Harishchandragad Via Nalichi Vat (हरिश्‍चंद्रगड नळीची वाट)

Harishchandragad has always been my favorite trekking spot. Having seen it so many times before, we wanted to experience something new. So, we decided to plan our trek via Nalichi Vat. Excitement started to rise among us and we were eagerly waiting for this trek to materialize as earlier several plans for this trek were cut short.

After consulting everyone, dates were finalized and the plan was made. All of us were new to this route and with no climbing gears….not even a rope. We collected as much information as possible, as we knew about the difficulty and degree of this route. So, only limited guys were informed about the trek. We were 5 people…..I, Kiran, Rahul, Pravin & Jayesh.

We boarded a late night Pune-Nasik bus from Shivajinagar and alighted Ale Phata at 2.00 AM. Here we were stranded for nearly an hour till we got a private travels bus to Kalyan. As if stranding was not enough, we again had a setback. While boarding the bus we told the driver that we have to get down at Savarne village, to which he agreed and told us that he knew the village and would tell us once we reach there. But nearly for an hour and half we were still traveling but there was no sign of this village. When we asked him about it he insisted that the village is still to come. And then we saw the sign board that indicated a route to Naneghat. Then and there we realized that we had traveled far too ahead of our desired destination. We got down from the bus where it had halted at a hotel for tea & snacks. Again we were stranded for almost an hour when we were lucky to get a ride in a tempo. We reached Savarne at around 5.30 AM.

Every one of us was tired after the sleepless journey. We found as small temple to rest for a while. But none of us got up before 7.00 AM. Till we were ready to leave for Bail Pada it was almost 8.00 AM. Nothing was going according to our plan. We were 3 hours behind our schedule.

We reach Bail Pada at 10.00 AM; here we had some breakfast and tea to refresh ourselves. Finding a local guide was a bit time consuming then we thought. No one was ready to come with us to Harishchandragad. After a lot of requests, we hired a guide who agreed to take us till the last end of this route. It was more than enough for us.

At 11.00 AM we started our much craved trek of our lives. The view of the mighty Kokankada from this side was astonishing. This route took us through the stream bed surrounded by forest. After few water breaks, we reached the steep rocky climb. Here we took a small snacks break, after nearly 15 mins with resumed our trek. Keeping Konkankada on our right, slowly but steadily we kept on climbing the ascent. Initially the rocks were normal but as we kept going higher and higher the rocks were crumbling and tumbling which made it difficult for us to hold on to. Once we reached here we were surrounded by tall stone formations on both sides, here one can realize how tiny we are as compared to nature.

We climbed all the rock patches with no difficulty. One needs more confidence and determination then ropes to climb these rock patches. The last rock patch was a challenge as the rocks were soft sedimentary rocks. The surface we were standing was so delicate that it was tumbling down heavily, making it difficult to even stand at one place. But, soon we found few safer holds to climb. Overall it was freaky but lovely experience. 

The view from the top was breathtaking. Once we reached the top of this rock patch. We took a moment to admire what we have achieved, giving us a sense of content. This was the moment to cherish. It was almost 4.00 PM when we reached Kokankada.

Once we reached at the top, we enjoyed some buttermilk which rejuvenated us. We rested for next 30 mins and started walking towards the temple to find some shelter. Finally at 5.00 PM we reached the Harishchandreshwar Temple. We found a shelter on the right side of the temple. After resting for some time we stared preparation for the dinner. We prepared dal and rice khichadi with mango pickles. At that moment of time nothing in the world would have tasted better than this menu. It was nearly 9.00 PM when we called it a day.

It was just a routine in the morning. We woke up at 8.00 AM, freshened up and got ready by 9.00 AM. We had our breakfast at the stall nearby and bought some snacks for our return journey. After few refreshing breaks, on the way back, we reached Khireshwar at 1.00 PM. Here we ate our lunch and boarded a ST bus for Otur. From Otur we took another ST bus for Pune.

To sum up the trekking experience I would say that this trek is totally a test of endurance; you will need a lot of self motivation and stamina to complete this trek. Try not to visit with a large group of people as it will be time consuming and will increase the risk of injury. All in all it was a unique and learning experience for each of us. Hope to visit Nalichi Vat once again.