castlerock cycling - welcoming rains
Detailed itinerary
Casterock Cycling - Welcoming Monsoons
A 120 km jungle ride that passes through 2 wildlife sanctuaries, namely Kali tiger reserve and Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary. It provides a picturesque terrain that is rich in flora and fauna. Ride to India's first canopy, dip in the waters where Dudhsagar originates, visit to the vast Vajra waterfall are some of the highlights of this tour. As the distance covered daily is less than 50km, even beginners can opt in.
Mountain biking on this route designed by our expert riders will set your heart pumping and your muscles working. Your eyes get to soak in the magnificent and beautiful views of trees and rocks, and your lungs get to breathe the purest air along with the fragrance of the blossoms. Though an exercise for your body, this ride will be a soothing process for your mind where you get to cycle along with your friends and family in a charming landscape and that too, without any traffic. If you are a city dweller, you will appreciate this ride even more. Overall it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience without a single dull moment.
Dates : --
Distance and Elevation : 120 km, 1200 m elevation gain
Reporting at : Castlerock junction. You can plan to reach campsite by lunch time on day 1.
How to Reach:
Train Journey :
From Mumbai/Pune :-
Catch the Goa express from Mumbai/Pune. It reaches Castlerock at midnight by 3:00 am.
If you do not get Goa train ticket you can opt for Hubli express from Mumbai. You can get down at Londa junction and take public transport bus uptill Anmod or connecting train from Londa to Castlerock or cab directly to camp location.
From any other region :-
Castlerock junction is well connected with trains coming from karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. Plan your journey accordingly to reach the meeting point at the mentioned timings. Train from Bengaluru reaches Castlerock midnight by 12. Castlerock is well connected with state buses from Madgaon/Belgavi. If opting for Bus you can get down at Anmod.
Car Journey :- Ample amount of parking space is available at the start point. As our end point is also Castlerock, you can plan journey in Car.
Itinerary (Day wise schedule) :
Participants will gather at the shared campsite location near Castlerock junction. This will be the start point of our 4 day tour.
In short
Castlerock Cycling
Dates : --
Duration : 4 days n 3 nights
Distance : 120 km
Difficulty : Moderate (Good for beginners)
Meeting point : Castlerock junction, Karnataka
Category : Multi day biking tour
Fee : - 15000 /- (excluding cycle)
Rental cycle - 3000 /-
Batch size : 10-15
Daywise Itinerary
Day 1: Acclimatization at Castlerock
Before we start with the 3 day ride in the most picturesque regions of north karnataka, lets take some time to acquaint ourselves with fellow riders and our bodies with the nature. If you are planning to bring own cycle, you can utilise the time to assemble bike and go on a short ride.
You can plan to reach the camp before lunch, get some rest in the noon and enjoy the sunset views from campsite.
Day 2: Castlerock Offroad - 30 km
Fancy a walk in the clouds surrounded by the undeniable beauty of the Western Ghats? We start our ride with a short warmup offroad ride in the dense jungle of Dandeli. A joint project by the State’s tourism and forest departments, the Kuveshi Canopy, 30 feet high and around 240 meters long that sits near the Karnataka-Goa border, has created a buzz among wildlife and nature enthusiasts.
The canopy presents you with an excellent opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of one of the country’s best known tropical rainforests. You’ll be enveloped by towering Malabar Tamarinds, Silver Oaks, Eucalyptuses, bamboos, and teak wood trees. The treetops are also abundant with avian life and creatures of the forest. You can spot species like the Malabar squirrels, lion-tailed macaque, white-bellied treepie, hornbills, woodpeckers and butterflies.
A secret spot waterfall visit is a surprise for this day.
Day 3: Bhimgad Sanctuary- 55 km
We start our ride with some short climbs and descends to reach the border of KA and GA. Post border checkpost we enter Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary with some serene landscapes, tiny villages, adjoining paddy fields and canopied roads with very little traffic.
We continue our ride post lunch on the Belgaum Goa highway untill we reach our stay for the day, once again at a good nature surrounded property.
Day 4: Vajra Waterfall - 40 km
Today we will be riding through the Kali tiger reserve.
Post breakfast, we start our trail through road less polluted and more canopied patch of Kali. We take a detour from the small town of Ramnagar, towards a beautiful waterfall called Vajra which remains falling even in summer.
A dip in the waters of Vajra for a refreshing start to our last section of the tour at Castlerock.
We will reach the destination by late noon for lunch. Post lunch you can checkout for your next destinations.
Cost
COST : 15000 /-
Cycle is not included in the above cost.
You can opt to bring your own cycle or hire rented cycle at an extra cost of 3000/-
COST INCLUDES:
- Accommodation in jungle camps/hotels on all the days. Rooms/Safari tents will be on triple sharing or dormitories with separate bedding for each.
- Authentic local breakfast, lunch and dinner from day 1-3. breakfast, lunch on day 4
- Drinking water and fresh, energy drinks and bars along the route
- All entry tickets in the buffer zone of Castlerock.
