Top 5 Monsoon Treks in Maharashtra
Monsoon is the best season to Trek in Maharashtra. Greenery, waterfalls, winds, fog, a pleasant weather overall makes this a perfect season for weekend outing. There are hundreds of Forts/Treks in Maharashtra so it may differ from person to person but here are our Top 5 picks for Monsoon Treks.
1. Bhimashankar
Bhimashankar is all in one package for a Monsoon Trek. Shidi Ghat Route provides the thrilling climb, Ganesh Ghat route provides the view of countless waterfalls, Gupt Bhimashankar has the best waterfall and water streams, Nagfani Point gives you the summit feel and 360 view, the list goes on. If one has to choose one trek to do in Monsoon then it has to be this. Not just the trek but Temple and attending evening aarti can be a really good experience too and food available at top is delicious. Though stay facilities on this trek are average but all other things will make you forget this one thing in otherwise perfect trek.
2. Visapur
Visapur is one of the most popular trek in Monsoon, and crowd come here for a reason. If you ascend from Patan route you also come across a water stream and also one hidden waterfall. Just before you reach the top you come across the water flowing from the entrance steps making it a picture perfect place. If all this is not enough then the Giant walls and Buruj of the fort will leave you speechless. View of Lohgad fort which stands exact opposite to this fort and If you descend from Lohagad-Malavali Route you can also visit Bhaja Caves and Waterfalls nearby.
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3. Garbett Point
Garbett Plateau is one of the most scenic trek and also quite easily accessible trek for Mumbai people. Garbett Point Trek starts from Bhivpuri Road, you walk across the beautiful Dhom Dam, then you can go to Diksal Waterfall and have fun for a while. Moving ahead you reach the pleteau which is huge and scenic, and the final climb can turn out to be thrilling as this is one of the windiest place and a short climb may feel like a long and thrilling one to reach Garbett Point Top from where you can see the entire plateau and dhom dam. You end the trek at Matheran after a short walk in dense forest. Overall this trek provides some amazing views and variety.
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4. Ratangad
Ratangad should ideally be done in late monsoon i.e. September month, reason being Sonki Flowers. In late monsoon the entire mountain is covered with these small yellow flowers and can provide some breathtaking view from Top of nearby mountains like Katrabai and on a clear day Kalsubai, AMK as well. Nedhe near the Top is windy in this season and from caves you will get to see Bhandardhara Backwaters. Also at the base of this fort you can visit an ancient temple, and ride to the base village is a treat in itself, you ride across Bhandardhara Dam, Necklace Waterfall and Kalubai Range.
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5. Rajmachi
Rajmachi probably has more places to visit than any other treks in this list. If you trek from Karjat route you can visit Kondana Caves and Waterfall, then after reaching Udhewadi Village you can visit Shriwardhan and Manoranjan Forts, Camp in Udhewadi Village and then visit to Udaysagar Lake, Ancient Shiv Temple and Kataldhar Waterfall View Point. The fort walls and Buruj are in decent condition and in Monsoon the greenery adds a charm to this already scenic fort. The climb from Karjat route is gradual yet scenic ascend, and route from Lonavala is long yet quite flat to walk, one can trek from any desirable route as per their choice.
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So these are Top 5 picks from our end, and one might say there are many other treks which are better and we do not disagree, but in this list we tried to cover treks which are unique in their own way. Bhimashankar for the waterfalls, Visapur for the Steps with water stream, Garbett Point for the huge scenic views, Ratangad for Sonki flowers and Rajmachi for the number of things it offers on a single trek. We have skipped treks like Harihar, Andharban and Devkund as they are banned in prime monsoon in recent years.
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Other Monsoon Trek Recommendation :
1. Vikatgad (Peb)
2. Kohoj
3. Kalsubai
4. Mahuli
5. Kothaligad (Peth)
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Happy Trekking !