Upcoming Himalayan Treks: Everest Base Camp, Kedarkantha Peak, Har Ki Dhun
Upcoming Himalayan Treks: Everest Base Camp, Kedarkantha Peak, Har Ki Dhun

Lonavala to Bhimashankar – Monsoon Spl. Range Trek

Wish List

Adding item to wishlist requires an account

FLAT 10% OFF
From₹ 3,000₹ 2,750
(6 Reviews)
The tour is not available yet.

Proceed Booking

Highlights

  • Monsoon special trek in the wild Bhimashankar forest
  • Trek through the edge of the SahyadriEndurance testing 50+ km trek
  • Beautiful views of the valleys, forts & hillsScenic trek route from start to end
  • Homestay at tribal Padarwadi villageExperience a good and tasty warm food served with a smile and love
  • Trek ends at holy Bhimashankar templeOne of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India
  • Bhimashankar is the source of the river BhimaAka "Chandrabhaga" in Pandharpur
  • Opportunity to see the state animal of MaharashtraThe "Indian Giant Squirrel" ("Shekru (शेकरू)" in Marathi)

Key Info.

Bhimashankar WLS

Pune District

Padarwadi

Base Village

Monsoon, Winter

Best Season

3,941

Max. Altitude (Ft.)

Daily 9 hrs.

Walking (approx.): Total 50+ km.

Moderate

Activity Grade
EnduranceHigh: 8.5/10

Test yourself by being surrounded by awe-inspiring beauty on a trek from Lonavala to Bhimashankar. The weather playing the perfect host, rest assured that this will be a memorable experience. Covering a distance of almost 72km, it is undoubtedly a favourite among trekkers who want to push the limits of their physical endurance.

Nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts can both rejoice in this experience which can test their endurance levels while enjoying the natural beauty and wilderness with different species of butterflies and flowers, waterfalls, mountains & plateau for 2 days, along with the delicious food made by the local villagers.

The Lonavala Bhimashankar Trek route passes through deep wild rainforest, head-high bushes, lost-and-found trails, small water streams, remote tribal villages, eerie temples, green meadows, hidden waterfalls and a plateau of flowers with butterflies. Due to the remoteness of the Bhimashankar Wildlife sanctuary, there are a few tribal villages where life still revolves primarily around hunting, gathering, and subsistence agriculture. You explore the best features of the Sahyadri range on this trek.

The Bhima River originates from Bhimashankar hill and passes through the deepest part of the forest. It attracts abundant wildlife, as there is no other water source around. Lonavala to Bhimashankar is arguably the best back-country trek in the Sahyadri range.

This trek lasts for 2 days and will give you the opportunity to experience the tribal village culture as you stay with the locals and taste their authentic cuisine.

Overall the trek is utterly satisfying! Har Har Mahadev!

Bhimashankar Temple

Bhimashankar village is situated at a distance of 125 km from Pune in the hills of Sahyadri. As it is 3,500 feet above sea level, it receives low temperatures and heavy rainfall during monsoons.

Bhimashankar temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India. It is a composite of old and new structures and is built in the Nagara style of architecture. It is a modest but attractive temple and dates back to the mid-18th century. The Shikhar of the temple was built by Nana Fadnavis.

The great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is also said to have made endowments to this temple to facilitate the carrying out, of worship services.

As with other Shiva temples in this area, the sanctum is at a lower level.

Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

Bhimashankar has been declared a “Wildlife Sanctuary” and has gained immense importance in recent times. Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the northern region of Western Ghats. It covers the area of three districts i.e. of Pune, Raigad, and Thane. The sanctuary spreads over an area of around 131 sq. km.

One can also see the famous Jyotirlingas temple of the god Shiva. Thousands of devotees visit the place on the day of the Maha Shivratri and also on weekdays. It is here that the two tributaries i.e. Ghod and Bhima of the river Krishna originate. Some chief places to see within the sanctuary are Nagphani Point, Vanaspati Point, Bombay Point, and Gupt-Bhimashankar. The time period between August to May is the ideal time for visiting the place.

Flora, Fauna, Avifauna

FLORA
In the forest of Bhimashankar, you can see many kinds of big trees. Some of these are also herbs. The natural vegetation of the place is mostly Southern tropical semi-evergreen. There are various types of trees, plants, herbs, shrubs etc. found here. Some of the chief trees seen here are Mango, Hirda, Bamboo, Jamun, Behda etc.

FAUNA
The sanctuary is home to various species of animals like Leopards, Sambar, Hyena, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Malabar (Indian) Giant Squirrels and many more.

