Dandeli To Goa Via Doodhsagar



As Sheldon explained to Raj, the value of certain things lies in their exclusivity, as they become precious to their possessors precisely because others lack them [1]. This idea came to mind after my recent visit to the Tadoba Tiger Reserve, as the Supreme Court of India issued a verdict to completely halt tourist activities in the core zone of tiger reserves. This means that what we saw and experienced inside the Tadoba core zone is now more important to us than ever before, because we have had the chance to witness it while others may never get that opportunity again.



Well, maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but honestly, that was my initial reaction upon hearing the news. However, as I delved deeper into my thoughts, I realized that my friends and family, with whom I had planned to revisit and admire those magnificent creatures, would also miss out on the experience. It dawned on me that I might not have the opportunity to explore other reserves again, and this realization left me feeling disheartened.

I must admit, I'm uncertain whether this law is ultimately beneficial or detrimental to the tigers. On one hand, I understand that these animals require a tranquil environment, free from the disturbances caused by tourists. On the other hand, regular tourist activities within the jungle could potentially serve as a deterrent to poaching, protecting not only the tigers but also other wildlife. In my opinion, instead of implementing a complete ban on access, it would be more prudent to establish a limit on the number of individuals permitted to enter the core zone each day.

Back To The Jungle

Tadoba was a dream trip for all of us. So, we (I, Hrishikesh, and Mustafa) teamed up again two and half months later to visit another jungle. This time The Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary.

Mustafa came up with the idea of creating an amateur documentary on the tribes of Dandeli. He had heard about them when he visited Dandeli for the first time some 5 years ago. As per the information he got, these tribal are deliberately keeping themselves away from the civilized world because they don't want to get civilized (or corrupted?). 

Skeptical about whether they would like someone from the outside world to film them, I said yes to the plan hesitantly and Hrishikesh joined in. We knew that Dandeli was also home to many animals including Tigers and a dense forest. It is famous for its river Kali and rafting in its turbulent flow. So, if no tribes, we still had lots of things to do at Dandeli.

Our journey began from Pune towards Dharwad on the night of August 17th, a Friday. Mustafa had already secured tickets for the NWKSRTC A/C sleeper bus. I arrived directly from the office, carrying all my luggage, and met Hrishikesh and his friend Rohit at Swargate. Rohit, being a native of Dharwad, shared our enthusiasm for exploring Dandeli and decided to join us on the trip.

Upon reaching the immensely chaotic Swargate bus stand, we inquired about the bus and discovered that KSRTC buses do not enter the main bus stand. Instead, we were advised to wait at the Satara Road end of the bus stand. At 10 PM sharp, our bus arrived. It was comfortable and tidy, providing a pleasant environment for our journey. The conductor, who was courteous and well-versed in both Marathi and Kannada, ensured a smooth departure.

After approximately 30 minutes, we departed from Pune. Engaging in lively conversation, we eventually settled down for the night, knowing we would wake up in Dharwad the following morning.

Rohit, being well-acquainted with the area, guided us upon our arrival. Stepping off the bus around 6:30 AM, we headed to the bus stand in Dharwad, where we patiently waited for about 20 minutes until a state transport bus to Dandeli became available. During this interval, we utilized the time to visit the restroom, which, in my opinion, was satisfactory and notably better than the facilities at Swargate. Rohit bid us farewell temporarily, as he departed to meet his parents, assuring us that he would rejoin us later on the journey.

In Dandeli
It took us approximately 2-3 hours to travel from Dharwad to reach Dandeli. As we arrived, we inquired about room rates at the State Lodge located in front of the bus stand. Mustafa had already done his homework and secretly booked a room for us while we were still in Pune. Our strategy was to withhold his identity until we inspected the room and negotiated the rent in person. 

Fortunately, everything aligned perfectly—the room was clean, equipped with three comfortable beds. For a reasonable price of Rs. 500 per night, we also received two towels, a bottle of water, a TV, and an attached bathroom with solar-heated water. It was a great reminder of the advantages of visiting a place during the off-season.

Curious about the available activities, we inquired about jungle hikes and water sports. To our disappointment, we discovered that due to the rainy season, jungle hikes and water rafting were not available. The optimal season for such activities was between October and January. 

