Height : 3300 ft.
Travel mode : Train + bus (- can be skipped) + jeep/auto
My trek date : 24-Nov-2013
The experience :
First thought when we saw the imposing wall of the Shidi ghat route ahead of us - this is going to be the most thrilling trek we've done so far. First thought after we'd climbed the wall - it's great fun, but the difficulty of this trek is overhyped. The only thought while walking back the Ganesh ghat route - why doesn't this trek end? In all fairness, the Ganesh ghat trail isn't so bad and must be very scenic in the rains. The reason I didn't like the descent back was that I hadn't eaten anything for a few hours, and had shoes with a thin sole that (although they were great for bouldering) did nothing to protect my feet from the gravelly ground.
So how was it at the outset? We had to walk almost an hour before the first breathtaking view came in sight - a formidable wall that seemed impossible to climb.
Half an hour after Khandas, at about 7:15, we came to a small bridge over a stream, where the tar road diverged to the right towards Ganesh ghat, and to the left towards some village. We kept straight on a mud trail that slowly turned right across fields and along the right of a village and beside a well (- see map below to get a general sense of the direction), finally taking us into a forest at the base of the aforementioned wall.
There's almost no scope for losing your way once you're in the trees, except for one point where the trail is a little blurred as it turns left just after crossing a stream, about 15 minutes into the forest. Another 15 minutes and you're at the base of the first shidi (ladder). The slope up to this point is minimal.We reached here at 8:15.
The ladder (- actually two of them joined together) is rickety enough to make climbing it adventurous; I'd suggest you do it one person at a time. For the next 40 minutes or so, you'll be on an exposed path - a couple of hundred metres straight down on one side. It's not really difficult if you're careful. There are two sections that are especially interesting - the first is a steep climb of a few metres on a rock face with very few holds. Shoes with a good grip are a must in this patch. The second is just after another ladder; it's virtually a vertical rock climb (albeit just a couple of metres high) after negotiating a blind curve around a boulder with very little foothold.
At the end of this stretch is a forested plateau. Turn left at a well that you'll see just a few minutes after reaching the plateau. The trail bifurcates into two just a couple of minutes after the well; the straight path goes towards a village in the open fields and the one that forks to the right goes up towards Bhimashankar. It'll take you an hour and a half to two hours to reach the top from here. On the way up, you'll reach a clearing with 3-4 skeletal huts (assuming they're untouched). Note this clearing because that's where you'll have to take a diversion on your way back, to follow the Ganesh ghat route (- http://ontheedgeofsahyadris.blogspot.in/2012/07/bhimashankar-trek-from-karjatthe-king.html has a map that'll give you a rough idea of the directions at this point). There are a lot of plastic covered paper markers stuck on trees all along the Ganesh ghat route right up to Bhimashankar. The trail upwards is reminiscent of the Kondhane caves - Rajmachi trek in terms of the difficulty and the view.
On your way back, after you diverge left from the clearing mentioned above, you'll find another clearing or two with similar huts, and there's a good chance you'll find someone selling lemon juice and buttermilk in one of these huts if you're not too late. We started from the top at about noon, reached the adjoining ridge just below Padargad (- referenced in the first set of pictures above) at about 1:30, and it took us another two hours to reach the bridge near Khandas from here. There's a Ganesh temple on the way, about half an hour before the bridge, where again, if you're not too late, you might get some lemon juice and buttermilk. Apparently, you get to wallow in a mini waterfall on this trail in the rains. And the trail also presents a magnificent view of the Shidi ghat wall with quite a few waterfalls running down on it in this season.
Words of caution :
Reiterating what I've already noted above as this is critical - if you don't have climbing experience, or if heights scare or nauseate you, don't take the Shidi ghat route without a professional / experienced guide. The climb is exposed, so be extra careful if you're taking this route in the rains; it could be very slippery. If your shoes don't have a good grip, irrespective of the season, don't do this trek.
