Ratangad: Weekend Getaway from Mumbai

So here we go again exploring yet another mountain trek to Ratnagad, another perfect weekend getaways. It is situated in dense forests of Kalsubai – Harishchandragad range. It’s about 200 km from Vashi and can be reached either by road or else can also take train till Igatpuri and take a bus or cab till Ratanwadi.

The Fort at the top is at a height of about 4500ft and the trek takes around 2hrs to reach to the top. We start from the base near Amruteshwar temple, which is a Lord Shiva temple. We walk across the village along the paddy fields and a river winding itself with the hiking track. Anyhow there are some patches of steep climb; however I would rate this trek as simple-medium grade.

We left Mumbai Saturday midnight and reached early morning around 5am. We started Climbing at around 7am and were there at the top by 9-ish am. Did some exploring up there. There are ruins of Ratengad fort, a temple and the best part is view. We were lucky to not have rains and Of-course no sun. At times it use to get foggy but that was bearable :)

Nedhe is a point which should be covered. This is basically a Needle eye created by high speed winds. The rock has a huge hole in it and can accommodate about 10-12 people. It has a great view and is super windy. Nedhe is about 15-20 mins from Ratangad fort and has a steep climb.

Decent was again of approx. same duration and at the base you can have lunch at the local restaurants.