My name is Shweta. My friends and I were planning to trek to Harishchandragad on July 13-14 (hoping the rains to moderate by then). Wanted some info on the same
We are planning to trek via Khireshwar / Tolar Khind side. Since this is going to be our pilot trek to this place in monsoons, wanted your opinion on – is it advisable to do it in July (from a risk point of view)
Secondly, can this be done in one day? We want to avoid staying in the caves at night. Would it be possible to climb up / explore the area/ caves on top and come back by night??
Thirdly, will the Kedareshwar cave be accessible during monsoons? That is one of the main attractions for us to trek. We don’t want to miss it. Would prefer to postpone the trek to a later date if the cave is not accessible.
Lastly, since it is rainy season, would Konkan kada / other view points be visible in the rain? Basically I have two main question- should we do the Harishchandragad trek during the rains and can it be done in one day??
Hoping to receive a response from you soon. Thanks a lot in advance for your help. Really appreciate it!!
Answer
The road via Tolar Khind is good.
It will be hard to complete the trek in a day if you folks are beginners. The trek is very tiring. Ideally, you would need to start trekking at 5am in the morning to be able to explore the fort and come back safely before it gets dark.
I doubt it Kedareshwar cave will be accessible. During heavy rains it gets flooded and you wont be able to go in. But apart from that Harishchandragad fort is very beautiful.
Again,
I would like to emphasize on sticking to a strict plan if you are planning for a one day trek.
You would need to start trekking at least by 5 so that you reach the top by 10am. This 5 hour trek time is considering that you take minimal breaks enroute.
BEWARE - There is a ROCK PATCH just after Tolar Khind which will be very difficult to cross during the rains as the rocks become very slippery. Just one ROCK PATCH, but its difficult. You will need to be extra careful while crossing this.
I'm saying 5 hours as you this is your first trek. Even when you reach the top there is a lot to see. And Ideally you should start descending by 3 so that you reach safely back by 7.
Please ensure that you get down before it gets too dark. We did spot few scorpions and a Indian Viper while trekking.
Please leave a comment below if you have any inputs for the question above.