigate with map and compass, and without them
- Signal for help and plan a self-rescue
What you get at the end
No certification
- No certification · this courseYou learn the skill; no document is issued.
- Certificate of participationConfirms you attended. Not a qualification and not recognised by any body.
- Nationally recognisedIssued under an Indian federation or authority, and recognised within India.
- Internationally recognisedIssued under an international body and recognised by operators abroad.
Requirements & eligibility
Age: 14 and over
- Able to walk 6 km on rough ground carrying a day pack
- Comfortable sleeping outdoors
- Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult on the same booking
You will be asked to confirm at booking
- Can you walk 6 km on rough ground with a day pack? — this course requires “Yes”
- Have you slept outdoors before?
- Any allergies, particularly to insect stings?
Equipment breakdown
Provided by the school
- Tarps and cordage
- Ferro rods
- Water filters and purification tablets
- Group cooking kit
- Maps and compasses
Bring your own
- Sleeping bag and mat
- Sturdy boots
- Rain shell
- Head torch
- Water bottles, two litres
Who teaches it
Instructor to learner ratio: 1 instructor to 5 participants
A
Aditi Kulkarni
6 years teaching
Teaching wilderness skills in the Sahyadris since 2019.
Wilderness First Responder
Safety & Field Protocol
- An instructor stays awake through the night
- We camp within 90 minutes of a road head and carry a satellite messenger
- There is no phone signal at the site — leave the emergency contact number with somebody at home
- Snakes are present in this terrain; the brief on day one covers avoidance and what to do, and instructors carry the relevant first-aid protocol
If plans change
Cancellation
Full refund up to 5 days before the start. 50% between 5 and 2 days. No refund inside 48 hours.
Weather
The course runs in light rain — that is rather the point. It is cancelled and refunded in full for a weather warning or for river levels that make the walk-in unsafe.
WHAT'S INCLUDED WITH THIS COURSE
Two days of instruction
Group shelter materials, cordage and tarps
Ferro rods and water purification kit to use
Both dinners and breakfast, cooked on the fire you light
Emergency shelter and first-aid cover
Who runs it
Certified adventure schools and verified instructors leading structured syllabuses.
Sahyadri Survival Craft
Not yet verified
Bhandardara · 2 days course
₹6,500per participant
Next batch starts 4 Oct