Dandeli : an adventure destination

Tired and worn out but still the flashes of weekend trip to dandeli keeps me going and as i sit here in Office( oh yeah...I am so excited to pen down each bit of fun before it fades away) , I want to spill out and record each moment of this adventurous trip.

Dandeli is a picturesque city set amidst the backdrop of the Western Ghats. Dandeli city is located at the bank of river kali in Uttarkannada district, which is 117 km from Karwar, 75 km from hubli, 57 km from Dharwad, 481 km from Bangalore. It is very famous for wild sanctuary, white water rafting, Syntheri rock and forest resorts.

Since we had just 2 days on weekend for this trip , we were on customized itinary. we reached hubli by 7 am in morning and our jeeps were already waiting there , ready to take us on ride. All the more excited , I decided to sit in open cover jeep with 2 other group members and its the decision I am really proud of.
Travel by jeep with experienced guides who will take you on the adventure of a lifetime, and delve deep into the natural habitat was amazing. Dandeli was very far away from hubli and it took us 2 hours to reach the place. We had a bumpy ride in open jeep amidst the picturesque jungle of dandeli .I enjoyed standing on the jeep behind and feel the force of the wind against my face in early morning.The open skies and huge trees around , was totally a add-on.

After wonderfull ride , we reached Stanley's Farm , Our lodge . An ideal place to stay with farm settings in backdrop. You can find ponies, emu's , ducks , swan , dogs, fishes, crab, cows at the farm which gives you total rustic feeling about the place.

We started for first activity of the day, River crossing, which seemed very easy at first but very hard on muscles later. You need a lot of strength in arms to pull yourself forward on rope.

After a very delicious breakfast and lunch, we got ready with our raffting gear and jackets. As we sat on our rafts and listened to instructions from our instructor , i could feel the chill running down my spine. we zipped through the gurgling water , cutting and conquering it with our rowing skills. the first rapid , HORNBILL (yeah, tats was its name) , was level 4+ . Though the name of the river was KALI, the water was so sweet and crystal clear that we drank it and enjoyed the taste.

Thrilling , Mesmerising and guts challenging , After our dare devil act, we jumped over our jeep and rode back to our farm to enjoy the night amidst bon fire- tents and Stars :)

After having dinner , we were ready for more exploration and fun so decided to have a walk around jungle in dark . we switched off all our torches and talked about gosts and spooky things. Seeing the insects shining like tube and 2 eyes staring at us somewhere far from bushes , I was all spooked UP :P . we returned to camp and sat around fire to discuss more better and useless things .(though it became more of a debate ).

Early morning , we woke up and got ready to trek to SUPA DAM . it was a small 3 KM trail in all . But the early morning breeze and superb surrounding made it fun .

The view of supa dam was like a computer wallpaper stuff . we played childish games like throwing stones in the water with 3 ripples, 7 ripples etc. , sang the songs and even danced .

We tried an awesome home made dosa and chutney at one of the local place . A must eat for breakfast in dandeli and moved to conquer the last item on our list , water jacuzzi .

This was the second best part of trip after raffting. The gushing waters of river Kali giving you a natural massage . I realized , How powerful and mighty the nature is. It can be blessing in form of water and in next instant it can become a curse .I admire that we are blessed with such wonders around us and we ruthlessly destroy them .On our way back , we stopped on way to enjoy the Farms and nature's different shades .

With sad hearts we packed our tents and stuff to return to hyderabad. As I turned back for the last look of this place , I decided this is not the end and I shall come back here again . This place require more days to understand and appreciate it . hope to come here soon .

East Godavari Beach Trek : Antarvedi to Karavaka

There is always something about beach that attracts everyone towards it. In the noise of the waves, we discover the calmness inside heart .So I RSVP'd for this trek looking to find calmness inside and I got more than I expected .
We reached narsapur on 5th nov. after the much fun filled train journey ( how can i forget those ultimate games of UNO ) and started our trek from antravedi towards karvaka . Soon I realized that its Going to be a long and ardous trek with no fun and just a stroll along the beach in scorching sun . Though at the end i realized how much wrong i was . The beach at antravedi has been the most clean and beautiful beach I have seen till date. With almost no villager in sight , it was US , left to start our fling with nature .

The palm trees fencing on 1 side and gentle breeze caressing your face and body , you almost forget all your worries and start absorbing the beauty around you. We saw like millions of crabs on the beach and even tried to catch one ( believe me this is a skill, i still need to acquire ) .

Strolling bare footed for full 14 KM on first day and playing frisbee as we go along was fun. The day ended soon in the company of wonderful friends and lap of nature and we decided to halt for the day and setup our tents.

Though however mundane , Its always fun to build a tent with friends and play another tiring game of frisbee . We had a couple of knowledge sharing session courtesy arun (trek organizer) who taught us how to identify footprints of wild animals by drawing them on sand. Also had antakshri and senseless talks on random topics with all friends and watching the sunset over the trees.

The part I enjoyed most is sitting on beach in moonlight with foot in sand and watching waves come and go .Its like feeling closer to beauty of earth and admiring how beautiful the life is. To see those millions of jewels shining in the black sky and gazing at the glory of universe . It makes you realize that you are nothing but a tiny creature lost in this vastness of sky and water.
So after all the star gazing and identifying constellations , we started the remaining trek at 3 am next morning. Collecting shells as we move on , walking with crabs , finding fishes and finding Jelly Fish , rolling over the flower bed on the shore and riding on waves , there is so much to 2nd day that just can't be explained in words .I sang as i frolic barefoot in the water along the beach. We reached the village and waited for everyone to join. Played around with goats in the fields and ate watever stock was left with us (by jhansi, our food mart ) . we reached the bus station to continue our onward journey .

The best part of journey is watching the sunrise on the beach . Its like a feast to eyes to watch such immense activities of nature and assimilate them .

A holiday by a beach brought all the strength and pleasure after the much boring life of ours in city. Will cherish those moments forever .