Mandakini Hill – No, Not That Mandakini! 😜
One fine morning, just as I was getting into my groove of doing absolutely nothing, a WhatsApp ping broke the peace. It was from Dr. Ajay – “Trek to Mandakini Hill this Sunday?” Now the last time I heard Mandakini, I had a very different hill in mind… the one where a certain sensuous lady danced under a waterfall in a white saree. Ahem!
But this Mandakini was not that Mandakini – this was a hill. A mysterious, lesser-known hill. And you know me, main wahi hoon jo chhoti jagah aur mushkil raste ke liye turant haan kar deta hoon. So without blinking twice, I typed back – “I’m in, boss!”
Mission Mandakini Begins… Minus the Train!
Sunday arrived. I was as excited as a school kid on a picnic day. My train was scheduled at 6:00 AM, and the proud Mumbaikar in me reached the ticket counter at 5:53 – deadly confident, totally under control. But Mumbai being Mumbai, the queue looked like the line for Gadar 2’s first day first show.
At 5:57 AM, I finally got the ticket. And then came the Olympic sprint! But as luck would have it, train toh 5:58 par platform pe thi… aur 5.59 baje chali bhi gayi! Yup, the train left before time and I missed it like Rahul missed Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.(sic)
Now came the oh-so-embarrassing part – calling up Dr. Ajay to say, “Thoda late ho gaya yaar…” Thankfully, by 7:05 I reached Virar and joined the gang. Late by 5 minutes only. Filmy comeback moment done right!
Auto Ka Andar, Bum Bahar!
We stepped out of Virar station on the east side and searched for an auto to reach the base village – Kelthan. Yes, that’s Kelthan – not Keltron, not Kelkar, and definitely not the TV brand from the ’90s.
Now the auto drivers looked at us like NRIs returning for the first time – quoting ₹700! Bhai, auto hai ya helicopter? So off we went to the bus depot. The VVMT staff, fully charged with post-Chai laziness, told us the next bus to Vajreshwari was at 9 AM. But hum bhi Mumbai ke sadak-chaap Bond hain – we spotted a bus headed that way and leapt into it like it was a DDLJ train scene!
Now, why Vajreshwari, you ask? Because our base village Kelthan was just 3–4 km from there, and the plan was to grab an auto from Vajreshwari.
Well, six people + 1 auto + 1 enthusiastic driver = pure chaos. I kid you not – someone’s bum was hanging out, someone’s dum was barely in. Poor Vishal was literally hanging on like he was doing stunts for Rohit Shetty. The ride was so bumpy that two people offered to walk alongside the auto just to avoid the motion madness!
The Guide Who Never Came
We reached Kelthan and our rickshaw guy enthusiastically turned local tour guide – asking around the village to find us someone to take us up Mandakini Hill. Sadly, no one was ready. Pritish muttered, “Yaar yeh log aaye kyu nahi?” I replied, “Bhai, shayad zyada Crime Patrol dekh liya hoga… soch rahe honge upar le jaake bali chadha denge!” 😄
Anyway, we found the trail head. Full josh, zero idea. At one fork, we took a wrong turn and wandered into a forest… then a random village… and back into another forest. But you know us – for us, journey is the destination! Green fields, chirping birds, laughter and nonsense – we were having the time of our lives… completely lost.
Luckily, we met an old villager who told us we were totally off track and directed us to the real path. We asked him to join us as our mountain guru, but he smiled and politely refused – probably thinking “Yeh pagal log… nahin bhai nahin!”
The 90° Climb – Thanks to Vishal’s GPS Brain!
So off we went again, this time aiming for the peak directly like missile targets. In our excitement, we took the shortest path – which was also the steepest. Almost 90 degrees!
Vishal declared confidently – “Yeh cattle trail hai!” And I was like – bhai yeh cattle hai ya mountain goat?
With heart in our hands and sweat in our eyes, we climbed. The sun was relentless. Humidity? On another level. We all kept praying for some breeze, some clouds… aur phir hua chamatkar! Rain started pouring and breeze followed like SRK in a romantic climax. We were finally on track!
The Devdar Cave Drama
We made it to the plateau, and thanks to Wikiloc (and luck), we reached the top. From there, we turned left towards the Devdar Cave – but lo and behold… the stone patch leading to the cave was mossy, wet, and super slippery.
Vishal, our resident daredevil, decided to attempt the crossing. He made it to the other side, but the entire time my dil was actually in my mooh! I was yelling, “Vapas aa jaa bhai, Woh Devdar Cave kahi jane wali nahi hai!” Thankfully, he made it back safely and we got some heroic photos, courtesy of his madness.
We unanimously decided – jaan hai toh Devdar hai. So instead of risking a full stunt scene, we settled on the plateau for our royal lunch. Sandwiches, snacks, stories, and bakchodi – the works!
Return of the Wise Trekkers
This time we chose the correct path down – no more 90° circus acts. The return trek was smooth but slippery due to wet mud, but like every good desi trek, there had to be a water stream to chill in.
I found my spot in the cool water – channeling my inner Hrithik from ZNMD. But just when I was fully immersed in the moment, a snake decided to say hello. Bas fir kya… main Usain Bolt ban gaya! Jumped out, drenched and rattled, saying “Yeh kya ho raha hai!” in full Akshay Kumar mode.
Just when we thought the adventure was done and dusted – hill conquered, water stream enjoyed, lunch devoured – picture abhi baaki thi mere dost!
We reached the base village, all smiles and sweat, only to find… no return conveyance! Yup, not a single rickshaw, tempo, or even a buffalo cart in sight. Dead tired and dragging our feet, we looked at each other and said, “Chalo bhai, Vajreshwari mandir tak paidal hi nikalte hain!”
And so began our bonus trek – a long, never-ending walk. But me and Pritesh kept spirits high – cracking jokes, clicking pics, pulling each other’s leg – basically turning pain into a stand-up comedy show.
Meanwhile, the smarter folks behind us apparently managed to grab some ride. But hum toh karma ke bhakt – chalna likha tha, so chal diye!
To reward our heroic effort, me and Pritesh treated ourselves to a plate of spicy, soul-satisfying misal pav – swaad bhi, inaam bhi! Soon the rest of the gang joined in for a well-earned mini-feast.
Finally, with full tummies and sore legs, we boarded the state transport bus to head back to Virar – and oh boy, that ride felt longer than a Saas-Bahu serial marathon! Add to that the Fast & Furious style driving by our ST pilot and the standing-only luxury class experience – and we were officially broken.
Biggest sigh of relief? Reaching Virar station in one piece and catching our respective trains back home – hearts full, legs dead, and memories priceless.
The Mandakini hill trek Verdict
So, was it worth missing the train, climbing a vertical hill, wandering into unknown forests, and dealing with slippery stones and snakes?
Totally!
Mandakini Hill may not have a waterfall-dancing heroine, but it gave us laughter, madness, a solid trek, and memories worth every drop of sweat.
Because in the end, yeh dil maange more – And yeh dimaag hamesha ghumne ke liye bhage kahi aur!
🌟 Final Thoughts
Mandakini Hill gave us more than a trek – it gave us laughter, chaos, misadventures, and misal pav. And that’s what makes these trips unforgettable.
Because when you travel with the right people – every wrong turn becomes a memory.
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