Hotspots

The places around Mumbai that Parkour Mumbai trained at, as NOS listed them on the original site, with his descriptions, directions, and a "heat level" for how much trouble to expect there.

This page contains all the locations in the city that we feel are suitable for practicing parkour. Most of these locations have been obtained by really painful scouting, so be thankful for this page. The main things included here are the name of the location, along with details on how it can be put to use. Also contained are detailed instructions on how to get there, including the address, and in some cases, a map, which in most cases shows how to get there from the nearest railway station. We also have included some pictures of the location itself, with the main structures in and around it, along with a video tour, to give you a better idea of what can be done there. You can find the links to all of these right below the listing for the location. An important feature added to the locations is the Heat Level rating for that particular location. (This is an idea I got from NFS Carbon). This shows how feasible it is for us to practice around the area, in terms of people's attitudes, security guard or police problem etc. The ratings are from 1 - 7, with 1 being the lowest, and 7 being the highest. An explanation of the various heat levels and what they each entail has been provided on the Heat Level page. We have also tried to give a description of why the heat level is at a certain level, based on either our own, or other people's experiences in that location. You guys can discuss your own experiences practicing in a particular location in the comments section. Also, if anyone faces any sort of trouble practicing in the area that is not documented in the heat level description, or finds more structures/the ways the area can be put to use that is not documented in the location description, then the comments section will serve as an additional guideline and documentation for that hotspot. If the links for Map or the Video Tour for a location do not work, or take you back to the homepage, then that means that a Map or a Video Tour does not exist for that particular location. If you want us to add a location that you think is feasible for parkour/free running, please send us an email containing some details of the location, and some pictures/video tour of the location if possible, and we will do the needful.
NOS's introduction to the hotspots page. The pictures, video tours, maps and comments it mentions were not archived.

These descriptions date from 2007 to 2012, and the places have changed since. What the heat levels mean.

The hotspots

As listed on the site in 2012.

Kamla Raheja Park/Aeroplane Park

Heat level 5

Lots of nice structures for beginners' practice. The nice thing about this place is its easy accesibility for all those from the western suburbs. You can pretty much do everything here as well, if you're short on time, and don't wish to travel much. Check out the attached pictures, and video tour for details. Please note, there is a nominal entrance fee of Rs. 1 (as of Oct, 2007) for a one-time entry to the park. Also the park is open only in the mornings and evenings, and closes down in the afternoon. I am not sure of the timings.

Address: Link Road, Santacruz (W). Located at the junction of Link Road, and the winding road (Juhu Tara Road) that comes up from Juhu Chowpatty. Near SNDT College.
Getting there: Walk straight down to S.V. Road from Santa Cruz Stn, take a right, walk untill you come to the Standard Chartered Bank building. Take a left turn there, and walk straight down westwards, till you reach the beginning of the Link Road. The park is at the junction. If you walk straight down the road from the junction along the path you were walking, instead of stopping at the park, you will reach Juhu Tara Road.
About the heat level: The guards there do not bother to stop you, and neither do the people visiting the park give you ugly stares or anything, so the heat level is pretty low. Climbing the plane is not allowed, and the guards will start to breathe down your neck the minute you try. One of the guards once told me that climbing the trees there was not permissible either, but the next time, I bribed the (this time new) guard before entering, and he was cool about us climbing the trees. Climbing the plane is still not permissible, unless you go there before 6 am, before the ticket counter guy shows up, provided you've bribed the guards. Climbing everything else is permissible, and you shouldn't get into any trouble. Update - Don't try to scale the toilet without the presence of one of the NUTs, the people there do not like it when someone goes up there.

Gulmohar Garden

Heat level 1

A quaint little out of the way park in Yari Road, Versova, which is actually 2 parks and one playground combined into one, much larger area. The portion of the park where you can practice is very shady and remote, but obstacles are not that numerous, so practicing basics here should be a breeze.

Address: Off Yari Road, Andheri (W)
Getting there: Take a bus from Andheri Station for either Yari Road or Versova, and get down at the last stop. The park is a two minute walking distance from the Yari Road Bus Depot, and is just down the road. Ask anyone in the vicinity for Gulmohar Garden next to St. Anthony High School
About the heat level: The heat level for this place does not exist, because no one ever frequents that place. The only visitors are local boys looking for a game of cricket or football, and are thus highly unlikely to chase you away. At most, a few curious ones will ask you about what the new thing is that you're doing. Again, you can practice to your heart's content here, and the Psycho is going to heartily congratulate me for passing this verdict to his favorite playground and cul-de-sac.

Hiranandani

Heat level 5

Has great places, but unfortunately most of it is all private. Thou shalt not disobey the cardinal codes of conduct (specifically law # 7) listed on this website, and therefore cancel this place out of all your freerunning plans. If you manage to befriend any of the owners of any of the properties here, all the better for you, but please be kind enough to share your good fortune with the other pack of hungry wolves, err, I mean the city's other traceurs, eager for a taste of this awesome place.

Address: Hiranandani is the address in itself
Getting there: Not required
About the heat level: Very high heat level, beware of totally unpleasant watchmen at all times. You could even get arrested. You have been warned! Although there are a few backwood places which are deserted and you won't be bothered.

Raheja Park Malad

Heat level 3

The only place of value here is the sides of the entrance. Check the pictures. There isn't much to do inside except for a few easy kongs/vaults and precisions.

