TheFreeBird
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Irhsalgad trek ? I know you will say that the fort which is visible & noticeable from Mumbai-Pune highway both old one & expressway due to its unique shape. Since my childhood i was always puzzled to see an oddly shaped rock from the highway. It was only during my college days that i realised that its an actual fort with a nedhe ( needle hole rock ) & from then onwards I have been here many times for small hikes. In this Irshalgad Trek blog you will get all the necessary information to do this trek easily. More adventures like this one at the end of the post.
How to Reach Irshalgad from Mumbai & Pune ?
Where is Irshalgad fort located? Irshalgad lies in the Khalapur Taluka of Raigad Maharashtra. It is surrounded by Morbe dam, Matheran range & Prabalgad range of mountains. Irshalgad is 20kms from Panvel, 60kms from Mumbai & 100ksm from Pune. The base village for Irshalgad is Nanivali & Chowk is the closest big city.
By Train to Chowk: Chowk railway station is the nearest station for this trek. If you can reach Chowk station then you dont need any extra transport for this trek However there are very few trains which stop here. As such Panvel & Karjat station become the nearest stations. From where you will need to take local transport to reach Chowk for Irshalgad
By road to Chowk: From Panvel one can easily get on a ST bus / EECO rickshaw to Karjat , Khopoli & get down at Chowk Village on highway. ( Locations – Panvel Bus Stand & Panvel Rickshaw Stand ) From Karjat Station you can get on a ST bus / EECO rickshaw going towards Dand- Phata , Panvel & get down at Chowk village on highway. ( Karjat Bus stand & Rickshaw stand )
Form Chowk to Nanivali: Once at Chowk or Chowk Station , you will need to walk to Nanivali village for some 20 minutes if you dont get small rickshaws available at Chowk road. If you have you own vehicle you can reach Nanivali directly on a proper tar road. You can also stop at Morbe dam just before Nanivali for some fresh air.
Is Irshalgad difficult trek for beginners ? Is guide needed for Irshalgad trek ?
Niraj, what is the difficulty level of Irshalgad? This is an easy level trek till the Irshalgad base with straight forward trail. You wont loose the track . However the climb from the base to the Irshalgad Nedhe ( needle hole ) is a bit tough and not recommended for beginners , family or people having fear of heights. This rock pack is almost vertical at 2 locations where villagers have tied up ladders & ropes for assistance. So would be better if you do this part with some experienced trekker who can help you in the climb. This rock climb gets even tougher during monsoon when rocks become slippery. If you can manage these spots then you are at the top.
At the top there is one pinnacle with a flag on it which is not attempted by regular trekkers. It is purely technical and should not be attempted without mountaineering expertise.
How long is the Irshalgad trek?
Niraj, how much time does Irshalgad trek take ? It takes about 2 hours to reach the top for a good trekker from Nanivali village.
What is the best time for Irshalgad Trek ?
All sahyadri treks are beautiful in monsoon. Irshalgad looks stunning with all the greenery & clouds. The top part climb to needle hole where the ladders are tied may become a bit slippery in monsoon. Apart from that its fantastic. Winter is also a good time as it provides excellent views of Morbe during sunrise & sunset. Many people prefer it for camping.
Khane me kya hai ?
There are few hotels near Chowk highway, then nothing till Irshalwadi which is at the base of the fort where new hotels are coming up. However on weekends especially in monsoon there are many make shift food huts which have cropped up throughout the trek route after every 10 minutes right till top of the fort where you will get snacks & even pre – ordered food. Bro-tip: You can have your snacks here & order your lunch which you can have on the way back. Remember these huts are only functional on weekends. If nothing works you can always order at Irshalwadi which have started few hotels.
There are two water tanks where drinkable water is available even till mid of summer. Water bottles would be available at the huts as well. But I avoid buying any plastic related items on treks. I dont even buy maggi and go for local food & breakfast which wont leave any plastic trail. Save Earth.
Camping & Stay at Irshalgad
Winter provides beautiful sunrise & sunsets . hence many people prefer camping here. Just before the rocky climb starts there is flat area which is a good area for camping. I remember seeing a few ads at Irshalwadi where tents were provided on rent- but i will need to double check it
The most common question that i get asked is I want to travel a lot but I dont have leaves. Should I quit my job ? I have always suggested to not quit your job unless you have another source of income. In search of this source of income I tried freelancing , trek leading, vlogging and I realised nothing works in the long term. After trying many different thinkgs finally I came across trading
Trading for getting freedom & income is perfect for a person with traveller mindset. You can trade from anywhere around the world be it some off the grid village in Himachal or Meghalaya, be it some island in Andaman. All you need is an internet connection and a trading account. You can earn by trading for 1-2 hrs a day and would have freedom to do anything in the free time.Or you might have just earned enough in a day to take the month off travelling around the world. If you are able to learn this then it has potential to make all your dreams come true. I would suggest you take it up as a side project for 6 months to see if you have patience & intellect to master it.
