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Ratangad

Filed in Treks, September 3, 2008, 6:59 am

After the spectacular failure of the last trip (no one turned up courtesy of SFM, IMC, MR and other four letter words), with great trepidation I’m announcing the next trip to Ratangad.

Ratangad is a fort overlooking the Bhandardara dam at Bhandardara. The fort lies close to Kalsubai and Harischandragad.  Ratangad at the top, has a natural rock peak with a cavity in it which is called ‘Nedhe’ or ‘Eye of the Needle’; formed by natural erosion. Ina ddition to this other attractions in the nearby vicinity include the Amruteshwar templ, Randhe falls, umbrella falls and pictresque green environs of Bhandardara.

You can see photographs of the place here and here.

Tentative Date: 22nd / 23rd September.

Duration: 2 days with return on 23rd/24th September.

Mode of Transport: Public transport wherever possible. We may hire a vehicle at Bhandardara for local sightseeing and for getting to the base fort.

Accommodation: MTDC Resort at Bhandardara. At present the plan is to stay for a night here. We could either stay in the 12 bedded group accomodation (cost: Rs.1800 per night) or stay in individual rooms (2-4 people per room @ Rs 700-Rs 1200 per night) depending on the number of people.

Minimum Number of People: Ideally at least 4-6 people.

Costs: Costs would be strictly on sharing basis. Exact costs will be intimated once we have confirmed regsitrations.

How to Register: You can register by posting a comment on this blog post. Please register at least by the 10th of September as the rooms need to be booked in advance depending on the number of people. Also once you register, you would be honor bound to pay for the accomodation in case of a cancellation.

Itinerary (tentative)

Day 1

  1. Departure from Mumbai by train to Igatpuri
  2. Arrival at MTDC, Bhandardara by around late morning
  3. Lunch at MTDC
  4. Local sightseeing with visits to Randha Falls, Bhandardara Dam and Umbrella falls
  5. Dinner

Day 2 

  1. Early departure to Ratangad fort for the trek@6:30 - 7:00 AM
  2. Trekking up to Ratangad fort
  3. Climb down by around 11:00 -12:00
  4. Visit Amruteshwar Temple
  5. Return to MTDC for Lunch
  6. Departure towards Mumbai via Igatpuri / Kasara.

Alternatives: If the group is up for it, we may even consider staying in the caves at Ratangad, camping there for the night, instead of staying at MTDC.