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Summer Waterfall Trek to Canyon Valley, Khandala



On the way from Mumbai to Lonavala, there is a ghat section near Khandala with hills on one side and deep valley with waterfalls on the other.  Ulhas river originates from this valley and thus called as Ulhas valley or Canyon valley or Tiger valley.

With a height of 320 feet, Canyon Valley Waterfall happens to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls located close to the city and is the only waterfall seen during summer.

Canyon valley trek surprises you with its features. Unlike other treks,  you descend first , cross the river and then ascend . Descend is from Lonavla and the trek ends at Khandala near Kamat restaurant.

ENROUTE TO LONAVALA

We started from Mumbai by Indrayani Express and reached Lonavala at around 8.00 AM. Our meeting point was near ticket counter at Lonavala Station. There were participants from both Mumbai and Pune.

THE TREK

After a brief introductory session and breakfast, we headed towards the valley. After 45 minutes of walk we reached the mouth of the valley. The trek starts with a sudden descend.

There were small crystal clear water ponds on our way and we took few minutes break to click photographs.

Then the group continued the walk through rocks by climbing and jumping.

And then the first rock patch appeared and all of us crossed it without major hurdles.

The next rock patch was a little difficult. We passed the bags and then the participants crossed one by one. Volunteer's helped others to descend. Those who have already crossed got an opportunity to take some rest. It was somewhat difficult for the first time trekkers.


Finally we reached the base of the valley. We walked towards the waterfall. The continuous sound of the waterfall started hitting our ears in the silence.

The water is mixed with  sewage from Lonavala,  so not really clean and refreshing. But visiting  this ones all season this waterfall  is worth visiting. There was a big pond under the falls and most of us  jumped into it. After a nice bath, we opened our food packets. That was our lunch for the day.

It was around 1.00 PM, we started our ascending. This was new in this particular trek.


There was a stream and water pond to pass and  hardly one person can walk through the edges by catching the rocks. The beautiful view of the water stream was worth spending the time just looking at it and relaxing.

Then we continued our climbing. There was one small waterfall and we filled our bottles.  After 3 hours of trek, we reached the top of the valley. After few minutes of rest, we moved towards the highway to take a rickshaw to Lonavala.

Surely, Canyon valley trek is one of the most exciting trek I ever had .

Elephanta Caves



I visited most of the places in Mumbai but missed Elephanta Caves - a UNESCO heritage site. I discussed my plan with my friends on a busy Saturday and some of them also wanted to visit the place. The day following, we assembled near the Gateway of India and took a ferry ticket for Rs.130 to Elephanta and back.

Gateway of India

The Elephanta Caves are located on Elephanta Islands in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometers from Mumbai, in the Indian state of Maharashtra.  An hour boat journey itself was refreshing and we tried our maximum to capture the magnificent view of Mumbai.

Soon we reached Elephanta Island and this board greeted us.


Mini train is available from the ferry to the entrance of Elephanta Caves  and from there we have to walk a few steps to reach the first cave. There are shops on both sides and are covered with shades.


The island consists of two groups of caves - the first five caves are related to the Hindu religion and another two caves are Buddhist caves.

Remember not to carry food items as the monkeys seem to be trained to steal food.


It was a hot walk and climb to the caves.  It's really a surprise to see the sculpture , the architecture, the sheer monumentality of these caves. Most of the priceless statues were damaged or destroyed.

The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main idol is Siva also known as Trimurti Sadashiva and Maheshmurti, the three heads are said to represent three essential aspects of Shiva — creation, protection, and destruction.

Siva idol at Elephanta Caves

The roof of the cave and the shapes of the pillars reflects the perfection of stone architecture. This is one of the striking collections of rock-art in India.

Carvings at Elephanta Caves

Out next destination was Cannon Hill, one has to walk about 30 minute without proper steps to reach the top. Two big Cannon were placed on two sides of the Hill. The view from top was amazing.

Cannon

After exploring both cannons, we headed downhill for lunch. On the way back, we decided to wait for the mini train to go back to the ferry.



 If you are a fan of history and love to travel, then Elephanta Caves must be in your list.