Backpacking gokarna and Kali Wilderness & Adventure Camp

rajnag

Hi,
I am interested in doing a week long backpacking trip some areas near gokarna and then onto Kali Wilderness & Adventure Camp and dandeli forest area. Planning to depart from bangalore.

Let me know if anyone's interested and we can work out the details.

-Raj

rajnag

Hi All,
A small update.. I know this plan is a bit loose on details and time etc...Let em elaborate on the plan. I plan to travel from hyderabad to dharwad and then on to dandeli town.

1)I have my own tent so plan to camp out in the kulgi nature camp campgrounds as ppl say its the best.
I will call the forest officer and take the required permissions and book the campground spot by 10 th feb(200-500 total estimate).The plan is to be there by 21-22 feb.
Activities:
Do either a couple of day hikes or a 2-3 day trek on the approved trek paths by hiring a guide(100 rs per day).
Birding can also be done.

2)Take the bus from dandeli to gokarna. camp out on the beaches in gokarna for a couple of days and enjoy the sun,sand,water et al.

3)Do a 3 day trek/hike along the coast down south to bellikere/murudeshwar(60-70 km) camping along the beaches at night.
Phew.. That's about all right now folks. Adventurous people are always welcome !!

-Raj

dilbharatmain

Just did the raft trip on the Kali River from Dandeli - really beautiful. Saw 3 leapoards on the roadside when driving back to the lodge in the dusk. Logged in about 100 bird species in the 2 weeks I was in Dandeli - the hornbills amazing. The trek into the top of Dudh Sagar Falls very impressive. I didn't camp, but only a couple of budget lodges in Dandeli town itself, or the more upmarket KTDC Jungle Lodges properties - the Kali River Lodge, or the local huts at Ganeshgudi - all overpriced for foreigners, more reasonable for Indians - talk about intrenched racism in Karnataka - that state has the worst 'official' double pricing system in India... poor Shilpa Shetty and her uncooked chicken curry!!~
Enjoy Dandeli, lovely lovely forest area. Rafting awesome...

cyberhippie

Second that. Rafting on the Kali is amazing and the bird life fantastic. The budget option in town was great value at 249 for a double with Hot water and TV!!

Brilliant Bel Puri stalls as well!!

rajnag

ok guys if any of you can suggest other things to do around theses aread, you are most welcome.Monuments and temples to visit for example..

Jorge Reverter

I have also been rafting in Kali river two years ago. I was in the overpriced Kali River Lodge, in any case not so expensive compared with others and with nice bungalow, tents and food. I 've seen some wild elephants and many lions etc but on the dusk, that's mean that only the guide saw the wild aninmals.

No temple and/or monuments on the area, the most interesting place when coming from Hampi or Badami is Saundatti the place of the "Devadasi Girls".

Jorge

Attached Thumbnails

 

LoafFree

Have you ever been to museums in the UK? We have to pay some ridiculous amounts to get in...it's all justified. how do you think hampi, badami, the Taj etc survive? your tax monies? No! it's because of tourism.

__________________
Remember what the doormouse said: "Feed your head! Feed your head!"

dilbharatmain

Not too much of a problem for me to pay a surcharge as an international tourist for seeing historical and archaeological sites. It really gets me when I am charged "officially" 80% more in a hotel, when the Indians in the room next to me, dripping in gold and driving around in a brand new Mercedes benz car (with 4 in a room) are getting the hotel for considerably less - but this is official govt. policy in many hotels in karnataka.

mazha

They must be government hotels, I doubt whether the private folks would do that.

I think the two-tier pricing is logical, even though it was probably started to earn money, and was not based on logic. Consider this: in almost all universities in the West, foreign students pay double the fees as domestic students. The logic of this was explained to me as: "the students, or their ancestors, have not paid tax here. The university was built and is maintained by the tax money of local residents, so they get a better deal."

I think this is sound logic. Even though, it follows from this premise that, in many universities in the commonwealth, Indians should be allowed to pay domestic fees, as their ancestors' tax monies have contributed to them!

For monuments and government hotels in India, the same logic applies. These are maintained (however shoddily) by the tax money of locals and their ancestors, so they get to pay less. Note that NRI folks get a deal under the "ancestor" clause.

Sometimes the things that you go to see have been maintained by the locals themselves, without any support from the government. Tourism started recently, most of the things you see have been around for a long time, and the people that contributed, however distantly, to keep them standing should be given some preference over the visitors.

This is one reason I appreciate the backpacking crowd: they keep away from big fancy hotels, and support local businesses. Though, in the long run, tourism kills culture, as everything tends to become a show to make money.