There are many hill forts near Mumbai that are perfect for rejuvenating weekend getaways. Weekend hiking is almost a culture among outdoorsmen in and around Mumbai.
Mumbai is lucky to have a veritable treasure in locations to trek at reasonably short distances from the city. Historical forts, ancient caves, sanctuaries, lakes, tribal villages and more to appeal many interests – all within easy reach.
Most forts in the Western Ghats of India are in good enough condition to provide adequate shelter to stay in and are a living journey through the history of Maharashtra. Lakes, beaches, caves and protected green areas provide endless sources of interest to hikers and backpackers. Mumbai and Pune have a weekend hiking tradition that spans several decades, with outbound enthusiasts heading out to discover new places of interest near Mumbai and Pune.
Many clubs offer regular schedules for their members and enthusiasts to join in for various forts in the Sahyadri.
At Wide Aware, we offer something different. We design these treks for groups in a manner that allows for greater convenience and some amount of increased comfort (though luxury is not on the objectives list. Typically, we will offer experienced guides, arrangements for transport of luggage, food, and other conveniences that take much of the hardship away from the traditional style.
Our trips provide a happy medium in terms of price, as well as comfort between the “roughing it” types adventure groups and highly luxurious, but expensive tours. Roughing it is to be expected, but we try and maintain basic standards of cleanliness, shelter, food quality, some creature comforts that allow the less hardy to venture deeper into the range as well.
Such trips are particularly suitable if you are a corporate group and would like to ensure excitement but are unsure of the groups ability to rough it out, or a family group. If you are a group of hardened adventurers, you will likely not need the added comfort, though our experience says its still good to not focus on the peripherals and have more energy on the main objective.
We provide basic, wholesome food, well-planned bedding arrangements and reliable guides, coupled with specific needs groups may have. The idea is to keep it simple.