Sleeping under the stars, waking up to the smell of fresh air, and really getting away from it all — the appeal of wild camping is easy to see. Also called dry, free, or freedom camping, wild camping is overnighting away from organized campsites, and their noise and crowds, to set up camp among the wilds of nature instead.
What is Wild Camping?
Wild Camping as the name suggests is camping outside of a general campsite or caravan park and experiencing the wild or National Park where we can enjoy other activities like hiking, swimming in nearby lakes, cook food, play games, enjoy bonfire in night, singing with friends or family, experiencing wild, and finally sleep in the tent.
How to plan for Wild Camping
Well I think that if you are planning on camping anywhere, you should have a rather intricate knowledge of the land and the surroundings. With that, you need to do your research both for safety purposes and for enjoyment purposes. There are also legal issues, because you may get into trouble when in places where wild camping is not allowed or legal. Just be careful and do your research.
Famous places in the world for Wild Camping?
The best countries for wild camping are Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, U.S.A, England and India.
Wild Camping Laws around the world
- In England and Wales, wild camping is legal only in Dartmoor National Park.
- In Scotland, the camping must last for two to three nights in one place.
- In France,US and UK it is permitted on private land with the permission of the owner.
- In Slovakia, wild camping is legal but forbidden in areas with a level three protection and also campfires are not allowed.
- In Iceland, wild camping is legal but camping with three or more tents is not allowed for a single night on cultivated land.
- In India, Camping is legal but it is strictly prohibited in protected areas like Tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, environment protected land and in some parts of North-eastern states.
Penalties
The biggest reason for a person to get a penalty in Wild Camping is because of the trespass.
In England and Wales, it is prohibited to pitch a tent, tarp, hammock or bivy bag on land belonging to somebody else without the permission of the landowner. And not following these rules can led to a fine of up to 300 pound. And also if anyone caught littering can be fined up to 2,500 pound.
Campers have to especially take a rod fishing license depending on what and where it is taking place.
Wild Camping In India
Camping in India is in its nascent stage. There are no camping sites as such and no shower facilities. You would have to use the public washrooms and bathrooms, if they are available nearby.
Also, can you wild camp in India? Wild camping in India (free camping) can be done pretty much throughout the country as it is legal to camp here, with the usual caveats including but not limited to respecting private property etc. It’s advised by travelers to warn any local police of your stay and whereabouts (for your own safety, they shouldn’t give you any trouble).
There are no proper camping rules either or spots.
The small number of people who do camping in India are mostly in Uttarakhand district and the Himachal pradesh district, both of which can have pretty inhumane weather, so watch out for it.
In India camping may be a new concept to some people as it is not well known and if doing this make sure the area is safe for you and you may not find facilities like in other countries so going with others may be beneficial and you can have a fun time as well in the process, it is interesting to try this way of living when travelling around as you get to see nature as well.
I would suggest to buy things you need beforehand as the place you go to may not have the things and check if there are any animals nearby or insects as the last thing you want to wake up to is a snake or something staring at you in the face which will leave you shocked and take time to think what your next form of action is going to be.
I think the time you go can be a big factor as well as the weather can affect how long you stay outside so take something which can be waterproof and also have a map of the area and food and water as you may not have water which is clean in some areas, so best to take bottle ones as you can be assured they are going to be safe knowing they are clean as well.
If you are new to camping or planning camping in India you can refer to the link (Decathlon) below to buy essentials.
https://www.decathlon.in/camping-india-17620?id=17620&type=c
Written by
Kumar Sajal and Imtiaz Ullah