via Guirichi Dara › Patharaghat › Umber Dara › Kadapdara Naal › Sadhale Ghat
Four old ghatvaats, two down and two up — this stage drops off the Kumshet plateau to the valley floor and climbs back onto it, twice, on the most committing descents on the EST.
We don't assign difficulty ratings to routes. A single word like “moderate” hides what actually matters: which hazards, which skills, which season. One hiker's easy is another's accident. Instead, terrain, hazards and skills are spelled out for every leg of a route.
No closures, access changes, or incidents currently reported on this stage.
Low across the whole stage. All four ghatvaats are lightly used, mostly by locals moving between the plateau and the valley. On the side trails, Ajoba in particular sees almost no hikers.
Trail Pressure is a HikeX signal that helps distribute hikers across the trail network, reducing pressure on overcrowded routes and helping prevent places from being loved to death.
Avoid. The blockers are the ghatvaats themselves — none of the rock, scree or gully terrain on this stage is safe wet.
The rock grips, the grass goes brown, the open ridgelines read clearly, and the ghatvaat entry points are easier to find.
Too hot to hike. Long open scrub and barren ridgeline exposure with no reliable on-trail water. The boulders in the gully radiate heat, and it is almost impossible to ascend through these during peak summer months.
Thakarwadi›Guiricha Dara›Chinchwadi›Dehene›Gundey›Walshet›Bhittalwadi›Pathraghat›Kumshet›Pethechiwadi›Khodkeywasti›Umber Dara›Modholwadi›Unnamed Khind›Kelawadi›Kadapdara Naal›Haptyacha Kada›Dokyachiwadi›Sadhale Ghat›Valhivare
The stage opens flat, roughly 4 km across the Kumshet plateau. The first stretch runs through open scrub past a small shrine, Sidobacha Doh, which marks the start of the Ajoba Peak side trail. Open forest then leads to the head of the first ghatvaat, Guirichi Dara.
The trail drops into a narrow gully. In places you will sit, get onto four points, and step down. Guirichi Dara runs from roughly 1,000 m down to 250 m. It flattens out between the 400 m and 250 m contours and brings you into the main valley.
Hazard — disturbed rock bed: the ghatvaats of the Sahyadri are old. Wind and water have shaped them over thousands of years, so the rock is generally solid and gives good grip on the way down — that changes when something new falls.
During the 2025 monsoon, a massive chunk of rock came down in this gully and completely changed the nature of the rock bed. The affected band is between the 900 m and 500 m contours — the rest of the descent is unchanged. Big rocks can move under your feet here, and this leg will take years to settle. Add extra time for this band and move through it slowly — you are on your own in here.
If something happens in a ghatvaat gully, you are alone: a fall, an injury, a head knock, a broken phone — initiating a rescue from inside one of these is very difficult. Take every precaution, and avoid hiking the ghatvaats solo where you can.
Water: carry for Thakarwadi → Chinchwadi. There is nothing on the plateau or in the gully.
From the bottom of the gully, head west along the left bank of the dry riverbed.
From here to the next ghatvaat the walking is easy, through a chain of villages: Chinchwadi → Dehene → Gunda → Walshet → Bittalwadi. Expect several short road sections and one flat plateau crossing. There is wildlife here if you are lucky. Gunda to Bittalwadi is mostly unpaved road.
From Chinchwadi onward the villages come often enough that water is not a problem. This is the last easy water until Khodkewasti — fill properly at Bittalwadi.
A long 4 km contour from Bittalwadi brings you slowly toward the base of the west face of the Kumshet plateau.
Short, and absolutely steep: 300 m to 900 m altitude. Expect some bushwhacking at the base. Once the grass ends, it is a fully open ridgeline. There are groves cut into the soil, but this is a barren mountain where any step can start a slip due to tiny rolling stones.
You will always be able to see the trail — the landscape is open. Do not do this one solo. Network comes in patches on the way up.
Deciding which routes are safe in only one direction — and building a whole line around that constraint — is risk assessment and route planning skill applied on the ground. Both are among the 16 skills taught in the HikeX Hiking Field Course.
A balcony section comes before the plateau properly flattens out. From there, Kumshet is a long 5 km walk.
