Rajmachi fort Trek in monsoons!!!!

"Rolling Hills, Lush Green Valleys, Crystal clear Streams, Breathtaking Views, Misty Clouds and all-time Drizzling Weather"- it's all about Rajmachi monsoon Trek in brief.

Hyderabad-Lonavala-Udhewadi-Rajmachi Fort- Udhewadi- Lonavala-Hyderabad.

This is a well-planned trek as it is organised by Hyderabad Adventurers & Trekkers club. So you can just wait for the day to start your trek if you have booked the slot already with no worries about planning. 

PS: I had reserved my slot through meetup.com app a month in advance.

Dates: 13th July to 16th July 2018

Duration of the trek: 3 to 4 hours (one way)

Cost: 2200/- per person

Team Members: 23

As the trek is in the monsoons, we were supposed to take waterproof backpacks, raincoats, sleeping bags etc. So we did our shopping at the Decathlon store on the day before our journey.

13th July 2018: 

The team has given various boarding points of the train and we have chosen Lingampalli station as it is a bit nearer and reached the station by 8:10 p.m. and waited for others to join. We were surprised to see that 90% of the people in the station are trekkers with backpacks. And the station was like a shopping mall on weekends with a full crowd. 

One of the organisers, Sameer told that he was waiting for us at the entrance of the railway station in a blue t-shirt. We searched for him and Nithin found two people enjoying their ice cream in the same colour t-shirt and went to them to talk. Unfortunately, he is not Sameer but they were also on the same trek, same train but with a different team. Isn't funny??!!! Anyways we identified Sameer and the team after a few minutes.  

Waiting times at the Station

 I was kinda worried as this is our( me and Nithin) first trek with complete strangers though it completely went off as soon as I boarded the train. The team were welcoming, buddy-buddy, jovial and made us snug as a bug in a rug. We all became too close within a short time and enjoyed the night journey by chit chatting followed by a few games including the most trending game,pubg.

14th July 2018:

The breezes of Lonavala hit us even before we reached Lonavala with it's most scenic views in a drizzle. 

Enjoying the drizzle!!!

Reached Lonavala station by 10:15 a.m. and it was downpouring. So all of us got ready with our raincoats and gathered in one place. 

A groupie @Lonavala Railway Station

They hired a few jeeps for all of us to reach the view point near Della Adventure and its a 9 kms ride with panoramic views all the way.

On the way to the view point

Our Jeep- Trek Rajmachi, Nice caption BTW

After a 30 mins Jeep Drive, we have reached Khandala. Enjoyed the scenic beauty of the place by capturing pictures.

Solo!!!

Dual!!!

We had breakfast at the nearby stall after exploring the beautiful landscapes.

Crazy We!!!

My favourite hot & soupy Noodles with the scenic views!! This is called absolute heaven!!

The excitement even before the trek!!!!

And my slo-mos continues!!!!!!

I almost scared these people with my crazyness!!!!!

We had an official introductory section of the team members before we started the trek. Our team is a mix and match of a bunch of friends, solo travellers, a father and a daughter, a wife and a husband and organisers. By 12:15 p.m. we started the trek towards Udhewada. The trek was moderate as it was almost like a plain walk with few steep points. And the viewpoints on the way are spine-tingling. 

You need to pass through three bridges like these on the way. First bridge!!!

Our first snacks break!!!

Small Tea Stalls on the way.

Reached Udhewadi by 4:00 p.m. by taking few breaks at tea stalls on the way.

Though we could have continued our trek to Rajmachi Fort, we didn’t as many were tired. So we got freshened up at the homestay followed by delicious snacks called Khanda Poha.

Delicious Khanda- Poha

PS: Homestays are provided by the villagers to all trekkers which is their major source of income. 

Till night we enjoyed playing various sorts of games like UNO, Dumbshareds, Anthyakshari. Myself being hyperactive and teammates being jovial enjoyed everything to the core.

My Dumbsharedes. Can you guess the movie name??!!! Reply in the comments section.

Traditional Marathi Dinner!!!!

This is called Team Dinner at homestay!!!

We signed off our night by having a traditional dinner.

15th July 2018:

We woke up at 4 a.m. to finish off our most exciting Rajmachi fort Trek. We packed all our baggage’s so that we can start returning to station as soon as we complete the fort Trek.

Started our trek by 4:45 a.m. with torch lights ahead, as it was pitch dark and of course downpouring and cloudy. The best part of this trek is there is no need to carry our backpacks.

Our trekking trails!!!!!

On the way to the second fort of Rajmachi

The Duo Again!!!

The trek to climb the fort was around 45 mins and all the way streams of water are flown on the steps. At some point, for a few meters, the water level was up to 4 feet. 

The entire experience was just wowsome. During the trek, as it was still dark, we couldn’t  find the best views. As soon as we reached the top, sunlight popped and the views are breathtaking.

Crazy we on top of Rajmachi Fort!!!!!

The view completely covered with fog on top of Rajmachi Fort and the thrilled we when the water streams are visible.

2710 feet above the sea level!!!! On top of the Rajmachi fort.

The Final Destination!!!

And a Groupie is a must!!!!

After capturing few snaps we descended the fort and returned to our homestay. After a quick breakfast and chai, we started back to Karjat.

On your Mark, Get Set, Go!!!!!!! 

On the way to Karjat!!!!

We planned to visit Karjat via Kondana caves during the trip though strange things happened on the way. We got a split in the middle, 12 members went ahead of us and we, the remaining 11, were lost. Though we increased our pace, it was no use. We have Sameer on our team and he doesn’t have a proper idea to reach Karjat and we don’t have a network to communicate with the other team. So Sameer had taken a decision to take Lonavala route than getting lost by taking Karjat path as we even have to catch a train at 3:30 p.m. at Lonavala.  
So getting lost was more adventurous and thrilling than going by the known path. 

After an hour,  we reached a point which we came by, during climbing the hill on the previous day. All of us felt relieved and continued our trail.

As most of were out of energy, Sameer booked a Tempo to reach Lonavala from Della Adventure Club. And in the meantime, we messaged the other team as soon as we got signal regarding our status so that they won’t be waiting for us and worried. As it was lunchtime, we went directly to Mc Donald’s in a mall nearby the railway station. Changed our clothes in the mall itself as we were completely drenched in rain. The next most important thing that I did was shopping.  

Spent almost 2 to 3 hours in the mall and then we left for the station. 

Miss u Lonavala!!!!

The other team caught the train at Karjat itself at 2:30 p.m. and we waited for them till 3:30 p.m. and embarked the train.We Shared our experiences, laughed and then back to our game mode. Played UNO and dumb charades till 8 p.m followed by dinner. Then known about the trekking stories of the organisers which are very inspiring followed by some funny devil stories by Vineela. (lol) 

PS: They were funny only to me(wink!!)

Arranged our bed and had a sound sleep as we were dead on our feet after the rigorous trek. Woke at 4 a.m. and got down at Lingampally around 4:45 a.m. after a final goodbye. 
Though the goodbye times are difficult, the trip was a lifetime experience and these kind of experiences are must for everyone.  Better late than never. So pack your backpacks and keep exploring. Happpy Trekking!!!