Name: Pune
Rating: 3.5

Korigad Trek, Pune Overview

Located approximately 20km to the south of Lonavla near the city of Pune, Korigad is one of the hill forts famous among trekkers in Pune. It is estimated that the fort was built in the early 1500s. In fact, the city's first planned township- Aamby Valley is located on the eastern and southern foothills of Korigad. The fort is so named as it is dedicated to Goddess Koraidevi, whose temple is situated at the peak of the fort.

Much of the original constructions of the fort are still intact. Moreover, the entire wall of the fort is completely unspoilt. One can choose to walk along its 2 kilometres long perimeter. There are caves and cisterns of water within the fort. There are two expansive lakes atop the citadel, and a temple dedicated to the patron deity of the fort, Koraidevi. A large cannon rests adjacent to this temple. There are other cannons atop the fort as well. Temples of Shiva and Vishnu can be found at the top. The top of the fort presents a very commanding view of the Amby valley city developed by Sahara along with Tung and Tikona to one side.

Trek Routes

There are two routes to reach the top of the fort. The first one follows the staircase route. Once we start walking from the base village towards the fort, we have to walk through dense jungles for first 15 minutes of the trail. We then reach the steps which terminate at the top of the fort towards the end of the climb. There are around 100 odd stairs during the course of the climb. The second route involves climbing short steps carved out of large rocks, which makes this trail tricky. It is advisable to follow the first route, owing to the convenience assosciated with it.

How to reach Korigad Trek

Rail: There are as many as 17 local trains plying on a daily basis from Pune to the hill station of Lonavla. Besides, a number of trains plying between the Mumbai-Kalyan route also halt at this station, thereby making the commute easier.
Road: NH 4 connects Pune and Lonavla via the Bushi Dam. In addition, local transportation like a jeep or a cab can be arranged from Lonavla to the base village.