Travel guidance :
Taking the last local from Mumbai, we reached Karjat at 3 AM. Waited for 2 hours at the station (as recommended by a couple of police women) and then headed for the bus stand, which is a 10 minutes walk towards the west (- that's to your right if you're looking in the direction that a train to Pune will take). We caught the 5:30 AM bus to Neral (- the first bus in that direction) and got down at Kashele at 6:15. Had tea (- the best I've had till date; I'm not a big fan), picked up a few water bottles, and hired a jeep to Khandas for Rs. 250. Kashele is about 20 km. from Karjat, and Khandas is 12 km. from Kashele.
For the return trip, we called up our driver from the morning for a jeep from Khandas. We got down at Kashele after a fight with the driver for trying to fleece us; we paid Rs. 200. We took an auto from Kashele to Karjat for Rs. 330. We reached Karjat at 5:20, missed the fast local to Mumbai, and finally got on the 6:20.
Here's some more information that might be helpful: There's a bus from Kashele to Karjat at 7:30 PM and the last one's at 8:30 PM. A shared jeep from Khandas to Kashele costs Rs. 20-25 per head; a shared auto from Kashele to Karjat costs Rs. 30 per head, but you might have to wait for a long time to get any of these. You can hire a jeep from Khandas to Karjat for Rs. 700, or to Neral for Rs. 600. Make sure you've clarified on the price, sharing mode (shared, or all to yourself) and type of vehicle (jeep or auto from starting point to destination) before boarding. If you're too tired after reaching Bhimashankar, you could also take a bus to Pune; the last one's at 5:30 PM.
Wow factor : Thrilling. Especially scenic in monsoon.
Difficulty : Risky and strenuous. For the inexperienced without a guide - very difficult. For the experienced - difficult in monsoon, medium otherwise.
Endurance : 3-4 hours of medium/steep climb and 3-4 hours of descent (Total time : 1 day ex-Mumbai)
Travel mode : Train + bus (- can be skipped) + jeep/auto
Cost : ~ Rs. 400
Region : Karjat east
Trek route : Khandas -> climb via Shidi ghat to Bhimashankar -> descend via Ganesh ghat to Khandas
My trek date : 24-Nov-2013
The experience :
First thought when we saw the imposing wall of the Shidi ghat route ahead of us - this is going to be the most thrilling trek we've done so far. First thought after we'd climbed the wall - it's great fun, but the difficulty of this trek is overhyped. The only thought while walking back the Ganesh ghat route - why doesn't this trek end? In all fairness, the Ganesh ghat trail isn't so bad and must be very scenic in the rains. The reason I didn't like the descent back was that I hadn't eaten anything for a few hours, and had shoes with a thin sole that (although they were great for bouldering) did nothing to protect my feet from the gravelly ground.
So how was it at the outset? We had to walk almost an hour before the first breathtaking view came in sight - a formidable wall that seemed impossible to climb.
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| Bhimashankar from a distance. Padargad, another popular trekking destination, is seen at the right edge in the rightmost picture; you have to walk by its base on the Ganesh ghat route. |
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| Area just after the bridge after Khandas, which is at the T-junction on the left bottom corner. You don't need to follow the track marked up to the village; you can just cut across through the fields, and then walk east towards the wall. View Larger Map |
There's almost no scope for losing your way once you're in the trees, except for one point where the trail is a little blurred as it turns left just after crossing a stream, about 15 minutes into the forest. Another 15 minutes and you're at the base of the first shidi (ladder). The slope up to this point is minimal.We reached here at 8:15.
The ladder (- actually two of them joined together) is rickety enough to make climbing it adventurous; I'd suggest you do it one person at a time. For the next 40 minutes or so, you'll be on an exposed path - a couple of hundred metres straight down on one side. It's not really difficult if you're careful. There are two sections that are especially interesting - the first is a steep climb of a few metres on a rock face with very few holds. Shoes with a good grip are a must in this patch. The second is just after another ladder; it's virtually a vertical rock climb (albeit just a couple of metres high) after negotiating a blind curve around a boulder with very little foothold.
