Ratangad — Local services in Maharashtra

Ratangad fort is a part of the Kalsubai range, which consists of some of the highest peaks in the Sahyadris. Ratangad gives you the best views of surrounding peaks and Bhanadardara dam. Experience the colossal cliffs unfolding in front of your eyes, one behind the other as you walk on the edge of the fort.

The robustness of Sahyadris can be experienced only from a few forts and Ratangad is one of them. Standing in the “Eye of the Needle” is a major attraction.

If you want to experience staying in caves, Ratangad is the perfect trek to do!

Trek Details Altitude: 4,255 ft Time taken: 5 hours Trek gradient: Moderate Water sources: None on the trail. There is a cistern inside the fort that has potable water through the year. Carry 2 litres of water for the trek. The trek begins from Ratanwadi village. Make your way to Amruteshwar temple once you reach the village. This is a 1,200 year old Hemadpanti temple. The walls of this temple are adorned with beautiful and intricate stone carvings and sculptures. The Pravara river flows by the temple.

The trail starts from the left side of the Pravara river, exactly opposite the Amruteshwar temple. Ask villagers to show you the route.

From this temple, with your back towards Bhandardara dam, you can see gigantic Ratangad right in front of your eyes. It can be easily recognised by its nedhe (Eye of the needle) on top of the fort. On the right side of the fort, you can see a thumb shaped pinnacle, which is known as Ratangad Khutta. Although the complete trail has been marked by white arrows on stones after every 5-10 minutes, there are chances that you may get confused as there are many offshoots from the main track. It is advisable to take a guide from the village.

The trail initially goes through the village fields and is fairly flat till you come across a dam recently built on the river. Cross the river here and climb up dam wall to now keep the river on your left. The trail goes along the edge of the water body formed due to the dam. The views of the dam water and the surrounding forest are worth spending some on. They also make for good photographs.

This trail is fairly flat with slight ascents till you hit the base of a hill. You need to climb up this small hill which is in front of the fort. After climbing up the hill you reach to a small clearing. It takes about 45 minutes to reach here.

The main trail has a number of offshoots formed due to the cattle left by the villagers for grazing. Follow the comparatively wider trail going up the hill and keep a look out for white arrow markings. The trail is confusing only until you reach the opening up ahead on the hill. Once you get here just keep following the trail.

After the clearing, the trail enters a dense forest. Here, it ascends moderately. Since the trees provide a good canopy, the trail is cool and enjoyable even in summer. Karvi, Terda, Barka, Sonki are some plants which you see in the forest. You reach to the second clearing in 30-40 minutes.

Villagers run a shack here on weekends. They sell tea and snacks. You can also get fresh lime juice to drench your thirst.

There are two trails from this clearing. The one to the right climbs up to Ratangad. The trail straight ahead takes you to Harishchandragad. There is also a small board showing both the ways.

After taking right, there is a climb for about 10-15 minutes again through dense forest. This route opens up into huge rock patch. Don’t worry you do not need to do any rock climbing. There are 3 steel ladders which take you to the top of the rock patch. Be careful while climbing these ladders as some steps are lose and broken. If you are trekking in monsoon, ladders may get slippery. Climb slowly and steadily, one person at a time. Keep your cameras and mobile phones inside and do not click photographs while climbing up the ladders. Before starting, turn around and take a look. Ratanwadi village, Bhandardara dam, Pravara river and surrounding peaks appear as a scenic landscape.

Travel - 2hrs From ghoti to Ratanwadi(Base village) **Take guide...

We did this trek on 29 of June 2019 , it was an AMAZING experience to say the least.

First of all I would advise you a few things before you start your journey and then I will share our experience.

🔸If you are going in monsoon carry a rain coat or Umbrella with you.

🔸 Have atleast 2 bottles per person .

🔸Have some snacks or munchables with you (BUT PLEASE DONT LITTER . CARRY A TRASH BAG WITH YOU BEFORE YOU LEAVE.)

🔸Travel with a group if you can, 3-4 people is acceptable (though you can also do it solo or duo).

🔸Have a good waterproof bag to keep your wallet , electronics or any other material which can get wet.

