Danushkodi Trip Experiences

A trip to Rameswaram will not be complete without visiting Danushkodi. After our visit to Rameswaram Temple, I checked with a few tour operators about Danushkodi. All of them unanimously said "There is NOTHING TO SEE in Danushkodi. Why do you want to go there?". In fact, one of the tour operators even showed me a newspaper article describing Danushkodi as the ghost town. (Also read: Rameswaram & Danushkodi Trip Planning Tips)

When all my fellow family members were sold on the 'NOTHING TO SEE in Danushkodi' mantra ... I wasn't. When you ask a child "Not to do something", it will immediately do that out of curiosity. Similarly, I was so determined to visit Danushkodi, when everyone said "Don't go there... there is nothing to see in Danushkodi". The next morning, we (my wife, kid, a cousin & I) left Rameswaram to see Danushkodi. All the other family members decided not to join us. We boarded the Danushkodi bus in the stop opposite to Rameswaram temple. Bus services to Danushkodi start as early as 5.30 am. We boarded the bus at around 7 am. The bus was completely packed with people who are going to Danushkodi to setup shops, to swim or to fish. Smell of fish was coming from even the empty baskets carried by the fishermen/women. The road to Danushkodi was along the sea shore and hence, the breeze was very pleasant. The bus reached Danushkodi check post by 7.40 am. The local tempo van operators in Danushkodi who are running the "tours" haven't started their service. They were waiting for at least 20 people to assemble. In about a few minutes, we gathered significant mass and started our journey to the interiors of Danushkodi.

The 4-wheel van drive to the interiors of Danushkodi was very exciting and adventurous. There were few instances where I thought the van is going to topple-up. The tempo van cruised through damp lands, sea shores and regions with thorn trees. Along the way, we saw jeeps carrying tourists and tempo vans carrying supplies to the fishermen living in interior Danushkodi. During our trip, our van had to stop a few times to help lift other vehicles that got stuck in sand/mud. A 10Km drive to the interiors of Danushkodi took nearly 45 minutes. We reached the tip of India which was covered by sea on all the 3 sides. On one side, the sea was very calm and the other side it was rough. The sangamam of both the seas (place where they both merged) looked remarkably beautiful. There was continuous sand storms in that region - no wonder why all the old buildings/structures were almost buried into the sand, in Danushkodi. I heard from the tempo van driver that the spot was used for shooting films such as Sura, and Nanda. There is a small shop selling snacks and drinks in that location. We spent nearly 20 minutes in that spot.


The van then took all the tourists to the real 'ghost town'. You can see destroyed houses, church, railway station and other government buildings in that region. Many houses were almost buried into sand. You can see only the roof of such houses. There were a few shops selling snacks, drinks & souvenirs in that area. We spent about 20 minutes in that location. The van then took us all back to Danushkodi check post. They charged Rs.60 per person for the round-trip tour which took about 3 hours.

If you are visiting Rameswaram, I would definitely recommend you to visit Danushkodi. It is definitely one of the MUST TO SEE PLACES near Rameswaram. You'll definitely like the roaring seas, sand storms, fresh air, peacefulness, scenic locations and adventurous ride. So, don't miss it !

Also read:

Rameswaram Trip Experiences
Rameswaram & Danushkodi Trip Planning Tips