The time of the trek here is pre - monsoon so it would be one of the last camping trips before proper monsoon hits Maharashtra. Also we planned this trip to watch the Indrawajra phenomenon but we could not watch it, the reason is ahead in the blog. So in total we were 2 guys from Mumbai, 3 from Pune and 2 from Pachnai route. We went to Kalyan ST bus stand and took a bus for Khubiphata it takes around 2 and half hours to reach there and then we were picked up by our friends from Pune and we reached the Khireshwar Village base camp by 6 PM.
We met 2 guys who were lost at the base and it is not safe for anyone to trek Harishchandragd in night wihtout any offline map without any prior experience, so please have offline saved maps with you whenever you are trekking at night. We added them to our group and the trek begins. Once the trek begins the start section is steep and as expected everyone was exhausted in this section itself.
It was pitch black by 7 PM and since it was a new moon night we had carried our head lamps with us. Now to make this trek even difficult there was too much fog, so much that it was condensing and making our hair and beard moist due to humidity. So the visibility was not at all good and we were following the offline maps and slowly gaining elevation.
In around next one and half hour you will reach the section where a forest officer sits and will take down your names in the registry, there itself you can rest and have lime juice as there is one shop here that is running for the whole night. Take proper rest as the further climb is difficult and through the forest area, so considering slippery conditions and no visibility it is one of the most difficult patches of the trek.
Once this patch is complete then the best part of this trek begins cause that is just walking on a plain plateau region, since you have already gained the required elevation and now you just need to reach the final end point of your trek. Make the most out of this patch since you have been slipping and exhausted all your way up just to reach here and this whole patch is just mesmerisingly beautiful.
We reached the final top section at around 10 PM and then started to find a place to set up our camp. It was going to rain that night as per the weather forecast and also considering the cold outside we went searching for the caves and set up our tent there. Then we cooked some masala rice (we brought all the cooking equipments and a canister can too) and then went to sleep by 11:30 PM since outside the caves nothing was visible due to thick fog.
The next morning we woke up with high hopes to see the Indrawajra phenomenon but the conditions were not favourable that day. You should google what that phenomenon is and someday you should experience it. So we started our small trek to the famous KokanKada and here are some photos and videos of that.
Here are some photos and videos of the Temple on the top......
After the visit to the temple we sat there for few minutes, had some tea and maggie and then planned our descend. We skipped Taramati Peak this time since everyone of us had already visited it. We begun to descend by 10 AM and finally we were encountered with heavy rains. This made our way back very slippery and also very dangerous.
So finally after slipping and falling many times on our way back we finally reached the base at 1 PM. Now some things to keep in mind from my experiences are that please carry enough water for the entire trek and do not haste your way up or down in these slippery conditions. Also do not stop at dangerous places to take a selfies or videos, please do all that when and only when it is safe.
At the end while going back we went to the river nearby and had a nice swim to relax ourselves, also please go in this stream only if you know swimming.
Here is the attached .gpx file for the trail of this trek from Khireshwar route.
Open it from the OSMAND apk
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