Naneghat trek – Amazing monsoon experience

The day I heard about Naneghat, I decided to visit this place but twice it got postponed due to heavy rains. This time I was firm on my plan in spite of warning from IMD for very heavy rains in the ghat sections near Pune. So finally as per plan we left Pune on Saturday early morning That is 3rd Aug 2019. left my house for Naneghat. We had planned two days trek, so that we can also visit Darya ghat. Night stay was planned close to Naneghat in a resort called Naneghat valley heritage resort. We were group of 8 friends. We took two vehicles and drove to Naneghat.

Reaching Naneghat fromPune –> Pune — Narayangaon — Junnar — Naneghat. First you have to reach Junnar which is 90 kms from Pune and then from Junnar you have to drive towards Naneghat for 16 kms. Road till Junnar is good but onward it is not in good condition. Junnar taluka receives heavy rains during monsoon every year. Hence it is advisable to check the weather forecast before you leave, since during rains it is covered with dense fog and the visibility is very poor. In such situation it is difficult to enjoy the scenic beauty of this place.

Once you reach Junnar, you can see Shivneri fort and then Chavand fort and Jeevdhan fort can be seen on the way further. Complete travel till Naneghat is through the forest and you can enjoy the water flowing down from the forts and hills. It is mesmerizing to see combination of lush green hills with water flowing on the rocks.

Across the road from Junnar to Naneghat you will see all the paddy fields and the farmers planting the rice plants. It’s a awesome view to see paddy fields full of muddy water and farmers wearing colourful raincoats planting the rice saplings and on the backdrop is the beautiful view of water streams rushing down from mountains.

We had booked Naneghat Valley heritage Resort which is very close to Naneghat.It is a good place to stay and even the food quality is better. It is preferable to book the resort in advance so that they can make better arrangements.

On the way to Naneghat each car is checked by forest guards. It is not permitted to carry Alcohol with you.

History of Naneghat

Naneghat is a mountain pass in the western Ghat range near Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra, India. During the reign of Satavahana ( 200 BCE-190 CE ), the pass was extensively used as a trade route between Kalyan and Junnar. Literally the name Nane means “Coins” and ghat means “Pass”. The name is given because this path was used as a tollbooth to collect toll from traders crossing the hills. ( Source : Wikipedia ) Even today the large pot called “Ranjan” is seen there which was used to store coins collected as toll.

You can see the cave with proper doors which waas used as Toll Office in Satwahan days. View of Konkan region looks very beautiful from the caves.

When you reach Naneghat, the vehicle is to be parked at the parking lot. From parking it is approximately 400 meters distance to walk. But this walk is not so simple due to heavy wind flow coming up from the valley. There is a ventury effect created due to level difference of deep valley and narrow opening. This opening is created by breaking the big hill which is called Nanacha Angtha in Marathi. That means Uncles thumb. The hill looks like thumb from one side.

Highlight of the Naneghat trek is reverse waterfall. You need to walk towards the Jeevdhan fort form Naneghat parking area. It is half an hour walk through the table land. From distance you see water vapours flowing slowly over the Jeevdhan fort and at the backdrop you see Vanarlingi Sulka. It is a mesmerizing view.