🔸Quality shoes with a good grip are a must.

🔸If you like adventuring and exploring you can avoid getting a local guide , but if you are with a family i would suggest getting one as they can quickly show the way and are extremely adept to the area(Guides charge around ₹500-₹600).

🔸If you are not getting a guide follow the white arrow markers which are painted on rocks and trees in the jungle, if you do get to a dead-end do not panic just try to go a little bit ahead and search usually you will find a marker , or just go back to the previous marker and find a trail (पाऊलवाट) that is usually there.

🔸After you reach the metal steps just climb them carefully and have a firm grip.

🔸There is a cave where campers stay the night, it can hold around 20-30 people, next to a cave is a guy who makes amazing bhaji,maggi and tea, so during monsoon season that little stop is like a little heaven on earth.There are amazing views from top and the guy at the food stall will tell you what you see from there. He also provides food for campers, he provides both veg and non veg Thalis at ₹150 which i think is a reasonable rate (But i think you have to call him beforehand for nonveg thaali , his info you will get from ratanwadi village)

🔸Finally, just be aware , present and enjoy the amazing nature, do not throw trash, as this amazing area is getting dirty day by day. Try being silent in the jungle area and you may notice amazing birds and hear sounds all around you.

⏺️ Now coming to our experience we left from nasik in a Hyundai i10 and it took us around 2.5 hours to get there. We parked our car at Ratanwadi village and after tea and snacks left for the trek. We didn't have a guide but a couple of helpful villagers showed us the way. Following the white markers we went through the jungle experiencing the nature at its peak form , the rain , the sounds, the smells, the views were completely breathtaking. When the jungle part was over we went up the metal steps which are renovated now and very firmly attached to the mountains.We reached the cave on time and had a small lunch.The views were quite beautiful and amazing. After taking few photos there we went up and explored the mountain which was completely surrounded by the clouds. During the descent in the jungle we lost our way twice as the trails can be quit confusing after tracing back our steps we luckily found a Bombay treking group and went with them the rest of the way.

It was an all around surreal experience for us and we cannot wait to go back, this time more prepared.

🔅I hope you found this review helpful, if you need any help go to TripAdvisors page on ratangad for more info.

🔅You can also follow me on Instagram at realalokbhat.

🔅Wish you a safe and happy trek , please keep the area clean so others may...

Must visit.Energetic place.

Best time to visit = starting of rainy season or 2nd and 3rd week of October. If you are visiting here I recommend camping is best idea🤘🏽. I started my journey on 4am, I reached at 7.30 am. Distance from my starting point to this destination is about 85 kms. Its not that long but if you are travelling from Nashik then you will see many eye catching places in between this journey. Like Bhandardara dam, Nanhi falls, Amruteshwar temple ( at the bottom of fort there is village in which temple of Shiv named Amruteshwar temple is situated which is mind blowing.temple is made in 12 -13 century) . This places will take your time.

You can climb from Trimbak Darvaja (in the village Samard) or from the other way ( in the village Ratanwadi). The route from Ratanwadi is from the local farms , if you are new try to take help of local people cause I got lost while returning. If you are lucky you will get to see the wild flowers which bloom around fort; which is very magnificent to see in rainy + little sunny environment. Also check the road conditions. cause those areas are very blessed with heavy rains ; so road gets damaged every year. In my case it took 40 mins to cross 30kms on my bike . It may be depend on your bike like if you have Himalayan, bullet, FZ or any other sport or mountain bike then time will be reduced.

If you are planning for one day trip then take care of refreshments, carry some food with you. But I again recommend that camping is best idea. In between road you might think crowd will be less their but believe me it's not true. Cause this place is famous like heaven for fort lovers and campers. Especially saturday-sunday is so crowdy.

You need gate pass to travel in the this Sahyadri range in Akole taluka of Ahmadnagar district where you can explorer kokankada, Harishchandra, Ratangad and many more. That's why I'm saying Camping⛺ is best option. The pass is around 85 ₹. Also if you are new to this area you can also explore Kajwa(fireflies) mohotsav around Bhandardara, Camping in Kokankada while visiting Harishchandra gad and many more. 99 % of google maps for this area are correct...