Undeterred, we decided to book a jeep ride with Mr. Rathod, a forest activity organizer. The ride would take us on a thrilling jungle adventure and to a resort where we could enjoy kayaking. The cost of the ride was Rs. 1400. During our conversation with Mr. Rathod, we mentioned that we were from Pune, to which he suggested that the best river rafting experience could be found near Pune, specifically in Tamhini Ghat.


Kayaking is not as easy as it seems.

Our driver arranged for a commander jeep, and we set off to Bison River Resort, where a picturesque river bed awaited us for kayaking. For a reasonable price of Rs. 250, we embarked on a 30-minute kayaking adventure. It quickly became apparent that paddling the kayak was more challenging than it appeared. After just 30 minutes of exertion, one could feel completely drained of energy. Along the way, we caught sight of the serene backwaters of Supa Dam, adding to the beauty of our experience.

Following our kayaking excursion, our driver recommended a local eatery where we enjoyed a satisfying meal. We then took a leisurely stroll through the dense jungles of Dandeli, which boasted the most abundant vegetation I had ever witnessed. Our driver also took us to visit a tribal village inhabited by the Gavali tribe, also known as the Milkman tribe. 

He explained that while these people had previously led secluded lives in close harmony with nature, they had gradually begun integrating into mainstream society over the past few years. As he had mentioned, we observed that the cottages in the village lacked doors, a visible sign of their transition. However, our driver informed us that there were still a few tribes residing in remote areas of the dense forest who preferred to maintain their traditional way of life, but unfortunately, those areas were inaccessible to us.

Mustafa was saying there was also another kind of tribe which were the black slaves brought from Africa by the Goan Portuguese sailors. Somehow they escaped from their captivity and chose to live their natural way in the forest. Fascinating. Well, there was no way we could ever spot someone from that clan wandering around the forest.

You know the stories in which they say that the forest was so dense that not even a single ray of sunlight could touch the ground? Dandeli is that forest for sure. We left the hope of spotting any animal in such a dense jungle. Guessing that there is not much to do in the next two days in Dandeli we started planning for another adventure- The Doodhsagar Falls.

Planning For The Unthinkable.

We took a break and decided to have tea at a local teashop near a village. The shop owner and his wife were incredibly friendly and showed genuine interest in our journey. They kindly informed us that we could make the most of our remaining two days by visiting Doodhsagar. They provided us with detailed directions on how to reach the destination. Their precise information left us immensely grateful for their assistance. It was remarkable how everything fell into place just as we had hoped.

Following their advice, we formulated a plan for the next day:

1. We would begin by taking the 6:45 AM state transport bus from the Dandeli bus stand, embarking on a two-hour journey to reach Londha train junction.

2. From Londha, we would board a train heading towards Goa.

3. The train would bring us to Castle Rock station.

4. At Castle Rock, we would approach the driver of a goods train and kindly request a ride to Doodhsagar.

5. Upon reaching Doodhsagar around 3 PM, we would then board another goods train to Culem, a station near the Goa-Karnataka border. From there, we could easily find either a bus or passenger train to Vasco in Goa.

The idea of requesting a ride on a goods train seemed almost too good to be true, but we were willing to give it a try. After nearly five hours, we returned to Dandeli. Exhausted from our day's adventures, the hotel bed felt like a slice of heaven. Later in the evening, we took a leisurely stroll near the city bus stand and gathered information for our next destination. Despite knowing that an early start awaited us, we couldn't resist staying up a bit later before finally drifting off to sleep.


Castle Rock
Train In Heaven

Early in the morning we paid our bill and caught the 6.45 bus. Reached Londha as per plan, and got the Goa train as per plan. The only change was, we didn't leave the train at Castle Rock. The same train took us to Doodhsagar. There were many tourists just like us on the train. Though there was no station near Doodhsagar, the train stopped and they let the tourists get off the train.


Londha to Doodhsagar was a scenic journey with a dense jungle and hills on one side and a valley on the other. There were at least 20 tunnels 200-300 meters in length. Doodhsagar was awesome. I could capture the iconic train in heaven pictures.

The bridge of Doodhsagar is no less than a miracle. You cannot help but to bow to the engineers and architects who dreamed and completed the project. The bridge is fantastically built at the edge of the cliff and designed so firmly to hold the weight of trains carrying tonnes of weight when water is pouring from all sides. I don't know exactly when it was built but it seems from the structure that it must have been built in the British-raj era.




