If you are looking for some adventure this weekend, plan a tour of Manikgad Fort. It's one place where you can explore history, witness the natural beauty in the form of forest, hills and enjoy pleasant, peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. This place is little known hence not at all crowded. Located in the Raigad District of Maharashtra, Manikgad is a beautiful hill fort which was built during the early 18th century. Vadgaon is the nearest village from where you need to trek up the hill to reach the fort. Vadgaon is 60 kilometres from Mumbai and well connected by Rail and Road.

The fort is very long from the base and i took around 2hr 30min to reach top from bottom. If you are beginner then it may take more than 3 hr bcz in the sunny day. Please take lot of water as much as u can

I visited this fort couple of weeks back via Pen and must say that it was quite an adventurous trek as it is not the traditional route to the fort. There were no steps and at and entire path had stones and rocks. This route we used to climb fort was from Pen side but seems like the actual ascend to the fort is via Rasayani as this route had no steps at all. Please make sure that you carry lot of water as there is no water facility on the way. While climbing through Pen side , you will come across lot Carissa carandas plants on the way bearing sweet berries. They are known as Karvanda in Marathi. Make sure you pluck them and eat as this experience is beautiful. At the fort, there are two temples, one is a Shankar Temple and other is a Ganesha temple. There are around 6-7 Water holding ponds up there with one tank having a rope and can to pull up water but we also saw snake in the pond next to Shankar Pind thus it's advisable that you carry water. There are very few remnants on the fort but what the view that you see from top is breath taking. T strategic importance of the fort was to oversee the trade route between Pune and Mumbai Coastal, and you can see both Mumbai and Pune in Horizon. It is truly a mesmerising view and worth the climb :)

Manikgad is an absolutely stunning trekking location especially during monsoon. There are two routes to climb Manikgad. One route starts from jambhivali dam which is much longer route n it will take 3.5 to 4hrs to climb Manikgad also this route is bit confusing. The other route starts from Vasant village n it will take 2.5-3hrs to climb from this route. We took second route to climb however few years ago we have also climbed through first route. There is ample parking available at the base village. Just ask locals abt the trail n they will guide you. During monsoon the trail gets confusing as water coming down from the mountain makes many trails and so actual trail may get lost. If possible pls get a local guide from the village. Remember the route to climb Manikgad goes all the way behind the fort so don't take a trail that leads you to the front of the fort as there is no other way to climb Manikgad. During monsoon this whole place comes alive. There will be couple of streams that you need to cross so be careful during heavy rains. It's a must to do Trek !!! Views from the top of the fort are mesmerising

Manikgad ! A small fort near rasayani Maharashtra however the trek is long since you have to travel from base vashivali village till the top. Vehicle goes upto to thakarwadi but the road is not so good. From thakarwadi it is quite straight through a marked pathway but in dense forest until a small hanuman temple . From the temple follow a curved route towards left till you reach the col between two mountains . Here after walking thru dense forest take a left turn upwards towards the left mountain which is Manikgad. From here enroute you will find water tank and main door. The trek to the top is quite clear. At top you will find ruins of wada. Main door with arches . A huge pond of water . Few temple remains like shivling and Nandi is found near the only bastion seen on the fort. A good trek in monsoon but you can’t see the surroundings and for that you must visit in Oct to Feb 22.

Manikgad built by sarkhel kanhoji angre in 1700s. Manikgad was primarily used to watch maval trade routes and coastal area. Currently there are few things to watch on the fort. Hanuman gate(darvaja), various water cisterns, darya take(big water cistern), mahadev temple, chunyacha ghana(trench used for churning lime), some watch towers(buruj) and lots of scenic views to watch. How to go: There are many ways and base villages to reach However the preferred route is from thakurwadi base village. The route from jambhivali is longer, confusing and in monsoon usually there is no trail to follow. Manikgad trails are very confusing if you are going via jambhivali base village. Were lost for few hours searching for the trail to reach jambhivali. If search for directions for manikgad it leads to jambhivali, instead search for bike parking point. Cheers.

