Solo weekend trip to Dandeli from Bangalore
A refreshing trip to the adventure hub. Is it safe and worth visiting alone? Read to find out.
Feb 2021 —
Dandeli was in my wishlist for some time. From the blogs I read, it is a fun place to visit to chill with friends. I did ask a few friends to join me. That they couldn’t commit a time, my wanderer soul did not want to restrain.
One thing I like about Karnataka is that it has a fabulous network of inter-city buses. Booking a bus from Paytm was a breeze. I travelled in bus operated by Sugama tourist earlier, I was familiar with their hospitality and cleanliness. The bus picked me up from Yeswantpur depot of the operator at 10.30 pm on Friday 5th Feb. It was a fairly smooth journey and I reached the state bus stand in Dandeli by 7 next morning.
I quickly completed my morning routine in a public toilet which was well maintained. It was just outside the bus stand. The place was quite busy with buses that ply within Dandeli and out of city was collecting passengers. The market area surrounding the bus stand seemed to be just opening. There were hotels dotted in that area. After a brief walk, I found a small canteen where I quickly had some Idly sambhar.
Now, I did not book any tours or stay before coming. So I had to first to do that. Right across the street, I found a office by the name “Dandeli Wild adventure tours and travels”. I was greeted with a catalogue which listed all their packages. The manager was humble and was speaking in Hindi fairly well.
As this was first time visit in Dandeli, he advised me to take a short white river rafting package which also includes other short activities and one night of stay with Dinner and breakfast at an affordable cost of Rs. 1,800.
All set, next I was asked whether I had a vehicle. On asking why, they told that the stay and the activity area are 30 kms away. I told them the truth. They said for a drop, I would need to pay another Rs. 500. But luckily, the manager informed me that that there was a group with a Van who were also going to the same resort and they were currently having breakfast in a nearby canteen. In 5 minutes, one assistant of the travel agency gave me the lift to the canteen in his two wheeler.
After a few welcome pleasantries, I got patched to the group. They were a group of 8 folks who were travelling in different places for the last 3 days. Though some of them were quite senior, we gelled well quickly after an initial uneasiness.
Within a few minutes, we left the hustle and bustle of the town and hit the downstream road. The road was curved through the jungle. The tall pine trees which stretched throughout the jungle shadowed the entire road. Cool breeze accompanied by melodies of unknown birds made the journey dreamy. In Dandeli, the famous Hornbill festival usually occurs in February, but due to the pandemic, there will not be any this time.
There were very less cars in the road and we reached our destination within 30 mins. Once the formalities were done, I dropped my luggage in my tent. The resort by the name of “Wild west homestay” had around 6 concrete huts and 10 -12 tents of various sizes laid in the open courtyard. For the tent dwellers there was a common washroom.
The resort manager informed us that the water activities had started at 11 am. It was better to reach there to avoid the rush.
We wore comfortable clothes and got into the van. We didn’t know earlier but the place of the activity was happening in another resort which was only 5 minutes away. Ramesh who was driving the van parked in the resort’s huge parking area. We meanwhile started registering our names to get the tickets.
We wanted to do the river rafting first, but there was a long queue. So, we focused on the small water activities like Water zorbing. I had the most fun doing Kayaking. It was first time experience. We wore the life jackets. The instructor guided us very well and off we started kayaking. Not sure of how long it was permitted, we casually kayaked for at least 30 minutes.
Then, it was time for the main event, White river rafting. We first set our expectations by seeing others doing it. Kali river at that time of post winter remains calm, unlike during monsoon when it becomes daunting. All of us chose the option of short river rafting. When our time came, we wore helmets of same colour and got into the colourful raft.
The guide who was controlling the direction of the raft gave us clear instruction and cautioned us from making any silly action which might lead to horrific accidents.
The instructions were, when to start or pause paddling, sit down or sit up and peddle right or left. I and an another folk were extra persons in the raft without hand peddles. So we were sitting duck and enjoying. It was a fun 15 mins of experience. We were taken through only one rapid and that we reversed the raft to repeat halfway the rapid.
To wrap it up, we did normal boating and then Natural jacuzzi. Jacuzzi is named after the Italian inventor Candido Jacuzzi who invented whirlpool bath which is still used in Spa’s. As given in the name, there is no pump in the Natural Jacuzzi, it is just soothing flow of water under which if one sits gives a massaging effect. Before leaving, we took the photographs from the resort manager. All digital photos came at a cost of Rs. 500. We didn’t opt for the go-pro video footage which would have set us back by Rs. 2000.
It was already 2 pm when we reached our resort. We quickly changed our wet dresses and went to the big dining room.
The food was served in buffet style. Quality was great and tasted delicious. Both Veg and non-veg food was kept in big containers. I being a vegetarian had Pulao, Mixed veg Kurma, Chapatti, Dal makhani, and sweet. I noticed the food represented different cultures. The reason is Dandeli’s location is well accessible from Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra. So, it attracts crowd from mixed cultures.
Without anything much to do post lunch, I resigned to my tent to take some rest. But the blazing hot sun made it unbearable inside the tent. I saw two guys were chatting in the common area near my tent. Went to greet them and joined their conversation.
They were 3 friends rode all the way from Delhi in a car. They made multiple pit stops along their way and Dandeli was one of them. They planned to reach straight to Bangalore from Goa, but took a detour to enjoy River rafting. Interestingly, they were also filming and documenting the entire car trip. They were already in the 12th day of their trips and were planning to cover most of the prominent location in South India like, Coimbatore, Allepey, Kanyakumari etc. I wished them all the best and left for a quick walk.
In the evening, they had set up a bonfire and loud music which I hate the most. There is nothing much to do in Dandeli on nightfall, only restricted to indoor activities. Most of the groups except families started pouring drinks and enjoying the vibe. I kinda avoid drinking on my solo trips. So, I humbly rejected the group where I was patched when they offered me a drink.
I found a nice spot to enjoy the bonfire and intended to ignite a conversation with a stranger. I did able to start conversation with a few but they all came with their group or family.
I will personally not suggest a solo trip to Dandeli
A bit let down, I silently completed my dinner. The food again was yummy. After a casual chit chat with the resort manager, I went to my tent.
It was a fabulous morning. Because, I had experience in sleeping in tent, I faced no issues. While I was having tea, the van group bade me goodbye and left for Goa. I didn’t forget to say thanks for offering me the lift from the town. I still had some time for check out which was at 11 AM. So, I went for a morning stroll in the banks of Kali river.
There was a shortcut through the field which took me 10 minutes to reach the banks. Only a few people were kayaking, otherwise it was very quite and crowd-less. I indulged into the vibe of calmness — the sound of birds chirping and gentle flow of water is so meditative.
I returned to the resort and completed the simple breakfast of Idly and bread-jam accompanied with tea or coffee. It was time for check out but how do I reach the town? I was concerned. On enquiring the resort manager, he informed that there is a group who were returning back to Hubli in a cab. The resort manager was very helping in asking the group to give me a lift. Though initially, they didn’t agree, on insistence they offered me a lift halfway where their way will be diverted from my destination. With no other options, I agreed. On reaching the cross point, I got off and thanked them for offering the lift. The cab driver told me that I would get shuttle from here till town.
After a wait of 10 minutes, a shuttle came and I quickly hopped at the back. At one time, the shuttle was fully packed. I was worried beacuse I could have been infected by COVID. Anyhow, I reached the town at a cost of Rs. 50.
It was 11.30 Pm only and my return bus was at 7 pm. The Disney park was in a walkable distance. The park was big but nothing fancy and almost devoid of any people. I spent the next 5 hours to sit there and read a book.