- A trained guide on a cycle along the route along with necessary repair kit etc
- A support vehicle all along the route, which would take care of your luggage
- Extra bicycles as backup in case you have a breakdown.
- A custom designed Event T-Shirt for all riders.
- A goodie bag from Pedal thirst.
COST EXCLUDES:
1. Transport costs to Castlerock and back home.
2. Cycle, lights and other accessories. Pls carry your own.
3. Any expenses of personal nature such as mineral water, laundry, liquor, tips to driver, personal food orders etc.
4. Any kind of cost needed for major repairs and spares to repair a personal cycle in case of break down.
5. Any kind of insurance, such as accident, theft, medical, evacuation etc.
6. Any additional expense caused due to any reason beyond control of Pedal Thirst Adventures and its associates; like change in itinerary due to flight delays, road blockage, landslides, bad weather conditions, bridge breakage and any other natural calamity or incidence like strike, curfew etc. on which Pedal thirst adventures and its associates do not have any control.
7. Items not specified above in ‘Cost Includes’.
Things to Carry :
- Sports shoes during cycling and sandals/floaters with good grip while at campsite
- 1 lit water bottle(compulsory), 3/4ths or shorts or track bottoms, Cap, sunglasses
- Personal medication requirements if any.
- Hygienic requirements
- Cycling lights(front and rear), ID proof, power bank, camera(optional)
- Cycling Jersey or Any Dry Fit T-Shirt or Cotton T-Shirts - 2
- Cycling Shorts - 2
- Riders carrying own cycle should bring 1 extra tube, brake pads if not in good condition and helmet.
- Track Pant (Preferably Quick Dry) - 2
- T-shirt - 2
- Rain wear while riding.
- Undergarments
- Riding Glove - 1 Pair
- Sweat Band or Bandana
- Cotton Socks - (3 pairs)
- Sunscreen lotion (SPF–50 or above), lip balm, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, cold cream, towel.
- Anti-rash cream or powder to avoid any rash near groin area from cycling. Anti-fungal cream: Carry an antifungal cream if you are sensitive to sweating and prone to skin irritations around genitals or groin area.
SPECIAL NOTES
- Your luggage would be carried in the support vehicle. Keep all clothes and electric items in platic bags to avoid getting wet in support vehicle.
- A trail guide would be with us throughout the journey from Londa to Goa.
- It is mandatory for all participants to wear helmets on the ride.
- On this arduous cycle trip delays and detours are possible on account of landslides, road blocks and weather conditions. Our effort would be to continue with the trip as per the schedule; make sure that you would be comfortable. But in such rare situations we could have to compromise on the accommodation that we have booked and adjust to these situations there. No compensation of any sort would be provided in such an event.
- The itinerary described above is the planned one; but very rarely due to reasons beyond our control some spot changes would have to be done. The decision of the tour guide would be final in such a case. No compensation of any sort would be provided in such a case.
- The distances mentioned in the above itinerary are to the best of our knowledge & information. Some minor variations would be expected.
- The cost mentioned above is for India citizen.
Cancellation:Tour Cancellation charges are applicable on actual full tour price
Before 30 days – Full Refund.
Between 30 – 10 days - 60% of the tour cost will be refunded.
Less than 10 days 0% - No refund.
Payment: You can pay 5000 as non-refundable deposit for your registration. Remaining can be paid 10 days prior to the expedition. Else you can pay the entire amount through our online registration link. Cancellation policy is applicable only if entire amount is paid while booking for the tour.
ACCOMMODATION: We will be staying in jungle camps with clean rooms and hygienic washrooms. Participants would be required to share with 1 or 2 other participants, based on the size of the swiss Tent at each stay. If it is a dormitory, it will be shared among 10-15 riders. Men and women will be accommodated separately. Electricity and hot water would be available depending on weather conditions in the jungle. Mobile network is available at all sites.
FOOD:We would have local food along the way to immerse ourselves in the unique and famous local cuisines - such as south Indian and Goan. Meals provided by us would be vegetarian/non-veg fixed menu. You can order for extra items apart from the fixed menu by paying the difference on spot. Sometimes during the cycling expedition we might have to serve either packed breakfast / lunch. Please carry lunch box for the same.
MEDICAL AND FIRST AID:This cycle expedition is in a relatively remote region, where advanced, professional medical help may not be available as easily as it is in cities. It would be the participant’s responsibility to ensure that he or she is in good health, physically and mentally both. It would be advisable to speak to your physician if you are unsure of your fitness levels. In case you have an existing medical condition or disability you must inform us before booking with us. In case of any health problem that you might face on the trip, it would be advisable to speak to your tour leader. The tour leader would be equipped to give only first aid to participants. Any expense incurred by us for any medical emergency / for evacuation for any reason, the expenses for the same would be borne by the concerned participant.
Talk with lead :9028280766 - Saideep Dhondge