LONAVALA - BHIMASHANKAR.JPG)
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Bhimashankar trek [total distance around 80km].
no need to tell that it was wonderful trek with all cheerful people!
Thursday 30th July - night 11:30pm from Lonavala st stand to 2am midnight Udhewadi [stay at villager's house]
Friday 31st July morning 9:30am from Udhewadi till 6:30pm Kusur village
from Kusur to Talpewadi by Tempo - we avoided tar road trek [stay at Talpewadi school]
Saturday 1st August 7:30 from Talpewadi [our Mama-guide knew road only till Kusur so ] we took direction-guidelines from local villager and explore on our own,
which was fantastic part. Nagesh had compass and Nitin Bhosle already did research on Google Earth and also had map so keeping in mind North-west we headed to that direction. After certain point, where Peth Bhimashankar route joins, Mama recalled the route as he did that route earlier.
We reached Gupt Bhimashankar by 5:30pm and then to Bhimashankar.
Very crowded so we decided to move back to Mumbai.
One can see nature in its best and all form on this route.
Didnt carry my camera as this trek is famous for continuous windy rain, waist level flooded river and also being a lengthy trek we have to cover in time.
So concentration was on trek:) no regrets! as its amazing beauty beyond camera one has to feel and experience.
Luckily we got clear weather, so we could see the entire range and also as most of the people said didnt lost on Kusur Plateau.
So here are few moments captured in camera...
Thursday 30th July - night 11:30pm from Lonavala st stand to 2am midnight Udhewadi [stay at villager's house]
Friday 31st July morning 9:30am from Udhewadi till 6:30pm Kusur village
from Kusur to Talpewadi by Tempo - we avoided tar road trek [stay at Talpewadi school]
Saturday 1st August 7:30 from Talpewadi [our Mama-guide knew road only till Kusur so ] we took direction-guidelines from local villager and explore on our own,
which was fantastic part. Nagesh had compass and Nitin Bhosle already did research on Google Earth and also had map so keeping in mind North-west we headed to that direction. After certain point, where Peth Bhimashankar route joins, Mama recalled the route as he did that route earlier.
We reached Gupt Bhimashankar by 5:30pm and then to Bhimashankar.
Very crowded so we decided to move back to Mumbai.
One can see nature in its best and all form on this route.
Didnt carry my camera as this trek is famous for continuous windy rain, waist level flooded river and also being a lengthy trek we have to cover in time.
So concentration was on trek:) no regrets! as its amazing beauty beyond camera one has to feel and experience.
Luckily we got clear weather, so we could see the entire range and also as most of the people said didnt lost on Kusur Plateau.
So here are few moments captured in camera...
How to do the Trek
Day 1 (7-8 hours): The adventure starts fromLonavala, the famous hill station between Mumbai and Pune. Get down at Lonavala railway station preferably around the sunrise and take a short auto-rickshaw drive to Tungarli lake. Ask any villager here for the direction to Rajmachi and start walking on a wide trail. Within half an hour, you can see the twin forts of Rajmachi (Shrivardhan and Manaranjan) at a distance. You cross a small rivulet on the way and then come to a bifurcation after about two hours of walking. The left trail leads to Rajmachi and the right one to Valvand village. You take the right trail and reach Valvand in another hour. So far, the trail is almost flat and you really enjoy the scenery without any difficulty of route finding. Throughout this trail, you come across colorful butterflies playing across beautiful wildflowers. Also, look out for the majestic Dhak plateau on the left.
Next, take a right turn at Valvand village and you enter a thick forest. The trail ahead is a complete contrast to the one you have traveled on until now. If you are not confident, take a guide from the Valvand village itself. There is simply no return once you enter this forest. However, it is recommended that you try to find the route yourself and experience the concept of trail-hunt (something that is normally used in a military training) in a wild rain forest. Your next destination is a village namedKundeshwar in this forest. There is a continuous trail from Valvand to Kundeshar but the real challenge is to find it under the cover of thick grasses and tall bushes. Every time you lose your way, you come across eerie signs of human presence without actually spotting anyone. You also see cows grazing around and get the confidence that there is a village ahead. It is tough to predict how long it can take for you to find the village but it should take no more than 4 hours from Valvand village if you can find it correctly at the first attempt. As a clue, look out for a temple on your left, hidden in the forest, far below in the valley when you are walking on the ridge. That is your destination.
