Sandhan Valley Trek: Valley of Shadow

SANDHAN VALLEY TREK

Sandhan valley, "The Great Canyon" in the Sahyadri ranges which is a combination of a canyon and a valley. Located in the Ahmednagar district, India, near the famous fort Ratangad. Sandhan valley is undoubtedly The Valley of Shadows. Samrat village is the base village and starting point before the descent to the valley. The valley is surrounded with mighty and jaw-dropping mountains of Ratangad and Kalsubai, the valley stands at the height of 4255 ft high above sea level, which is the perfect spot for trekking and rappelling. This is also one of the popular and unique destinations amongst adventure lovers from Mumbai, Nashik, and Pune.

The best way to reach Sandhan valley is from Mumbai to Kasara by local train and Kasara to Samrat village by Jeep(3 hours approx.). The trek to Sandhan Valley is only advisable with the help of the villager's guidance with all the necessary equipment. The valley cannot be accessed during the monsoon season due to heavy rainfall. The whole valley becomes full of water. The best time to visit would be from November to February as the climate is favorable as it remains pleasant. The difficulty level for the trek is moderate. The most difficult part of this trek is the three-point rappelling point.

1st rappelling point is about 60 feet (approx.) and the other two small rappelling points are about ( 20-25 feet approx) which needs a rope ladder. In monsoon season, though the valley is not accessible we can do rappelling and flying fox activity on the other area near valley and enjoy the waterfalls.

For me Sandhan valley trek become the most memorable and unforgettable adventure trip so far.

I always wanted to explore the Sandhan Valley and the young Hiker from Thane ( Kaustubh) called me up and asked me to join him for this trek. My instant reaction was yes out of excitement.

So finally we have a group of 15 young and energetic adventure lovers under the leadership of Kaustubh and his team, we proceeded towards Kasara from Mumbai by local train.

Our plan was, to travel at night by the last Kasara local and, from Kasara, we hired a jeep to Samrat village near the Bhadaradara region, which is the best travel option. We can also approach from Igatpuri but there is only a long-distance train available and less frequency. The distance between Kasara and Base village is around 80km. Time duration is around 3 to 3.30 hrs.

We reached the Samrat village by 5am and took rest at our local technical guide's house.

We left early after breakfast. We kept all the bags except the dry snacks and water bottles as per the plan. I decided to take my smaller bag to carry my 3-liter water bottle, dry snacks, and lemonade drinks. Some of the participants have come without carrying anything by ignoring the leader's instruction. They have no idea about the consequences.

The Sandhan valley trek was a bit different from other trekking spots. Normally most of the trekking, the trail is either zigzag climbing, walking across the valley, or steep climbing. However, Sandhan Valley trek is more of straight trail and then descending but it demands basic hiking skills and lots of endurance. We have to walk across the wet area, many big or small smooth big stones. There are three rappelling points where the only way to go down is through rappelling. Therefore we must hire the local technical guide to help us to conduct these actions safely. It may take 3 to 4 hours to explore the entire valley. From entry to exit of the valley. It also depends on the traffic at the rappelling point. More traffic means more waiting lists. There are many others groups as well.

People of Samrat village are extremely friendly, helpful and cooperative. They all live in a typical Maharashtrian rural house. There is no dhaba or restaurant but the local guide will serve you a very yummy food at a minimal cost. Both breakfast and Lunch. Once you hired them to conduct the trek. They will arrange all the food for us and the equipment. There is a shop as well to buy biscuits and mineral water. So try to buy it from there in order to get benefits to the local people.

Many organizers camp at the end of the valley to hold night for campfire and rest. Some they proceed further to another village to mark the end of the trek. That is the most challenging part of the trek due to the long walk. It is highly important to stay hydrated during the long walk also make sure that you have enough water or refilled your water at the lunch spot. Jeep from village to Asangaon and then towards Mumbai by local train.

What we did was different from the above-mentioned Itinerary. We are supposed to go back to the Samrat village after exploring the valley (after lunch break) because we are going to set a camp near the Samrat village. I have no idea that this plan will kill us. After the short break, Our local guide leads us to a different route to go back to the Samrat village. It was afternoon and heat was on peak. We slowly started our journey back to the village. However, the heat has started effecting us and all were literally finding shades on the way to hide from the scorching heat and had no energy to walk properly. That's when I realized that it was my mistake to do Sandhan Valley trek in April. It is not a good season to do it. After almost half an hour, The heat has badly affected all of us and the youngest member was 11 or 12 years old girl accompanied by her father. She started crying and refused to walk further. We tried our best to encouraged each other and pushed further. The worst part is we had to ascend all the way from the bottom to the top of the plateau. My legs were getting heavier and getting difficult to walk. Most of the water stock got over halfway through. Though I got my lemonade drinks. But I want to save it for an emergency. I almost collapsed because of dehydration due to extreme heat. We kept lying down after every 20 minutes of walk. The poor girl was in bad shape. Our guide had to finally carry on their back turn by turn. The two-three people who did not carry anything were begging for a drop of water. It was a good lesson for them.

After lots of struggles, and with great difficulty, we finally reached the top, fully exhausted. I removed my Lemonade drink and quenched my thirst and pump up with some sugar for instant energy. I just shared with only people who are in bad shape. Hats off to our leader and his team to bring the girl up safely. We all were lying here and there and refused to walk further but our local guide motivated us to by showing well in the middle of the field. The well becomes our motivation to walk further. We drank enough water and pour it on our bodies. The well water was cool. It was such refreshing and relief. The village well has actually saved all of us. We all had enough water and happy to see all alive and smiling again.. I had never drink such amount of water in a day throughout my life where I had within four hours. Almost 4 to 5 Liters. We had our evening snacks and the tea at our guide house and proceed further towards the campsite late evening. The campsite was another half an hour's walk from the village. I do not have much energy to walk. I was literally pushed by our local guide.

1st rappelling point

When we reached the campsite, we saw a beautiful river. We all just drop our things and jump into the river without checking the depth and flow of the water. The heat was still in our bodies. After a good swim, we managed to cool down ourselves and help the guide to set our tent. We had campfire though it was hot, we had our special chicken dinner followed by a campfire, singing, and dancing all night. We end our day with lots of fun and good food and we also sat and reflect.

Lesson Learned from this trek:

My take away from this trek was, We have to do some research before we decide to go to any hiking spot. Try to figure out the risk factor, locations, transportation facility, the best time to visit. The best possible route, base village, etc. We took a risk to do Sandhan Valley trek in March. Which was a bad decision?

The girl and the father had to hire a jeep and go back to Mumbai on the same day to seek medical attention. They could not stay back for the campfire. Because she was in bad shape.

TIPS:

• Require a good hiking shoe with a good grip
• Carry enough water (3 liters) and energy bars.
• Don't do this trek without the help our local guide.
• Avoid in Monsoon and during summer (March to May).
• Plan to hold a night at the end of the valley and leave the next day early morning in order to get enough rest.
• Demands basic hiking skills and good stamina.
• Start early
• Beware of the snake inside the valley. Mind your steps for ankle sprain.

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