Stories & guides

25 August 2026

Wings and Wonder – Bat Watching at Jambulmarg, Gujarat

There’s something truly magical about stepping into the forest after sunset. The familiar becomes mysterious, sounds grow sharper, and every rustle seems to hold a secret waiting to be discovered. This June, Bat Watching at Jambulmarg in Gujarat offered exactly

25 August 2026

Priyall Soanii: The Event Curator Who Lets Nature Do the Convincing

Chief Event CuratorSpecialty: Birds · Butterflies · Urban Nature Priyall Soanii was mid-story on the Shilonda Trail, telling guests about the elusive leopards of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, when her supervisor whispered: “There’s one ahead.” A leopard had crossed the

25 August 2026

Durga Thakur: A Marine Scientist Following the Dolphins

Content Associate · Marine AwarenessSpecialty: Marine Life · Coastal Ecology · Science Communication For Durga Thakur, one coastal field visit crystallised an entire career path. Watching dolphins surface and move alongside her boat in their natural habitat was both exciting

25 August 2026

Exploring Marine Life at Juhu Koliwada: A Journey into Mumbai’s Coastal Biodiversity

Marine life at Juhu Koliwada offers a fascinating glimpse into Mumbai’s rich and resilient coastal ecosystems. On 15th November 2020, a small group of enthusiastic nature lovers gathered along the Juhu shoreline for an engaging and educational intertidal marine walk.

20 August 2026

Gauri Joshi: The Nature Educator Creating Love for the Wild

Nature EducatorSpecialty: Birds · Butterflies · Urban Nature Gauri Joshi knew what she wanted to do with her life at a remarkably young age. Seeing a tigress up close at Tadoba as a child was the moment it clicked —

20 August 2026

Yashraj Thakare: From a Love of Bugs to a Fascination With Snakes

NaturalistSpecialty: Herpetology · Entomology Yashraj Thakare — known in the field by the wonderful nickname ‘Oreo Dolphin’ — started out loving bugs. That fascination for insects slowly transformed into a fascination for herpetofauna, and today his focus lies primarily in

20 August 2026

Atharv Chavan: The Beauty Hidden in an Ordinary Bird

Member · NaturalistSpecialty: Ornithology · Urban Nature Atharv Chavan was working on a bird census at Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary — a long, disappointing day with no special sightings — when he and his team sat down under a tree to

20 August 2026

Kanchi Harchekar: The Fishing Cat of the Creative Team

Creative Group · Nature Walk InterpreterSpecialty: Biodiversity Interpretation · Botany · Urban Ecosystems Kanchi Harchekar’s most memorable wildlife encounter reads like a scene from a film — because it happened at one. Standing with her participants on the Leopard Trail

19 August 2026

Chahat Yadav: Reading the Hidden Stories of Mumbai’s Shores

UWM Project Manager · Shorewalk Expert · Senior MemberSpecialty: Marine Life · Estuaries · Mangroves · Wetlands Chahat Yadav grew up in Mumbai never imagining the bustling city had room for wild nature — until a single shore walk at

18 August 2026

Ishaan Prabhudesai: Finding a Hidden City of Urban Birds

Naturalist · Birding Trail ExpertSpecialty: Ornithology · Urban & Migratory Birding One quiet morning at the wetlands of TS Chanakya in Navi Mumbai, Ishaan Prabhudesai and a friend noticed movement near the mangroves. Watching the flattened tail, smooth head and

18 August 2026

Ashutosh Singh: Learning That the Forest Rewards Respect

NaturalistSpecialty: Herpetology · Ornithology During a bird survey in Pench Tiger Reserve, Ashutosh Singh and his team were on foot inside the forest when they unexpectedly came face to face with a tiger at close range. The silence, the tension,

18 August 2026

Prathamesh Gawde: The Plant Enthusiast Who Loves to Get Lost in the Wild

Naturalist · Reel Content CreatorSpecialty: Forest Ecology · Floral Diversity · Ethnobotany People meet Prathamesh Gawde and assume that, as a self-professed plant person, he must be hopeless with birds, butterflies and animals. Then he starts talking about plant and

18 August 2026

Sumrit Lahot: The Naturalist Who Keeps the Trail Alive

NaturalistSpecialty: Herpetology · Forest Ecology · Entomology Sumrit Lahot has a saying about the wild: the forest is unexpected. He learned it the hard way on a solitary birding trail during a dry season, when he couldn’t find a single

18 August 2026

Soham Vedak: The Botanist on a Lifelong Treasure Hunt

Field Associate · ExpertSpecialty: Flora · Tree Ecosystems · Botanical Conservation Soham Vedak’s favourite wildlife encounter wasn’t an animal at all — it was a tree. After years of online research, he tracked down a centuries-old wild specimen of the

18 August 2026

Sachin Rane: The Man Who Reads the Wild

Founder · Horticulurist · Senior NaturalistSpecialty: Birds, Herps & Marine Ecology · The Road Not Expected Most naturalists will tell you they knew from childhood. The bird they spotted at age seven. The gecko they refused to let go of.

