Treks during monsoon is what every trekker/hiker crazy about. But imagine if you could double the adventure by adding a dense and dark forest trail to it.
Hiking on a trail is an experience that teaches important life lessons as you trek into wild forests, persevere through mountains and rocky coastal paths, and venture out of your comfort zone.
And for those who love this experience, there cannot be a better trek/trial than Andarban which is quite near to both Pune as well as Mumbai.
Andharban is derived from the word Andhar which means Dark and Ban which means Forest, hence the nickname - The Dark Forest.
Even though the name sounds scary, this place is quite opposite to that. It is a beautiful trail through the evergreen Sahyadri forest with amazing views of Tahmini Ghat, Kundalika Valley & Devkund Waterfall. The trail begins at an elevation of around 2,160 feet in the Sahyadri mountains and descends into the valley, to reach the backwaters of the Bhira Dam.
Trail Details:
Location: Pimpri, Maharashtra, India (Trail start point)
Altitude: 2,160 ft
Time Taken: 4-5 hours (Around 13 KM trail)
Level: Easy
Tip: Carry some food and drinking water (3 Ltrs)
Entry Permit: Rs. 150 per person (Charged by the Tahmini Wildlife Sanctuary).
How to reach:
Pimpri dam is situated around 130 kms from Mumbai and 70 kms from Pune. Take a bus which is plying on the Tamhini Ghat road route and get down at the start of MCKS Ashram Road. The starting point from here is around 3 KM. Once you finish the trail at Bhira dam, you can take following route back home:
Pune: Bhira to Pali (public bus) > Pali to Khopoli (public bus) > Khopoli to Pune (train)
Mumbai: Bhira to Pali (public bus) > Pali to Khopoli (public bus) > Khopoli to Mumbai (train)
Now as mentioned above, the trail distance is around 13 KM . So it extremely difficult to finish the trail and come back to the starting point again by covering the same distance. So you have 3 options over here:
Tahmini Ghat
Tamhini Ghat is a mountain passage located between Mulshi and Tamhini in Maharashtra, India.
Situated on the crest of the Western Ghat mountain ranges, Tamhini Ghat is noted for its surroundings comprising scenic waterfalls, lakes and dense woods. So there cannot be a better time to visit Tamhini Ghat than monsoon.
Be ready to be mesmerized by the sound of the swirling leaves, birds and gushing waterfalls.
Now as mentioned above, the trail distance is around 13 KM . So it extremely difficult to finish the trail and come back to the starting point again by covering the same distance. So you have 3 options over here:
1. If you are going with group of friends, take your bikes individually, park half of them at Bhira Dam and return to the starting point on the remaining bikes. Bhira Dam to Pimpri Dam is around 22 KM by road. You can then start your trail from here, finish it at Bhira Dam and use the bikes parked there to commute back to the starting point. (This is what I did with my friends since we wanted to complete the trail).
2. Public transport - Pimpri dam is situated around 130 kms from Mumbai and 70 kms from Pune. Take a bus which is plying on the Tamhini Ghat road route and get down at the start of MCKS Ashram Road. The starting point from here is around 3 KM. Once you finish the trail at Bhira dam, you can take following route back home:
Pune: Bhira to Pali (public bus) > Pali to Khopoli (public bus) > Khopoli to Pune (train)
Mumbai: Bhira to Pali (public bus) > Pali to Khopoli (public bus) > Khopoli to Mumbai (train)
3. Partial Trail - A lot of people also prefer to start the trail, finish half way and return back to the starting point. If you have transportation issues in 1 and 2, this is also worth it.
Whichever option you choose, once you start the trail, then navigating from there is quite simple as you will see direction signs everywhere on the trail. So just follow the signs.
Do carry food and enough water as you won't get anything until you finish the trail.
Be ready to be mesmerized by the sound of the swirling leaves, birds and gushing waterfalls.
Note: With all this mesmerizing beauty, it is important to keep in mind that a forest trail is also dangerous if you don't take proper precautions.
Make sure that you go in group of at least 2-4 people and avoid going solo if this is your first experience on a trail.
It gets dark faster in forest than outside. So even at 5-6 PM in the evening you will get a feeling that it is almost night. So try to be back before 5 PM.
Follow the signs and directions marked throughout the trail and note that you will find a sign every 10-15 min or even lesser. In case you don't see a sign for a longer duration or you think you are lost, just try to come back to the last sign that you saw. There are couple of places on the trail where it is very easy to miss the sign and get lost. So simply keep an eye on the signs/directions.
Pro Adventure Tip: If you have some experience in camping, Andharban will be one of your best camping experiences. You can find camping sites near Pimpri lake.
Hope this will help you to plan this trip completely on your own and you will be able to enjoy this trail after the covid-19 situation gets back to normal.
Stay tuned for more such DIY trip details on local, national as well as international trips & adventure sports. I have been doing this since a decade and have visited numerous places around the globe.
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Happy Travelling Folks!!!
-TheEconomicalNomad