Its peak summer here. Pune of late has been blistering hot! A weekend hike in such weather was a adventure in itself!
Tamhini Ghat is a 1-2 hour drive out of Pune. Plus Valley is so named as it resembles a '+' shape, located in the midst of four hills. There is no signpost indicating the point from where one can decent the valley. The only indicator is a drain pipe that butts out into the valley at the start of the trail. This point is approx 3-4 km before the Garud Machi resort.
The valley view from the start point
The descending trail is a steep one with sharp cut rocks. In monsoons water must be flowing through here with great force.
At the centre point of the '+', we turned right. The terrain here is quite flat and offers a good spot to camp overnight. There were a couple of places were water had accumulated. The water was potable. A little ahead there is a sharp drop into the valley. Rock climbers frequent this valley.
After spending an hour admiring the natural beauty and devouring the breakfast we were carrying, we set back. The climb under the blazing sun was sapping.
Plus valley is a nice day trip from Pune, though camping here would be great fun as well. Best season to go would be winter, when the water streams have dried out but the vegetation has not!
Tamhini Ghat is a 1-2 hour drive out of Pune. Plus Valley is so named as it resembles a '+' shape, located in the midst of four hills. There is no signpost indicating the point from where one can decent the valley. The only indicator is a drain pipe that butts out into the valley at the start of the trail. This point is approx 3-4 km before the Garud Machi resort.
The valley view from the start point
The descending trail is a steep one with sharp cut rocks. In monsoons water must be flowing through here with great force.
At the centre point of the '+', we turned right. The terrain here is quite flat and offers a good spot to camp overnight. There were a couple of places were water had accumulated. The water was potable. A little ahead there is a sharp drop into the valley. Rock climbers frequent this valley.
After spending an hour admiring the natural beauty and devouring the breakfast we were carrying, we set back. The climb under the blazing sun was sapping.
Plus valley is a nice day trip from Pune, though camping here would be great fun as well. Best season to go would be winter, when the water streams have dried out but the vegetation has not!
