Ulavi Caves or Akal Gavi
Ulavi Caves or Akal Gavi
4.5
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Raghavendra
Bengaluru, India7 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
A unique place deep in the forest. Close to Kali Tiger Reserve. Crossing small streams several times on the way and to top it all, a huge cave where a stream flows into and flows out through a small hole or a crack in the rocks that's not visible. A sight to behold when there are a few thousand bats storming out of the cave together. I had gone with a trekking group called Chaaraniga.
PS: A truly amazing homestay at the border of the tiger reserve.
PS: A truly amazing homestay at the border of the tiger reserve.
Written 7 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Samarth R
Mysuru (Mysore), India368 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
Perched upon a hill in the middle of Dandeli forest reserve is a small, remote village called Ulavi. Home to 30-50 families, this place is known more as an annual pilgrimage center than a place for hikes, jungle and cave exploration.
Ulavi, historically came into existance when a saint Channabasavanna settled along with few of his followers in 12th century AD. He attained samadhi here. The samadhi and and old yet well maintained and revered Shiva temple are the main attractions of the village.
Beyond the main attractions is and old jungle track, a water spring and a small cave system close to the village. A day's trek can be planned to explore all the 3. We did a southward 8kms one side hike from the village to Kali river banks. We started early morning after paying visit to the temple and light breakfast in the village. Before I go further 3 important directions to hikers.
1. The nearest hotel or lodging location is Dandeli (45-50kms). Its better to reach a night earlier and settle down before starting journey to Ulavi.
2. The village has just 2-3 road side shops where you can get local snacks like 'avalakki' or idly vada. If you are lucky you might get poori saagu on an odd day. So I suggest hikers to either carry breakfast and snacks from Dandeli or make do with whatever you can lay your hands on at Ulavi.
3. Carry basic first aid kit and a pack of slake lime paste (available at any pan shop). The nearest primary health center is at Joida 20kms from the village. Why the slake lime paste? Well, you might occassionally encounter leaches in the forest. Slake lime paste helps dislodge leach from your body in case one get bitten and also improves blood clotting on the wound. Locals have another trick up their sleeve to deter leaches. They boil dried tobacco leaves in water and apply the decoction on arms, legs and exposed skin. The decoction easily get washed away in just one bath once they return from the jungle.
After visiting the temple, we started walking down the main village road southwards towards the jungle. Around 1km away we reached a Bird watch tower constructed by forest department. It is the highest point of the hill and all you can see are tall green trees and hear the birds chirping. Cool breeze and fresh jungle air feels refreshing. You can also see a small rock structure rising between the trees at a distance. The rock formation is where the Akal Gavi cave system is.
From here, its a down hill walk for around 30 minutes, when we reached a midway attraction; a cold water spring called Haralayanna Chilume. Legend has it that when Channabasavanna came to these forests, the area where the village is located was a parched rocky area with no water source. This is when he prayed Lord Shiva and dug up the soil with bare hands and out of no where the water gushed out of the ground.
For hikers, this water is a welcome stopover as one can freshen up and quench their thirst with cold, sweet, fresh water.
Next Stop, the Cave System.
A 20 minute walk further, takes us to the foot of the rock formation that is home to a number of caves. For ease of access, the forest department with help of villagers have constructed steps and steel ladders to reach the entrance of the caves. The smaller caves that are scattered along the climb to Akal Gavi are Vibhooti Kanaja, Akka Nagamma Gavi, Rudraksha Mantapa. Akal Gavi is the largest cave placed at the highest point of the rock formation. Earlier days one had to rock climb to reach the mouth of the cave. Now there is a steel ladder that makes it a lot easier and safer.
The entrance to Akal gavi a narrow horizontal tunnel which is barely 3.4-4 feet wide. The only ideal way to enter is to crawl through. After crawling for 6-7 feet, we reach the inner chamber. However, one should not get excited and just jump into the cave as floor of the chamber is inclined and one could easily slip and fall. KEEP YOUR TORCH LIGHTS HANDY! Once inside there are 4-5 interconnected chambers. As you explore, you will find window like opening out of the caves. Peek outside and you will get a view of your life!! One will find him/herself perched 150 feet above visible ground on shear vertical rock from where one can see large expanse of forest cover and open sky!! But a word of caution! Find firm footing and holding points around the opening before peeking out as the rocks can sometimes be slippery (especially in monsoons). We stayed inside the cave for sometime enjoying the silence and calmness. Then we made our way out and climbed down the rocks.
Our plan was earlier to return to Ulavi after visiting the caves, but some locals told us to try a hike to River Kali which was approximately another 4-5kms away. Well!! We friends looked at each other, smiled and started off!! The winding jungle track took us through a couple of small villages with 8-10 familes in all. I mention this because we observed something which we city dweller should seriously ponder on. The houses were all powered by renewable energy. Infact one of the houses we saw 2 sources of renewable energy being used! The house was on the bank of a small stream flowing through the jungle. The family has installed a small water turbine to generate power. It had solar panel atop its roof. The two souces alternated between summers and monsoon providing 24/7/365 days of clean power. Hats off to these villagers!
