Gorakhgad is a rock thumb above Dehri village in Murbad, with its twin Machindragad standing across the col. It is a small fort and a short day out, but the way up is one of the more memorable climbs within reach of Mumbai: caves cut into the base of the pinnacle, and a staircase that […]
Fort Trek Guides
Route, history and travel guides for Sahyadri forts near Mumbai, Pune and Nashik.
34 articles
Route, history and travel guides for Sahyadri forts near Mumbai, Pune and Nashik.
Few images say "Sahyadri" quite as loudly as the staircase of Kalavantin Durg - a flight of steps cut straight into a rock pinnacle with nothing but air on one side. It stands above Panvel beside the broader fortress of Prabalgad, and the two are usually climbed together from the same base. The story of […]
Sudhagad is one of the broadest fort plateaus in the Sahyadris, and one of the few where enough survives to give you a sense of what living on a fort was actually like - a temple, a granary, wooden wadas still standing, and a gateway that looks a great deal like Raigad's. The fort that […]
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 […]
Karnala is the fort you can see from the Mumbai-Goa highway - a basalt thumb standing above the trees near Panvel. The climb is short and shaded, the trail runs through a bird sanctuary, and you can be back in Mumbai by lunch. It is the gentlest fort on this list and a good one […]
If someone asks which fort to start with in Maval, the answer is usually Tikona. It is an hour up, the steps are in good condition, and the summit gives you Pawna lake on one side and Lohagad, Visapur and Tung on the other. The triangular profile that gives it its name is visible from […]
A complete Koldher Fort trek guide: the Rajdherwadi route, the Koldher pass, cave and cisterns, how to reach from Nashik, Mumbai and Pune, and the best time to go.
A complete Dhodap Fort trek guide: the second highest fort in the Sahyadris, rock-cut steps, the wide tunnel, history, how to reach from Nashik, Mumbai and Pune, and the best time to go.
Ratangad Trek Guide: Routes, Nedhe, Camping & Map The Ratangad Trek is widely celebrated as one of the most rewarding adventures in Maharashtra. Rising to an elevation of 4,255 ft (1,297 m) above the serene waters of Arthur Lake in Bhandardara, Ratangad (literally meaning the Jewel Fort) is nestled inside the Kalsubai Harishchandragad Wildlife Sanctuary. […]
Harishchandragad Trek: The Crown Jewel of the Malshej Ghat Rising to an altitude of 4,671 ft (1,424 m) in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, Harishchandragad is one of the most celebrated hill forts in the Western Ghats. Dating back to the 6th century under the Kalchuri dynasty, with ancient caves carved around the 11th century, […]
