Reaching Lohagad:
We took the Pune-Lonavla local train from Pune station and alighted at Malavli (We missed the 5:45 am train so boarded the 6:30 am train. The journey till Malavli takes about an hour.), which is the penultimate station towards Lonavla. It's a small station located in the very close to Lohagad and Visapur.
From the station, we had to cross the Mumbai-Pune expressway using an overbridge and walk along a road that took us to Bhaje (or Bhaja) Village. To my surprise, there is ample parking available at the base village.
The only catch is that you have to reach early as Sundays draw a lot of crowd from Pune and Mumbai. Sometimes to annoying, despicable crowd of drinkers who come around to visit the waterfalls and create nuisance to folks around.
From Bhaje village, there is a fork of which the left leads to Bhaja/Bhaje caves and the right towards Lohagad. I would say that about 75% walk is along the kuccha road that leads to the very base of Lohagad. There are some resorts at the base. Apparently, there is a motorable route that leads to his base directly from Lonavla.
At Lohagad base, there were a couple of eateries and we were happy to see omlette bread and such. From Lohagad base there are steps that lead towards the main gate of Lohagad. We were amazed to see the main gate and the surrounding fortifications. The construction and overall attention to detail left us spell bound. Remember this fort was built centuries back, with minimal technology to assist the construction. Considering that rain is abundant in this area and the structure has stood the fury of nature through all that time period just makes one think about the ingenuity of our ancestors.
The little thrill involved along with the lush green surroundings was splendid. We reached the "sting' and made ourselves some yum sandwiches and spent some time before returning. The sun came up by this time and it started to get hot so we decided to climb down.
Difficulty:
Lohagad is a trek of moderate difficulty. While some patches are walking along a road "kuccha", you can take shortcuts (akin to Sinhagad) that are a slightly difficult (than the normal route) in monsoons. The best part of course is from the top of the fort towards the Sting of the Scorpion.
General observations:
Near the base village, there are some waterfalls that attract horrible crowds. We saw 2-3 cars full of drunkards who made a space for themselves near the waterfalls, all the while shouting and cat-calling, and started drinking right there in public place. They also played (tharki) music via some low quality speakers that added to the annoyance.
Be careful around such people. They annoy at times just to pick up a fight.
On asking the person who collected "toll" whether drinking is allowed and does he know what is going on beyond the gate, he just couldn't answer and decided that being rude is the best option that he has. These local goons are backed by the local politicians. Their symbiotic relation proves to be a parasite for the society.
I just wish I had a shotgun with me. So did a friend of mine.
We took the Pune-Lonavla local train from Pune station and alighted at Malavli (We missed the 5:45 am train so boarded the 6:30 am train. The journey till Malavli takes about an hour.), which is the penultimate station towards Lonavla. It's a small station located in the very close to Lohagad and Visapur.
 |
| Malavli |
From the station, we had to cross the Mumbai-Pune expressway using an overbridge and walk along a road that took us to Bhaje (or Bhaja) Village. To my surprise, there is ample parking available at the base village.
The only catch is that you have to reach early as Sundays draw a lot of crowd from Pune and Mumbai. Sometimes to annoying, despicable crowd of drinkers who come around to visit the waterfalls and create nuisance to folks around.
From Bhaje village, there is a fork of which the left leads to Bhaja/Bhaje caves and the right towards Lohagad. I would say that about 75% walk is along the kuccha road that leads to the very base of Lohagad. There are some resorts at the base. Apparently, there is a motorable route that leads to his base directly from Lonavla.
 |
| Walking route from Malavli |
At Lohagad base, there were a couple of eateries and we were happy to see omlette bread and such. From Lohagad base there are steps that lead towards the main gate of Lohagad. We were amazed to see the main gate and the surrounding fortifications. The construction and overall attention to detail left us spell bound. Remember this fort was built centuries back, with minimal technology to assist the construction. Considering that rain is abundant in this area and the structure has stood the fury of nature through all that time period just makes one think about the ingenuity of our ancestors.
 |
| Fortifications - Lohagad |
The wiki page talks about the other structures seen on the fort. From the top we started the walk towards the "Sting of the Scorpion." This, according to me, was the best part of the trek. (Takes about 30-45 min.)
 |
| Towards the Sting of the Scorpion |
Difficulty:
Lohagad is a trek of moderate difficulty. While some patches are walking along a road "kuccha", you can take shortcuts (akin to Sinhagad) that are a slightly difficult (than the normal route) in monsoons. The best part of course is from the top of the fort towards the Sting of the Scorpion.
General observations:
Near the base village, there are some waterfalls that attract horrible crowds. We saw 2-3 cars full of drunkards who made a space for themselves near the waterfalls, all the while shouting and cat-calling, and started drinking right there in public place. They also played (tharki) music via some low quality speakers that added to the annoyance.
Be careful around such people. They annoy at times just to pick up a fight.
On asking the person who collected "toll" whether drinking is allowed and does he know what is going on beyond the gate, he just couldn't answer and decided that being rude is the best option that he has. These local goons are backed by the local politicians. Their symbiotic relation proves to be a parasite for the society.
I just wish I had a shotgun with me. So did a friend of mine.
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