The pairing here is deliberate: Guirichi Dara takes you down, Patharaghat brings you back up. The next pair does the same thing further east.
One-way route — ascend only: Patharaghat is safe in one direction. It is a ridgeline of scree, rolling stone, and sustained exposure with a couple of rock patches, and it is very risky to come off it. Do not use Patharaghat as a way down or as an exit. The EST has a few of these — Sandhan Valley, in an earlier stage, is the exact opposite case: it can be descended with a rappel but is effectively unclimbable without ropes and rock climbing. Patharaghat is that logic inverted.
Water: there is none between Bittalwadi and Kumshet. This is a dry stretch covering the 4 km contour, the full 600 m climb up an exposed barren ridge, and the 5 km plateau walk beyond it. Carry 3 litres of water from Bittalwadi.
Move east from Kumshet, roughly 4 km through flat open scrub and mixed forest, with one stream to cross. The crossing is straightforward from October right through to the end of May, and brings you to the hamlet of Pethechiwadi. From there, drop to Khodkewasti.
Refill at Khodkewasti — this is your last source before Umber Dara.
A flat 3 km west to the start of Umber Dara. Open scrub with a few trees. As you near the head of the ghatvaat, the ground gives out into a sheer drop.
Below the drop, the gully is narrow, floored with stone chips that give poor grip. Sidestep, and use your poles. After 100–150 m of descent, the hard volcanic rock starts, and the grip becomes excellent.
A few steep drops need four-point movement and a bum grip — squat and lower yourself down. A couple of hundred metres further there is another patch requiring a few climbing moves to work through a steep drop in the rock.
Once the steep work is done, water starts appearing in the dry riverbed and the ground flattens. This is where ankles get rolled — the terrain eases exactly when your legs are tired. Stay attentive to the end. The riverbed leads out to Mudholwadi.
Skip decision — take it at the top: this ghatvaat opens with a 15-foot drop you have to climb down. If you have acrophobia or are a beginner, skip this route entirely — decide at the top, not halfway. Experienced hikers with good climbing skills can do it without a rope, but you cannot afford to fall here. Carry a sling even if you skip the rope — you can build an anchor off the thick stems and branches and use the sling to get down. Ask a local for help: someone from the village can see you down the drop and then turn back, they do not need to continue with you. This is one leg where outside help goes a long way.
Fatal fall hazard: a fall here can be fatal, and the gully is remote enough that rescue is not realistic — you would have to crawl out yourself. Either do not do this solo, or go extremely slowly and work out the best line through each patch. Watch the route videos first and decide honestly whether this is within your skill range.
Water: there is no water in the Umber Dara gully. Carry at least 3 litres. Downclimbing produces an adrenaline load — sweaty hands, real thirst afterwards — and people consistently underestimate this section. Refill at Mudholwadi.
East from Mudholwadi over an unnamed saddle, through a mix of open scrub, forest and farmland. A couple of hours to Kelawadi.
The fourth ghatvaat, and much easier than Umber Dara — no rock patches, no climbing. This is a hiking route.
It starts through farmland, then follows a dry riverbed. The line is well marked with white arrows painted on stones — stick to them. At the 450 m contour, the landscape opens onto a ridgeline with a single trail to follow.
A spring at the 580 m contour is marked and holds water. It is the last source before the top, and you will pass it again on the way down through Sadhale Ghat.
Watch for the junction at 750 m — it is not obvious. Stay attentive: left is Kadapdara Naal. From there it climbs steeply through slippery scree, and the final gully is full of small loose rock.
At the top, hike west to Haptyacha Kada — a ledge and viewpoint with a tourist rain shelter and wide views.
In a group, keep spacing in the gully and never climb directly below someone — a stone dislodged by the person above will find whoever is under them.
15–20 minutes across the flat plateau to the isolated dwelling of Dokyachiwadi, where you can stay the night.
Only one or two families live here, so sleeping logistics can be awkward — this is not a guaranteed bed. If you have time in hand, Khodkewasti is the fallback, and it is a flat plateau walk to get there. If Dokyachiwadi works out, it is the better option.
No water on the plateau — carry from the 580 m spring on Kadapdara Naal.