Further down, we finally reached the banks of the Mighty Kali!! Kali river is quite popular for white water rafting and few resorts in Dandeli organise events. But here the river takes a totally different shape. Deep and fast flowing water, which might beat even the best swimmers! We freshened up almost having a bath there, had an hour of rest and headed back.
The return climb was tough and took us almost 3 hours, but we were back in time to the village for lunch! The question was, where do we find food!! We asked a villager, where we could find enough food to fill stomach of 4 extremely hungry people returning from a 14-15km hike.
His answer was sweet as sugar!! "Aiyyo! Yen ri Sara!! Gudi ge hog ri, Jalaka maad ri, amele gudi pakkadalli aa building nodakatari alla?? Alli Annadasoha maadtara, alli hogi channagi oota maadri!!" (He said, Sir, dont worry! Go to the temple, have a bath in the temple pond and then visit the building next to it. The temple organises Anna dasoha everyday where all worshippers are given free lunch as prasad. One can offer whatever donation possible to the temple after finishing the lunch.)
We had a refreshing bath, had a tasty lunch and drove back to Dandeli!
An awesome experience!!
We have since visited twice again...
Location: For a forest hike and moderate adventure!! A 4.5!!
Facilities: A 2.. though now I have heard a yatri nivas guest house has come up and facilities have improved.
Reachability: A 3.. 3-4 busses make onward and return trips from Dandeli, Dharwad and Karwar.
Fun factor: A 4 for me! fun factor is individual perspective. I and my friends had a good time, therefore the score!
A request to fellow travellors! Being a remote location, this place is still immune to garbage. Lets keep it that way!!
Ulavi, historically came into existance when a saint Channabasavanna settled along with few of his followers in 12th century AD. He attained samadhi here. The samadhi and and old yet well maintained and revered Shiva temple are the main attractions of the village.
Beyond the main attractions is and old jungle track, a water spring and a small cave system close to the village. A day's trek can be planned to explore all the 3. We did a southward 8kms one side hike from the village to Kali river banks. We started early morning after paying visit to the temple and light breakfast in the village. Before I go further 3 important directions to hikers.
1. The nearest hotel or lodging location is Dandeli (45-50kms). Its better to reach a night earlier and settle down before starting journey to Ulavi.
2. The village has just 2-3 road side shops where you can get local snacks like 'avalakki' or idly vada. If you are lucky you might get poori saagu on an odd day. So I suggest hikers to either carry breakfast and snacks from Dandeli or make do with whatever you can lay your hands on at Ulavi.
3. Carry basic first aid kit and a pack of slake lime paste (available at any pan shop). The nearest primary health center is at Joida 20kms from the village. Why the slake lime paste? Well, you might occassionally encounter leaches in the forest. Slake lime paste helps dislodge leach from your body in case one get bitten and also improves blood clotting on the wound. Locals have another trick up their sleeve to deter leaches. They boil dried tobacco leaves in water and apply the decoction on arms, legs and exposed skin. The decoction easily get washed away in just one bath once they return from the jungle.
After visiting the temple, we started walking down the main village road southwards towards the jungle. Around 1km away we reached a Bird watch tower constructed by forest department. It is the highest point of the hill and all you can see are tall green trees and hear the birds chirping. Cool breeze and fresh jungle air feels refreshing. You can also see a small rock structure rising between the trees at a distance. The rock formation is where the Akal Gavi cave system is.
From here, its a down hill walk for around 30 minutes, when we reached a midway attraction; a cold water spring called Haralayanna Chilume. Legend has it that when Channabasavanna came to these forests, the area where the village is located was a parched rocky area with no water source. This is when he prayed Lord Shiva and dug up the soil with bare hands and out of no where the water gushed out of the ground.
For hikers, this water is a welcome stopover as one can freshen up and quench their thirst with cold, sweet, fresh water.
Next Stop, the Cave System.
A 20 minute walk further, takes us to the foot of the rock formation that is home to a number of caves. For ease of access, the forest department with help of villagers have constructed steps and steel ladders to reach the entrance of the caves. The smaller caves that are scattered along the climb to Akal Gavi are Vibhooti Kanaja, Akka Nagamma Gavi, Rudraksha Mantapa. Akal Gavi is the largest cave placed at the highest point of the rock formation. Earlier days one had to rock climb to reach the mouth of the cave. Now there is a steel ladder that makes it a lot easier and safer.
The entrance to Akal gavi a narrow horizontal tunnel which is barely 3.4-4 feet wide. The only ideal way to enter is to crawl through. After crawling for 6-7 feet, we reach the inner chamber. However, one should not get excited and just jump into the cave as floor of the chamber is inclined and one could easily slip and fall. KEEP YOUR TORCH LIGHTS HANDY! Once inside there are 4-5 interconnected chambers. As you explore, you will find window like opening out of the caves. Peek outside and you will get a view of your life!! One will find him/herself perched 150 feet above visible ground on shear vertical rock from where one can see large expanse of forest cover and open sky!! But a word of caution! Find firm footing and holding points around the opening before peeking out as the rocks can sometimes be slippery (especially in monsoons). We stayed inside the cave for sometime enjoying the silence and calmness. Then we made our way out and climbed down the rocks.
