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| Nature at its best! |
Based in the Junnar region of Maharashtra, is the Naneghat which provides one of the amazing and soothing trekking experiences with picturesque scenes all over. Naneghat (Nane: Coin, Ghat: Pass) was an ancient trade route, connecting Kalyan region to Junnar. It was so-called because the route was used to collect tolls from traders needing to cross the hill. The Naneghat now in ruins was in its full glory in the Satwahan era.
Close to Naneghat is the Jivdhan fort, during Shivaji Maharajas's rule. it was used to keep an eye on enemy movements from Naneghat.
How to reach?
Nearest railway station for this trek is Kalyan on the central line; just besides the railway station is the Kalyan ST Bust stand, from here one needs to catch an ST going towards Malshej Ghat. Frequency of the buses is quite good, at 30-40 mins interval.
While taking the ticket ask the conductor to give ticket to Naneghat Trek point. Some conductors who ply regularly on this route easily drop you to the trek start point; but if they don't have an idea, tell them that the Naneghat trek point is just 5-7 mins after Vaishakhare village, keep looking on the left side of your window for Naneghat board. It takes around 1.5 hr to reach there and ticket is Rs 120 per head.
While taking the ticket ask the conductor to give ticket to Naneghat Trek point. Some conductors who ply regularly on this route easily drop you to the trek start point; but if they don't have an idea, tell them that the Naneghat trek point is just 5-7 mins after Vaishakhare village, keep looking on the left side of your window for Naneghat board. It takes around 1.5 hr to reach there and ticket is Rs 120 per head.
Difficulty Level
The trek to Naneghat plateau is easy with medium endurance level, the route is full of heavy vegetation and has lots of waterfalls and small streams making it more scenic.
Trek to Jivdhan is difficult, enduring and tiring and route is quite confusing, hiring a guide would be a good idiea if you are a novice trekker. Trek to Jivdhan has 2-3 risky rock patches that are difficult to attempt in monsoons; hence prior trekking experience is must to trek Jivdhan fort. Ropes are provided at the final rock patch; though use of extra ropes for safety would help.
Water is readily available in this trek in monsoons and winter (from June to December), hence one can take less water if trekking in monsoon.
Trek to Jivdhan is difficult, enduring and tiring and route is quite confusing, hiring a guide would be a good idiea if you are a novice trekker. Trek to Jivdhan has 2-3 risky rock patches that are difficult to attempt in monsoons; hence prior trekking experience is must to trek Jivdhan fort. Ropes are provided at the final rock patch; though use of extra ropes for safety would help.
Water is readily available in this trek in monsoons and winter (from June to December), hence one can take less water if trekking in monsoon.
Time to reach
Time to reach Naneghat top is 2.5 hrs, from Naneghat to Jivhan it takes 2 hrs, one can get lost in trek route, increasing the time of trek. From Jivdhan back to Naneghat it takes 1 hrs and from Naneghat to base it will take around 2 hrs.
If planning for a combined one trek one has to start the trek as early as 6.30 am so that both can be completed on time.
If planning for a combined one trek one has to start the trek as early as 6.30 am so that both can be completed on time.
What to see?
Beauty of Naneghat can't be shown; it has to be experienced! Naneghat is more picturesque in monsoons with water covering the entire trek path, which provides a majestic experience.
Naneghat - One can see the Naneghat Caves and ancient inscriptions, Toll collection vessel, and reverse water fall.
Jivdhan - Entrance gate (Maha darwaja), ancient shilpa, and some remains of old rooms used as shelter.
Naneghat - One can see the Naneghat Caves and ancient inscriptions, Toll collection vessel, and reverse water fall.
Jivdhan - Entrance gate (Maha darwaja), ancient shilpa, and some remains of old rooms used as shelter.
My Experience
This trek was a breather from my daily life. One is very busy with their daily job life that we do not give time to our self and keep on living in the mundane world, struggling, competing with others, working nine to five round the clock. Same thing happened to me; I decided to call up my friends Sanket and Narendra (Naru) and the plan for Naneghat-Jivdhan was fixed.
Sanket being an experience trekker, advised to start the trek as early as possible. Hence me and Sanket left overnight and waited at the Kalyan railway station, chatting about our daily lives and eating chips... 😋 Morning when clock struck 5 am, I met my old times trek buddy Naru; delighted, we hugged each other and inquired each other what we have been doing all these days, and were very happy to trek together again.
We boarded the ST towards Malshej Ghat from Kalyan ST depot; in the chilly monsoon morning we started our journey. Luckily the conductor new where Naneghat trek point is, hence after 1.5 hours of bus ride we finally reached our destination. Here we met a villager who guided us to initial trek route and also was telling story of one tiger that is there in the forests of Naneghat. Please do not trek Naneghat in night, wild animals are frequent here.
