Bhivgad Fort trek | Vadap waterfall | Bhimgad Fort trek| Karjat | Raigad | Pious Pravasi

District - Raigad

Base village - Vadap / Gaurkamat
Height of the fort - 850 feet
Grade - Easy
Endurance level - low
Time (from base to fort top) - 30 to 45 minutes
Nearest railway station - Karjat
Mumbai to Vadap village - 70 km
Pune to Vadap village - 100 km
Date - 8th August 2021

Bhivgad Fort trek

Karjat taluka has many treks ranging from easy to medium to difficult levels. It was a rainy season, so we planned a short trek. Even easy treks in the rainy season can be difficult due to mud, slippery routes, and weather uncertainty. I have done many treks in Karjat taluka but some still remained. It was an easy, one-day trek to Bhivgad. This fort is also known as the Bhimgad fort.

The trek to this fort can be done from two villages. The first village is Vadap village, from where you can reach Balekilla directly from the south side of the fort by a simple trek of half an hour. The second village is Gaurkamat village, from where you can trek for half an hour to reach the fort from the north side of the fort. The route from Gaurkamat village is much easier and in some places it has steps.

Travel from Mumbai to Vadap village

The distance from Mumbai to Vadap village is about 70 km and the distance from Pune to Vadap is about 100 km. I was going by bike and I had personal work in Badlapur. My friend Pawan and I both got up early in the morning and traveled to Ghansoli - Shilphata - Badlapur - Matheran - Karjat and came to Vadap village. The easiest and closest route is Mumbai - Kalamboli - Panvel - Chowk - Karjat and then Vadap village. One of the favorite moments of my journey is the journey across Badlapur to Matheran, via the Neral badlapur road.

The rainy weather and on the right side I could see the Matheran mountain range which has Malanggad, Tahuli peak, Chanderi fort, Peb fort, Matheran, Sondai fort, Irshalgad, Prabalgad are the best options for treks.

Matheran mountain range

We came to the Matheran entrance via the Neral Badlapur road. From there we came to Karjat railway station via the Neral Karjat road. Vadap is a village at a distance of 7 km from Karjat station. From here we turned left and headed towards the village. The fort was visible in front of Vadap village.

Vadap village

You will see such a board in Vadap village. The trek begins as we cross the village and head toward the fort.

Board at the Vadap village

Trek begins 

There is a temple of Gaurmata Devi at the base. But when we got there, the temple was closed.

Gaurmata Devi temple

So we decided to visit the fort and the waterfall first and then the temple. There is a fort on one side and just near that, there is a Vadap waterfall on the other side, separated by a gorge (Khind). 

Trek starts

The first stage of the trek is a simple trek from the base to the gorge. The trek route is completely recognizable and the fort is in front of the eyes during the trek so there is no chance of missing the route.

Towards the gorge (Khind)

Slowly we were going towards the fort and uphill. Taking serpentine turns, sometimes in the shade of a tree and sometimes on a grassy hill, we headed for the gorge. The sound of a nearby waterfall could be heard. We were going to go there after trekking. Due to the rainy weather, the heat wave was not felt. About half an hour later we reached the gorge.

Gorge (Khind)

From here, the route on the right leads to the Dhak Bahiri trek. The route on the left leads to Bhivgad fort. This is a great place for a range trek in Karjat taluka. We turned left and headed towards the fort. From here the second stage of the trek begins. There was a slight uphill trek now but the atmosphere was so good that we did not feel any tiredness. Exactly 10 minutes later we reached the top of the fort.

Towards the fort's top

Places to visit on the Bhivgad fort

Reaching the top of the fort, some construction remains were seen. This fort is known to few people but a large crowd was seen here this time.

Bhivgad fort top

A simple one-day trek, with its scenic rainy weather and the nearby waterfall and the famous forts/treks, was closed due to the Corona Restrictions, there were a lot of crowds here on weekends during the rainy season. Some trekking groups brought 100-150 people.

Some water tanks were on the fort's top.

Water tanks on the fort top

Most of the people stopped here and enjoyed the surroundings. After some time we headed towards the northern end of the fort. After walking a little further down, we entered a left route without going straight. We wanted to know where this route goes. 

Towards the water tank

The route ends a short distance away. There is a water tank and a beautiful view of Vadap village and neighboring villages.

View of Vadap & neighboring villages

Water tank

We came back to the main route and headed towards the north side end of the fort. The route was slowly descending.

Towards the north end of the fort

After a while, the north end of the fort was now visible, and before that, a path descended to the right. We came to the northern end first. The Saffron flag has been planted here.

North end of the fort

Rainy weather, a fragrant breeze was blowing in front, and a beautiful view of the surrounding area in front. From here we saw Gaurkamat village and the trek route leading to the fort from there.

View of Gaurkamat village

After resting here for a while, we went back to the path on the right. It has a spacious water tank with pillars on a huge rock.

Water tank with pillars 

From here a path descends downwards, this is the path coming from Gaurkamat village. The path is easy and in some places there are steps. Next, we saw the steps dug into the huge rock.

Steps carved into a huge rock

A little further on, there are two caves a little higher on the left. But going there was risky at the moment, so we went further down.

Caves at Bhivgad fort

The chirping of many people could be heard. After descending a little, we came to know that fort conservation work is going on here through Durgajagar Pratishthan.

Conservation work by Durgajagar Pratishthan

Fort conservation is a need of the hour and we salute all the organizations working tirelessly in this endeavor. We came to the top of the fort again and started descending from the south side of the fort. On the way down, a water tank was seen on the left side of the fort. We went there. We saw a rampart buried here in the ground and there is also a water tank.

Rampart buried in the ground

Water tank

Vadap waterfall, Goddess Gauramata temple, and return journey

Returning to the gorge again, we reached the base village in just 15 minutes. Now we wanted to go to the waterfall.

Towards the waterfall

On the way to the waterfall, I could hear the sound of clear water. Tourists were enjoying the water at many places just below the waterfall. We did not go up the path next to the waterfall but continued through the stream of water. We saw so many people enjoying themselves in such a beautiful place. We also experienced this happiness and in a moment, all the fatigue disappeared.

Vadap waterfall

We came down again to the base village and went to the temple of Goddess Gauramata. 

Gaurmata Devi temple

Even then the temple was closed. After taking the darshan of the Goddess from outside, we started our journey back. 

From Karjat - Chowk road, we first came to the Chowk, and from there on the Mumbai-Pune old highway, we traveled via Panvel-Kalamboli to Mumbai.

Click on Bhivgad Fort to watch a YouTube video of this trek.

Click on Raigad to read other trek blogs in the Raigad district.

Jai Shivray 

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