Mahuli is the highest point in Thane district and the closest serious climb to Mumbai - a long forested ascent that ends in a railed rock section and opens onto a plateau with a skyline of pinnacles running off it. People underestimate it because it is close. They should not.
Three forts on one massif
The Mahuli massif carries three linked forts - Mahuli, Bhandargad and Palasgad. It was a Nizamshahi stronghold, taken by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, ceded under the Treaty of Purandar and retaken afterwards. Shahaji Raje is said to have sheltered here. Little of the fortification survives; the massif itself is the attraction.
The climb from Mahuli village
The trail starts at a Shiva temple below the village and climbs inside the Mahuli sanctuary. It is forested and pleasant for the first two hours, gaining height steadily. Then it steepens into a section of rock steps with iron railings - well maintained, but this is the stretch that earns the grade, and it comes at the point where your legs are already tired.
The pinnacles
From the plateau a ridge of rock towers runs off to the side: Vazir, and the pair called Navra and Navri - the groom and bride - with Karvali beside them. These are technical climbs for equipped teams. Trekkers look at them from the plateau, which is view enough.
What you see
Bhatsa reservoir below, the Kalsubai range to the north, and on a clear day a long stretch of the Sahyadri wall. The plateau itself is broad and easy to walk once you are up.
When to go
June to February. The monsoon is beautiful here and the sanctuary comes alive, but the railed section needs care in the wet. Winter is the safest and clearest.
Getting there
Central line to Asangaon, then a short road transfer to Mahuli village - about 85 km from Mumbai by road, or 190 km from Pune via Kalyan. This is one of the easiest big treks to reach by train.
Trek it with us
With Sakhi runs Mahuli as a guided one day trek from Mumbai and Pune. See the trek details and dates.
