Valhivare to Khireshwar

Valhivare is a small village on the Konkan side. The trail runs east through farmland and open scrub, then into open forest.

After a couple of kilometres it enters a dry, flat valley full of boulders. White arrows painted on stones mark the way toward Nalichi Vaat. As you move east, the wall of Konkankada fills the view ahead. On weekends you may see people rappelling it — the descent is done in stages, and voices carry a long way up that face.

The trail then bends slightly north into the gully. Nali in Marathi simply means a gully.

The first 2.5 km are gradual, gaining only about 150 m out of Valhivare. Then it turns: from the 400 m contour the gully climbs to 1,040 m, and one kilometre of that gains 650 m.

Above the last patch, the trail contours around a rocky knob and turns north, reaching a saddle at roughly 1,000 m between Sitamatacha Dongar and the Harishchandragad plateau.

About 200 m of climbing remain. The trail is well used from here, so navigation stops being the problem.

One more rock patch, a 60° slope, but with holds cut into the rock to take you up. This short gully is Betachi Nali, and it takes you onto the Harishchandragad plateau.

You arrive at the top of the same wall you were looking at all morning — at the exact point where rappellers drop in. Seen from the valley, the face carries a remarkable overhang.

Konkankada is the plateau's best-known viewpoint, looking out over the Konkan. It gets very windy.

There are 5–6 dhabas here serving food through the day, and this is a stay point: ample space to pitch, and tents with a sleeping bag or a cot available to rent for a modest amount, so you do not have to carry either. There are no washrooms.

Network comes in patches — online payments sometimes work, but carry cash.

From the dhabas, the trail runs south, and an iron ladder takes you onto Taramati, the highest point on Harishchandragad. The views are a full 360°, and most people time this for sunrise or sunset. Return to the dhabas.

The trail contours along the eastern flank to the easternmost part of the plateau, then switches north onto Vaitaal Dhar — a flat open ridgeline close to 4 km long, carrying one Vaitaal Baba shrine.

This is open scrub and tall grass, with no water at all.

Past the shrine, the trail descends off the nose of the ridge. Expect karvi standing 7–8 ft tall, then rock-cut steps and steep, slightly slippery slope sections. Open forest at the bottom leads to an unnamed roadhead.

Turn south and walk 4 km of road to Pachnai — more or less flat, with about 50 m up and 50 m down.

A trail runs south out of Pachnai and climbs about 200 m back onto the plateau, arriving at the old Harishchandragad temple. It is worth your time to explore it properly.

From the temple, the route turns east and works around the south side of Bale Killa, with an out-and-back onto the Killa itself before continuing to the head of Junnar Darwaza.

The name comes from the aspect: this route faces south, toward the city of Junnar below. It is also your way off the plateau.

The descent starts in a narrow gully on rock that gives excellent grip underfoot. Rock-cut steps give way to a widening gully with a short boulder field to negotiate.

The ridgeline itself is straightforward and open, with a clear trail. It leads to a saddle, then down through open forest into the farmlands west of Khireshwar, where the houses start.

The stage ends in the village of Khireshwar — calling network, a couple of hotels, and decent options for a bed.