The trek starts from village Thakarwadi of Vashivali village from North of the fort. An almost plain walk of 1hr 30 min will take you to the base of Fort where Hanuman temple is present. From here the trek route goes backside to the South of the fort from where one has to climb the fort for about 45min to reach the top. The scenery and views from top are just awesome. Children can also do but just a little long walk for them. Best to visit in rainy season to witness the abode of clouds roaming over the fort. It usually takes 5hrs to and fro to finish the trek.

First of all it's a very long Trek. For beginners it might be little bit intimidating. District usually take 4 hours to complete. You can park your bikes at katkarwadi. And then be on foot after that. This truck is not that technically challenging to complete, it is just amount of walking that makes you tired. On the top you can find few water tanks and a lake. Remnants of couple of temples and palace. While on the way do not take route marked as 'Nalicha rasta'. To reach the top you need to go around the fort and then climb. Unlike other popular force this fort is not that crowded, so you can take your sweet time to relax and enjoy the view. Forget to relish on the barries grown in the jungle.

Very good fort. Although the fort is in ruins, the trek up the fort is very nice. Advice:- please take a guide from village vashivali (base village) so you go up the right path.

Must visit this fort...long walk before the trek get started. Fort is so big and u need atleast 2hours to explore it. The view from the top of the fort is awesome... I enjoyed the simple and easy trek. Missed the waterfalls.

Wonderful trek to witness during monsoon, as it is surrounded with lush greenery. The trails of this trek can be confusing so it is best to go with someone who knows this trail as we got lost many times during the trek. There's a lot of water streams that you get during monsoon and during summer this trek can hectic, as it will test your endurance during the long walk of this trail. There are multiple ways to reach here, we took the route from Panvel and there's another one at Penn (which we ended up at accidentally since we missed our main trail). Overall, it is a nice place for a monsoon trek!

Moderate trek. Multiple routes are there to reach the balekilla. Most familiar route is via Vashivli / Vadgaon village. And another one starts near the Jambhivli dam. All routes meet at the Maruti Deool situated on the trail. From the Top of the gad there is mesmerizing scenic view. We can easily identify the Karnala fort, Kalavantin- Prabalgad, Irshalgad from the top of the Manik gad.

Manikgad (1877 ft.) is the complete package of challenges, adventure, nature beauty, small waterfalls. ❤️⛰️ Greenish trail, rain, breathtaking views from the top, foggy climate, chilled air and many more which makes our trek memorable.🙃✌️ 2nd challenging trek after Peb fort.🔥 Main challenge of this trek was forest which we must cross to reach at the top of the fort. If you don’t have proper trail route or guide with you, then 100% you will be lost in that forest because at multiple points there were multiple paths & choosing the correct path will only show you the destination.

One of my favorite offbeat treks. If you get the clear view on the top then you can see many forts from the top like Kalavantin Durg, Prabalgad, Irshalgad, Karnala, Mhaismal, Chanderi, Malang Gad etc. Try to go from short cut route while ascending and come from long route while descending.

Few remains are there on the top. Carry min 3 ltr of water with you as at the top and the route of about 3 hrs there is no water available. Two routes are available to go on top one is easy ant the other ( नाळेची वाट ) is little hard, via Washivali and Thakarwadi. At Washivali you may contact Mhatre family for tea, breakfast before or after trek as they helped us a lot.

(Translated by Google) A fort very close to Kalja. Manikgad is a special fort in the Sahyadri and was used for observation. The fort is very cool. If none of you have ever been, visit for sure. Jai Shivrai ..... (Original) काळजाच्या खूप जवळ असलेला किल्ला. माणिकगड म्हणजे सह्याद्रीतील एक विशिष्ट किल्ला आहे आणि ह्या किल्ल्याचा उपयोग टेहाळणी किंवा देखरेखी साठी केला जात होता. किल्ला खूप मस्त आहे . कधी तुमच्या पैकी कोणी गेलं नसेल तर एकदा नक्की भेट द्या. जय शिवराय.....🙏🚩

