A brief
account of the weekend adventure at Sandhan Valley (Maharashtra)
The post
in FB read: Tattva Adventures Trek to
Sandhan Valley (Full Descend) on 17th - 18th Nov 2018 (Leaving on Friday Night
16th Nov 2018)
Sandhan – Full descent had
always been a dream trek for me which was finally going to be true after three
years of trekking. Had earlier seen the mysterious valley from afar while doing
excursions/treks to the surrounding areas. The fascinating play of light and
shadow in the Valley, seen from a distance (real or imaginary . . . only added
to the mystique)
Detraining at 1.20 am at
Kasara Station, our group of 26 huddled
into the few vehicles and after
the usual eagerly looked forward to ‘tea/coffee/
biryani break’ at the one and only Baba
da Dhaba , it was a couple of hours drive to Samrad village. The
enthusiastic/not so enthusiastic/sleepy participation in the Antakshari during
the drive added to the fun quotient immensely.
Because of the increasing
popularity of Sandhan as a trekking destination our trek leads had taken a
decision to start the trek immediately without waiting for a break at the
Village. The instructions clearly did mention about carrying a good torch with
back up batteries. So it was that we started the trek at around 4 a.m. As my eyes got adjusted to the semi darkness
and the eerie shadows playing on the beams of the many torch lights the feeling
was most definitely one of eagerly scary anticipation. The surprisingly clear skies
with the stars visible while very attractive were not to be admired
indefinitely as I had to focus on the uneven rocky patches. A twisted ankle or
a cracked shin was not a very pleasant prospect, more so at the beginning of a
long and difficult trek. . . The
comforting factor of course for the entire group of adventurers was the
absolutely rock solid and competent trek leads, four in all. The two stretches
of rappelling and the one stretch of rope descent added immensely to the adventure
quotient.
 |
| Rappelling long stretch |
 |
| Rappelling short stretch |
Sandhan
valley is a Wonder of nature in the midst of the splendid Sahayadri (Western
Ghats).You can call it a Water carved valley about 200 ft deep and about 1.5 kms long. Sandhan
valley is located on the west side of beautiful Bhandardara region (a fabulous
camping spot), near Samrad village. The Valley is surrounded with the mighty
Alang, Madan & Kulang (Known as AMK- toughest trek in Sahyadri) Ratangad
(had done that trek earlier), Ajoba & Kalsubai (at 5400 ft. the highest peak
in Maharashtra) mountain ranges. At some places the width is less than 3 ft
making it practically impossible for sunrays to reach and hence the mystically
awesome term ‘valley of shadows’.
 |
| One of the many narrow paths |
More often, the valley is accessible
throughout the year except during peak monsoon. To reach the other end of the gorge
you have to cross 2-3 water pools. Water level changes according to seasons, in
winter it is up to waist & in summer it is up to knee height (can’t imagine
the levels during monsoon!!!). At the end of Valley you get a magnificent view
of high cliffs. That is if you have managed to miss the magnificent valley
scenes along the way which is hugely possible because you are busy
concentrating on where to place the next foot in the extremely uneven rocky
landscape.
The Sandhan valley trek incorporates a couple of
rappelling stretches and some liberal bits of freehold rock climbing and
descending (nay – you can call it sliding with a steep fall on one side). These
activities cannot be undertaken very easily by a group of rookies or individual
trekkers. You would have to enlist the help of an operator who will, in
addition to the technical gear also provide you with the expertise and I daresay
moral support.
Another peculiarity of Sandhan Valley . . . The
geography keeps changing with existing routes getting blocked up....or new
routes opening up depending on the moods of Mother Nature. The few in the group
who had done Sandhan Trek multiple times earlier confirmed this fact. As my
fellow trekker Niles mentioned the changing landscape was in fact reminiscent of
life itself how Change happens and we adjust subsequently. Don’t let the “full
descend” term fool you. It is very demanding physically even on the toughest of
knees. In fact many trekkers also in the past have confirmed that they find
descent more taxing than ascent, during treks.
The
fabulously balanced huge boulders added to the beauty of the landscape.
