In the lush green surroundings of Nashik,rises an old fort called ratangad.Resting in the beautiful ranges of the sahyadris,It is one of the oldest forts in the region.Believed to be one of the favourite forts of even Shivaji maharaj.Ratangad is known as jewel fort.
So here it goes.....
Day 1 (30th jan 2016)-
Almost after 5-6 months I decided to do trekking,And it was Night trek to Ratangad with Mumbai Travellers.Very excited about my trek I packed my bag and reached Thane station.I took the over- crowded kasara local train with two other travellers(Kiran and Rohit). Almost getting pushed down at kalyan by passengers I managed to get back in the train and we reached kasara by 8.45pm.The journey started off with 36 crazy travellers and our leader Sameer sir and we left for Ratangad.We had a stop at Baba da dhaba for dinner, had some delicious SevBhaji and rotis. After the delicious Lunch we all headed towards Ratangad.So the plan was to get on Ratangad from Trimbak darwaja so the base village was samrad.Samrad is also base village to Valley of shadows-Sandhan Valley.
After 2 hours of drive we finally reached our base village Samrad by 1.30am.Taking out our torches like weapons, We started the trek at 2.00 am in the night.The way to trek started from bushy area and then it turned up in dense forest and then plateau.After climbing the ladders we reached to the the trimbak darwaja best part is stairs are still in good condition. We had a little rest near trimbak darwaja and then we headed towars the highlight of trek that is Nedhe or needle hole and Nedhe was as beautiful as described by Vaibhav Khaire. Some of us also climbed above the Nedhe to see the view and It was one of the most amazing views I had ever seen.Then moving from nedhe we crossed one slippery way.After this we headed towards the cave which was also one of the famous points of the treks.Lots of people stay here in the night.Finally we all reached at the caves at 5.00am in the morning and as soon as we reached the caves all went to sleep.
Day 2 (31st jan 2016)-After sleeping for 10-15 mins I just opened my eyes and all I saw was a beautiful view,A view I had never seen in my life and then I knew why this fort was Shivaji maharaj's favourite fort.The view from the caves was truly amazing.I took out my camera and rushed to capture the sunrise.After clicking some Pictures I returned to the caves where the others were still sleeping.Had some Chai and delicious KandePohe made by local guides.I also had maggi after very long time at the caves prepared by the villagers.Listened to trekking experiences shared by Sameer sir. And then it was time to descend the fort.Descending was quite easy since we were getting to the base village Ratanwadi.Talked about upcoming trekking tours with Dattatray while descending. After crossing the forest we reached the base village.Had a delicious local lunch Daal-Rice,typical marathi thecha,Bhakari and Pithla.We also visited the famous Amruteshwar temple built thousands of years ago.After talking with the locals I got to know that temple was built by Pandavas in one night.After visiting the temple and having lunch, we left the small hamlet of ratanwadi to come back into daily lives of being a city dwellers Eat-sleep-work.
So Night trek to Ratangad was amazing and beautiful,Made some new friends and had a amazing time with all the travellers.Shared our travel experiences.Ratangad-said to be Shivaji maharaj's favourite one.I can understand the reason being its beauty !Amazed !!! Thanks to Mumbai travellers for a wonderful trek.Thanks to Sameer Sawant and local guides for being so supportive and friendly and making this trek a memorable trek.
Thanks you MUMBAI TRAVELLERS