[dwanderlustdrv]

Summer rides are brutal. You can beat the sun out the door at dawn, but the return? That’s when the sun gets its revenge. By 10 am, it’s already in full attack mode, turning your riding gear into a mobile oven. Sure, you're protected from UV rays—but no one said anything about getting grilled alive in your own sweat sauna. By the time you're home, you’ve basically done a full spin cycle inside your riding suit. Glamorous? Not exactly.

So, I thought—why not flip the script? Ditch the sun, ride under the stars. A night ride was long overdue, and after a recent one with the KTM Adv Owners Pune group through Tamhini Ghat to Lonavala, I was hungry for more. I’d already done the recce; now it was time to go bigger, bolder, and deeper into the dark. This time, the plan? A full-night ride with my office rider gang—Dox Riders—through the Tamhini-Andharban-Aamby Valley circuit to Lonavala.



Now, this wasn’t your usual KTM Adventure only group. We had a cocktail of machines and rider skill levels—RE Classic 350, Meteor 350, Yamaha R15, Triumph Scrambler 400X, KTM 390 Adventure and of course, my trusty KTM Duke 200. Yes, I own a 390 Adventure too, but since it still hasn’t got the aux lights installed, the Duke 200 with Maddog Alphas was elected the leader for the night. No better way to cut through darkness than with proper photon cannons.

Friday Night Madness Begins

Work had already drained my soul on Friday, and just when I thought I’d get a breather—whoa! More errands. Got home by 8 PM, had a quick snack as dinner, and barely had time to gear up before leaving for our 9:30 PM meet-up. Thankfully, a couple of riders wanted a 30-min delay. That precious half-hour? Used it to check tyre pressure and lube the chain—because adventure begins with a well-loved bike.

We finally rolled out... straight into a traffic apocalypse on Sus Road. So much for escaping into the night! Enter: BluArmor C30. Three of us were on comms, coordinating like a SWAT team in helmets. I led, one took the tail, and we managed to keep the group tightly packed despite the chaos.

Tamhini at Midnight – A Whole New Beast

I’ve danced through Tamhini Ghat countless times, but at night? It’s a different animal. Dark, mysterious, silent... and slightly spooky. With voices in your helmet constantly chatting, sharing road updates, and cracking the occasional joke, it felt like a midnight podcast made just for us. Even when the tail rider was a kilometre behind, it felt like he was right there beside me. You’ve got to try this to believe it.



Then Google Maps decided to get creative. Instead of sticking to the highway, it guided us into a sleepy village route. Did we complain? Nope. We were after all out for an adventure!

The Ride Gets Real

An hour in, we hit our first pit stop at Hotel River Place near Mulshi. The vibes were high, snacks were flowing, and time slipped past faster than a quick shifter on full throttle. Almost midnight when we resumed, and just for kicks, I turned off the aux lights to ride in pitch black. It was chillingly eerie.

As we hit the Andharban turn-off, I halted the crew for a quick regroup. Gave them a quick set of instructions to slow down overall and stay together in a group—because ahead lay a narrow jungle road, hugged by forests and wrapped in silence. True to its name, Andharban—The Dark Forest.



And then, confusion. Some riders thought it was a break, started pulling off gloves and helmets. I moved ahead slowly expecting a follow-up, but... nothing. No lights, no voices. Just blackness. Slight panic set in—this wasn’t the place to be alone, not with leopards likely lurking. Finally, comms reconnected and turns out, the gang was just suiting back up. Phew!

Into the Heart of Darkness

This was no joyride anymore—it was an expedition. The terrain changed, roads broke apart, and the R15 and Meteor struggled over the rough patches. We crawled at 15 kmph but kept spirits high with stories of ghost sightings and omens. Someone even spotted a rabbit darting across the road—instant chills!



And then, Google Maps betrayed us again. Sent us down the wrong path. You know you’re lost, when Google Maps constantly starts showing a U-turn and in-fact, there isn’t really any turn! No signal. Fog rolling in like something out of a horror movie. Visibility? Zero. My gut said we’d strayed. Switched to offline maps, and thankfully—there it was. The correct route. A quick 500-meter backtrack, and we were back in business, and I got to keep my pride!

Fog, Twisties & That Sweet Lonavala Descent

Once back on track, confidence returned. The fog grew thicker as we climbed towards Lonavala. The jungle road, lit only by our aux LEDs, felt like a scene straight out of a movie. At times, we couldn’t see more than 2 feet ahead—but we pressed on.



We’d conquered:
• Pitch-black highways
• Jungle trails
• Broken tarmac
• Dense fog
• Eerie silence
• Bone-chilling air

It was pure, unfiltered, rider heaven. This wasn’t just a ride—it was a sensory overload.

3 AM Maggi & Tea – The Perfect Ending

We skipped the fog-covered Tiger Point and descended to the Lonavala dam bridge instead. Perfect move! We found a couple of food trucks dishing out piping hot Maggi and chai. It was 3 AM, we were buzzing with excitement, and conversations flowed faster than ever.



From there, it was a full throttle race across the open road all the way back home. As the group split off, tired but exhilarated, we all this was a ride for the books. And yes, we’re already scheming for the next one.



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Follow me on www.instagram.com/thewanderlustride for more stories!

[Dodge_Viper]

Interesting route there. Could you share the google map route or the waypoints?

[speedster786]

This was an epic read, and it’s clear that your crew is built for adventure.

[dwanderlustdrv]

Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper

Interesting route there. Could you share the google map route or the waypoints?

Sure. Here you go:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GPgv49vH2kEnKHgX6

[Baby Driver]

Originally Posted by dwanderlustdrv

Sure. Here you go:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GPgv49vH2kEnKHgX6

Can this be done in a 4 wheeler. I own a Harrier. Is there a 4 wheeler group in Pune?

[dwanderlustdrv]

Yes certainly. This is a village road after all and people do take their cars along. However, it is certainly more fun on a bike!

[NiInJa]

Aah, this brings back the memories. I did a solo ride on the same route in August 2021. The last long ride on my R15 before I got the FZ250 later that year.

I had just recovered from a bad covid episode then and it was my first ride after a break of one and half year.

Funnily, I took only one photo to send this to my wife and upload the same on Instagram.

[silverado]

What a ride, What an idea! I have not done the Andharban route, but wayback in 2017 i did Pune-Tamhini-Pali ( Ganpati )- Pune. It was mesmerizing route especially the Tamhini-Pali stretch.

Andharban trail is done by cyclists as well and there is a very good chance to get lost on it if one takes a wrong turn, must have been very scary at night to get lost

[dwanderlustdrv]

it was truly scary, especially considering the other riders were counting on me for leading them correctly and safely. I do have good amount of experience with Google Maps navigation and actually spotted it right away as it tried to mislead us. Good instincts had us on the correct route in no time!

[camitesh]

Amazing ride to beat the heat! Did this circuit impromptu in reverse on one of the morning breakfast rides to Lonavala. I really can’t recall the number of times we back tracked, asked directions from villagers and banged our heads with google maps (we didn’t have offline maps since it was impromptu ride) on this circuit. It was adventurous enough in broad daylight so I can just imagine doing this at night. Glad all went well for you guys!

PS: What camera did you use? the shots are amazing in low light.