If you are someone who wants to ditch the conventional spots and avoid the crowd, you should definitely explore near-by, for adventure and peace. One such hidden gem is Kataldhar waterfall. We caught train to lonavala first.
If you have good fitness level, you can walk all the way to the waterfall from the station (10 kms one way –3 to 4 hours),the shared taxis operating between Lonavala station and sas hill, 2 mango trees route.
We started the trek, the forest is so thick that at places the sun light doesn’t even reach the ground. The dampness & darkness of the forest, the confusing trails, and the chances of getting lost are what all makes it a moderate to difficult trek.
That is so huge is what I uttered as I got the first glimpse of the waterfall. There were two streams of waterfall separated by around 5 meters. Few people were doing rappelling at this mighty waterfall, must have been an amazing adventure altogether
It gets very tempting to reach the base of the waterfall to have all the feels, but it’s not advisable especially in the peak of the monsoon where the water flow is unexpected and can get scary anytime. Also, the boulders which lead you to the base.
I would rate Kataldhar Waterfall Trek as a moderate to difficult trek in terms of difficulty. The trek is not tough in terms of steepness, neither in terms of fitness required; it’s just the confusing routes in the dense jungle, we got back to car.
The waterfall is seasonal and depends completely on rains for its source. So the best time to visit the waterfall is the monsoon month starting from July to mid-September. For the rest of the year, if you want to experience a jungle trek.