Lohgadh Fort - Best Monsoon Trek From Pune
My Pune travel Diary
My first official travel to Pune after almost 2 years of gap and thanks to the extended long weekend I got a chance to explore some of the hill forts and interesting places in and around Pune.
The Planning - Best thing about travel is you will have travel buddies in almost every city you travel. I was lucky enough to have a good old travel buddy of mine in Pune who helped me craft a wonderful 2.5 day itinerary to see around Pune. She advised 1-day Lonavala, 1 day Pune and last day Aga Khan palace which is on the way to airport.
Since this is the first time I was travelling solo, I asked our office travel desk to help me with a good driver who is knowledgeable and would take me around safely for the next 2.5 days. I was lucky enough to get tagged to a good driver. I spoke to him about the places I wanted to explore and he planned the rest.
With that I take you all along the pages of my Pune Travel Diary.
Day 1 – 5th Aug 22 - Lonavala
Lonavala is a hill-station in Maharashtra (India) and is located at an altitude of 625 meters. It is situated 52KM Northwest of Pune. Best to visit during monsoons since lush greenery would welcome you all along your drive and wherever you go.
Lohgadh Fort - Our First Stop
We started for Lonavala in our car at 7 am from Pune in the morning and it took almost 1.5 hours for us to reach the base of Lohgadh fort. There is a parking lot and we saw some 2-3 cars already parked and people were waiting inside the car for the trek to open.
Timings: The fort entry gates timings are 9 am to 5 pm.
Entry fee: On account of 75 years of India’s independence, entry was free here.
We thought we will have breakfast first and begin the climb. But unfortunately, nothing was open. The fort entry gates were open by then and there were many groups already waiting. So we decided to have breakfast later and began our climb to this magnificent fort.
Local Guide: We didn’t find any guide here to understand the history about this fort. Whatever I have written in this blog is based on my conversation with the person who runs the food joint at the base of the fort.
Some facts: Loha (means Iron) and gadh (means Fort). Hence Lohgadh means “Iron Fort”. This fort is situated at an altitude of 1050 meters. So, you can imagine the breathtaking views that is going to unfold on the hill-top.
History: Since I couldn’t find a guide here to understand about the history, I had to google to find out. Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj captured it in 1648 AD, but he was forced to surrender it to the Mughals in 1665 AD by the Treaty of Purandar. Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj recaptured the fort in 1670 AD and used it for keeping his treasury.
Entire climb from the base to the hilltop has steep steps. Also since its monsoon, the steps were slippery. So, ensure you have right footwear while you climb this fort and also carry ponchos/raincoats since it was drizzling throughout. But every milestone of the trek would give offer you breathtaking views of the surroundings with fog and lush greenery around.
Unlike other forts, this fort has a unique entrance. You can cross four big doors before you enter the actual fort. The best part about this fort is, one can see people entering the fort easily from the top.
The first entrance is called “Ganesh Darwaja” which houses a broken shrine of Lord Ganapathi. Second door is “Narayan Darwaja” which houses the shrine of Goddess Parvati postured in crossed legs. Hanuman Darwaja is the third entrance which houses the sculpture of Lord Shri Hanuman on the door. Mahadarwaja is the main entrance of the fort which has a huge Wooden structure built in Mughal style.
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| This is the main attraction and famous picture spot of the fort |
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These two caves were filled with monsoon water and it was too slippery |
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| Narayan Darwaja |
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| Hanuman Darwaja |
With that we covered some 500 steps (I didn’t count them. I heard one group call out 
). It took us almost an hour to reach on hill-top with ample photography stops and slow walk on slippery steps.
Once you reach on top you have signboards with the places you can see around like Mahadev Mandir, Lakshmi Kothi, Darga, Watch tower, Vinchu Kada etc.
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| Our trek buddy who accompanied us from the base till hill-top |
We first visited the Mahadev Mandir.
From here we started walking towards the rare end of the fort towards the Vinchu Kada (Vinchu means Scorpion’s sting in Marathi). This portion is slightly separated from the main fort and it looks like a scorpion’s sting. It takes around 15-10 minutes walk to reach at the edge.
Walk along this trail was thrilling since you could see lush greenery on one side and fog on the other. You could feel as if you are walking amidst clouds 😊.
We clicked some pictures and started walking towards the other side of the fort.
As we walked along, we came across our next stop - Dargah.
After this we just took a stroll along the other side of the fort and came across some interesting views.
Next we visited “Lakshmi Kothi”. This had many rooms and two cannons placed on the side. I was glad that I didn’t see any plastic waste along this trek route. It was very well maintained. Request everyone to carry your plastic waste back with you and don't throw them here. Travel responsibly😊.
Descent also was challenging since it was slippery due to rains and you cant hold onto the fort walls either for support since they are also slippery. So like a good girl, I kept my phone in my bag and carefully watched my steps during descent to ensure I don't fall.
Finally returned to base camp by 10:30 am. Again, re-iterating please make sure you have right footwear for monsoon treks which will give you good grip. And avoid throwing plastic waste along the trekking trail or on the hill-top.
What can you eat? - By now all the food joints had opened. We ordered Misal Pav which is a famous delicacy in Maharashtra. It tasted yummy and perfect for the season 😋.
We could see a map of the fort stuck on the wall here. You can also read about other touristy places to explore around Lonavala.
Rest-Room Facility - After this I was looking for rest room. Inquired in the hotel and got to know that there is a pay and use rest-room at the end of the road. But it turned out to be service provided by a family residing there. We requested them to open it for us. We had to pay Rs.10 but it was well maintained and clean.
Bye Bye "Iron Fort"
We now bid adieu to this magnificent fort and next set-off to our next popular tourist places of Lonavala.
Pages from My Pune Travel Diary
Exploring Lonavala - Viewpoints Offering Enthralling Views in Monsoon
Exploring Ancient Buddhist Rock-Cut Caves of Karla and Bhaja
Shaniwarwada – The Palace of the Peshwas
Contact details of driver who showed me in and around Pune -
Name : Jitendra Yadav
Ph# : 7972375354
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