Unexpected Journey toward Harihar fort trek, but most
memorable for me & Kashyap. by profession I am Doctor & work as a
Family physician in surat with my friend Dr Kashyap is a dentist. this Diwali
vacation we plan for something adventurous & decided to go Konkan Coastal
way with a bike ride, till 24 hrs before our schedule is same, but ask support
from one friend & he tells limited time you did not enjoy then costal way,
& You go Harihar fort trek, which is mind-blowing & a dream for every
trekker. & that's our journey planed.
The Harihar Fort trek difficulty level is medium. It lies at an altitude of 3,676 ft from sea level. The hill on which the fort is built looks like a rectangular shape from the base village. It is a trek that can be executed both by professionals as well as beginners with ease. The route is pleasant and the duration is also manageable, making it one of the more popular treks in the Western Ghats. The edges of the Harihar fort are almost vertical. The attraction of Harihar fort is the iconic steps to the top of the fort. It is almost 80 degrees vertically inclined. Here, trekkers must climb roughly 100 Iconic steps to reach the top of the mountain. This cave-like chamber is reachable by a crawling trap door after climbing those steep steps. The peak of the fort can be reached by the passage of the cave. There is a small temple of Lord Hanuman and Shiva as well as a pond in front of it. The view from the fort is beautiful. You can see many forts and peaks such as Bhaskargad or Basgad, Anjaneri fort, Brahmagiri and Utwad fort from the top.
The best Season to do the Harihar Fort Trek is from June to February. During this period you can see the spectacular views from Harihar fort. Monsoon is the best season to see the lush green Sahyadris. All the fields in the villages and trails will be full of green grasses. Post monsoon season offers a clear view of the famous forts and peaks from the Top. You can expect pleasant weather during this time.
Short Story: New Year morning after the completion of get2gather with family at 10.45am we leave from surat by eating breakfast of khaman & samosa. out route is Surat to NH 8 - Navsari - Valsad - Vapi- bhilad - charoti ( Mahalaxmi ) - jwahr - amboli - Harihar fort. take the first half at Chikhli, on NH 8 any time I go, I take a halt at SAI tea stall. it has beautiful space for sitting & delicious snacks available, we both take 2 glasses of cold masala buttermilk. then again start our ride. The next halt is Mahalaxmi mandir, due to New Year heavy traffic for darshan, so we avoid darshan & take sugarcane juice & relax for 15 min, next our route is charoti chokdi to left toward jwahar - amboli. we enjoy ghat road & bike riding at speed of 70-80km. the road is awesome. late evening we get cloud & start sudden raining for 1.5hr. we stop under one shop for 1.5hrs wait to stop the rain, our time wasted & we are late to reach base village harshewadi, so we direct go trimbak for night stay it is 10km far from amboli, after check-in hotel & fresh up eat dinner & rest overnight,
The next day after checkout first visit trimbakeshvar jyotirlinga,
get the blessing of shiva & then proceed toward Harihar forte. it took 1hr
from trimbk to reach base village harshewadi. road & views are awesome, I
get a few clicks On the way & reach harshewadi at 12.30pm. 30 charge for
per person entry fees for Harihar fort taken by Maharashtra government. local people are helpful &
supportive, we assort our luggage & take only one bag with us which carry
water & few snacks. another bag & helmet is put to local village home
& our bullet is a park in a parking area which charge is 10/-.
we start trek @12.45pm, it is cloudy weather so not feel too much hot, still slowly after 1.30 hrs of upside trek we reach the base of the plateau, then after 80 degrees vertically inclined iconic step start, These rock-cut steps look scary but once you start climbing
them, you have enough support there for your safety. So it is not scary as it
looks from far. There are notches carved in for support. Make sure you take complete advantage of them. Place your foot carefully. During monsoon season
they become slippery because of the moss formation. Do not turn back while
climbing the steps if you are afraid of height. It looks very scary. There are
around 90 steps before you reach the Mahadarvaja. They are maintained pretty
well compared to other forts in that region. After the Mahadarvaja, the trail takes you to a left
traverse. Here, your left is open to a valley and your right is the wall of the
fort. You can see the Harshewadi village on your left. Once you cross the
traverse, you encounter another set of steep steps. After climbing those steep
steps, you pass through a small cave. After almost an hour of an exciting climb, you
reach the fort.
this trek is a dream for adventure lovers, High adrenaline Rush while claiming & get fulfilment & happiness after reaching on top of the fort, get spectacular views of surrounding Bhaskargad or Basgad, Anjaneri fort, Brahmagiri, Utwad fort,
Phani Dongar hill which has a needle-like structure and many other forts are
around you. It is fun to identify all of the forts and peaks if you are in a
group
we reach 5.30 pm at base village & return toward Nasik, check-in hotel & relaxed overnight, Next day morning back to surat via Nasik - peth - dharmpur - vansda- chikhi- Navsari surat.
For Stay & Food @harihar fort trek
contact Madhukar 9850500093 who is a local villager @harshewadi village
Charge around 300 per person cost for night stay
On Road @ jwahar
View from Ghat Road
