Also called as Kattalgad (In Marathi, “Kattal” -> Death. “Gad” -> Fort) as this was used by the Britishers to execute prisoners of war.
Base Village: Tupewadi, Vasole (30km from Wai).
- The place shown on the Google Map for “Tupewadi” is incorrect. The correct place of this village are at coordinates: 17.989175, 73.740900; Actual location of Tupewadi
How to reach: One can take his/her own vehicle and park at the base. The villagers are really nice people and you can safely park your vehicle. There are following two routes to reach Tupewadi –
- Route#1 ==> Pune-Khed Shivapur-Khandala ghat-Wai-Menawli road-Tupewadi. You can get these directions through the Google map easily.
- Route#2 ==> Pune-Khed Shivapur-Bhor phata-Bhor-Kamalgad&Raireshwar Plateau-Jambhali road-Vasole-Tupewadi. The directions are given in the link below:
Pune to Tupewadi via bhor
If you are going on a bike, I would strongly suggest taking Route#2 as this is one of the most scenic routes, especially in Monsoons and post-Monsoons. Why I say this, you will get to know in my detail blog below.
One can also reach Tupewadi by public transport as the village is well connected to the nearby town of Wai by the State Transport buses. You can board the bus to Wai from Swargate bus stand, Pune with the first direct bus at 7 am and from Wai you can catch the bus to Tupewadi. The last bus reaches Tupewadi at around 7:30 pm which stays there overnight and leaves the village at 6 am the next morning. On reaching back to Wai, you can board bus to Mumbai and Pune at every 30 minutes with first bus at 6 am.
Trek Grade: Easy.
Best season: Anytime of the year as the route is covered with trees even in summers.
Attraction: A Beautiful village of Tupewadi with warm hearted people; a huge man-made well with steps carved out; A temple of Gorakhshnath; View of other peaks such as Kenjalgad, Rajgad, Raireshwar, Padavgad, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani range along with the scenic view of Dhom Back Waters.
Food Availability: You can make food arrangement at base village. At the top, there is small habitat where a shepherd family lives. You can ask the family to make food arrangements for you while you visit ballekilla (main fort).
Water and Stay Availability: Water is available at the base village and at shepherd’s house at the top.
Mobile range: You receive range for BSNL and Dolphin. You get the range for Vodafone and Airtel somewhere at the middle of the climb.
Safety Tips:
– One has to take a minimum amount of safety during every trek, not just this one.
– Climbing is very safe, however, one must take care of directions.
– No ropes required.
Naadbhatkanti 