Andharban Trek and why you should NOT trek in the Sahyadris

Andhar (dark) and ban (forest) make Andharban a dark forest. Andharban trek is essentially you walking for hours in a dark forest.

Water streams are your constant companion. You will be walking through water, splash-pitter-patter the steady background score. Which will be broken remarkably by the whistling thrush. But since the forest is dense, you won’t see it and believe it’s a rowdy group of guys trying the eve tease!

There are forts around the forest but on the Andharban trek, you will not be able to see any. Because remember how this is the dark forest? It’s covered in mist. So you‘ll just see the mountains rising up and disappearing into the clouds.

The forest itself, when you can see through the thick mist is a monotonous green. This isn’t even a monsoon special. It’s an evergreen forest, so it is just being itself, no exceptional effort on the part of the forest during your Andharban trek.

So really, the Andharban trek is just a long boring way to spend a monsoon day. Here, have a look at this video to see why going on Andharban trek is a really bad idea.

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Some more myths about monsoon trekking in the Sahyadris we want to bust:

Monsoon is the best time to trek the Sahyadris

The air is clean and pure. Waterfalls are flowing to full capacity. Trees are their happiest. There is a freshness in the air. There’s so much water around, you won’t even have to carry many water bottles.

You will have to breathe in the fresh air. You will suffer from an overload of oxygen. This will make your lungs hurt. You don’t want that to happen. Stay at home.

Monsoon treks in Sahyadris are great fun

Did you see us having any fun in the video above? We were just walking, crossing the streams and walking some more. What’s fun in that?

Fun is when you can soak in the waterfalls. Now they might bring in the sediments and loose stones when it rains heavy. A sudden heavy rainfall might cause the streams to swell so much so suddenly, you’ll be swept away before you know it. Which is why trekkers, as well as the locals, always caution you against spending time at the waterfall. Even when we wanted to take a short break and have some water – our guide dude would urge us to walk further to the open ground and then take a break.

Clearly, no fun at all. Stay at home.

Monsoon treks in the Sahyadris boost the local economy

You hire a local guide. Get food made by the locals. Binge on the healthy snacks that the locals see at the shacks along the way. Essentially, they get paid for their expertise and uncommon skills.

But isn’t this all just make believe non-reality? Real boost in the economy is when some urban folks decide to hold some charity events or donation drives. Forget the treks, stay at home.

Monsoon treks in the Sahyadris challenge you and test your limits

For most treks in the Sahyadris, you are climbing up a fort and down. These forts were obviously built to have a difficult access. It’s usually a steep climb up the hill – and a steep descent as well. Monsoon just adds to the challenge by introducing water to the play. You’ve to make your way through gushing streams and slippery rocks.

But the real challenge is how long you can walk straight in an inebriated state, right? Can’t test yourself like that on a trek. Stay at home!

Monsoon treks in the Sahyadris (or any treks) give you a moment of peace and quiet

Nothing like nature to help you connect with yourself. Mobile phone network doesn’t reach most of these places. It’s an enforced digital detox which merely leaves you and your outdoor skills. Your focus is entirely on getting the next step right and moving ahead. The only sounds you can hear are the calls of the birds, the swish of the trees and the thunder of water. It’s a beautiful moment to spend with no one with yourself.

Doesn’t that sound frightening? Listening to your own thoughts? Spending time with yourself? Where’s the smartphone to distract your mind and the loud music to drown your thoughts? Forget the trek, stay at home!

If however, you get the drift and still insist on stepping out into nature, there’s no better place than the Sahyadris. Sahyadris in the monsoon is pure love.

Andharban was the kind of beauty that makes you cry (and we don’t say that lightly, we have spent time in the Amazon!). We didn’t want the Andharban trek to end. Maybe even get lost in the Andharban forest!

Our guide for the Andharban trek was a super-duper, awesome dude. He knew exactly where the risky patches were. His steady feet in the streams gushing with knee-deep water, his sense of responsibility towards each one of us, his knowledge of the landscape and the wildlife around Andharban – and his simplicity – was something that will stay with us long after the Andharban trek.

You can read the details of the Andharban trek if you plan to undertake this adventure for yourself. The base village, Pimpri is accessible via the Tamhini ghat from both, Mumbai and Pune.

And while we step out into the Sahyadris in the monsoon, let’s be responsible.

Let’s be deserving of the beauty that nature showers us with.

Have you trekked in the Sahyadris? What did the trek do to you? Do share your stories in the Comments!

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