Dandeli

This was an exploratory trip to check out places around Dandeli. An overnight bus to Dandeli from Bangalore got us there pretty early in the morning. As expected, there are Malabar pied hornbills all over the place. It is not too difficult to spot them especially the old timber yard close to the bus stand has quite a few of them passing through along with other birds early mornings. Evening are not that great and this may not be the best season for birding either.

We stayed in a homestay at Anshi which along with Dandeli forms the bulk of the forests in that area. Quite a comfortable place to stay with great food. Although it was 35 km from the town and 22 km inside the forest from the main gate, the surroundings are fantastic if you have a vehicle at your disposal. A number of villages are scattered all over the place. A single safari convinced us that mammals are going to be impossible to spot (except giant squirrels, which are as common as the hornbills) and driving around the highway in the forest or trekking in the forest seemed to be a cheaper and a much better option.


This was truly a bird-watcher's paradise. Photography is difficult in the thick bushes but there are plenty of species to be seen just along the highways. Treks to a few places around Anshi found us many more. There are also some caves and temples nearby, although it is a 3 km trek to the caves without a 4x4 vehicle, the last stretch of which involves climbing down really steep steps. A few raptors were seen in that area, but the dense forests prevent anyone from getting close.