So, after alot of misplanning I decided to board for Pune. I've already been to some treks in Himachal Pradesh. But this time I wanted to try something different, so I started my search for a worth visiting trek in Western Ghats. And finally my search concluded to Rajgad fort trek.
The fort is divided into four parts, Padmavati Machi, Suvela Machi, Sanjeevani Machi, and Baalekilla. The best time to do this trek is after monsoon or during winters.
The base village for Rajgad fort trek is Gunjavane. It is located around 60 kms from Pune but due to hilly roads it takes 2 hours to reach there. One can travel by bike or car as there is ample parking space present at gunjavane. The journey from Pune to Gunjavane is so beautiful. As I travelled during monsoon so there were greenery all around.
* There are not much of shops present on the way or top. So carry ample amount of water and food with you. The baale kila which is the topmost point is about 5.5 kms from the base village and it'll take u about 2.5-3 hours to reach there.
We departed from the Pune at 5:00 clock early in the morning and reached Gunjavane at 7. There's a shop situated at the parking spot. It serve u mind-blowing vada-pav and Poha. We had our breakfast there and took the water-bottle and some eatables from the same shop. U'll have to take a ticket before u start the trek. We started the trek at 8 and soon we realised the the way is starting was too slippery. So I would advice everyone trekking during rainy season to arrange a stick as it will help u more than anything during the trek. It'll protect u from slipping and falling.
The weather all along the trek was cloudy so we were lucky to avoid the sweating. After treking for first half hour we thought that the trek was easy but we were still to encounter the actual adventure. Because of clouds, the peak wasn't visible. We did get lost at a point but soon a localite guides us to the right way.
The view pionts all over the trek are amazing, so we were very busy taking the good clicks and hence a little late. But soon we met a Marathi family who have been to this trek earlier and they motivated us to hurry up. For about 1/2 hour we followed them but then lost them as we couldn't resist the view. The also told us about the baale kila which is the topmost point and a must visit. Just before reaching the boundry of fort u'll find a guy selling tea and pakodas with a wonderful view. One must leave the sticks here as it's just rock climbing ahead for about next 45 mins. The best path starts from here. U'll find a metallic support railing holding which u have to climb.
As soon as u reach the boundry of wall, u'll find a pond inside it. Locals told me that it's the purest water and they use it for regular drinking although I didn't find it that way. Beware of the monkeys all around, don't take out any eatables in front of them or they'll follow u. From this point u'll find a diversion to Padmavati Machi. There are 2 other points- Suvela machi and Sanjeevani machi. We preffered to go for Baale kila rather than machi. So we continued our journey straight way.
The journey ahead was next level. I had never done such treking ever in my life. After trekking for about 45 minutes u'll get to see a large door. It is known by the name of Maha Darwaja. It'll give u a feeling of one of the palaces of GOT. 😜 This is a popular photography spot. After entering this, there's 1 big pond and
Few small ponds around it. I'll advice everyone to remove your shoes and sit around it dipping the legs in water. There were so many small fishes in it which were continuously poking the foot. Get ready for a natural fish spa. 🤣 It is so soothing so sit in that calm and peaceful environment. After having little rest at this place we went up and saw the remains of
Significant history. The wind blowing at this height will just give u goosebumps. The feeling of standing at the piece of land where the pride of Marataha empire once lived can not be explained in words. Some other forts situated around it are also visible from the top .Rajgad fort is a must visit for everyone. We reached back to base village by 3:30. So this is just a one day trek but the emotions in that single day can not be explained in single word.
