About Maldoli crocodile safari
Maldoli is a small fishing village located on the banks of the river Vashishti within the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Crocodile safaris can are found at various locations within Konkan, Maldoli being one. Two of my friends, Aditya and Swapnil had already been here but could not take the safari due to a high tide at the time but it worked out as a recon mission to understand if it was worth a trip. With an “All clear” from the recon team and that a friend had joined the biking brotherhood (Read: Purchasing a new motorbike) it was time to finalize a date to explore Maldoli for its crocodiles safari.
Ride dates: 14th-15th December
Riders:
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Name: Hari Pillai
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Bike: Royal Enfield Himalayan
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Occupation: Professional Arse
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Name: Devesh Sharma
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Bike: Interceptor 650
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Occupation: PubG wala
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Name: Swapnil Bhoyte
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Bike: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500
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Occupation: Saoji specialist
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Name: Aditya Bhoyte
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Bike: Royal Enfield Desert Storm 500
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Occupation: The OG biker
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If you know me or have read any of my posts you know that I take road trips and bike rides to Konkan quite often. I feel the need for sun, sea, and sand to get out of the daily rut. Near Maharashtra, Konkan has many offbeat places to visit if you are fine with a no-frill stay and home cooked food.
Starting early morning from Pune, our first stop was a small family-run hotel on the Bangalore highway for vada-pav and tea. The hotel is run by a family consisting of husband, wife, two kids and a female elderly. I found this place on a previous road trip to Tarkarli and have made it as a official stop for breakfast for all my early morning rides.
Belly full with vada pav, tea sipped, it was time to open up the throttle and enjoy the highway. My Himalayan followed by the Interceptor, Thunderbird and the Desert Storm in that order. The first rule of bike rides, agree on a formation and stick with it through the entire ride. This allows the leader to set the pace and also ensures a safe ride.
Umbraj towards Chiplun
Once you near Umbraj, take the exit for Chiplun which is the third underpass. This turn is critical because if you miss it, the U-turn is 5 kilometers away. The road conditions get worse from here due to the ongoing road expansion through Kumbharli ghat till Chiplun. We lost a lot of time and reached Chiplun only by lunchtime.
The early breakfast of vada-pav and tea had done its job, we needed something solid for lunch. We spoke with the person arranging the stay cum safari and asked if there was a recommended hotel in Chiplun. He suggested Hotel Deepak, a small family-run joint tucked neatly in a lane near the State bus stand.
This place is quite small. When we entered, I could see it frequented by locals and travelers alike. The menu is limited but heck, we were hungry. We ordered 2 veg thalis, a fish thali and a mutton thali. You will get 3 rotis, a dry vegetable or fish/mutton depending on that thali you order with a gravy. Very basic but filling and great taste.
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Veg thali- ₹150
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Non-veg thali – ₹200
I felt great after the meal. I was ready for more bad roads if that was the case. Hopped back on the saddle and continued towards Maldoli.
My wish was granted by the road gods when we took the road exit for Maldoli and we where welcomes with more bad roads due to ongoing road expansion. This can be a point of annoyance during bike rides, but as any rider will tell you, bad roads make a true rider more resilient to reach the destination!
Finally reached Maldoli which was right at the riverbank. Parked our bikes and clicked a few photos.
Crocodile safari
After keeping our luggage it was time for the Crocodile safari. The safari is on a motorboat, a guide comes along to take you till the nesting areas. When the boat reaches the nesting sites, the crocodiles start entering water one at a time in a linear manner. It’s kind of scary and exciting! Well, they are crocodiles and everyone has seen Lake Placid! Carry a pair of binoculars to get a closer view of the crocodiles.
We saw one jumping in from a ledge into the water, another was taking a nap without a care in the world. After spending an hour, we returned and watched the sunset from the boat flanked by mountains on one side and forest on the other side.
The accommodation:
The stay is right on the bank from where you board for the crocodile safari. There are 2 rooms, one with a bed and the second has 4-5 mattresses, I would recommend carrying your own sleeping bag,
Food:
We ordered 2 veg thalis, 1 chicken thali, and a fish thali. The food is prepared by the host in their kitchen. You can order scrambled eggs or onion bhajis as starters. You will encounter a few mosquitoes, moths and spiders in the sitting area. A spider dropped down on our table doing his best Tom Cruise stunt from Mission Impossible 2.
Return journey
The plan was to leave early but we became a bit lazy clicking photos, eating breakfast and deciding on the route. We finally left at noon while taking the Goa highway this time. The route turned out to be way better than the Kolhapur one. There is road work but very minimal and you can open the throttle of your bike. We stopped at Poladpur from where the other riders continued towards Mumbai while I took the route from Mahabaleshwar till Pune. I loved this route. Mountains, strawberry farms and a whole lot of curved roads without any traffic. I missed having a Go Pro again, and would have loved to capture some shots. I reached Pune by 5 PM.
So how was this ride experience for me?
I always wanted to visit a Konkan village away from the hustle and bustle you see near the beach. Maldoli fits that bill. I got to ride after a long time, eat authentic Konkani food, have a relaxed time besides the river and it didn’t put a dent in my pocket!
Simple, happy things!
Why should you visit Maldoli?
If you are tired of the same cliched beach experience with loads of tourists, want some quiet time and don’t want to spend a lot of money, Maldoli is a great place. You will experience the slow-paced life, a warm host, affordable safari and a stay with a great view. Damage done for the entire trip: ₹2,500 each person, not bad eh?
Things to carry
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Mosquito repellent
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Sleeping bags
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Binoculars
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Sunscreen
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Alcohol
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Talk to the host about food since they need to get all raw materials in advance.
That’s it! Thanks for reading, post your comments on what you think of this article!
