In this year’s post-Christmas glow, add in the sparkle of adventure on the biggest rock face in Maharashtra.
Wide Aware announces a three day high adventure experience to charge your spirit – valley crossing and rappelling on the tallest rock face in Maharashtra – the Kokankada.
Yep, you got that right. This is the tallest rock face in Maharashtra – a breathtaking exposure of 1800ft under your fragile body held to safety by a rope and altitude of 4671ft above sea level. You do a 1200ft long valley crossing and then descend by means of a series of rappels to the base of the face. Believe me, you don’t want to miss this. Seats limited, so get in touch with Raka immediately if you are planning on coming – 09869433342.
The schedule is as follows:
Day 1: Kalyan to Khireshwar by tempo and trek to the top of Harishchandragad
Assemble at Kalyan and reach Khireshwar for lunch. Begin the 4-5 hour trek to the top of Harishchandragad and reach at the top of the fort by the evening tea. Harishchandragad is one of the more challenging of the most popular hikes in this region. The fort has historical significance and a temple of Harishchandreshwar with a stone water tank in front of it. Accommodation is in caves. A short orientation walk later, settle into your cave for the day, and have an early night post dinner in preparation for the next days excitement.
Day 2: Valley Crossing across the Kokankada and Rappelling down from Bhavanidhar
After an early morning and breakfast we have a quick instruction session with the equipment and techniques explained for both the long and technical activities to follow. This is followed by the traverse. Kokankada is in a C shape, and the traverse is set across its two ends. Thus, during the valley crossing, you have the highest exposure possible in Maharashtra, without actually flying. The wind, the sheer scale of the surroundings, and most of all, the swaying rope holding our life safe present an unforgettable physical and emotional challenge. This is followed by a long rappel down the rock face – so long that you have to do it in stages to be able to maintain technique and safety. This day is an experience in the insignificance of man in front of a mountain, as well as the determination in man that makes him conquer one. We spend the night under the sky at the base of the Kokankada.
Day3: Trek back to road head and return to Mumbai
Wake up to nature, and hike for an hour or two back to the road head. From here, the tempo will take us back to Kalyan. Expect to be back by evening.
Dates: Three day batches starting everyday from the 25th to 27th December 2010
Minimum Age: 15 years.
Charges: Rs. 3,5
00/- per head (inclusive of travel – Kalyan to Kalyan, stay and food, adventure activities – equipment, instruction and safety support).
Booking procedure: Call/SMS RAKA on 09869433342 or VIDYUT on 09892469127.This will reserve your seat for 2 days till you complete your payment. Registration will be confirmed only after complete payment and we are not responsible for any availability problems in case of delayed payments.
Payment information:
Choose whatever option is the most convenient.
- Courier a cheque (payable in Mumbai) made out in the name of “Wide Aware” (Address: A32/501 Yogi Park, Yogi Nagar, Borivali West, Mumbai 400091)
- Deposit cheque into our HDFC Account (Name: Wide Aware, HDFC Bank, Current account no: 02278310000028, Branch: Nehru Road, Vile Parle East)
Please do not deposit cash into the account without first speaking with us. Please inform Raka whenever you initiate payment – whether it is a cheque sent by courier or depositing a cheque into the account. This email needs to clarify the mode of payment, amount and participant names, ages and total number of participants.
Registrations strictly on first come first serve basis, as the batch size is limited.
Hi,
I want to enquire about Kondana Caves rappelling and Harishchandragad trek and Kokankada Rappelling. Please let me know your scehdule for these outings.
Regards,
Ankit
Hi Ankit,
Kondana Caves rappelling happens round the year, if you have a group ready. We announce some batches in the monsoons. The Harishchandragad trek and Kokankada valley crossing and rappelling happens in December or January. We also have a motorcycle trip along the Konkan Coast around Diwali or Christmas. Other things like Wildlife tours, Himalayan treks and other tours are announced when we get in the mood and don’t have an established season as such. If you are interested, its a good idea to subscribe to our newsletter so that you can get updates of upcoming programmes in time to join in.
Vidyut
Hi,
I have done such massive rappeling & valley crossing three times. Two times on Kokankada in 2000 (K2K) & 2005 (Hi-tech) and once Malshet Ghat (CampFire).
It was an amazing experience all the times. I specially liked this valley crossing + rappeling (Bhavanichi Dhar) a lot.
This time me & few of my friends are interested. However we want to check few things before – What is the provision for people coming from Pune? What if event delays for some reason (I understand its not easy to fix the rope especially for Valley crossing). Any group discount?
Pls let us know.
Regards,
Chetan
(9657710208)
Hi Chetan,
Its nice to hear from more experienced adventurers as well. To address your well thought out questions:
The group meets at Kalyan. Participants from both Mumbai and Pune come to Kalyan.
You are right in the sense that this is a complex set up and the time factor can cause issues. We have done our best to ensure that those issues don’t create disruptions beyond the programme. The ropes are set up and tested beforehand by an advance team of instructors, so the group has the setup ready when they arrive. Still, its not impossible that some delay happens. In such a case, any person not able to do the activities on the first day will have to stay on top of the fort, and cross and then descent first thing in the morning to continue straight on to the road head for the return home.
No group discounts on open batches as costs are calculated per head. If you are an adventurer, you already know the kind of effort and expense going into this. You could get a discount if you are booking a full batch, because then we can cut out all the administrative and promotion and coordination expenses, which aren’t much, but together should amount to approx 8% of the cost, possibly more if you want to manage other things like transport and food yourself.
Hi Vidyut,
I’ve done valley-crossing and rappeling at Talewadi Khind. It was a small valley but experience was amazing. And this valley-crossing at Kokankada sounds exciting. I am really interested in this event.
will you please let me know when we will be assembling at Kalyan and leaving for Khireshwar. I mean what will be the (approx) time? please let me know.
Thanks.
Regards,
Sanket Bhavsar
sanketb.01@gmail.com
(9096999779)
Hi, I have done such massive rappeling & valley crossing three times. Two times on Kokankada in 2000 (K2K) & 2005 (Hi-tech) and once Malshet Ghat (CampFire). It was an amazing experience all the times. I specially liked this valley crossing + rappeling (Bhavanichi Dhar) a lot. This time me & few of my friends are interested. However we want to check few things before – What is the provision for people coming from Pune? What if event delays for some reason (I understand its not easy to fix the rope especially for Valley crossing). Any group discount? Pls let us know.Regards, Chetan (9657710208)