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| Top-left: the first set of ladders Top-center: the typical narrow path during the climb Top-right: boulders like these are encountered at a couple of spots Bottom: the rock climb mentioned in the paragraph above - you have to traverse from the left to the right around an overhanging rock over a thin ledge, and then climb up along the grey rock. |
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| Shidi ghat route. See the green ladder? The path to the top is along the groove seen above the ladder. Strangely, we never saw the 'second ladder before the cave' that many people have mentioned in their blogs. |
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| Left: Top half of the Bhimashankar hill Right: Lower half of the hill - the Shidi ghat wall |
Words of caution :
Reiterating what I've already noted above as this is critical - if you don't have climbing experience, or if heights scare or nauseate you, don't take the Shidi ghat route without a professional / experienced guide. The climb is exposed, so be extra careful if you're taking this route in the rains; it could be very slippery. If your shoes don't have a good grip, irrespective of the season, don't do this trek.
Travel guidance :
Taking the last local from Mumbai, we reached Karjat at 3 AM. Waited for 2 hours at the station (as recommended by a couple of police women) and then headed for the bus stand, which is a 10 minutes walk towards the west (- that's to your right if you're looking in the direction that a train to Pune will take). We caught the 5:30 AM bus to Neral (- the first bus in that direction) and got down at Kashele at 6:15. Had tea (- the best I've had till date; I'm not a big fan), picked up a few water bottles, and hired a jeep to Khandas for Rs. 250. Kashele is about 20 km. from Karjat, and Khandas is 12 km. from Kashele.
For the return trip, we called up our driver from the morning for a jeep from Khandas. We got down at Kashele after a fight with the driver for trying to fleece us; we paid Rs. 200. We took an auto from Kashele to Karjat for Rs. 330. We reached Karjat at 5:20, missed the fast local to Mumbai, and finally got on the 6:20.
Here's some more information that might be helpful: There's a bus from Kashele to Karjat at 7:30 PM and the last one's at 8:30 PM. A shared jeep from Khandas to Kashele costs Rs. 20-25 per head; a shared auto from Kashele to Karjat costs Rs. 30 per head, but you might have to wait for a long time to get any of these. You can hire a jeep from Khandas to Karjat for Rs. 700, or to Neral for Rs. 600. Make sure you've clarified on the price, sharing mode (shared, or all to yourself) and type of vehicle (jeep or auto from starting point to destination) before boarding. If you're too tired after reaching Bhimashankar, you could also take a bus to Pune; the last one's at 5:30 PM.
Homework :
Here are resources that we referred to, before setting out on the trek.
http://www.natureknights.net/2012/07/bhimashankar-monsoon-trek.html tells you that it's about 40 minutes from Khandas to the base of Shidi ghat, 40 minutes of steep (and scary, apparently) climb, and another 40 minutes of flat walk to reach the point where the Ganesh ghat route joins it). http://www.raanvata.com/forts/bhimashankar/index.html says (in Marathi) that the Ganesh ghat route starts from the right of a bridge on a river after Khandas, taking you to a Ganesh temple in an hour and to the top in another 3-4 hours, and that the Shidi ghat route (so named because of the 'shidi' or ladders placed en route) starts from the left of the bridge, through a village and towards a vertical cliff. Both these routes meet at near a village on a plateau about 400 metres high. http://kpy2.tripod.com/sahyadri/karjat/bhimashankar/bhimashankar.html says that a route beside a prominent mango tree after this village takes you to a forest near the top, and another 4 km. of flat walk across the forest takes you close to the Pune-Bhimashankar road and the top.
Some decent reads that'll give you a feel of the trek: http://ekpravas.blogspot.in/2012/10/khandas-bhimashankar-trek.html, http://acewings.tumblr.com/post/57446500206/1-day-sunday-friendship-day-trek-to-bhimashankar-on, http://trekker.blogdrive.com/archive/15.html
And here's a scared trekker's experience - http://www.ghumakkar.com/trek-to-bhimashankar-jyotirling-shidi-ghat-to-nagfani
And here's a scared trekker's experience - http://www.ghumakkar.com/trek-to-bhimashankar-jyotirling-shidi-ghat-to-nagfani
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