Hello to all adventure freaks, today I bring the most thrilling and adventurous trek to you, where you will feel like the dead or alive. Trekkers’ first choice for the adventurous experience, is the Kalavantin Durg trek which is one of the most thrilling treks near Mumbai. The height is just 686m, it may be not very long but at this height, you will feel like you the highest trek you are doing.
This trek is a 1-day long trek, you must be thinking that it is just 686m, not even a kilometer, and still, it takes an entire 1 day. In 1 day, trek, you will easily cover more than 3 kilometers of distance. So, what is it which takes so long to complete the entire trek? Let me take you on a tour of the Kalavantin Durg trek, to learn about it more.
This trek is perfect for passing the weekends because you have to climb almost 80 degrees steep steps. The difficulty level of the Kalavantin fort trek is very hard and the main attraction of the Kalavantin Durg trek is the trails. The rock-carved steep steps make this trek very adventurous and rousing. While climbing, you can get a 360-degree view of the infinite Sahyadri range from the top of the Kalavantin Durg, and the entire trail is covered by the dense forest. If you do the trek during the monsoon season then you will come across many waterfalls and water streams.
So, the Kalavantin Durg is one of the toughest treks in Maharashtra and if you are finding the perfect gateway from the secular city life, then head towards this exciting one-day trek. Kalavantin Durg is a popular trek among tourists, so there will be a huge rush on the weekends.
The Difficulty Level of the trek is Hard, so the best time to visit Kalavantin Durg is in Winter Season, November to February. If we talk about the distance from Panvel is 17 km. the Base village from where the trek starts is Thakurvadi, Vardoli. If we go into history, Durg means fort in the Marathi language. However, there is no fort on the Kalavantin Durg, but the name is inspired by Queen Kalavantin in the 15th century. Both the forts, Kalavantin Durg and Prabalgad are built at the same time and have the same history. Kalavantin Durg is a huge peak beside the Prabalgad.
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The Kalavantin Durg looks very dangerous for beginners, but it is completely safe for the trek. But still, climbers are advised to take extra precautions while climbing the rock-cut steep steps. If you are an acrophobic person (afraid of heights) then this Kalavantin Durg trek is the perfect trek to beat your fear of heights.
The trek to Kalavantin Durg starts from the Thakurvadi base village it will take around 3 to 4 hours to climb Kalavantin Durg from the base village. The first 3 km section is covered with a lush dense forest area. Even, there are local authorities available at the start of the main trail, to help you out. For the trek, you need to register your name and pay the amount of around 850 Rs. /- to climb the trek. The amount will be used for the maintenance or goodness of the fort, for example, there are many dustbins provided across the trail.
After the forest section, you come over to a flat area called Prabalmachi (Machi Prabal) where you can stay and camp. There are many hotels here. Also, you can ask the locals for food. You need to tell priorly to cook so that they can prepare until you complete the trek. From the Prabalmachi, there is an upward movement for almost 1 km. Then there is a divergent, where the left-side route goes to Kalavantin Durg and the right-side route goes to Prabalgad. The rock-carved steps are inclined at an 80-degree angle. Each step is almost 2 feet tall. After crossing the zigzag steps, at last, you will reach the top of the fort.
From here, to see the 360-degree view you need to climb a rock of almost 15 feet tall. There is a rope available tied by the locals to climb this rock, for any help, there are 3-4 locals always who will guide and help you to climb the rock.
Complete the Kalavantin Durg trek, it will take around 5 hours. After that, you can cover the trek Prabalgad. If you start your trek early in the morning, you can complete both the trek in a single day. Kalavantin Durg is a height trek while the Prabalgad is a flat hill. The elevation of Prabalgad is 700m which is slightly higher than the Kalavantin Durg.
However, the main attraction of the Kalavantin Durg trek is the climb of rock-carved steep steps, which are inclined at almost 80-degree angles. During the trek, you can find there are a total of around 5 caves in the area. And during the Kalavantin fort trek, you will find 2 caves. Other caves are available on the Prabalgad side.
