Core event plan
Age group: 11–14 years
Duration: One day
Travel: Non-AC bus from Pune
Difficulty: Moderate
Route: Kusur → Rayling Pathar → Mohari → Harpud
Programme theme: Traverse, terrain reading, teamwork and monsoon resilience
Suggested fee: ₹1,699 per head
Suggested capacity: 30 participants with one 32-seater bus, two leaders, and local support joining at the trailhead.
Rayling Pathar is ideal as the next Huppya Explorers journey after Kokandiva because it feels like a true traverse—not simply a climb and return. Children begin at one village, walk across a changing Sahyadri landscape, and finish at another village. That gives them a strong sense of route, direction and achievement.
Event description
A trek becomes more meaningful when the trail takes you somewhere new.
On the Rayling Pathar Traverse, Huppya Explorers walk across monsoon grasslands, rocky plateaus, village paths and mist-covered ridges—from Kusur to Harpud, with Rayling Pathar as the heart of the journey.
This is a day for learning how to move with a group, read the landscape, stay steady in changing weather and understand that the best journeys are not always about reaching one point—they are about crossing through the wild together.
What explorers will learn and experience
- A real point-to-point Sahyadri traverse
- Monsoon grasslands, ridges and plateau terrain
- Basic route awareness: start point, direction, landmarks and endpoint
- Trail discipline, pacing and buddy-system responsibility
- Nature observation: clouds, water flow, insects, plants and changing terrain
- Group decision-making and teamwork
- Fort-and-landscape storytelling around the region
- Confidence from completing a full traverse
Suggested itinerary
- 06:00 am — Reporting and departure from Pune
- 08:30 am — Breakfast near Kusur / en route
- 09:30 am — Reach Kusur; safety briefing, warm-up and route introduction
- 10:00 am — Start traverse towards Rayling Pathar
- 12:15 pm — Observation stop, snacks and navigation activity
- 01:15 pm — Packed lunch at a safe sheltered point
- 02:00 pm — Continue towards Mohari and Harpud
- 04:30 pm — Reach endpoint; change / refreshment break
- 05:15 pm — Depart for Pune
- 08:30–09:30 pm — Expected arrival in Pune
Final route timing will depend on rainfall, visibility, trail condition and group pace.
Inclusions
- Non-AC bus travel from Pune
- Breakfast, packed lunch and evening refreshments
- Guided Rayling Pathar Traverse
- Two trained Nisargshala trail leaders
- Local route support
- Nature-learning and navigation activities
- First-aid support
- Pre-event briefing and packing checklist
Participant suitability
This is for children who are comfortable walking for several hours on uneven, muddy and sometimes slippery terrain. It is more demanding than Valley of Clouds Trek and should be presented as a proper Huppya Explorers adventure.
Safety positioning
The route is a traverse, so the team will assess rain intensity, water crossings, wind and visibility before proceeding. The exact trail sections or turnaround/exit point may be adapted for safety. The group will follow a buddy system, leader-led pace and fixed regrouping points.
