Purandar is located around 40KMs away from the city of Pune and is rich in floral resources along Sahyadri mountain range. Purandar is my favourite trek destination. Infact would be for any nature photographer. The varieties of flowers which one gets to see during different seasons is overwhelming. Though Trek in summer could become quite tiring given lack of resource (refreshments, water etc) availability on top of the fort.
Purandar stands at 1,300 mtrs above sea level. And the fort on the top also hosts another fort called Vajragad. I would rate this trek level as Medium given the amount of climbing involved. Before we get onto that, lets see reachability from Pune.
Route:
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1. From inside of Pune city reach katraj. Drive across Katraj ghat to join Mumbai-Bangaloe highway. Drive towards Bangalore until you reach Naser phata (approx 20KMs from the point you hit highway). On Naser phata turn left. This turn also takes one to the Balaji Temple. Ask locaites about route to the Temple if not sure at the junction (phata). On turning left, keep driving past the turn to temple until you reach a cross point where a sharp right turn poin
ts towards Purandar. Theres a board with map & description. Take that turn hit the dead end. You will arrive right in front of Purandar at the Purandar base village!
2. If you stay somewhere near highway in areas like Baner, Aundh, Bavdhan, Warje etc,. Just hit the highway & drive towards Bangalore until you reach Naser phata.
Follow route as mentioned above to reach Purandar.
On the way to Naser phata, after crossing the initial toll gate, you can get some nice tasty snacks at Nataraj Hotel. Look for it at the left side. This place always reminds me of authentic South Indian taste in whatever served. So if you want to taste typical South indian snacks, then refill there.
Trek:
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I consider Purandar to be a 3 Stage trek. Park your vehicle near the tree at the dead end of the route of the Purandar (base) village. Start trekking towards the base of the fort (stage 1).
There are two distinct trek trails available. One goes left from the initial path near the tree. Just follow the track (ask locallites if confused) and this would take you through the canopy all the way to the top. This is a very scenic route for photographers as verities of flower species can be seen. I have taken loads of pics here :)
The second route goes through the plain hill path towards right. It leads to the concrete road near the top. From there walk left.
One can also drive till the fort base through the concrete road.
Stage 2: Second stage is to reach the fort itself. Look for a small temple right behind a small house a local refreshment point. There take a right turn on the prominent trail and whenever you feel comfortable turn left & climb up until you reach the base of th
e fort stairs. There on stairs would take you through various entrance (like Dilli Darwaza)to the top of the fort.
Stage 3: Walk towards the temple at the top end of the fort. Thats the dead end. One can see at the extreme end from the top of the fort. May not be clearly visible during monsoon or winter due to fog. It will take approx 20-30 mins to reach the temple from the top of the hill. One can see Vajraghad enroute to temple.
Reaching the temple would conclude a complete Purandar trek. One can trek Vahraghad as well. Its quite a small fort to climb.
It would take approx 2 Hrs 30 Mins to reach the temple from the base of the village (stage 1 to 3) with minimal breaks. While descending stopover at the Fort base for some tasty local speciality refreshments. Then on reach base village. From here you can either drive back the same route to home or drive towards Saswad. From there cross Dive ghat to reach hadapsar. Drive through Dive ghat especially in Mansoon is refreshing. Great place for Photography.
So thats Purandar for you! Have a Nice trip n Trek!
