Dandeli cycling - A Jungle trail
Detailed itinerary
Dandeli Cycling - A Jungle trail adventure
A 200 km jungle trail that passes through 3 wildlife sanctuaries, namely Kali tiger reserve, Anshi national park and Cotigoa wildlife sanctuary. It provides a picturesque terrain that is rich in flora and fauna. The trail provides a perfect route to enter Goa from Karnataka via Cotigoa wildlife sanctuary. A short patch where only cyclist and bikers are allowed will take the adventure on next level.
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 : Batch 1 : 12 - 15 June 2025
Batch 2 : 25 - 28 Dec 2025
Distance and Elevation : 200 km, 2084 m elevation gain
Reporting at : Castlerock junction - 8.00 am. You can plan to reach campsite a day prior and get some rest and acclimatize.
How to Reach:
Train Journey :
From Mumbai/Pune :-
Catch the Goa express from Mumbai/Pune. It reaches Castlerock at midnight by 3:00 am. We will arrange pickup from castlerock junction.
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.
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. But, as our end point is different than start point, riders need to arrange a shared cab/local bus from end point in Goa to Castlerock.
Itinerary (Day wise schedule) :
Participants will gather at the Castlerock junction by 8 am. This will be the start point of our 4 day trail.
In short
Dandeli Cycling
Dates :
Batch 1 - 12 - 15 June 2025
Batch 2 - 25-28 Dec 2025
Duration : 4 days n 3 nights
Distance : 200 km
Difficulty : Moderate
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: 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 visit is a surprise for this day.
Day 2: Ganeshgudi- 65 km (Moderate)
Today is going to be a fun day as we get to indulge ourselves in some water activities at Dandeli. Kali River in Dandeli offers a rafting stretch of up to 12 kms. We will be indulging ourselves in kayaking, boating or swimming activities at Ganeshgudi.
A couple of small climbs to reach our adventure camp in the dense jungles of kali tiger reserve will mark the end of another adventurous day.
Day 3: Anshi National park - 55 km (Challenging)
Today we will be riding through the Anshi National park.
Post breakfast, we get packed lunch and start our trail through road less known. A trail that you will remember for life time. We join the major route after a good 12km long stretch through the small villages and river flowing on one side of the road. After crossing the forest checkpost we continue our ride towards Syntheri rocks.
Located in the centre of Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Syntheri Rocks boasts of spectacular natural beauty that is made up of volcanic rocks with the River Kaneri passing by its side.
A challenging climb awaits post lunch uptill the checkpost of Ulvi temple. Once we cross the check post it is a mix of downhill and flat terrain to the destination for the day. Another campsite, located in dense forest of Anshi. Post snacks break at campsite we have an optional offroad ride/walk to a small village nearby.
Day 4: Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, 45 km (Moderate)
We begin our ride with a thrilling 10km long downhill patch through Anshi. A right turn on the karwar road and we continue uptill the forest checkpost on a flat terrain for 15kms. We will be entering Goa through Cotigao wildlife sanctuary. This is a short patch, but the thrill offered is beyond expectations.
Our support vehicle will follow a separate route as only cyclists and bikers are allowed on this route. A few km's through the sanctuary and we reach our lunch point hotel. Enjoy the local authentic Goan veg/fish thali at this place.
This is also the end point of the expedition at Cotigao.
Stay is not included for this day, but we can manage if you want to stayback.
Buses to Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai are available from Canacona (10km away) post 7 pm.
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 and lunch on day 4
- Drinking water and fresh, energy drinks and bars along the route
- All entry tickets, Jeep safari at Canopy, kayaking or swimming at Dandeli. Other water activites at actuals.
- 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.
COST EXCLUDES:
1. Transport costs to Castlerock and back home from Goa.
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, warm wear while at campsite.
- 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, toilet roll, cold cream, towel, lunch box for packed lunch and a spoon. We provide packed lunch on day 2 and 3.
- 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 electricity. Mobile network is not gauranteed in such locations. Only BSNL/Jio might have some calling network
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