Every year before the monsoons bring respite to the state, nature enthusiasts in Mumbai look forward to the firefly-spotting season. Trips are organised by local travel groups to experience surreal nights dotted with gleaming fireflies. Flagging things off, Bhatakna Tours and Travels have arranged camps this weekend onwards that are planned in and around Bhandardara village.

Visitors can witness the Fireflies Festival 2022 with a campsite stay in the outskirts of Ahmednagar. The two-day camp will be a relaxed stay-in-tent getaway. Participants will witness dancing fireflies with their naked eyes apart from savouring the local cuisine. The season is important to the bioluminescent beetles, as they glow to attract female fireflies. It’s their mating call. Fireflies produce a chemical reaction inside their bodies that  make them light up. The phenomenon is called bioluminescence. In such camps, any kind of activity is avoided as the sound and chaos can impact their breeding process.