Admiring the beauty of nature we started our trek; hadn't been able to trek for last few months it was quite a challenge for us but after 2 hrs we managed to reach the Naneghat caves; now photo session is our passion 😉 hence we clicked lots of photos and had some refreshments. After 10 mins of walk we reached the top of Naneghat plateau. Feeling energized we sipped in Nimbu sharbat from a shop of a local villager. Food and refreshments are readily available on the top of Naneghat. After resting, we began our journey to Jivdhan fort. We lost our way while trekking to Jivdhan, as initial route is not well marked, after struggle of around 1 hr we managed to get correct route. The route to Jivdhan goes from right side, do not enter heavy forest if you are confused, there is high chance of one getting lost.
And then we were on the correct path; finally the moment of truth - we reached the difficult patch near the Mahadarwaja; initially we decided to go back seeing the difficulty of it, but to our rescue were some frequent trekers from the 'Shiva Pratishthan' group, and avid group of trekkers, they were 20-25 in number with age group ranging fro 12 years to 55 years. With their help we managed to conquer the difficult rock patch.
After exploring the Jivdhan we started our descent at around 4 pm, bidding adieu to those trekkers and hoping to meet them back. Our legs tired, body aching, we reached base at 6 pm and finally ended our trek with ample of memories....😊
Sanket being an experience trekker, advised to start the trek as early as possible. Hence me and Sanket left overnight and waited at the Kalyan railway station, chatting about our daily lives and eating chips... 😋 Morning when clock struck 5 am, I met my old times trek buddy Naru; delighted, we hugged each other and inquired each other what we have been doing all these days, and were very happy to trek together again.
We boarded the ST towards Malshej Ghat from Kalyan ST depot; in the chilly monsoon morning we started our journey. Luckily the conductor new where Naneghat trek point is, hence after 1.5 hours of bus ride we finally reached our destination. Here we met a villager who guided us to initial trek route and also was telling story of one tiger that is there in the forests of Naneghat. Please do not trek Naneghat in night, wild animals are frequent here.
Admiring the beauty of nature we started our trek; hadn't been able to trek for last few months it was quite a challenge for us but after 2 hrs we managed to reach the Naneghat caves; now photo session is our passion 😉 hence we clicked lots of photos and had some refreshments. After 10 mins of walk we reached the top of Naneghat plateau. Feeling energized we sipped in Nimbu sharbat from a shop of a local villager. Food and refreshments are readily available on the top of Naneghat. After resting, we began our journey to Jivdhan fort. We lost our way while trekking to Jivdhan, as initial route is not well marked, after struggle of around 1 hr we managed to get correct route. The route to Jivdhan goes from right side, do not enter heavy forest if you are confused, there is high chance of one getting lost.
And then we were on the correct path; finally the moment of truth - we reached the difficult patch near the Mahadarwaja; initially we decided to go back seeing the difficulty of it, but to our rescue were some frequent trekers from the 'Shiva Pratishthan' group, and avid group of trekkers, they were 20-25 in number with age group ranging fro 12 years to 55 years. With their help we managed to conquer the difficult rock patch.
After exploring the Jivdhan we started our descent at around 4 pm, bidding adieu to those trekkers and hoping to meet them back. Our legs tired, body aching, we reached base at 6 pm and finally ended our trek with ample of memories....😊
Summary of this trek
- Nearest Railway Station: Kalyan.
- Base Village: No exact base village, nearest village is Vaishakhare.
- Average Expenditure: Rs 250.
- Bus Ticket from Kalyan to Naneghat - Rs 90 to 120. The buses ply every 40 mins and the frequency is quite good. Catch the bus going towards Malshej Ghat. First bus is at 5.15 am.
- Ascend time: 2.5-3 hrs to Naneghat, 2 hrs to Jivdhan.
- Descend time: 1 - 1.5 hrs from Jivdhan to Naneghat and 2 hrs to base of Naneghat.
- Difficulty Level: Medium to Difficult.
- Endurance and Stamina Level: High.
- Best time to visit is from rainy season to winters.
Tips
- Carry about 2 litres of water.
- Use good grip trekking shoes/ketoes, wear track pants and full sleeve shirts.
- Do not trek Jivdhan in heavy monsoon unless you are very experienced; bring ropes with you for extra safety.
- Total time for combined Naneghat - Jivdhan trek (one day) is 10-11 hours hence start the trek early morning if you want to complete it in one day.
KEEP NATURE AND SURROUNDING ATMOSPHERE CLEAN
