Weekend Nature Explorer: Trek Durg, Dhakoba, Amboli & Darya Ghat

Trek Durg, Dhakoba & Darya Ghat

14 December 2014 Trek organized by Bhai Keni from Mumbai

How to :
Reach Junnar by 5:00 AM,

6:00 am - Proceed to base village - Durgawadi

8:00 am - Reach Durga Fort

11:00 am - Reach Dhakoba

1:00 pm - Lunch at Dhakoba

2:00 pm - Descend for Amboli Ghat

2:30 pm - start descending towards Shingapur village via Darya Ghat

7:00 pm - reach Shingapur and proceed to Kalyan by Jeep

Guide for this trek : Mr. Sonu, Cell No. 09921494506 (from Durgawadi)

The Trek :

Durg - Dhakoba traverse is a long one and it is challenging to find the route, as the trail passes through dense forests and huge meadows in between, It is advisable to start the day early.

Trace your steps back to the Durga Temple. You will notice a trail that goes straight towards the plateau between Durg and Dhakoba. The one that climbs up on the right takes you to Durg Fort. It takes 15-20 Minutes to get back to the edge of the plateau. You can see Dhakoba fort on your right and Gorakhgad and Machindragad on your left.

Continue walking in the direction of Dhakoba fort. You will see the trail gradually climbs up towards thye right into the thickets. After 10 - 15 minutes the trail emerges out of the woods onto the plateau once again. The plateau is a little uneven and the trail alternately climbs up and down as it passes through thick vegetation. After 20 - 30 minutes of walking on the plateau you will see the trail gradually climbs up and passes through Karvi shrubs and cactus. From here you can see Durg Fort right behind you.

The views of Gorakhgad and Machindragad on the way to Dhakoba are breathtaking. It takes an hour to reach this point from Durga Temple. The trail passes through thickets once again. After 10 - 15 minutes you emerge out of the woods onto the plateau. The trail alternates between meadows and thickets. Dhakoba Fort is clearly visible from here. Continue on the trail that crosses the meadows to reach the base of Dhakoba massif. IT takes around 20 - 25 minutes to cross the meadow and reach the foothills of Dhakoba that is surrounded by thick forests.

You also come across a small steam flowing across the meadow. Some sections of the stream still contains water until January - February. It takes around 1.5 hours to reach this point. Ahead the trail passes through thick woods and emerges into a meadow. There is a tree right in the middle of the meadow that can provide you some shade on a hot sunny day.

Going left from here takes you to Dhakoba fort and right, to Dhakoba temple. Finding the trail to Dhakoba can be a little difficult after the monsoons as you are greeted by rock walls and dense forests. It takes around 1 - 1.5 hours to visit Dhakoba and reach back to this point. Continue on the trail straight ahead bypassing Dhakoba on your left. The trail passes through thickets to emerge into yet another meadow between Dhakoba and Darya Ghat.

From here you get majestic views of Jivdhan and Vanarlingi with Nancha Angtha (Naneghat) in the backdrop. The trail goes parallel to the edge of the ridge for 10-15 minutes and enters into the thickets. After passing through thickets for a few minutes the trail gradually climb down to the meadow along the edge of the ridge. From the meadow you can see a stream to the right flowing down all the way to Amboli Dam. You can also see Amboli village and Amboli Dam far away. It takes around 3.5 - 4 hours to reach this point from Durga Temple. The trail continue through the edge of the ridge. As you continue on the trail down hill the descent get steeper and steeper. After 30-45 minutes you reach a small temple on way to Darya Ghat.

From here you will see the trail bifurcates into two. The route to the right goes to Amboli and the one to the left goes to Palu via Ishtyanchi wadi. The descent from here is steep and dangerous. Continue on the trail that descent into the khind. Another 25-30 minutes in to the hike and the route traverses to the right. Keep the rock towards the right and continue on the trail down.

After 25-30 minutes the trail climb down through a nala (waterfall route). The trail requires hopping over small rocks and boulders. You also come across some small rocks patches en-route. After 25-30 minutes you come across huge boulders where you can also take a small break. Continue descending down the nala route. You will see the trail turns gently towards the end. The last few minutes of the trek are through thickets. You can see the Dhakoba pinnacle from the opening in the woods. The trail moves towards the left. After 10-15 minutes you reach a small wadi (Shingapur). It takes around 2-2.5 hours to reach here from the stone temple. Palu village is around a kn and half away from here.