Trekking the Sahyadris -- Trek to Siddhagad in Malshej Ghats

Siddhagad View from base village

Back from one of the most thrilling treks and my toughest one till now in the Sahyadris  at Siddhagad fort in the Malshej Ghats with an amazing group of 15 people. It was a steep ascent rock climb made very very slippery due to heavy rains. Trekking in the sahyadris can be very dicey during rainy season but the scenic view is supposed to be the best during this period. We, a wonderful group of like minded trekkers took a private bus from Mumbai picking up people from various locations till the base village of Narivali. We had arranged for breakfast to be packed and brought in by a co-passenger and had it in the bus on the way itself. We halted at a place in between to grab a cup of tea. We reached the base village of Narivali at around 10:30 am from where we started our trek.

Siddhagad View

Way to Siddhagad

Greenery at the base village

About Siddhagad

It was a very rainy day. From the base village we could see the formation of the siddhagad mountain ranges. We arranged for a local guide to guide us through the trek. With heavy rains lashing us we trekked thru a very rocky terrain which was made very slippery due to the rains and with one side of the terrain always exposed. We were intercepted off & on with some really beautiful waterfalls on the way, force of which was compounded due to the rains and trekking thru these was really awesome with the water being very chill due to the rains. We came across some thrilling rocky patches and a traverse which was very risky and challenging to cross as one of the sides was always exposed. This was my first trek in the Sahyadris and I was not used to the slippery terrain.  Due to the very slippery rocks our pace was a bit slow and some of us took time to trek thru these. Three and a hours into our trek and we reached a village (the only one) where we had our lunch in the only shelter available.

Glimpse of  the only village

Lunch done we proceeded with our trek which took us thru a jungle path. It was very misty due to the rains and the entire pathway was looking heavenly with the mist falling on us and was enough to keep one hypnotized. This was the only pathway or stretch which was not very rocky though. We reached more than the halfway mark at around 2:30 pm or so and after a brief rest decided to split into two groups where one group proceeded to the top of the summit while the others decided to start returning back to the base village as we had to cross the same difficult patches on our return journey before sunset. Since I was not very comfortable with going any further on the slippery rocky path, I decided to return back with the other group and we started our return trek downwards.

A Steep Ascent Indeed!!

Steep Climb to the top!!

Rains and Waterfalls!!

Rains and Waterfalls!!

Generally, climbing down is always more difficult than climbing up and I had my share of falls on the slippery terrain with a little bruises here and there. There were many stretches where we had to literally slide down the path due to the slippery & rocky terrain. There were many large rocks which had become loose due to the constant rains. Crossing thru the traverse was truly a hair-raising experience for me as I had never done anything like this before. There are many thrilling sports like bungee jumping, para gliding etc where its mostly the equipment that has to perform but rock climbing/trekking is something where clearly YOU HAVE TO PERFORM. There is no other way out. Getting a grip was next to impossible due to the slippery terrain and all of us had to really perform a perfect balancing act and a very risky one at that to cross the traverse. Just turn your eyes a little here and you could see a breathtaking 2500-3000 ft valley down. One mis-step and you go straight down. There was no other way out. Either you PERFORM or PERISH. My trek leader and other team mates guided me & other team members perfectly and with a lot of patience thru some of the most thrilling and risky patches including the traverse and we managed to cross the same safely. But I will never forget those hair-raising moments of my trek ever. These situations test your mental strengths more than your physical ones.

On our way back we reached the same village (and the only one) where we had lunch and we requested one of the families in the village to prepare tea for us. It was a much needed break for all of us and as we waited for the cup that cheers to arrive, pulled out our snacks to munch with it. Tea & snacks done, and a little rested now, we started our trek again. Three hours into our trek down and we were joined by the remaining team which had reached the summit. All of us managed to cross the traverse safely before sunset. 

View from the top

We were still on our way down and suddenly it started getting dark and within a short time it was pitch dark. Time to switch on our torches. Trekking in pitch dark in the slippery rocky terrain being lashed with heavy rains off & on was a great challenge in itself and required a tremendous amount of patience from the entire team. The rocky terrain never seemed to end...which set me to think aloud.."Yeh to Katam hi nahin honda' (This does not seem to end!!). With the entire team guiding one another we managed to reach the base village at around 9:00 pm. Hopped onto our bus and went in for a change of clothes as all of us were totally wet and muddy. We started our return journey to Mumbai by 10:00 pm. All of us got down at our respective locations from where we took other means of transport to get to our homes. I finally reached home by around 1:00 am. 

All in all an amazing experience which tested my endurance levels to the hilt!! Apart from bringing us closer to nature and exploring the flora and fauna, a trek like this helps to boost your confidence to a great extent. It also helps you handle extreme situations by testing you in different ways. It also teaches you to be self-reliant, be patient and at the same time be a team player. A Perform or Perish situation always tends to bring out the best in all of us!!