Irshalgad trek blog : My story
This Irshalgad trek blog would combine the photos from my two visits here in monsoon and summer from 2022 & 2015 respectively as the clouds didnt allow proper photography. That is this blog is in the making for 7 years ; take that Brahmastra & Avatar 😁Ideally this trek should take 90 minutes to climb from trek start @Nanivali over the ridge to the plateau & Irshalwadi. And another 60 minutes from Irshalwadi to the top. These times are inclusive of photography but exclusive of reels which take forever to shoot.
I am a regular at Morbe dam where I sit on rocks and just look at the shimmering water for hours during sunset. On trek day i didnt stop here and headed straight to Nanivali where i parked my bike and started the Irshalgad trek. During monsoon the entire region is rife with greenery and makes for a peaceful sahyadri trek.
The initial walk continues till the ridge from where the actual climbing starts. Once on the ridge as we gain height the Morbe dam becomes visible and can act as a wonderful backdrop for photos. Early morning photography got me excited
After climbing for a few more minutes even the dams on the other side becomes visible. I moved quickly through this ridge in monsoon. But i remember in summer when i had miscalculated time and reached here under the hot sun i was totally drained of my energy during the ridge climb. Lesson learned- Summer treks should be started early morning
It took me an hour to complete the climb and reach the plateau from where the fort started to be clearly visible. A dog also followed me to top . Too bad i didnt have any food for that dude.
As it was cloudy darkness took over too early and I had to increase my speed to reach Irshalgad peak . I rushed towards Irshalwadi and from there moved on to the actual fort without any stops. I covered this part quickly as it was just a flat walk & i ran most of the portion to make up some time.
I did see few advertisements for trekking camps & stays available in Irshalwadi. I crossed the temple after which there is well marked right turn from where starts a small climb to the top. By now the clouds had taken over the fort and visibility was becoming an issue for photography
I tried to hide these food huts in my photos but they are built too close to be hidden from the view. Prima facie i hate this development where the natural view is blocked. But then its someone’s bread and butter. Morever a hot chai at top would be very desirable on cold monsoon days like this. Only if it was a weekend i would have got something hot to eat. But since i hate crowds I have started to trek on weekdays. Hence no hot tea for me.
From the above view one has to walk from the left side through the rocky walls of Irshalgad to reach the rock climbing part which beginners might find difficult to negotiate.
Walking parallel to these mighty rocky walls we reach the rock climbing part. In monsoon this becomes slippery and extra care should be taken here – photos should be avoided as its a major distraction. I didnt take any pics here as it was getting very dark. I was worried without photos how can i complete my Irshalgad trek blog but then I remembered summer 2015 Irsahlgad trek which i did in broad day light. Here are some pics from that summer trek. The climb starts near a water tank where a ladder & couple of ropes are tied by villagers to assist the climb.
There is another longer ladder above this after which we reach the Irshalgad’s famous Nedhe ( Needle hole ) Needle holes are formed by years of rock erosion by wind. Just like waterfalls cut through rocks & soften their edges similarly wind can cut through rocks after many years. That is the power of nature & consistency. There are many Nedhe’s in Sahyadris most notable one being at Ratangad near Kasara.
Once at the Nedhe the trek is almost complete and one can move around the fort to see another water tank and enjoy the view of Morbe dam. There are no major things to see at the fort as it was just used to keep an eye on enemies moving in the near by areas and was not a proper fort per se.
Both the times the weather was cloudy i.e I couldn’t enjoy the view. On clearer days many forts are visible from Irshalgad namely Peb, Matheran, Rajmachi , Songiri, Manikgad, Karnala, Prabalgad , Kalavatin
As the view was not clear i felt something was missing & the trek felt incomplete. While looking around i felt that the pinnacle above the Nedhe was doable and without any second thought reached the top.
These pinnacles should not be climbed without technical expertise. I have enough mountaineering experience to have climbed here, but it was still an idiotic on my part to do so. From this pinnacle the flag pinnacle in front also looked very tough but i dont no what I was thinking as i decided to climb it as well.
THESE CLIMBS SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED WITHOUT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE.
That time i didnt have much knowledge about mountaineering and just climbed the pinnacle without any safety gear which was plain idiotic. This pinnacle should only be climbed with ropes and proper technical guidance
THESE CLIMBS SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED WITHOUT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE.
While climbing to the top i had a massive adrenaline pump ..Isse mujhe kick milti hai. The weather cleared as well. I spotted Peb, Matheran, Rajmachi , Songiri, Manikgad, Karnala, Prabalgad , Kalavantin. Too bad i didnt carry my camera up there. After getting down i sat down in the shadow of the same pinnacle. I wondered if I really climbed it.
In 2024 when i saw this pinnacle again I still wonder what made me climb it then. Youthful exuberance perhaps !
That’s it for the Irshalgad trek blog.
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I've written blogs covering numerous Sahyadri treks, all accessible in the section below. Additionally, I create ambient Sahyadri videos on YouTube, featuring solely natural sounds such as birdsong, wind rustling through the trees, and the soothing patter of rain—the elements of nature that I hold dear.
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