Name: Nashik
Rating: 3.5

Dhodap Trek, Nashik Overview

Dhodap is a hill fort in Maharashtra. One of the many forts in the district of Nasik, the fort is situated at an elevation of about 4700 feet from the ground. There is a temple of Jagdamba in the fort, along with an idol of Hanuman at the op of one of the tanks.

There are many caves atop the fort and one of them is considerably spacious. There are cisterns and tanks of water at the top. There are inscriptions in persian at the entrance to the fort, which is shaped in the form of a tunnel. Some human settlements can be found inside the fortifications as well. A natural wall of rocks is found at the top, which imparts the fort a distinct quality. From the top of the fort, the peaks of Saptashringi and Vani can be seen clearly.

Water availability

It is advisable to carry your own supply of water along with you.

Tips and Tricks

1) Appropriate climbing gear and trekking equipments may come in handy while scaling this fort.

Accommodation

There are spacious caves at the top of the citadel, which can accommodate around 15-25 people at once.

Food availability

Homemade food and refreshments are made available by the villagers. You might want to carry your own food though.

Trek Routes

The trek begins from the village of Hatti, which is a good 3 kilometres from the fort. The climb begins from the base village via slippery rocks. After reaching the first plateau in about an hour, the first entrance gate to the fort can be seen. A straight climb from the plateau via a bushy path takes us to a rock patch. We might need suitable climbing gear to scale this rather steep rock patch. Having scaled this patch, we reach the second plateau. A simple climb from this point leads us to the main entrance to the fort, which is in a rather good condition. There are spacious caves to the left of the tunnel-shaped entrance along with a temple. Climbing gear and equipments may come in handy while scaling the steep pinnacle.

How to reach Dhodap Trek

Rail: Local trains are availbale from Kalyan as well as from other major cities to Karjat. The frequency of trains is less but the trains ply on a regular basis.
Road: Nasik Road railway station is easily accessible from Mumbai as well as Pune through local trains which make it easier for the passengers to travel down to the place. Local trains to this place are available from Kalyan as well.

More about Dhodap Trek

Approx trek time : 3 hours

Availability of Night Trek: Available.

Base Camp: Hatti Village

Days required for the trek: 1 day

Difficulty level: Medium to Difficult

Height above sea level: 4750 feet

Nearest Airport: Nasik

Nearest Railhead: Nasik Road

Starting point of trek: State transport buses are available from Nasik to the base village of Hatti. The frequency of the buses plying between the two places is less. One can choose to drive down from Nasik via NH 3 onto th Malegaon Highway.

Type: Hill fort