17 August 2026

Sneha Singh: Bridging Science and the Sea on Mumbai’s Shores

Marine Walk NaturalistSpecialty: Marine Life · Intertidal Ecology · Taxonomy Sneha Singh’s most memorable encounter came during an intertidal trek, when she discovered the vibrant Dendrodoris fumata and the intricate Elysia nudibranchs — delicate ‘sea slugs’ living right along Mumbai’s

15 August 2026

Shambhavi Chavan: The Mangrove Consultant Who Loves Ants

NaturalistSpecialty: Entomology · Coastal Ecology · Urban Ecology Ask Shambhavi Chavan about her spirit animal and she’ll say the ant — strong work ethic, unmatched inner strength, teamwork, and endless planning and preparation. It’s a fitting choice for a naturalist

15 August 2026

Trupaank Gautam: The Beetle Enthusiast Who Bounces Back

NaturalistSpecialty: Entomology · Urban Wildlife Trupaank Gautam’s spirit animal is the click beetle — because that’s exactly how he bounces back onto his feet when things turn upside down. It’s a telling choice for a naturalist whose great passion is

14 August 2026

Umesh Avadootha: A Bridge Between People and the Mugger Crocodile

NaturalistSpecialty: Urban Nature · Mugger Crocodile · Birding · Zoo Management Umesh Avadootha sees himself, first and foremost, as a bridge between people and nature. Over a decade in the field has carried him from internships at Mumbai Zoo to

14 August 2026

Mansi Nanarkar: Finding Her Voice the Moment the Topic Turns Wild

Naturalist · Nature EducatorSpecialty: Butterflies · Forest Ecology · General Biodiversity Most people assume Mansi Nanarkar is shy, because she’s quiet at first. But the moment the topic turns to wildlife, she becomes surprisingly confident and interactive — and that

14 August 2026

Santoshi Kadu: The Nature Trail Expert Who Reads the Forest’s Signs

Nature Trail ExpertSpecialty: Forest Ecology · Angiosperm Taxonomy On a camping night in the rainforests of Coorg, Santoshi Kadu heard something walking into the forest just fifty metres from where she was about to sleep. She woke her friend; soon

14 August 2026

Shmes Ansari: Reading the Health of a City Through Its Birds

NaturalistSpecialty: Birds · Urban Ecology Shmes Ansari once held a flamingo in his own hands. Spotting a baby flamingo struggling in the Karave wetland, he called a rescuer friend, and together they lifted it from the water. He observed everything

14 August 2026

Shubham Hadkar: Walking Into Forests for One Unforgettable Moment

Freelance NaturalistSpecialty: Birds · Butterflies · Marine Life · Reptiles Shubham Hadkar doesn’t walk into forests just to complete trails. He walks in hoping nature will hand him one unforgettable moment — the kind that stays in the heart forever.

10 August 2026

Aditya Gadkari: The Ecologist Who Wants You to Question Everything

Senior Nature EducatorSpecialty: Plant Ecology · Plant–Animal Interactions · Avian Frugivory · Urban Ecology About Aditya Gadkari: Ecologist & Educator Aditya Gadkari is a wildlife biologist by training and an ecologist and educator by practice — and few naturalists in

9 August 2026

Umasa Warsi: Discovering a Whole World Beneath Juhu Beach

Social Media Manager · Marine Walk ExpertSpecialty: Marine Life · Intertidal Ecosystems Umasa Warsi was born and raised right next to Juhu Beach — and for years, like the bustling crowds around her, she had no idea what lived beneath

9 August 2026

Kasim Ansari: Bringing the Wild to the Screen and the Field

Wildlife Educator · Chief Video EditorSpecialty: Urban Nature · Forest Ecology · Marine Life Kasim Ansari brings the wild to screens as skilfully as he brings people into the wild. As a wildlife educator and Naturalist Explorers’ chief video editor,

9 August 2026

Afida Idrisi: The Storyteller Who Turns Nature Into Conversation

Communication Associate · Social Media Content HeadSpecialty: Ecology · Urban Nature · Coastal Ecosystems Afida Idrisi has a gift for making the overlooked feel exciting. As Naturalist Explorers’ communication associate and social-media content head, she turns nature into stories —

