Rajgad itself means the King of Forts and it actually is, the sheer vastness of this fort and the architecture literally deports us back to the ancient times. It's one of the forts you must visit, if possible visit it during the winters as in monsoon and summer you will face the diffuculty to fully explore this fort. One will need atleast a whole day to cover all the important spots of this fort.
You can find the detailed and more historical background around this fort from wikipedia, I am here to guide you on how to reach, camp and explore this magnificent wonder.
We started our journey from Mumbai around 11 am on our personal vehicle and after having a quick lunch stop at Lonavala we reached the base by 6 in the evening. We had to collect tents to camp on Rajgad, there is enough parking space available at the base and also many hotels for one to stay. The rate of tents ranges from 100 to 150 per person, one advice take 3 men tents as much as possible. There are 2 routes to reach Rajgad, One is from the Pali Darwaja and other from the Chor Darwaja, both of their bases are different and they are some 4 kms apart from each other. But the route from Pali Darwaja is short and simple compared to the Chor Darwaja route(Gunjavane). We chose the Pali Darwaja route as we had to trek during night.
The Video from the Base...
The trekking path is not that hard as it's one of the famous forts and is well maintained. There are enough arrows to guide you the right way, I will also include the .gpx files which includes the offline routes. We completed the starting part of this trek that goes through the forest before sunset as it would be difficult after that, we watched the sunset sitting on the stairs that leads to the Pali Darwaja.
After covering this short span of climbing the stairs we reach the inside section of the fort and the 1st thing you encounter is the Sadar. Then moving to the left of the Sadar there is the Padmavati Machi and the Padmavati temple where you can spend the night if not camping. Many people sleep inside the temple and prepare their food outide in the area as it holds a water tank. We started setting up our tents and half of us started in the preparation of the dinner. We made Maggi with veggies and had some banana chips that we ate for the night.
We spent the whole night stargazing and playing cards, slept around 4 am and were up by the sunrise with all our body parts aching XD. We soon gathered our tents, kept it at the Sadar and started our way to Exploring the fort, this section can be divided into these parts.
1) Bale Killa
2) Suvela Machi
3) Sanjeevani Machi
4) Padmavati Machi and Mandir
5) Gunjavane Darwaja or Chor Darwaja
1) Bale Killa
From the Sadar there is a path that directly leads you to the Bale Killa, you must complete this first as it is the hardest and most tiring of the others. It's also one of the most important places, as you reach the top you can see Suvela and Sanjeevani Machi also you can see the Torna fort at a distance. It is the top most point of this trek and it also holds the sacred place from where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj used to rule.
Start from the Sadar...
The most difficult section...
The top of Bale Killa....
View from the Top....
2) Suvela Machi
After descending from the Bale killa there is a shortcut that leads you to the Suvela Machi. After trekking for more than an hour you will reach the Suvela Machi, we stopped there for an hour made some corn for breakfast and some lime juice. Beware of the monkeys here as we were surrounded by them while eating and preparing our breakfast. The view from Suvela Machi is the best.
The Shortcut route....
View From the Suvela Machi
3) Sanjeevani Machi
While returning back from the Suvela Machi there is a left turn that directly leads you to the Sanjeevani machi. Now be careful as it will be peak afternoon while you go to this spot, there is no shade till you reach the Sanjeevani Machi. Carry enough water and be hydrated, if you do not have water skip this spot and go back to the Sadar. Still if you have made up your mind, one can reach the Sanjeevani Machi within half hour and explore it for an hour have your tiffins there in the shade and take enough rest.
The Sanjeevani Machi....
4) Padmavati Machi and Mandir
To reach this spot from i.e. from where you started this trek, you don't need to go back again as there is a route which goes around the Bale Killa direclty up to the Sadar. Be careful and always keep your path left to the Bale Killa and you willl reach the Sadar. From there a short walk you will reach the Padmavati Mandir and the Machi.
Vidoe of the Padmavati Temple...
5) Gunjavane Or Chor Darwaja
Just ahead of the mandir there is the Chor darwaja which leads you back to the base, but this is the different base from which you came, this is the Gunjavane Route not the Pali route. It is difficult and one can go back to that base using this route also.
We had our vehicle parked at the Pali base so we returned back from the Pali Darwaja. We reached the base by 5pm and reached Mumbai by 12am.
This is the .gpx file of both the routes, it will be helpful if you do not find the right route during your journey.
Open it from the OSMAND apk
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