Harihar Fort Trek: How to reach and what to expect
Harihar Fort, famous for its staircase which is carved out of the mountain, is in Nashik, Maharashtra. Before you reach the top, you will experience many beautiful and scary moments, including the steep stairs and narrow paths.
Starting of Trek
The trek starts from the base village, Harshewadi. You’ll have to walk or rather climb for approx 2.8 km to reach to the top. To enjoy the sunrise, you will have to start early in the morning, i.e. around 4:30-5 am from the base village. Since it will be dark, so it is advisable to carry a torch.
After climbing for around 1.5km you will reach the base of 90 steps staircase. During night time it will be difficult to climb and you’ll have to be extra careful. To make the climb easy small holes have been chiseled in the stairs so that we can hold them with our hands.
From the top you’ll experience two kinds of views. One would scare you a bit when you will look down towards the stairs. Another one will give you calmness when you will shift your gaze to the vastly spread mountains.
Post this, a narrow path with a moat on one side will take you to the top. Here you will see a kund(small water body) along with Shivaji Maharaj’s effigy sitting right next to it. During the rainy season, you can have a dip as the water will be clean but in the offseason, diving into the pool will not be a great idea.
A few meters away from this place, there is yet another small hill with the signature saffron color flag. Which marks the end of the trek. Climb the hill, sit for some time and enjoy the cold breeze. If you have started early to see the sunrise as we did, wait for the sun to rise, make the time-lapse video if you want. It’s worth spending time on this hill.
Post sunrise, climb down the hill, walk few meters to the left and you’ll have another spectacular view with many other famous forts in view. Be careful while opening your food, as monkeys will appear out of nowhere and force you to either leave the place or give away all your food items.
While going back from the trek, do not forget to visit an old temple. Once you come down the stairs after walking for 300m you’ll have to take a right from your usual route, which will take you to the temple. Here also you’ll have a small kund which you can utilize in your own way.
It is advisable to carry enough water and snacks, as you will not find many shops there.
A ₹10 fee is charged by the forest department for this trek and you’ll get a receipt for that.
How to reach:
If you use public transport, then you’ll first have to reach Nashik from wherever you are on Earth. Take a bus from Nashik to Trimbakeshwar (famous for its Jyotirlinga temple). From here there is no public transport to the trekking area, you will have to book an auto for the base village, Harshewadi, which is around 12 km from Trimbakeshwar.
If you are going on your own, then put Harshewadi Village in Google maps and you are good to go.
If you are from Pune, then contact ONACHEAPTRIP. As the name suggests, this guy organizes regular treks in a very reasonable price.
Best time to go:
Try to go right after the rainy season as you’ll find fresh water in all the small water pools and there will be greenery all around.
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