Dandeli – A paradise for adventure seekers

I being from Hubli, had heard very much about Dandeli, but had never got a chance to visit the place. I typically research about the place before landing up there, but Dandeli, just being very near to Hubli, I didn’t find the necessity to research about it. So we, myself and 3 of my friends planned a trip to Dandeli on January-2016. Dandeli was a surprise. It was a lot wilder than I expected & wild isn’t exactly what I expected it to be either.

Dandeli is a small town in the western ghats of North-West Karnataka, India. Dandeli is known as a wildlife sanctuary and has one of the tiger projects. People have also moved from across India to work in the industries in Dandeli. Dandeli is also known for its adventure activities on the River Kali. Located close to the Supa Dam on Kali, Dandeli offers options for water rafting and canoeing.

Once we reached Dandeli in our own car, the first activities we did on was the Jungle Safari. Dandeli Wildlife sanctuary is very calm and peaceful. This sanctuary is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka state. This sanctuary hosts some very rare birds and animals. This sanctuary has unspoilt and un-explored hidden treasure of wildlife, which can surely leave any nature lover speechless.

The Dandeli jungle is a wild expanse with fairly new Tiger Reserve which started in 2007. There are chances of spotting tigers, leopards and black panthers. This jungle is un-fenced hence the chances of spotting are less. It is also a relatively new jungle safari zone, so the animals are not used to the road and vehicles so they may stay away from it. The ride inside was still quite impressive as the forest comes across as wild!

The next day we planned for river rafting. The Kali river behind the resort was full and it seemed as it was the right time for rafting. So after the breakfast we headed to the rafting site where we got ready with the gears and instructions. The entire stretch was 10 kms long and it took us about 4 hrs to finish this rafting. This was our first rafting experience and it was awesome. Once we reached back, we finished our lunch and spent time along the river side. Next day morning we returned back to Hubli and this ended our 2 days’ trip to Dandeli.

How to reach Dandeli

There is no Airport in Dandeli. The nearest Airport is in Hubli, which is 80km from Dandeli.

By train:

Dandeli is 78 km from Hubli and 32 km from Alnavar. The nearest railway stations are Londa, Alnavar, Dharwad and Hubli.

From Bangalore, one could take the train (to Alnavar or Hubli) or KSRTC bus (to Hubli or Dharwad) and take the local bus to reach Dandeli. There are direct buses to Dandeli from all the major destinations. Alternatively, KSRTC runs a Rajahamsa Executive bus service (Non A/C, Push back seats, Air suspension) from Dandeli to Bangalore. The bus departs from Dandeli at 17:30. It takes around 12 hours to reach Bangalore.

From Hyderabad, one can take a train to Londa and take a taxi or bus to Dandeli.

Karwar town which is the district headquarters of Uttara Kannada district where Dandeli lies is connected by Konkan railway route. Karwar is at a distance of 110 kilometers from Dandeli.