Bhamner Range

The stage opens on a 4 km road section from Padharwadi to Tambdewadi. Traffic is minimal.

The trail begins contouring at the base of the Sambarkada ridgeline, just east of Gadekhind Pass, passing the small settlement of Virhamchiwadi — a useful refill and rest point, and worth marking on the map as it doesn't appear on older surveys.

From Virhamchiwadi, the trail keeps contouring below the plateau, with windmills visible throughout, up to the saddle below Kakubai Mata Mandir — this is where the EST switches from the Sambarkada ridgeline onto the Singeshwar–Kundeshwar ridgeline.

The trail climbs through the centre of the ridgeline, past a series of windmills — the first point on the EST where you walk directly beside one. Stay on the main ridge; several shortcuts rejoin the centre line. Over 4 km and +300 m, the trail reaches Singeshwar Mandir, a small shrine with 360-degree views.

A steep, slippery descent leads to a broad tapering saddle with a shepherd settlement, active mainly in monsoon. From here the trail contours at roughly the 1,050 m line, past scattered shepherd huts, through open scrub, to the saddle at Chorkhind.

The trail contours lower again, just below 1,000 m, to a road pass at Hadruj Khind.

From Hadruj Khind the trail stays on the ridgeline — don't drop off it — climbing through open scrub and then open forest to Kundeshwar Peak (1,220 m), marked by a Deep Stambh (a stone pillar where a lamp is lit). This ridgeline — Singeshwar to Kundeshwar — can be thought of as a mini "S2K," a nod to the well-known Katraj-to-Sinhagad (K2S) ridge hike.

From the summit, descend roughly 200 m to Kundeshwar Mandir, a large temple with local folklore attached. The trail continues along the ridge centre — a short ~1 km road section, then ~4 km of open scrub — to Mukhai Mandir, a small shrine near the eastern end of the ridge. From there the route descends to the highway, closing out Ridgeline 1 (~35 km total).

A 14 km road-walk connector, passing through the hamlet of Dhamne, to the town of Bhamboli. The EST routes road sections through low-traffic areas even here. Bhamboli has an industrial area and a park entry gate, which marks the start of the Ridgeline 2 climb.

The climb passes the Bhamachandra Caves in the first 100 m, then stays on top of an open, largely bare ridge (no grass, no trees) heading west. Along the way: a road-pass exit point, a small cluster of shrines starting with Satvai Mata Mandir, then the larger Bhairavnath Mandir.

Past Bhairavnath, the trail shifts to follow the ridge's northern face rather than its exact crest — older Survey of India maps show forest on the north side and open scrub on the south. This section is Navlakhya Dongar (~1,100 m). Network coverage is patchy up here but holds for roughly 80% of the route.

Total elevation gain across this 41 km ridgeline is only ~1,200 m — it's long, not steep.

Past Navlakhya Dongar, a windmill maintenance road appears — stay on the marked trail to cut the road's switchbacks. This section is mostly flat, leading to Tasubai Mandir, which can double as a rain shelter or emergency overnight spot.

At Tasubai Mandir, there is a small puddle just before the temple — this is the only water source on the entire 40 km ridgeline. Treat as last-resort only; don't plan around it.

The trail stays flat across a broad, open plateau with clear visibility to Ambhu Khind (Ambu Pass), a saddle connecting the villages of Panthewadi and Malwadi on either side of the ridge. The EST continues on an unpaved windmill road from here.

A short (~15 min round-trip) detour reaches Varsubai Mandir, a small shrine just off the main line. Continuing northwest past the last windmill on the hill, Wandrekhind Pass comes into view below. From here a ridgeline descent brings the stage back down to Padharwadi, closing the loop.