(Translated by Google) Srimanikgad This fort is located on the village of Wadgaon Vashivali next to the chemical MIDC in Panvel taluka. Fort conservation work has been going on at Shrimanikgad for the last two years through Swarajya Vaibhav, so in future many structures on the fort will come to light. The fort should also be celebrated because the festivals we celebrate are due to these forts of Shivchhatrapati so we should visit these forts (Original) श्रीमाणिकगड पनवेल तालुक्यातील रसायनी एम आय डी सी च्या शेजारी वडगाव वाशिवली गावाच्या वर असलेला हा गड श्रीमाणिकगडावर गेली दोन वर्षांपासून स्वराज्याचे वैभव या संस्थेच्या मार्फत गड संवर्धन कार्य चालू आहे त्यामुळे भविष्यात गडावरील अनेक वास्तू उजेडात येतील ज्यांना शक्य आहे त्यांनी या गड संवर्धन कार्यात सहभागी व्हायचं आहे दसरा विजयादशमी निमित्ताने आम्ही गडावर गड पूजन आणि गडाच्या द्वाराला तोरण लावायला गेलो होतो आपले सण उस्तव आपण गडावर देखील साजरे केले पाहिजेत कारण आपण जे सण उस्तव साजरे करतो ते शिवछत्रपतींच्या या गडकोटांमुळेच त्यामुळे आपण या गडकोटांवर गेलं पाहिजे

Serene, Isolated and immensely beautiful. A bit longer journey till summit (voicing this as an intermediate level). In monsoons yes the route at times is difficult to make out so take a guide if you haven't got anyone who knows it already.

It is not a fort in its true sense, but more of a checkpost sort of thing. The fort presents a very commanding view of the valley surrounding it, with Karnala pinnacle, Prabalgad fort, Irshalgadh fort are visible prominently.

Nice trek but there are many different routes for Trek. So start ur trip from base vilkage

Historical place and very good trek on dence forest

Historical monuments of great Marathi empire...but not well maintained place by natives..there are two routes to go on it...first is risky but shortcut...second is easy but very long into the forest..

Amazing place for trekking

Beautiful place for treking. But be sure that u carry enough driking water. In your back pack. Its very good to trek in rainy season. Its in rasayani area near panvel. Trek starts from vashivali village. Even it can be start from kandivali village also. But from kandivali its little long rout. For going on top there are two rout. Short one is with rock patch... Long one is taking u around mountain parkamma... But its beautiful.

Manikgad Fort is located near Washivali village. The trek is very easy but the route can be little bit confusing. Go with someone who has already done the trek before or hire a guide from the village. The fort is completely in ruins.

Cool place and you feel solitude ..no vendors etc. Easy trek takes 3:30 hrs to climb and 2 hrs to descend back in village

Before going make sure you know the proper routes or hire a guide from the base village, as there are more possibility to lost in the jungle. Avoid going solo or, 2-3 members instead go in a group. As per my experience there is some negative energy exist in the forest, you will not reach the destination on time because after roaming you will come across the same spot again and again, we called it CHAKWA in Marathi. Manikgad is a mountain fortress and temple in Gherakilla Manikgad, India. Located among rolling hills, the temple is a popular hiking spot. Manikgad was built to oversee the trade route from Maval (Pune) to coastal ports. The fort is situated near Vashivali (Rasayani MIDC), which is 27 km from Panvel. The fort was built by Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre, to whom it was ceded in 1718 by Peshavas Only ruins of the fort remain. A big rock-cut cistern on the fort is called the "Darya take". A small shiva linga and a few small rock-cut cisterns are present. The Ganesh gate is the only standing structure. A circular trench is cut in the rock for lime mixing. Other nearby forts include Karnala, Prabalgad, Chanderi, Malang gad, Irshalgad, Sondai, Lohagad, Visapur, and Sankshi.

My first trek ever was tough and tiring, but totally worth it! The view was unbelievably amazing, and I almost forgot how tired I was. I thought it might rain, but it didn't; still, I saw a bunch of cool stuff!

The trek is awesome. But its very confusing. So plan accordingly

Awesome place

Awesome

Awesome in every respect. Fantastic ascent. About 6kms over approximately 400 meters. Sweeping views from top. Windy and fresh. Descent pleasure.

