Perfect Dandeli Itinerary for 2 Days

Dandeli itinerary: There are many spots clustered tight together to visit in Dandeli. 2 days is sufficient for a sweet vacation in Dandeli. Or at least to visit all the must-see places.

With most places to experience by the Kali river Dandeli, it’s best to stay in one resort and enjoy all the activities nearby. Visiting Dandeli with my friends was one of my best short trips of 2 days.

Thus, I daresay two days is enough for visiting Dandeli. However, it’s great to stay longer to stay away from the hustle-and-bustle of the world. After all, Dandeli is very peaceful.

Before we get into the trip, let’s get into the most important part of travel – packing your bags!  Here’s how to plan out your Dandeli itinerary.

Dandeli itinerary: What to Pack

For two days, here are some items you’ll need:

  • 2-3 sets of clothes – I recommend light summer clothes. Heavy wet clothes (like jackets) are difficult to return with.
  • Plastic bags – for those wet clothes.
  • First-aid kit/Bandaids – these come in handy for treks.
  • Flip-flops/espadrilles/sandals – or something you can take on and off quickly.
  • Sun-screen lotion

A backpack with these items is a minimum requirement.

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Dandeli Itinerary for 2 Days

Since I live 50 kilometers away from Dandeli, it isn’t troublesome to travel. However, most tourists come from Bangalore and Goa. So book your stay much earlier. Dandeli is a popular tourist spot – it’s difficult to get a homestay on spot.

I’ve visited Dandeli once and I get why it happens; Dandeli is the perfect getaway (and budget-friendly) spot for most under the serene dense forests.

Those who carry valuable items on travel, also consider purchasing travel insurance as it helps cover expenses when you’re visiting a dangerous or theft-prone spot.

Dandeli is safe, but you’ll be around the Kali river a lot and you’re sure to get soaked while rafting. Make sure to keep extra pair of clothing.

Day 1

1. Check-in Resort in Dandeli

Arrive early in the morning and check in at your resort, homestay, or wherever you’re residing at. It’s best to check in before you visit any place. Leave your bags behind and carry a smaller pack.

Rafting or any of the other activities, be sure to carry a change of clothes while stepping out. Sunscreen lotion also comes in handy – it’s optional.

Dandeli is a jungle-ish area alright. But a pair of flips-flops would do better than shoes. With water activities, you’ll be taking off your footwear often. And you’ll mostly be out here for water activities, so the sandals or flip-flops (even better) are suggestible.

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Transport: Plan out your transport firsthand or request your accommodation for transportation facilities. For your own transport arrangements, a four-wheeler is recommended. Most dandeli trips are available as package trips more or less the same as its only 2 days. The reliable part of package trip is the transport itself.

The last time I visited Dandeli from Bangalore via a package, transport wasn’t a problem throughout.

It gets difficult if your bike breaks down, and services are not available for kilometers. The best option (and the one we chose) is to hire a chauffeured car. The drivers in Dandeli know their roads and help out better in case of emergencies.

Another post to check out: The Ultimate Dandeli Travel Guide

2. Start with Water Activities

Dandeli itinerary. After unpacking at your stay, go straight for water activities (this doesn’t include rafting). This differs in situations. Sometimes, your resort can suggest you start with rafting right away. You can go with that and then come back to water activities later.

I’ll elaborate on why rafting timings change later. Anyway, here are the other water activities:

  • Kayaking
  • Zorbing
  • Jacuzzi bath
  • Coracle ride
  • River crossing
  • Boating
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Kayaking was the first one we went for. Brace up your arms as you’ll need a lot of strength to push (kayak) yourself through the water. Zorbing seemed fun too, except we were already tired with kayaking, so we hit the jacuzzi bath. A reminder: It’s best to apply sun-lotion before you go in at noon.

The sun made sure we burnt down to medium brown when we came back.

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All these activities come together in the same place. It shouldn’t be a long drive from your resort. In fact, some great riverside resorts like the Whistling Woods are right next to the river.