Our plan was earlier to return to Ulavi after visiting the caves, but some locals told us to try a hike to River Kali which was approximately another 4-5kms away. Well!! We friends looked at each other, smiled and started off!! The winding jungle track took us through a couple of small villages with 8-10 familes in all. I mention this because we observed something which we city dweller should seriously ponder on. The houses were all powered by renewable energy. Infact one of the houses we saw 2 sources of renewable energy being used! The house was on the bank of a small stream flowing through the jungle. The family has installed a small water turbine to generate power. It had solar panel atop its roof. The two souces alternated between summers and monsoon providing 24/7/365 days of clean power. Hats off to these villagers!
Further down, we finally reached the banks of the Mighty Kali!! Kali river is quite popular for white water rafting and few resorts in Dandeli organise events. But here the river takes a totally different shape. Deep and fast flowing water, which might beat even the best swimmers! We freshened up almost having a bath there, had an hour of rest and headed back.
The return climb was tough and took us almost 3 hours, but we were back in time to the village for lunch! The question was, where do we find food!! We asked a villager, where we could find enough food to fill stomach of 4 extremely hungry people returning from a 14-15km hike.
His answer was sweet as sugar!! "Aiyyo! Yen ri Sara!! Gudi ge hog ri, Jalaka maad ri, amele gudi pakkadalli aa building nodakatari alla?? Alli Annadasoha maadtara, alli hogi channagi oota maadri!!" (He said, Sir, dont worry! Go to the temple, have a bath in the temple pond and then visit the building next to it. The temple organises Anna dasoha everyday where all worshippers are given free lunch as prasad. One can offer whatever donation possible to the temple after finishing the lunch.)
We had a refreshing bath, had a tasty lunch and drove back to Dandeli!
An awesome experience!!
We have since visited twice again...
Location: For a forest hike and moderate adventure!! A 4.5!!
Facilities: A 2.. though now I have heard a yatri nivas guest house has come up and facilities have improved.
Reachability: A 3.. 3-4 busses make onward and return trips from Dandeli, Dharwad and Karwar.
Fun factor: A 4 for me! fun factor is individual perspective. I and my friends had a good time, therefore the score!
A request to fellow travellors! Being a remote location, this place is still immune to garbage. Lets keep it that way!!
Written 3 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hdsavla
Navi Mumbai, India65 contributions
Jan 2019 • Friends
These are very historical and old caves located just few miles from Karwar. One can trek or hike to this place in just an hour. The caves are the main attraction in Ulavi and are very popular among tourists.
Written 29 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vivekanand U
Bengaluru, India21 contributions
Mar 2017 • Family
There are only two roads in Ulavi. One road enters into the town and the other road lead to the caves.
Take a guide along with you while visiting the caves, especially during monsoons. In summer months, I am sure that there will be big crowds visiting this place. No animals would like to stay so near to human presence. Very few people visit this place during monsoon.
One important cave inside is “Vibhooti Kanaja”, which means a place where sacred ash is stored.
There are also other caves like Akka Nagammana gavi and Rudrakshi Mantapa which you can visit. But the last and the main cave was Akala gavi.
Ulavi Caves known as Akalagavi by localities. It is an adventures place. While walk down from the hill we pass through a Chilume Honda. it is a natural fresh water spring. People believe that it has special properties and cure certain health problems. To go inside the Akalagavi we can only pass one by one in a Narrow hole.
Take a guide along with you while visiting the caves, especially during monsoons. In summer months, I am sure that there will be big crowds visiting this place. No animals would like to stay so near to human presence. Very few people visit this place during monsoon.
One important cave inside is “Vibhooti Kanaja”, which means a place where sacred ash is stored.
There are also other caves like Akka Nagammana gavi and Rudrakshi Mantapa which you can visit. But the last and the main cave was Akala gavi.
Ulavi Caves known as Akalagavi by localities. It is an adventures place. While walk down from the hill we pass through a Chilume Honda. it is a natural fresh water spring. People believe that it has special properties and cure certain health problems. To go inside the Akalagavi we can only pass one by one in a Narrow hole.
Written 16 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AbhiramSP17
Belgaum, India209 contributions
Sept 2019 • Solo
It was raining heavily, seen it from far.
Jungle trek was fun. All the fog, rain made it more beautiful
Jungle trek was fun. All the fog, rain made it more beautiful
Written 9 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Manohar K
6 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
Ulavi is my favourite place... We visit this place at least thrice a year...
Very beautiful nature and thrilling forest....
Very beautiful nature and thrilling forest....
Written 30 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Abhishek Shrivastav
Mumbai, India770 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
Surely a must visit place if you love to ride through the amazing nature and beautiful caves.This is village which offers hiking,riding bicycle and exploring nature.
Written 29 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sizzlertrails
Bangalore District, India95 contributions
Feb 2018 • Family
This place has a historical importance, this cave is a beautiful attraction and it also has religious importance. From the temple we walked to the cave. It was amazing view.
Written 4 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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