Valley School Walks
Black-naped Monarch
“If you lose touch with nature you lose touch with humanity”
~ J Krishnamurti ~
Guided nature walks at the Valley School, Bengaluru, led by expert volunteers.
We limit the number of participants to about 20 per walk, to ensure a meaningful experience for all participants. Hence, we require every participant to register via the form below, and do not encourage walk-ins at the school directly.
No prior knowledge or skills are needed to attend these walks - just love for the natural world around us, and a curiosity to learn more about it. Please note that we require participants below the age of 13, or those with special needs, to be accompanied by a competent adult/companion.
Note: Registration not required for kids under 12 years when accompanied by a registered parent(s)
The Valley School was set up over forty years ago south of Bangalore by philosopher J. Krishnamurti, as a unique learning space for children, in what was once barren and degraded land. The study of nature and learning from it, while immersed in natural, open, wooded spaces, are central to education at the Valley School. The school was designed to take up only a small portion of the land, while the rest was (and still is) left untouched. In these four decades, water bodies were created and restored, active water conservation measures were initiated, resulting in the growth of thousands of saplings, which were supplemented with the regular planting of native trees and shrubs.
The result today: A habitat that has become a hotspot of rich flora and evolving microhabitats, with over 180 species of trees and a wide range of herbs and shrubs including 130 species of medicinal plants. This healthy microhabitat has a rich biota, including 250 species of birds, many of them iconic, with migratory and resident species, raptors and waterfowl.
Given the flourishing avian biodiversity of 250+ species, and a host of other wildlife, many leading birdwatchers and ornithologists across the country consider the Valley School and its environs as a birding hotspot, and one of the finest places to watch birds in Bangalore.