You arrive at this temple and find that there is ample space for 10-15 people to stay inside. It's a Shiva temple where a village priest worships regularly, and so make sure you maintain appropriate decorum here. The temple has a tube-well at its front and the water is drinkable. You can also get drinking water from a nearly rivulet (nala). The village is still 15 minutes away but you will meet villagers near this temple. Ask them for dinner and a guide for the next day. It's almost impossible to navigate without a local guide from this point onwards. The dark and long night that you spend in this temple accompanied by the gentle sound of the rivulet and continuous chirping of cricket will remain etched in your mind forever. Just check for reptiles or scorpions before preparing your bed. The temple has a proper door and normally you don't find these creatures inside.
Day 2 (6-7 hours): You wake up early in the morning and appreciate the loneliness of this temple for the last time. Have a quick breakfast and leave this temple no later than 8 am. Its a long but beautiful walk ahead to Kusur village. You enter Kusur plateau within an hour of uphill climbing. There are numerous trails on this huge plateau, and its certainly difficult to find your way without a local guide. You keep walking through this hidden plateau of flowers in the Sahyadris. At some point, you become uninterested to keep track of time or trail and rather get absorbed in the spectacular surroundings. After nearly 4 hours of walking through the correct trail, you suddenly see two huts out of nowhere. This is your first contact with human civilization after leaving Kundeswar. A handful of people actually stay in such an isolated location and you can get tea and some snacks here. The trail starts descending from this point and it is a pretty straightforward one-hour descent to Kusur village. It is a reasonably large village with a tar road connecting it to the rest of Maharastra. You can buy some food here if your stock is depleted by now.
At this point, you have two options: one is to follow this road to walk upto Talpewadi village, and the other one is to take a bus or auto to it. The second option is more reasonable as you are dead tired by now. On reaching Talpewadi, talk with a villager for food and a place to stay in night. The villagers are warm and you enjoy interacting with them.
Day 3 (8-9 hours): You wake up early again and leave before 7 am today. Again, it is advisable to take a guide as the route ahead is circuitous. Today's destination is Bhimashankar temple, a sacred ancient one which houses one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Shiva. Today's route passes through Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary, a forest with leopards, wild boars and cobras. But the most likely creatures you encounter are a few monkeys, innumerable birds and the colorful Indian giant squirrels (shekru). Actively look out for the later species as they are native only to the evergreen forests of India.
Once you leave the tar road of Talpewadi village, you enter wildness again. You come to a small plateau before entering the sanctuary. Expect a few hidden waterfalls along the way; you are able to hear them from a distance. After three hours, you reach a saddle and cross it to the other side to find another beautiful plateau ahead. You can see a long range of Western Ghats from this huge plateau. You keep on walking for one more hour and see two tribal villages from a distance. These are two of the 9 tribal villages in the sanctuary, and their lifestyle still revolves around hunting wild animals. You enter and cross these villages and then start the final ascent. The forest really becomes thick and dark from this point but you soon start meeting other trekkers coming toBhimashankar from other routes. You cross Bhima river along the way, and once you do that, you know that the Bhimashankar temple is only an hour away. The trail is clear here and you can easily reach the temple. This temple with Nagara-style architecture was built in the 13th century and thousands of people travel travel here everyday. This place is connected to Mumbai and Pune by road and a few buses run from here to Pune regularly. Pick up a few packets of sweets from the vendors near the temple. These are quite delicious.
If you want to go back to Pune on the same day, you can take a bus to Pune. If you want to go back to Mumbai, you can get down from the Bhimashankar-Pune bus at Manchar and take a shared car to Mumbai. But a better idea is to spend the night at Bhimashankar and then explore the nearby Nagphani peak on the next day. You can rent a room at Bhimashankar market.
4th day (optional, 4 hours): The first thing you do in the morning is to visit Nagphani. The view of the valley from Nagphani is simply superb and should be experienced once in a lifetime. Thereafter, you can either take a bus to Pune or start trekking down by a different trail. This is the famous Ganeshghat trail which connects Bhimashankar with Khandas village. An exposed trail called Sirighat also descends to Khandas, but it is too risky to try in post-monsoon season. Today's trek passes through numerous waterfalls and you actually cross some of them on the way. On reaching Khandas, you can take an auto or bus to Karjat and then board a local train to Mumbai.
you can view map here on
