Trek to Tunga fort

They call it ‘tunga ’, ‘tung’, ‘tungi’ killa causing confusion between us and the locals between us and the locals but i have to say that I had an awesome experience while trekking the Tunga fort.

Traveling by ‘Indaryani’ express train and tasting the immortal Karjat’s ‘Vada-pav’ is a must do on a trekkers list while going from Mumbai to Lonavala. They taste really good in the rainy season. Get down at Lonavala and catch the state transport bus to Bhambarde. The bus takes you through cloud kissed roads with a deep valley on one side. The mist makes you feel as if you are on a plane to Heaven. On the way you will INS ‘Shivaji’ and a Tata dam. Get down at a tiny chowk named as Ghusalkhamb and take a left turn to start the trek.

Walk the 7 kilometers paved village road to Tungvadi. Always, keep trying to get a lift from vehicles going on the way. Though the vehicles are few you must always try your luck. On the way you will see sylvan surroundings and you can easily pass the time by admiring the nature around you. Just before the start of Tungvadi you will see Tunga Killa. A tapering mountain facing south, you will have to take a left turn from the road. Landmark for turning left is Maruti’s(Hanuman’s) mandir. The trekking path starts from here.

The way to the top is of medium difficulty and first time trekkers should avoid this trek. First time goers have ample option like the neighbouring Lohagad fort. The path is steep at some places and you reach the first door of the fort. The fort has a peculiar characteristic that it has lots of banana trees on it. A second Ganapati temple awaits you after you cross the second door of the fort. You will still have to climb a little further to reach the pinnacle of the fort. Time taken to reach pinnacle is roughly one hour and forty five minutes. The view from the fort is breath-taking. On one side you have the Pawana dam while on the other side you can see Sahyadri range facing the Konkan. The hide and seek of the mist continues all the day. At one point you can see only one side with the twin forts of Lohagad and Visapur starring at you. Tikona fort is also clearly visible down to the south. We got a rare chance when the mist in both the sides cleared and we took many pictures from our digital cameras. The view can never be forgotten!

We started to descend after having a small lunch that we had carried. Don’t expect stalls around this fort selling snacks. This fort is devoid of picnickers and is quiet place unlike Lohagad. The descend took one hour and the tedious walk began towards Ghusalkamb. After being denied a ride by a truck driver from the base of the fort and after covering three-fourth way, we got a ride at a back of a lorry truck. Climbing at the back of lorry was a gruel some task but I managed it with a few bruises on my thigh. The lorry driver drove it like an F1 car and we got a perfect view of the mountains. The cold air, bucking to avoid get hit by branches of trees was really thrilling experience that you would expect at the end of trek. We got down at Lonavala after paying the driver 50INR for a ride of three. Paisa-vasool!

One of the few treks that I will cherish throughout my life.