9 August 2026

Masira Shaikh: The Woman Who Taught a City to Listen to Its Forest

Programme Curator · Internship Coordinator · Senior MemberSpecialty Birding · Habitat Ecology · Tribal Ecology · Urban NatureYears Active 5–10 years The Weekends That Built a Naturalist Before the forest taught Masira Shaikh everything, the city’s edges did. During her

7 August 2026

Anurag Karekar: The Monsoon-Migrating Naturalist Behind Naturalist Explorers

Founder · Ecotourism Curator · Senior NaturalistSpecialty: Urban, Forest & Marine Ecology · Climate Science A City’s Disconnect and One Student’s Answer Mumbai is one of the most biodiverse cities on Earth. It has leopards in its national park, flamingos

24 July 2026

Kokedama Workshop at Maharashtra Nature Park

There’s something deeply therapeutic about working with soil and living plants with your bare hands. Over the last weekend of February, NaturalisT Foundation, in collaboration with Maharashtra Nature Park (Sion) and MMRDA, conducted a hands-on Kokedama Workshop at Maharashtra Nature

24 July 2026

Sun, Species & Sunday: A Nature Trail at Hanging Gardens, Mumbai

Hanging Gardens Nature Trail offers a refreshing opportunity for city dwellers to discover the unexpected biodiversity thriving right in the heart of Mumbai. When we think of a typical Sunday morning in the city, we often imagine a slow start

24 July 2026

Marine Walk in Mumbai: Exploring Haji Ali’s Intertidal Life

A marine walk in Mumbai offers a rare chance to see the city from an entirely new perspective. On the morning of 17th December, the familiar shoreline of Haji Ali transformed for a small group of nature enthusiasts. A small

14 July 2026

World Wetlands Day Trail at Kharghar Shrublands

Kharghar Shrublands recently played host to an extraordinary nature trail organized by the NaturalisT Foundation on the occasion of World Wetlands Day. While this relatively unknown pocket of Navi Mumbai initially seemed like just another dry patch of land to

10 July 2026

Exploring Marine Life at Juhu Koliwada: A Coastal Clean-Up and Discovery Walk

Exploring Marine Life at Juhu Koliwada is an incredible experience, but what happens when hands-on community action meets scientific discovery on the shoreline? On 25th January, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) along with the NaturalisT Foundation organized a massive

2 July 2026

Birdwatching in Navi Mumbai: An Unforgettable Morning at NRI Colony

A Sunday Morning That Felt Different If you’ve ever wondered what birdwatching in Navi Mumbai actually feels like, this morning at NRI Colony would have been the perfect introduction. It started quietly. Just a group of people gathering, binoculars in

2 July 2026

Into the Wild: A Two-Day Escape to Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary

There’s something special about leaving the city behind just before sunset—the anticipation, the laughter, and the promise of a journey into the wild. On 4th and 5th November, NaturalisT Foundation organized an unforgettable trip to Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary for the

2 July 2026

Vikatgad Trek Near Mumbai: A Trek to Remember

Planning a Vikatgad Trek Near Mumbai is the perfect way to escape the city lines, especially when popular spots like Lonavala or Matheran feel a bit too crowded. Tucked away in the rugged Raigad district, this lesser-known adventure is just

2 July 2026

Green City Trails: A Nature Walk at Deer Park, Mumbai

Sometimes, all it takes is one good experience to make you want more of it.On 9th February, a second trail at Deer Park was organized under the Green City Trails initiative by NaturalisT Foundation this time, specially requested by participants

24 June 2026

Discovering the Wild Side – A School Trail to Gandhi Tekdi, SGNP

Gandhi Tekdi SGNP offers an incredible nature trail experience for students and nature enthusiasts looking to discover Mumbai’s rich biodiversity. On a bright Monday morning, the 2nd of September 2019, a group of 50 excited students from Sacred Heart Church,

24 June 2026

Green City Trail to Sion Fort

When we think of exploring nature, we often imagine traveling far from the concrete jungle. But sometimes, the most beautiful and enriching experiences lie hidden within our immediate surroundings. On 3rd November, the Green City Trail to Sion Fort by

24 November 2019

Birdwatching in Mumbai: A Morning at Bhandup Pumping Station

Bhandup Pumping Station reaches a whole new level of magic when you step into the right place at the right time for birdwatching in Mumbai. Bhandup Pumping Station proved it isn’t just a wetland, it felt like a grand stage