From Dokyachiwadi, contour around a large outcrop on the plateau and descend through Sadhale Ghat. No climbing here — a straightforward trail on a kutcha road through some very good forest.
At the 750 m junction you rejoin the Kadapdara Naal line and repeat it down towards the Kelawadi farmlands — the one leg of this stage you walk twice, and the reason you pass the 580 m spring a second time. Near the 260 m contour the track splits, bypassing Kelawadi village: stay on the left bank of the dry riverbed. That unpaved road runs all the way to Valhivare, where the stage ends.
A 4 km out-and-back with 475 m of gain from the small shrine at Sidobacha Doh, near the start of the stage. The trail is very steep and extremely slippery on loose soil, and it is rarely walked. It runs entirely through open scrub with no forest cover. There are some water pools where you can take a break, but no springs — this is not a refill.
A 5 km out-and-back with 300 m of gain from the hamlet of Pethechiwadi. The opening part carries a lot of rolling stones and needs good grip underfoot. Rock-cut steps take you up the base of the rock structure, with gusts and exposure through this part.
The top is a flat plateau with a temple and a strong vantage point. The descent is the harder half — wind and exposure up high, and a final section thick with rolling stones. Sidestep through it. There is a rain shelter at the roadhead.
No exits on this stage.
| Railhead — Kasara | ST bus / shared Jeep to Rajur | Kasara is on the Mumbai local train line. From outside the station, catch an ST bus or shared jeep towards Rajur — services are timed to the trains. |
| Major town — Rajur | Evening ST bus | Evening ST bus from Rajur to Thakarwadi via Kumshet. |
No car. No expensive taxi. No complicated planning.
It works across most of the EST because almost every village has a daily ST bus. Where the timing fails, hitchhiking is common along the route.
| Dayhike | Route | Distance | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guirichi Dara | Thakarwadi → Guirichi Dara → Dehene | — | Flat plateau start, then a committing ghatvaat descent through the 2025 rockfall band. No water until Chinchwadi. |
| Patharaghat | Dehene → Patharaghat → Kumshet → Pethechiwadi | — | Village walking, then an ascent-only scree ridgeline back onto the plateau. Fully dry — carry from Bittalwadi. |
| Umber Dara | Pethechiwadi → Umber Dara → Mudholwadi → Unnamed Saddle → Kelawadi | — | The hardest ghatvaat on the stage: a 15 ft downclimb, four-point work and a loose gully. Not for beginners. |
| Kadapdara Naal & Sadhale Ghat | Kelawadi → Kadapdara Naal → Haptyacha Kada → Sadhale Ghat → Valhivare | — | A marked ghatvaat ascent with a spring at 580 m, a clifftop ledge and rain shelter, then an easy descent. |
| Ajoba Peak | Thakarwadi → Sidobacha Doh → Ajoba → return | 4 km · +475 m | Very steep, loose soil, open scrub. No water. Rarely walked. |
| Kaladgad | Pethechiwadi → Kaladgad → return | 5 km · +300 m | Rock-cut steps, exposure, clifftop temple and viewpoint. |
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A mapped trail is part of a digital trail network on an open platform. An unmapped trail exists on the ground but hasn't been digitised yet — someone needs to hike it, record it, verify it and put it up so it becomes available for everyone.
| Route | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Main stage line: Thakarwadi → Valhivare | EST main route | Mapped |
| Guirichi Dara · Patharaghat · Umber Dara · Kadapdara Naal · Sadhale Ghat | Ghatvaats on main route | Mapped |
| Ajoba Peak out-and-back | Side trail | Mapped |
| Kaladgad out-and-back | Side trail | Mapped |
Some routes here are still unmapped or under-documented. If you're an experienced hiker who wants to record them — or you already hold a GPX or trail intel for any route here — help us document them.
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India's first continuous, fully mapped long-distance hiking trail — 1,724 km and 40 stages across the Sahyadri.
Learn more about EST →Disclaimer. Hiking involves inherent risk, including serious injury and death. This page documents conditions as recorded on specific dates; trails, water sources, access, and hazards change without notice. You are responsible for your own decisions, skills, and safety. HikeX provides this documentation as-is and accepts no liability for its use. Verify conditions locally before you walk, and turn back when conditions exceed your skills.