(Translated by Google) Some remains are left over (Original) काही अवशेष राहिले आहेत

Great place , little thrilling but awesome.!

(Translated by Google) Shiva is part of Shivarayan's castles .... we must preserve his legacy ... (Original) शिवरांयांच्या किल्यांचाच एक भाग आहे....आपण त्याचा वारसा जपला पाहीजे...जय शिवराय किल्ले पेब (किल्ले विकटगड)

Beautiful and very less crowded place. Both the times I been here, I was the only one on top. The place is small with heavy bushes.

Superb fort .. Surrounded by forest on all directions. A jungle treck in short. Less climbing effort.

(Translated by Google) Mast hai ye Fort 🙂 (Original) Mast hai ye Fort 🙂

Start this trek from a village ahead of Barsai Don't start from Jambevli Dam side And highly recommend to have a guide from start till Plateau area We got lost in here and had to be rescued by locals This is a high endurance trek

I love manikgad

Easy route but bhulbhulayyaaa

couple of remains are there. less crowdy. no food. high stamina required

Such a adventure trip had lots of fun Nearby villages r also friendly ready to help if u need. Bfor u start trek carry 2-3ltr of water per head n also carry food Over all experience was vry good

(Translated by Google) It was a great experience (Original) खूप छान अनुभव आला गड की अप्रतिम आहे व तेथील वास्तू ही चांगल्या स्थितीत आहेत

Very good place middle class treck, it two way for treck. Second Short cut, is safe in winter and summer

Nice place 👍 as it's SAHYADRI Recommend to do night trek here. Transportation is available from panvel bus depot For adventure update Follow :- @Manmauji Mountaineer

(Translated by Google) Gherakilla Manikgad (Original) घेराकिल्ला माणिकगड

Started from Vadgaon. Got lost in between. Guided on proper trail by locals. Trail is straightforward. Realised that vehicles i.e. bike can be taken upto a certain forward point if going from a different village (Thakarwadi). Climbed smaller pinnacle only to find out that the fort is on the other one - this patch is very risky in rains. Rejoined main trail and climbed 60-70 mtr of rock climbing type patch, which again is not advisable for rains. Finally reached the fort. Carry lot of water as the water cisterns at the top are not potable and the most important thing-enjoy the trek. :)

Pure trekking experience. Not hard but long trek. Need to carry all the required stuff because you will not find anything to purchase once the trek starts.

Trekking experience in this fort was awesome.......

Best

(Translated by Google) Supurub (Original) Supurub

(Translated by Google) Manikgad (Original) माणिकगड

The hill fort is having some fortification, gate, water ponds and some ruins.

Best Place for trekkers

Historical place very thrilling

Long but easy trek. Almost 4 hours on way. Not at all steep

It's osm and routes are so terrifying..... Once u can go and try it......it's amazing

You have to visit this fort

Manikgad is a mountain fortress and temple in Gherakilla Manikgad, Located among rolling hills, the temple is a popular hiking spot. Manikgad was built to oversee the trade route from Maval (pune) to coastal ports. The fort is situated near Vashivali , which is 27 km from Panvel.Reagular buses are available from Panvel S.T. depot so need to worry. Here Only ruins of the fort remain. A big rock-cut cistern on the fort is called the "Darya take". A small shiva ling and a few small rock-cut cisterns are present. The Ganesh gate is the only standing structure. A circular trench is cut in the rock for lime mixing.the fort hight is 1876.64 feet. And approx 16 km including up and down which will take approx 5 hour and 30 minutes to complete.its very lengthy hence trekking is not recommended in summer season.if you planning to go there visit at mansoon time. And it's very old structure not much people coming here due to that there no availability of water and food so if you going there in summer please carry a sufficient water. While you reached at top you can see the nature (full greanery)

Too reach top of fort is awesome feeling .

It was an amazing experience.... It was adventurus and a bit thrilling... One must definitely should go for a climb here❤️

Nice fort take guide if u r new in trekking as there are many diversion