We paid for all the water activities beforehand, so we just had to wait for our turns. Speaking of waiting, whichever opportunity you get first in these activities, go for it!

We decided to go kayaking first and we had to wait for 20 minutes! Anyway, all these fun wet activities will end by half of the day.

You’ll be exhausted (and contented) by then too :)

Check out my other Dandeli Itinerary on Travelista Club!

3. Visit Dandeli Backwaters and Tribal Shop

We visited the backwaters on our way back to the resort from the river. Either way, it’s a lovely spot. When we visited it, we couldn’t drive through it. So we decided to walk through the path while the car drove around the backwater walls.

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There isn’t much to see here, but with the huge stones on either side of the road, you can great pictures.

Towards the end of the backwaters road, you’ll find a Tribal shop with local products made in Dandeli. Check that out for souvenirs as well. Later, we got back into the car which was already waiting for us.

Another post for you to check out: Shirley Falls Guide

4. Campfire and Dinner

Enquire about your bookings prior to your travel. We had our dinner and breakfast for the following morning included in our package. Additionally, we had hired the car only for one day (to take us to the river, backwaters, and back to the stay).

What they provide for dinner differs from one homestay to another. To pick your perfect homestay, here are my favorite budget homestays in Dandeli to pick from. By the time we settled down to eat, we were too hungry to mind the food. But we had an amazing time.

Then we had a campfire. This is the activity you’ll see on most websites offering Dandeli adventure services. But it isn’t. At least it wasn’t for us. The campfire was already set before we arrived and we sat around it and talked. That was it!

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Day 2

5. Gear up For Rafting

As mentioned earlier, go rafting as early as possible – before you head to Dandeli, ask your resort or guide about its availability.

Rafting is possible when there is a strong current. Sometimes, it isn’t available. Dandeli is known for rafting so don’t miss it out. Make sure to ask your booked resort/homestay if rafting is available about a week before your visit.

Furthermore, there are two options for rafting. One is short-range rafting and the other is long. The time you spend here differs. The short-range rafting (usually 1 kilometer) doesn’t last long while the long 9-kilometer range can fill in your whole day.

You’ll need another change of clothes here.

6. Trekking and Cycling

Trekking and cycling are optional here. They aren’t the specialties to experience in Dandeli. But more into bicycles myself, I’m looking forward to cycling there soon!

For trekking, there are some popular spots to check out like the Syntheri Rocks and Sykes point. For a family trip, however, camping is a better option :)

Accommodations in Dandeli

Dandeli Itinerary: There are many stays to choose from here. Some lush village resorts are great for family trips and others are perfect for solo travelers and people seeking budget accommodations.

I visited Dandeli with a group of friends a few years ago, after our 12th graduation. And now we’re on our different streams, all physically distant from one another. Dandeli is our number one go-to spot to catch up on old times.

Anyway, we stayed at the Dandeli Jungle Camp where it cost less than 3k including all activities. It was a budget stay cozy for our needs. There are many similar stays as such:

Book your stay today for the best prices on Booking.com:



Booking.com

More things to do in Dandeli for Travelers

This is something I dream of doing one day in Dandeli. Did you know that the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary is one of Karnataka’s largest sanctuaries?

So it’s a dream to step in and photograph the wildlife species and of course, the vast scenic falls, hills, rivers, and forests. This isn’t part of the 2 day Dandeli itinerary. This is only a suggestion for travel enthusiasts.

One great way to check out this sanctuary is by booking a Dandeli jungle safari ride where they take you deep into the thick forests. You can expect to catch glimpses of a tiger or a black panther!

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Dandeli Itinerary: Conclusion

That would sum up your Dandeli itinerary. So two days and one night’s stay is perfect for a vacation in Dandeli. You’ll miss out on either the water activities or the rafting for anything less.

That being said, it brings us to the end of this Dandeli itinerary.

Dandeli itinerary
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Image Credit: CSG Raft Gear Ltd

*This post contains affiliate link(s) where I receive a small commission at no additional cost of the products to you. I only recommend products and services I trust.

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Manas Patil

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