Koraigad Fort trek

Trekking is a very good outdoor family activity and what better time to trek than the monsoon season. So, for me, every monsoon calls for a family trek.  

This time we choose a very simple and easy trek as we had heard that the views and beauty from the top of this fort were simply beautiful. Korigad fort is located at about 20 kms south-east of Lonavala (near Mumbai /Pune) and at a height of 923 metres above sea level.

Lonavala today has become one of the most visited and crowded places around Mumbai especially during monsoon weekends. But the drive to this place itself is very beautiful and worth the traffic and crowd. And the drive further down towards Aamby Valley city that leads to Peth Shahapur the base village is even more beautiful and scenic.

Traffic on the way to and back from Lonavala is an expected thing. So, plan for an entire day trip if visiting here. But very few people actually drive further towards the Aamby Valley city. Hence one can really enjoy this drive with less traffic in the midst of clouds and rain.

When Trekking, I personally prefer to drive down and explore these places myself rather than going through various trekking groups where strict timelines has to be adhered to.

We took our own time enjoying the drive through the clouds and halting to see the beauty of nature at various viewpoints. By the time we reached the base village it was afternoon and was pouring very heavily just giving us the perfect start to our trek.

Parking is easily available at the base village at a charge of 100Rs.. Its about one and half km walk from parking spot to the start of the trekking point. It is very easy to NOT miss the starting point of the trek as one has to simply move towards the very tall lamppost which is located at the start of the steps.

Korigad trekking is all about climbing these stone steps till the top. The kids counted the steps arriving at a number 700. The number seems to be big but trust me, it wasn’t that difficult.

As usual our kids were always leading the way for us and we had to shout behind them to slow down :) It’s a good idea to carry some snacks to munch on the way up to the peak. Snacks are available at the top like tea/ bhajjiyas /maggie/ corn. We carried few of snacks and rolls with us and had our own small picnic at the top.

On the way we came across a cave and a Ganesh temple. The rains make this trek even more pleasing as we climb thru the water gushing down from the steps.

It takes about an hour to climb the steps. The big Ganesh Darwaja welcomes you at the top. Once we reached the top we took about more than 2 hours exploring the plateau. The lush green carpet with the fresh blow of wind on your face is simply mesmerizing. We explored the views from all the sides of the fort. Entire 360 degrees with stunning sights of Lonavala region landscapes, mountains and deep valleys and the beautiful Aamby Valley city. There are 2 ponds on top and we saw few people take a dip in there. We also came across a small waterfall which the kids enjoyed. The fort is clean and maintained properly. There are many cannons on the top which makes a picturesque sight. 

One definitely needs to be careful of the valley down as it came as a surprise to us when we climbed on the edge of the flat terrain. There wasn’t any railing or barrier to protect one from falling into its depth. One needs to be very careful walking around it.

After exploring this place for about more than 2 hours we started descending around 4.30pm. getting down is quite easy. On our way down, we met some folks who were still climbing to reach the top. I think they were quite enthusiastic to climb at this hour as I personally like to be back down at the base village before it gets dark. So after we reached the base we started driving back home and decided to have dinner on the way to Mumbai. So as mentioned and as expected we met with good heavy traffic on our way back. So while we were stuck in traffic I saw some hawkers selling tea on the roads to cars. When  I asked them for Coffee he said that they will not only serve coffee but also maggie if required. True to his words he noted our car number and went back to his stall and brought us nice and hot coffee on wheels. Yes, he came on a bike holding the 2 cups in his hand on a tray while his partner was riding it for him. Whhaataaa service I thought!! This is simply amazing and such service can only be received in our land. I missed clicking his picture as I was the one behind the wheels driving at that time :) 

Anyways to recapitulate, this trek is a perfect  safe one-day getaway near Mumbai or Pune with your friends or family.

Thanks for reading my blog. Happy travelling and exploring with kids.

For more outdoor activities with kids read my blog at - https://travelandexplorewithkids.blogspot.com/