Monsoon at Mahuli

Mahuli is synonymous for me with my college hikes when over-enthusiastic students were in the mood just as the colleges had begun and monsoon was unleashed on the hills around Bombay. Those hikes were over-crowded, hectic and tiring but every year that we went to Mahuli heavy rains were a constant. This year too, after a last minute decision to go to Mahuli, the rain gods delivered!

It was yet another wonderful monsoon hike with great weather, lovely forests, good climbing, splendid views and an invigorating session in beautiful streams. The rain started as a drizzle on the hike but was light enough to give us views of the surrounding countryside and mist-crowned mountains. As we reached the top into the clouds, it began raining heavily and did not stop until we reached down.

The peace and quiet on a Saturday was a welcome relief considering that Mahuli with its proximity to the city must see loads of visitors on the weekends, especially Sundays. The litter at the fort top ruins was a testament to this traffic. Most of the time we were alone until after mid-day a few young trekkers noisily announced themselves.

It was a good hike done with a bit of leisure and other than the sluggishness of a slow train on the way back home, it was a great trek. Revisiting old places seems to be thing for me this year and Mahuli (visited last in 1999) was still holds the charms it always had. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

The facts:

Mahuli fort (2501 ft)

Nearest rail station: Asangaon

Alternatively from road you can reach Shahpur and take a bus to Mahuli village. The village is 4 kms away from the train station. Walk along the tracks towards the overhead highway bridge and turn left. A metalled road leads to the village and beyond.

Time: 3 hours from Mahuli village

For more information the good people at Trekshitiz have an exhaustive webpage: http://www.trekshitiz.com/EI/EI_DefaultUser.asp?SearchValue=M&FortName=Mahuli&SearchChoice=Alpha

Mahuli fort in clouds