Perpetually wet footwear was the norm for the day and on more than one occasion
we were wading through knee deep water.
 |
| The very routine knee deep water in many places |
The highlight (!!!) of course was when
the water was chest high and we carefully trod through it with one hand
delicately supporting on the rocky walls and the other precariously balancing the
backpack. To their credit the Organizers had warned well in advance about the
need to double pack the contents of the bag in water proof covering and also
the fact that at places we might have to wade through chest high water. There never really were any formal breaks for
breakfast and lunch, and it was almost always when we were waiting for each
other to catch up. There were some absolutely yummy chocolates up for offer. Still
not very sure whether it was on account of the Birthday of one of the trekkers
(No one was complaining though )
 |
| Blue Lagoon |
 |
| Fun and frolic at Blue Lagoon |
There was
opportunity towards the end of the day’s action to frolic in a pond of water
rather exotically called Blue Lagoon Pond.
The opportunity was gratefully taken
up by a few enthusiastic swimmers in our group with the others being content to
click pics and idle around.
The
predominant mood that overshadowed everything else as we approached the dry
river bed towards evening was one of relief and gratitude for the plains. The
Valley is rocky all the way, and at the end of close to twelve hours of
continuous action, the group had just about had more than its share of rocks. The overnight stay under the clear skies,
with Campfire, songs, games and of course yummy local food freshly cooked was
like the proverbial cherry on the cake.
 |
| Campfire Fun |
 |
| The enterprising Sachin with local Chef Nana |
Next day
morning brought with it the experience of waking up to open skies, freshening
up with water from the small body of water nearby and of course attending
nature’s call in the open fields !!! Post breakfast it was a couple of hours of
absolutely relaxing games. Both the rib tickling and the team building varieties
of games saw enthusiastic participation from all.
 |
| Krishna - Hanuman Game |
 |
| Krishna - Hanuman Game |
 |
| Cool team building game |
The easy way in which our
trek leads displayed fabulous people skills while competently managing the
technical aspects of a tough trek spoke volumes about their capabilities. After
the games, it was a couple of hours of relaxed stroll through the fields and a few rocky
patches to Dehne Village, where few more
games and lunch later we proceeded
towards Asangaon Railway Station and back to our homes. 
 |
| Chale Chalo |
 |
| Authentic Rural Maharashtrian Lunch |
 |
| School time Pepsi Cola |
Special mention here also of the opportunity to gorge on the school time ‘Pepsi cola’
The two day experience as always left me
grateful for the availability of such magnificent places just a few hours from
where we live and also for the sheer affordability of it. As with most treks,
no words can truly describe the trek, it has to be actually experienced. Special
mention of our group composition. There were trek veterans, trek rookies and
the youngest trekker as young as 14 years old that had come along with her
father. As a word of caution, even
though we had many first timers, this is by no means an easy trek; hence a
certain level of physical fitness and endurance is expected to actually enjoy
the trekking experience. A decent pair
of trekking shoes, a good backpack and a good head lamp is invaluable
accessories.
For the
curious this entire experience was less than 48 hours in duration and was
costing Rs.1, 700/- . This time it was a joint effort by Tattva Adventures and
Trek Mates India. Thank you Jaal ,
Nilesh , Mahen and Sachin for all the help along the way .
More often, the valley is accessible
throughout the year except during peak monsoon. To reach the other end of the gorge
you have to cross 2-3 water pools. Water level changes according to seasons, in
winter it is up to waist & in summer it is up to knee height (can’t imagine
the levels during monsoon!!!). At the end of Valley you get a magnificent view
of high cliffs. That is if you have managed to miss the magnificent valley
scenes along the way which is hugely possible because you are busy
concentrating on where to place the next foot in the extremely uneven rocky
landscape. 
The highlight (!!!) of course was when
the water was chest high and we carefully trod through it with one hand
delicately supporting on the rocky walls and the other precariously balancing the
backpack. To their credit the Organizers had warned well in advance about the
need to double pack the contents of the bag in water proof covering and also
the fact that at places we might have to wade through chest high water. There never really were any formal breaks for
breakfast and lunch, and it was almost always when we were waiting for each
other to catch up. There were some absolutely yummy chocolates up for offer. Still
not very sure whether it was on account of the Birthday of one of the trekkers
(No one was complaining though )
The easy way in which our
trek leads displayed fabulous people skills while competently managing the
technical aspects of a tough trek spoke volumes about their capabilities. After
the games, it was a couple of hours of relaxed stroll through the fields and a few rocky
patches to Dehne Village, where few more
games and lunch later we proceeded
towards Asangaon Railway Station and back to our homes. 