Bhimashankar is home to barking deer, wild boar, Leopards and other small herbivores. It is also a host of small carnivores such as foxes. Bhimashankar Jungle is a paradise for nature lovers as it is home to many exotic wildlife species.

The most famous of these is the enchanting rust-coloured giant squirrel (Ratufa Indica Elphinstone – ‘Shekru’ in Marathi) – the state animal of Maharashtra.

AVIFAUNA
There are various species of birds like Black Eagle, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Grey Jungle Fowl, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Green Pigeon, Quaker Babbler etc.

Day Wise

Itinerary

Day 0Night Travelling

23:30
Please reach your pickup point and meet with SG-Trekkers representatives to mark your attendance.

23:59
You will be transferred by private bus to base camp or the starting point of the trek.

Day 1Lonavala-Vandre Khind-Padarwadi

Everyone will be informed about the trek once we reach Lonavala i.e. the starting point of our trek. After this our trek will start.
Trek begins from Tungarli village/lake.

After having breakfast, we’ll resume our long-range trek to Bhimashankar Temple. Today we will see waterfalls, a dense forest area and the Kondeshwar temple. In the next half of the day, after having lunch, we’ll cross the Wandre Pass and reach the place where we are staying in the local village.

Have good and tasty warm food served with a smile and love. After having a meal have a good sleep.

Day 1 stumps.

Day 2Kamaljai Plateau-Bhimashankar

Wake up early in the morning and get freshen up. Have breakfast and tea. Resume trek for a day 2.

Today, we will walk through a thick forest of Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary; also visit the temples of Lord Khetoba and Goddess Kamaljai respectively. We can see a panoramic view of the Konkan region and some forts nearby the Bhimashankar mountains.
Reach Bhimashankar temple; Worship to Lord Shiva. Our long-range trek ends here.

Our trip concludes with warm and delicious food. After having a meal we will travel to Pune with happy memories and non-biodegradable waste.

Reach Pune and it’s time now to say goodbye to our travel companions.
Let’s stay in touch with each other through Phone/Social media and meet again on yet another memorable trip.

See you all!

Inclusion

  • Transport from/to PuneBy Tempo Travellers or Mini Buses or big buses depending on the respective tour group size.
  • 2 Breakfast, 2 Lunch, 1 DinnerServed veg. meals only.
  • Homestay AccommodationSeparate hall for Gents & Ladies
  • Safety Gears & Technical Supportwith UIAA Certified Equipment
  • Common First Aid KitWell stocked medicines
  • An Experienced Trek LeadsCertified Mountaineers

Exclusion

  • Any kind of personal expenses.Anything specifically not mentioned in the ‘tour price includes’ column

Upcoming Departures

Explore a new destination & discover yourself!
Share the love of

Adventure Travel

Lonavala to Bhimashankar – Monsoon Spl. Range Trek

6 Reviews
Sort By:RatingDate

Vishvas Trikutkar

Group Traveller

No words to express about the trek management by SG Trekkers. They are the best in class.

When you trek with SG Trekkers one thing is for sure is that you never feel alone. You feel like you are trekking with a friend whom you know for years.

One sentence the trek lead told at the start of the trek was,

“It’s not important to complete the trek, what is more important is we should all be safe at the end of it”.

Tue, 28 Sep, 2021

Prasad Joshi

Solo Traveller

Enjoyed one of the best treks in the monsoon. Well planned & executed by the SG team. Would recommend SG for safe & offbeat trekking in Sahyadri.

Mon, 06 Sep, 2021

Dattu Umbare

Group Traveller

Extraordinary range trek, Awesome trek planning, organization, management.
All credit goes to both leaders of the group. Without you both it’s impossible to complete and enjoy this trek. Waiting for the next joyride soon.

Mon, 09 Aug, 2021

Manoj Kore

Group Traveller

Awesome journey. Big thank you to both leaders for awesome planning, time management. This is the most adventurous trek done so far!

Mon, 09 Aug, 2021

Sachin Mahadeo Dagade

Group Traveller

Amazing and wonderful trek. One of my dream trek.
Vishal always keeps promises. Thank you Vishal and team SG Trekkers.
Another very nice experience.
Also, I enjoyed the trek with my school friend Sandeep. The food was as usual very nice.
And once again thanks for giving wild card entry.

Mon, 09 Aug, 2021
1
Contact Us
Hello, Welcome to SG-Trekkers!
Say Hi to us!WhatsApp
Mon-Fri, 08:00-20:00 hrs. (IST)Call us onPhone
Email UsEmail