My Siddhagad Trek
Trip Start
Dec 11, 2010
1
Trip End
Dec 11, 2010
Murbād, Mahārāshtra, India
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Date of Journey : 11th Dec 2010
Fellow "Yo-Trekkers" : Jayant , Manoj, Bharati, Sunder ,Dinsha , Bhagyashree and Anand
With the Onset of Trekking season we were itching for adventure and that too a challenging one. After some amount of internet search for possible trekking destinations ,we decided to take on the mighty Siddhagad Fort (3200 Ft) and boy what a choice it was…..Read on for details
4:45 AM
We departed from Thane at 445 AM and travelled via Bhiwandi Kalyan Express Highway .A brisk 9 drive of 90 minutes and we reached Murbad . On reaching Murbad Bus stop we took the right turn that leads to Karjat .A left turn towards Mahasa village and we were on the right Track. Our destination was Narivali Village (473 ft) from where we intended to start the trek . The villagers were quite helpful and gave us some parking place for our cars.
The drive takes around two hours from Thane to Narivali Village. Park your vehicles in the Village(See Pic) .The village folks were helpful and gave us a parking place for our vehicles. It is advisable to hire a local Guide (Rs 400 per day) as finding the right track to the fort can be a bit tricky in the initial stages.
7 AM : Start of the Trek
A brisk walk from the village leads us to a dense forest on route to the Fort .Our first destination was Siddha i Machi Plateau located at an altitude of 2020 ft (see Pic). The Trek to the Plateau is simple and enjoyable and you will pass through some interesting sights if you are a nature lover. A brief stopover to splash chilly waters from one of the streams and were refreshed(See Pic). After two hours climb we reached the entrance to the Siddha Machi. The entrance is a crumbling stone Gate and makes a good spot for clicking group pictures (See Pic). On the left you will see a tall pinnacle called Siddhagad Raja (See Pic) .
9:45 AM : Siddhawadi Plateau
Another 10 Minutes walk and you enter a small picturesque Hamlet of Siddhagad wadi. The Village itself is very clean and the quaint houses are a photographers delight (See Pic) . For those who like to stay overnight ,the local villagers can also arrange for lodging and Boarding. The have recently started a system where trekkers have to make an entry into the Log Book as soon as they arrive. We hired a different guide (Rs 200) guide as the guide from the base village of Narivali are not permitted by the locals to continue further to the top. I think this is a good arrangement as the only sustenance for the locals is farming and they need to earn their live hood by acting as guides and doing other miscellaneous things.
10:00 AM :Ascent to Siddhagad Fort
A brief rest of 15 Minutes followed by “Chai Paani” and we are ready to take on the most difficult part of the Trek ,the Ascent to Siddhagad Fort.
The ascent to the Top is quite steep and there is no shade hence it can be quite difficult in the summer so adequate precaution from the Sun is advisable. We covered the ground quickly and reached a small Cave ,halfway through the climb (See Pic).. This cave was home to a “Sadhu Baba” who no longer lives there .The cave offers a welcome relief to trekkers and is a ideal place for a brief stop over .You can have light snacks but it is advisable to sufficiently rehydrate yourselves as from this point the climb is quite steep and treacherous .There have been incidences in the past where Trekkers have fallen to their death so one has to be very careful and be focused while climbing. The climb was really steep now where one side is a Rock wall and on other side is a steep Fall. There are some places where you have to really stretch to the limit, however we made it to the top in 1 hr 15 minutes .
11:15 AM : Reached Siddhagad Fort
The scene from the top is awesome and is enchanting .You will see deep ravines ,peak of Gorakhgad Fort in the distance and also the Peak of Macchindragad behind , however the best view offered is that of the Siddha Machi (See Pic).
There is not much to be seen on the top except for a Shivalingam (See Pic) and some old remains of the Fort. We explored the Fort and then had a hearty breakfast of Boiled eggs sandwich(thanks to our friend Bharati) followed by a refreshing drink of “Kokkum Sarbat” (thanks to our friend Bhagyashree) and we were refreshed again.
12:15 : Start Desent
The descent to the plateau is a bit risky and one has to be very careful now . In fact the descent to the plateau takes more time than the ascent ,however we all made it safely to the plateau at 2 Pm
2:00 PM : Siddhamachi
By this time we were very hungry and we gorged on the simple home food of “Bhakri, Sarsarit Chicken rassa , Batatyachi Bhajji anni Varan Bhaat” provided by a local villager(Rs 800 only for 7 People) .After a delicious lunch some of the guys decided to take a power nap where as we preferred to sit in the courtyard relaxing in the cool mountain air. By this time our mind and body were truly refreshed . After a Dessert of Assorted Cadbury Chocolates provided by our friend Dinsha we were on our way back.
3:00 Pm : Descent from Siddhamachi
The trek back to the base village is quite simple but was a bit long as we decided to explore the forest and the awesome sights on our way down. We reached the village of Siddhapada (650 Ft) and had a refreshing herbal tea made of Tulsi leaves. This again is a pretty village and clicked many pics depicting their hard but simple life. The village folks were very hospitable and refused to accept any money for the tea in spite of our insistence .Finally we decided to offer them Cadbury chocolates which they happily excepted. I guess that barter system has its own merits and at the end every one is happy.
6:00 PM : Reached Narivali Village
It was dark when we reached Narivali Village. The journey back home was boring as we had to travel through evening traffic but and we finally reached home by 8 Pm ,fully satisfied over the day's events but quite hungry as well.
The Siddhagad trek would go down in my memory as one of our most memorable treks with all the thrills and adventure followed by eventual satisfaction that one can expect from such treks , made even more enjoyable in company of good friends.