We had tea and muffins there at the local stall and started our journey towards Salem which we thought would take 1-2 hours of walk. 
That was my idea to walk towards the station instead of sitting duck waiting for the next goods train. After we walked for about more than 1 hour along the railway track towards Goa, we reached the Sonolium station at around 2.30 PM. 

We were tired and were running low on drinking water. I found a small waterfall and filled one of the bottles just in case we couldn't get any clean drinking water for the rest of the journey. It proved a sensible thing as after some time we did have to drink that seemingly clean water which might have contained numerous bacterium. But as they tell on Discovery channel, it's better to drink the dirty water than to take a chance with dehydration.

The Goods Train

Mustafa and I lay on the railway sleepers which were piled next to the track while Hrishikesh was busy capturing photos for us. At 3.30 the good train arrived at the station but to our dismay, it didn't stop there. It was our only hope to reach Goa. 



As the train was passing slowly Mustafa decided that we should grab the ladder of each bogey and go along. I tried first but quickly realized that it was too risky to hang on. I shouted that no one should try it and jumped back on the ground. We let the train pass completely and saw that the last bogey was pulling a trolley where there were people on it. We ran after the train like those fugitives in movies and hopped on the trolly one by one. A sigh of relief. Finally, we were going to make it to Goa that day.



Towards The Land Of Sun and Sand

View from Agvada Fort.

We reached Culem - a station 6 Km from the point we boarded the goods train. Some good men told us that we should get a passenger train to Vasco if we are going towards Panaji. We waited till 6 to get the passenger train which was almost empty as if it was there only for us. We came to Madgaon and decided to go to Calangute Beach- North Goa.

Securing rooms during the long weekend in Calangute proved to be quite challenging. Despite the difficulty, we managed to find a room, although it wasn't as satisfactory as the one we had in Dandeli, and it came with a hefty price tag—twice the cost. 

During dinner, we indulged in a delectable chicken curry paired with Fenny, a local spirit. The aroma of the Fenny was simply incredible, permeating the air as the waiter placed it on our table.

As we reflected on the day's events, we strategized for the following day. I proposed that we rise early in the morning, enabling us to frolic and swim in the tides before returning to check out. This plan would grant us an entire day to explore North Goa without incurring additional room charges. It was an opportunity to maximize our time and make the most of our stay.

I woke up early and asked the boys to get ready. We went to the beach and played a lot. It was my second time in two years to swim in the sea. I was relaxed without the fear of water and went far deep. There were also lifeguards around which made it easy for us to enjoy carelessly. Mustafa was a bit hesitant to enter the deep water against the high tides. But seeing Hrishikesh and me fooling around comfortably, he gradually joined us.

After spending more than 2 hours in the water, we came to our room and prepared ourselves for the next part. Mustafa called a cab so that we can see most of the places around. We spent our day traveling around the beaches of north Goa. In the evening, before taking the ST bus back home we went for the famous Panjim cruise safari. It was a nice experience.
_*_
1. The exact dialogue-
Sheldon: Actually, he might have to. There’s an economic concept known as a positional good in which an object is only valued by the possessor because it’s not possessed by others. The term was coined in 1976 by economist Fred Hirsch to replace the more colloquial, but less precise neener-neener.
courtesy -http://bigbangtrans.wordpress.com/series-3-episode-15-the-large-hadron-collision/
2. By the time I finished this post, the order has been revoked and reserves are open again for tourists.
3. This part may sound boring and this post has been holding up my next ones. So, wrapping it up.


टिप्पण्या

  1. ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.

    उत्तर द्याहटवा
  2. I read the entire episode of the Dandeli trip with great interest. It made for very captivating reading, esp since I am planning a trip to that region end of coming June. Thanks a lot. The accidental discovery of this post was lucky for me. BTW, could I connect with you over email to ask a few questions about my upcoming trip? I would be highly obliged. I can be reached at pramodkjoshi@gmail.com. Please drop me a line and I shall write/call back. Thanks! :)

    उत्तर द्याहटवा
  3. Very nice post. Surrounded by dense forests, this small town of Dandeli is bestowed with a plethora of unexplored and uncharted spots. Check out some popular places to visit in Dandeli such as The Kavala Caves, Ulavi Channabasappa Temple, and Anshi National Park etc.

    उत्तर द्याहटवा
    प्रत्युत्तरे
    1. Dear Anjali,
      Thanks for sharing the link. We couldn't explore Dandli to the fullest. Next time I will surely spend some more time in this scenic region.

      हटवा

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