Singapur to Shirgaon

The stage opens with a 12.5 km road walk south to Kelad, running along the top of a ridgeline with open sightlines in every direction, passing Kusarpet along the way. Vehicular traffic is minimal — quiet rural roads, unlikely to see more than a handful of vehicles the whole way, which also means hitchhiking isn't really an option. The elevation drop is gentle, just a couple hundred metres over the whole stretch, so it's not physically demanding — but it is a road, and it's a long one.

**There are no water sources on this section — carry at least 2 litres from Singapur before starting, and don't expect to find anything along the ridgeline.**

Once at Kelad, consider the Madhe Ghat–Upandya Ghat loop before continuing (see Side Trails below).

From Kelad, the trail heads toward Ambenali Ghat, passing Pudchayawadi: a short road stretch, then a drop into open scrub, then a small gully carrying the trail down to Ambenali. This route sees little local use anymore, but the trail is still intact and it's a fairly direct descent. Wildlife is active here, especially barking deer — high chance you'll hear them well before you see anything.

Once you drop about 200 m — from roughly the 700 m contour to the 500 m contour — the landscape opens into a wide, flat plateau, and the trail contours along this level all the way into Ambenali village.

About 3.5 km, dropping roughly 250 m to the base of the valley, passing Ambeshivtar along the way. The trails here are shepherd routes used seasonally by Dhangar communities — short, functional, well-worn in places.

From Kumbheshivtar, the trail climbs up to Cheravwadi.

This is the section on the entire stage that demands the most preparation: a 3 km trail with 600 m of elevation gain, and it hasn't been used by locals in a long time. The road detour to Shirgaon is far longer, which makes this the only efficient way through — but the numbers alone don't capture what it takes on the ground.

Between the 50 m and 350 m contour, a discernible trail passes a small temple, with old orange ribbons still tied to branches. Between the 350 m and 750 m contour, the trail effectively disappears — open forest thick with fallen and broken branches means constant stepping over or ducking under, slow going, followed by a short stretch of rock climbing on loose scree, then a sustained push through tall grass with no clear line and no water anywhere. You're relying on your sense of direction, your map, and your patience. Above this, the trail reappears on the open ridgeline and carries you the rest of the way into Kund.

The stage finishes with a 9 km road section, passing Shilimb along the way — rolling terrain, around 300 m up and 300 m down across the whole stretch, on a proper tar road with almost no traffic. Silent, open, and you can move at whatever pace suits you into Shirgaon.