You really need past trek experiences if you are looking forward to complete this trek as it is considered as one of the hardest trek in Maharashtra. There are many different routes by which you can complete the AMK trek ,well 'AMK' stands for Alangad , Madangad and Kulanggad. As for us we were a group of four friends left from Mumbai at around 11pm on 2 bikes to reach the base village 'Ambewadi' ,where we had to meet our trek guide and sleep until sun came out.
We reached at our guide's house at around 5 in the morning ,deprived of sleep we somehow tried to rest our bodies as the hardest trek of our lives was going to start in a few hours . We got up at 7 am had some poha and started the trek with our guide. Be sure to take a local guide as there are 90 degree wall patches to climb where you need expert advice and all the trekking equipment which is provided by the local guides.
Alang Fort
So the 1st fort to cover was the Alang fort, the main fear of confusion of the way is gone as we have our local guide with us who tells us about the history of the fort and shows the perfect route. The trek to Alangad is not that hard there are many rocky patches on the way, after around 1 hour of trek you will reach an iron ladder proceed on it with precaution. Soon the steps of the Alang fort will start and there you will have the view of the Mahadarwaja .But you have not yet reach the top, after that you will have to walk around the edge of the mountain for another half hour to reach the top of the fort.
On the top of the fort are many water tanks and the plateau is so huge it stretches up to a few kilometers also you can view the reservoir from here . On the one side of the fort you will come across some caves too.
Madangad
Ok now to reach the Madangad you will have to cross the Madankhind which is in between both the forts ,once you cross the steps the main climb begins. Now you have to rappel down and up the 90 degree walls . Here is the part where your local guide will help you the most , once you complete this part of the fort you will have to walk for another 1 hour along a narrow path which leads you to the Madangad. After some time the stairs of the Madangad will start but the steps are very steep so take enough time and climb very carefully .As you reach the top ,on the one side you will see the massive plane of the Alang fort and on the right side is the Kulang fort where we have to trek the next day.
On the top of Madangad there are two water tanks in which drinking water is reserved , also the top of the fort has a cave where we are going to spend our night , it is a massive cave which can accommodate around 60 people easily. Our local guide prepared a nice meal for us that night and we witnessed a pleasant sunset from the top.
Kulang Fort
The next morning we woke up early ,witnessed a nice sunrise with so much wind at the top . Gathered our things cleaned the cave as much as possible and started our descend ,let your local guide lead you to the best route to the Kulang fort. It will take you around 3 to 4 hours to reach the top of Kulang fort ,also you can view Kalsubai from the top of Madangad. As you reach the Kulang fort you will witness all it's grandeur with it's broken walls and almost destroyed structures , it also has some water tanks and you can have the best view of both Alang and Madangad from the top of Kulang Fort.
We were exhausted as we completed one of the hardest trek Maharashtra has to offer ,but our journey was not yet over. We had to descend the Kulang fort and again reach to Ambewadi village as our bikes were parked there. We reached Ambewadi after 4 hours of walking in the afternoon had our lunch at our guides home. For the whole trip he charged us around 1500rs.
It was worth every penny we encountered many trek groups which consisted of many inexperienced trekkers and most of them were afraid to scale this magnificent Fort of our history.
Yes this blog is quiet long and boring but I guarantee you this trek is the best.....
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