Trekkers find themselves completely transformed once they have the experience of visiting Ratangad Fort. The trekkers flock to Ratangad from August to February as they can capture the beautiful scenery during this period.

Geographically Ratangad is at the banks of the Bhandardara Lake in the Ahmednagar district. With views of the lake and highest mountains in the Sahyadri looks very much lost in time. This fort offers fabulous views of majestic Sahyadri ranges. Right from Katrabai till Sandhan Valley. One of the most beautiful forts in Flowering September, Ratangad, seems to be shadowed by yellow “Sonaki” flowers.

Many trekkers are visiting the fort post-monsoon as the fort is covered in a carpet of yellow flowers. Once in seven years, the Karvi flowers bloom, Karvi includes the fort in the purple colour carpet not to be missed by any Sahyadri explorer. You can also camp inside the caves you will need to carry your food and cook your food.

According to the local legend, Ratangad Fort’s historical link with Agastya Rishi is equally engrossing. The rishi meditated here and performed penance. As a reward, two drops of ‘Amrut’ were dropped on Ratangad. Since then there has been a continuous flow of water from Ratangad Fort, which has resulted in the origin of the river Pravara. This is the reason why the river is also known as ‘Amrutvahini.’

23:00
Once you reach your pick-up point, mark your presence with the SG-Trekkers representative. Then we will travel by private bus to the starting point of the trek.

04:00 – 05:45
Early in the morning, we reach Ratanwadi village at the base of Ratangad Fort.
Refresh yourself. Have breakfast & tea.

05:45 – 06:00
Our field experts will provide pre-trek information and instructions to all participants.

06:00 – 11:00
Now we will start our hike to the Ratangad fort.
A steady uphill climb of about 3 hours leads to the top of the Ratangad fort. A thumb-like pinnacle (Khunta of Ratangad) facing Alang Fort at 1,230 m – 4,037 ft., is an interesting proposition.

Ratangad has a natural rock peak with a cavity at the top which is called “Nedhe” or “Eye of the Needle”. From there they get astonishing views of nature. The fort has four gates known as Ganesh, Hanuman, Konkan, and Trimbak.

There are two caves in the Ratangad Fort, one of the caves is smaller and can accommodate 8-10 people, while the other cave is larger and can accommodate 40-50 people. It is an interesting fortress, situated at the edge of the Ghats with numerous water cisterns and caves.

11:00 – 14:00
Now we start descending to the base village by the same route. After 6 to 8 hours of walking, our trek will end at Ratanwadi village.

15:00 – 16:00
Refresh yourself.
Let’s have a meal together. Served hot and tasty vegetarian food.
Visit the Ratanwadi’s Amruteshwar Temple.

16:00 – 21:00
Start the journey back to Pune with very pleasant memories.

21:00
Reach Pune and it’s time to say goodbye to your travel companion. Let’s stay in touch via phone/social media and meet again for another memorable trip.

SEE YOU SOON! 🙂

Day 1: Highlights

• Altitude: ⇑ 1,520 ft. / ⇓ 1,520 ft.
• Walk (approx.): 8 hrs., 10 km.
• Accommodation: N/A
• Meals: Breakfast, Meal after the Trek