Kataldhar Waterfall Rappelling and Trekking

Kataldhar is a big waterfall near Lonavla in the Pune district of Maharashtra. This waterfall is not very popular because it is somewhat difficult to reach the valley and needs some experience of basic trekking before exploring this place. Though it is a little difficult there is heaven at the end of the fall.

I decided to go on this adventure with experienced trekkers so I joined the Pune Hiking Enthusiast group which organized complete trek and rappelling. At 5:30 AM, we started from Pune and within 2 hours we reached Fanasrai Village which is the only route to reach Kataldhar Waterfall.

Just after eating breakfast, we had a briefing session about safety equipment, Do’s, and Don’ts for rappelling down. We listened to each and every step very carefully and collected helmets, harnesses, mittens, and ropes.

One needs to trek down to reach the Kataldhar rappelling point. We crossed small rivers and walked on slippery trails in the jungle.

I had assumed we’d all rappel together but it was one person at a time. Since it was my first time rappelling, I was a little nervous. Once I started going down, I forgot about the fear. On my left was a huge waterfall. On my right stretched endless green hills. Below me, the base of the waterfall disappeared into the mist. Above me, water kept pouring over the edge and I was completely drenched. Then a rainbow appeared. About 100 feet down, I could no longer see or hear anyone from my group. Another 100 feet later, even the rock face disappeared. I was hanging in the middle of the waterfall with nothing beneath my feet. It felt like a giant swing in the middle of the monsoon. 🙂

After swinging for some more time, I could see the guide who detached me from the swinging rope and helped me to cross the slippery boulders near the waterfall.

Post lunch, we started walking in dense forest for around 2-3 hours and reached the base village 🙂

How to reach Kataldhar?

It’s about 8 km from Lonavala. You can easily reach Lonavala by train or bus. I’m not sure if local buses run from Lonavala to the base village, so it’s worth checking in advance. I joined an organized group for this trip, and they took care of the commute from Pune.

Where to stay in Kataldhar?

Lonavala offers all sorts of stay options or one could ask locals for shelter. It could be best done as one-day activity. We planned trekking and rappelling as one day plan.

Overall Expenses

S. No	Activities	Expenses
1.	Breakfast, lunch, rappelling, trekking, and commute	1800

Thanks for reading. Share your experiences in a comment 🙂