Address: Off S.V. Road, behind Mindspace, Malad (W)
Getting there: Mindspace is very popular, so if you just get to that area and ask around for the park you should be pointed there.
About the heat level: The security guards do not like anything being done out of normal. Visitors might cheer you on though. Even though there is little of value inside, the security still begin their harrassment the moment they see you practicing off the entrance, that is still the park's property.

Nerul Station

Heat level 1

The main gathering point for all Parkour activities in the New Bombay region, whenever people from outside the area are expected to show up. And it is not just a convinient place to gather, it lends itself and its surrounding areas pefectly to parkour practice, and pk-mum has had some really good training sessions both within the station's premises, and on its fringes.

Address: Nerul Station, Navi Mumbai.
Getting there: Take a train on the harbor line to either Panvel or Belapur, and get down at Nerul. If you're coming from the Western Line, you will have to either switch trains at Andheri, and take a train bound for CST, switch trains again at Wadala and get a Panvel/Belapur bound train, or if Wadala is not functional, then you can take the same harbor line trains from Dadar station, after crossing over to the central-side platforms. In Nerul, the east side is the one off Platfrom No. 1, the other way round from the stations in the rest of the city. The convention center, technically is located on the East side of Nerul station. As soon as you exit the station, you should see a fountain and a garden area, with some rocks in it. This is the main meeting ground.
About the heat level: People in this region are actually pretty cool about activities such as this, and don't seem to mind much. If they truly are open-minded or are just indifferent remains to be seen, but there have been occasions when they've actually cheered traceurs on instead of hindering them.

Earlier hotspots

Listed in 2008, and gone from the list by 2012.

The Ruins of Pushpa Narsee Park

Heat level 1

This place now holds the ruins of what was once a magnificient park, which was what we were expecting to be standing when we first went there, but is now in total disregard. There were initially a few salvageable structures in the ruined park itself, which we used for our practice, but a more recent visit shows otherwise. Someone seems to have taken an interest in the plot, though I don't know for what purpose, and some of the remaining ruinous structures have been taken down. The only remaining structure of value in the park as of Aug 2007 is its highlight - India's/Mumbai's very own 'dame-du-luc'. This is a great structure to practice on, for beginners and experts alike, and can take years to master. Mostly it can be used for practicing climbs, balancing, and drops and rolls from a great height onto concrete below. There are a couple of places around the park, which can also be used for beginner practice. There are railings on the footpaths that surround the park, with the roads off the footpaths empty for most part of the day. They are a great place to practice and master the different railing vaults at ground level. Then, there is the whole Juhu Shopping Center bang opposite the park, which has some good free-running opporunities, being the ideal sort of urban architecture for parkour, but you'll have to get past the watchmen first. The Shopping Center is not included in the heat level for this hotspot. I'd rate the Shopping Center's heat level at high (though, we've never measured it before, so I can't peg a number at it for sure). And there is also a deserted bus stop near the park, which has a railing at waist level ideal for learning cat-balancing and other railing balancing. Overall, I'd say this place (the park, not the shopping center) is only good for beginners, for learning the basics. Once you've mastered them, you probably would want to move on to bigger things in life, but don't get me wrong - it's really a great place to start if you want to learn and master the basics. The best thing about this whole place, with the exception of the shopping center, is that it is deserted for most part of the day, no one to give you ugly stares, and no one to chase you away. Update on Sep 2, 2008 - The park has been completely demolished, and is probably being redone. Nothing can be done there as of now, and we don't know what will become of it later.

Address: Juhu, Ville Parle (W). Forms the vertex of a triangle with the Juhu Shopping Center, and Jamnabai Narsee school on either side. Don't confuse this park with another, nicer park between itself, and Jamnabai school. I think doing anything out of normal would be forbidden in there, and we haven't tried.
Getting there: If you're coming by train, your best bet is to get down at Ville Parle Stn, get to the west side, and start walking straight down the road towards Mithibai College. When you get to the college/signal, don't take a right, instead keep on walking straight down the road towards Juhu Beach. You'll find the park to your right on the way, the Shopping Center will be on your left. Again, don't confuse this park with the other, Kaifi Azmi Park, which would come before Pushpa Narsee Park, if you're coming from Parle Stn.
About the heat level: As explained above, with the exception of the shopping center, this place is always deserted, so there is no heat level here at all. You can practice to your heart's content, and no one will get in your way.

Juhu Shopping Center

Heat level 3

The whole Juhu Shopping Center complex bang opposite the Pushpa Narsee Park has some good free-running opporunities, being the ideal sort of urban architecture for parkour, but you'll have to get past the watchmen first. Plus, the good areas inside the shopping complexes are chained shut during non-working hours, so if you try to practice there in the mornings, you can't make use of them because you would be tresspassing if you did manage to get inside, and you can't do anything inside (or outside) during working hours, because shoppers would constantly be getting in your way, or rather, it would be the other way round, and you're BOUND to attract nasty trouble. But, if you do manage to do anything there, it still is a good place to practice.

Address: Juhu, Ville Parle (W). Forms the second vertex of the triangle as described for Pushpa Narsee Park above. (No, you can't complete all the vertexes of the triangle, and practice at Jamnabai School. You can try though, if you'd like, but that's your lookout!)
Getting there: Same directions as above (for the Ruins of Pushpa Narsee Park) apply here as well.
About the heat level: There are a lot of security guards about the place, even really early in the mornings, and they could create potential trouble. We have never tried actually doing anything there yet, so we can't say for sure how they will react to us jumping around. Also beware of stray dogs, who have their territories marked, and do not like human interference in those territories in the mornings. You have been warned!