It was just another day in the middle of a workweek. When I was returning home got a ping in whatsapp group saying let’s plan a weekend trip to Coorg from my previous trip friends. I suggested Dandeli because I wanted to do White water River Rafting. All agreed on that, and in no time we approached the organizers of Backpackers and City Freaks (BCF), and yeah on the same day we got confirmed our slots and on Friday night we already gathered at MGBS pickup point.
We were 6 in total and there was another gang with 7-8 people we interacted on the bus got to know another bunch of crazies. We felt wow when we got to know even they became friends like us on their previous trip. We introduced ourselves, shared our stories, and played anthyakshari and also our favorite game “dumb charades”. As our batch was of 22 people in total, 3 Organizers Ravikanth, Azam, and Swetha joined us as Organizes from BCF.
Also read: My previous blog to understand how I got new friends to travel.
That night on the bus we had fun as much as we can. Thanks to our Organizer’s ice-breaking session.
Day 1: 08 Feb 2020
The next morning we got down at Hubli bus station and got freshen up. Then set to our jungle stay at Dandeli in a minibus. On the way, we also got a chance to view Kali river backwater.
Our host Rahul Bhavaji received us and welcomed to his beautiful heavenly homestay called “Kali Jungle Stay “. It is in the middle of the Dandeli forest covered with large banana fields on the right and small fresh river water flow on the left and a bridge on that. To reach this place we need to walk around 500 meters from the road and cross a wooden bridge that is constructed on that small water flow coming from long way.
Homestay:
The homestay was divided into three places. A big hall (dormitory), a few tents, and another small building with three rooms. So boys occupied the big hall and the girls took the house with 3 rooms. At that particular point in time, no one was interested in staying in tents. We had two women for cooking who made our stay easy by cooking tasty food.
The day we reached Dandeli, we went for white water rafting. It was my first time ever rafting, as I never got a chance before. Thanks to BCF!. I developed aquaphobia from my childhood and was very scared to get into the water. Many thoughts flashed in my mind at that particular point in time. But later on, I decided to get into the water as in the first place I was there at Dandeli for white water river rafting.
River Rafting Experience:
In our boat, there were 10 members excluding the captain. We also paid for video by Go-Pro and for pictures of rafting. So it started, the boat was taken to a high tide flow area and rowed down from there along with the tide which as amazing. Next, he rowed the boat against that tide to experience the water stream which was a little terrifying because the boat was almost flipping from one side and seemed to flip reverse throwing people on board into the water.
The first time was good all were present as is in the boat. The second time we did that again went against the tide and people sitting on the sides of the boat kept rowing faster while flowing down there were only 8 people out of 10 on the boat. Two were in the water flowing towards the rocks and got hit by the small rocks and rescue person came and took them and they came again into our boat.
First, when I saw them missing on the boat and falling into the water I got panicked thinking they might just be got drowned in the water although they were wearing life jackets also, but later when they got the support of rock and everyone even their friends burst out of laughing seeing them in water, I was feeling sorry and laughing at the same time. It was so funny and scared imagining myself in their place. If I would have fallen like them, I could have just drowned and died because of my panic.
After that, we did not attempt another time we played in the water some time, did kayaking and it was late in the evening so returned back to our stay. While returning back every one so tired and we in the back seats of the bus started singing songs in a very high pitch that others also joined us.
When we reached home, food was already cooked and ready. After dinner bonfire was lit. There was a proper setup for a bonfire with benches at four sides to sit and also firewood properly arranged. I liked that seating arrangement.
That night we played all-new games like Passing current (not the regular current shock game), Number 7 and another was Calling names, introduced by one of the organizers, Azam from BCF. I never heard of those games before, it was really fun.
Slowly people started to slip from the group and went to sleep. In the end there was hardly half of the group left so we played songs and danced (I never let go of an opportunity to dance). When everyone left I sat for some more time near the fire. That night was a full moon, I spent most of the time looking at the surroundings those trees and the full moon at the distance with a clear sky, loved it, and love that place. I called it my first day in Dandeli.
Day2: 09 Feb 2020
The second-day plan was to wake up early and go for bird watching.As planned woke up early in the morning and got ready for our next activity.
Bird watching: We hired a guide. His name was Francis. He knows every inch of that forest including the number of different bird species that are living there and their scientific name.
A most interesting fact when I asked him how he was able to recognize them when they are at a long distance sitting on top of a big tree, he said by their voice.
Oh my GOD, it is sometimes difficult for me to identify my friend’s voice on the phone and he identifies every bird with its voice, even the gender. I was totally amazed. He gave us a small tour of the forest showing a different types of woods like Rosewood, different types of Sandalwoods, etc. I saw Hornbill birds there. It had a long beak and colored neck.
After bird watching, we again came to stay and had food and played in the water flow which was on the left to our stay posed to many pictures.
Then we packed bags and waved bye to our hosts and headed to the Kali river dam. That river was so clear that the blue sky was reflecting clearly in that water that made the water look very blue in color. That was so large that some locals were playing cricket tournaments near the dam.
We bought so many snacks on the way back to eat thinking in case we feel hungry and didn’t get good food in train. At 4 we had to catch a train from Hubli station. So we left 3 hours early from Dandeli to reach the station on time. Reached the station on time and boarded the train. Again all gathered in one place where most of our people have seats and started having fun. Played all games again till passengers from the next compartment started shouting to stop shouting 😂. And tried to sell chips packets in the train, that we bought from Dandeli
This was my experience from the Dandeli trip. I miss that homestay in the middle of the jungle. Met some more new people on this trip and added them to my friend’s list. If I get a chance will go again with my friends just for that house. I hope everyone from our group also had a great time. Please let me know your travel stories and the Dandeli trip with friends.
As the BCF‘s tagline says,I learnt a lot from travelling. Each trip teaches me different things. I would like to end with the same quote “Keep Travelling… Keep Learning”
Thank you so much for reading ❤️ ❤️.
Also read: My previous blog to understand how I got new friends to travel.
Clicks:
Notes from BCF:
We organize this trip very often throughout the year. You can follow us on Instagram for regular updates. Insta ID –bcf.official. For more info on BCF upcoming events visit us here. About the logo, you can read here.
Article by Varsha. Thanks a lot to Varsha for penning down your experiences from the event. Link for Varsha’s personal blog and Insta ID – asitravel.in
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Backpackers and City Freaks (BCF) 
“Dandeli river rafting in Karnataka offers an exhilarating blend of nature’s beauty and adventure, making it an unforgettable experience for thrill-seekers and nature enthusiasts alike. Navigate through the untamed waters of the Kali River while soaking in the lush green surroundings – a true gem of an adventure destination!”
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