Trek to Duke’s Nose

Duke’s Nose is an 800-foot monolith. It’s got a 500-foot bottom and a 300-foot top! I was mesmerized the moment I saw this monster of a rock. Nature makes you feel so insignificant at times; you can’t help but continue to stare at this beauty. There’s a small temple on top of the rock and ample space to just lie down and stare at the sky. If you’re in Lonavala this is a place you must visit. Duke’s Nose can actually be seen from the Mumbai-Pune expressway.

Duke's Nose is a trekker's delight. Last Sunday we went for a trek there. It's barely 5km from Khandala railway station, till the top of the mountain.

Our plan for the trek was just a few hours old, none of us was aware about what we'll be doing on Sunday before Saturday evening. From Pune, 4 of us boarded the train at 7:30 am and got down at Khandala. Khandala itself being a high altitude place, the trek (and rain too) started the moment we walked out of the platform. The way to Duke's Nose is full of lush green hills laden with thick trees and innumerable springs, few of them becoming waterfalls along slope.You need to cross one or two such waterfalls in your way. There was a US couple following us all the way from Khandala. I was saving my shoes from being drenched in water till we came along to a point where we had to cross a small pool, which was about a foot deep. The greenery around the place was simply awesome.

Taking guidance from the local folks, we continued our journey. There are a couple of occasions where it is difficult to move ahead and demand presence of mind from the trekker. You may be climbing upwards steadily or in a zigzag way, at times crouching and suddenly you face a taller than your body rock which will have to be climbed skillfully. Your footwear has to have a good grip. You keep reaching grassy plains along the mountain's slope where you can relax, take snaps of the mountains and valleys and move ahead. The last few hundred-meter's towards the Duke's Nose is quite challenging. Once you reach the top, you will be astonished to see a small Shiv Mandir built there, and the Shivling alongside it. The way back doesn't pose much of a challenge.
We were shocked to see a road being built from the base of the trek. The day is not far when this trekkers delight would also become a crowded and polluted drive to the top of the hill.