“Take only memories, leave only footprints” — Chief Seattle
Hello Trekkers,
Here I am to start with a wonderful journey called "
Trekking".
It was not an easy task to decide a place for my first Trek. First, I had to select such a place that would quench my thirst for exploring the nature & wilderness. Also as an amateur Trekker I had to select a place with an Easy/Moderate difficulty level. And after hours of "
Googling" and research I found this beautiful place known as "
Vasota Fort".
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Vasota Signage.
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Second, Was the most difficult task as compared to Trekking and that was to ready my friends to join me in the adventure. Concern of safety, danger from wild animals, dense forest, intense trekking ETC.. were on their mind. Phheeww..
It took me several weeks to make my friends ready for the Trek. Thanks to
Whatsapp , it made my job much easier as I simply had to make a group of friends who were interested. We had infinite conversations related to the Trek. As this was a Jungle trek, finally out of seven people we ended up with only three people (including myself) who got ready for the Trek. Tough job, isn't it?
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From Left: Myself, Ranjan & Mangesh.
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So lets start.. I will try my best to give you step by step information regarding the Trek, which will also include our personal experiences and adventures that we came across, so that it makes this Trek easier for you.
The step to step guidelines included in this blog will be for the Route from Pune to Vasota. And its advisable to follow all the steps to have a safe & hassle free Trek.
After a long wait, finally the D-day had come. And we decided to visit Vasota on 6th & 7th June 2015. Vasota fort is accessible only from November to May. It is not accessible during June to October because of rainy season.
It is advised to call the forest department on the above given number, before planning for the trip.
Total distance:
3 h 21 min (148.2 km) via NH4
P.S. There are two places by the name Bamnoli in Satara. But our destination is "Kasbe Bamnoli".
***** DAY 1 *****
6th June' 2015 (Saturday)
We were supposed to travel in my friend "Mangesh's" car as decided. But here is where the adventure starts. The morning we were supposed to leave, the car had some technical difficulties and we had to change the plan. So we decided to go by ST Bus. Again I had to Google and with the help of other Blogs available, we were able to track down a proper travel plan.
Route: Swargate bus stand (Pune)-----> Satara -----> Kasbe Bamnoli.
All 3 of us stay in the same society so we left for Swargate bus stand at 12.30 pm on Saturday afternoon i.e. 6th June 2015. It was sunny. We were praying that it should not rain, because if it did, then the forest department would not give permission for the trek. After reaching the Bus stand we bought tickets which was Rs.110 per person from Pune to Satara one way. Another adventure here was that we missed our first bus, and after having a huge argument with the guy at the ticket counter and the higher authorities we had to buy new tickets again. :( Anyways we left for Satara at 2.30 pm. There are buses at intervals of every 45 mins. that go to Satara. Bus time table.
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Ticket man with whom we had an argument. :D
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Mangesh at the Ticket counter
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We reached Satara Bus stop at around 4.45 pm. Now from the bus depot we hired a Rickshaw to Rajawada which was at a distance of 2Kms and we paid a fare of Rs. 40. After reaching Rajawada, we got another surprise that the last bus to Kasbe Bamnoli was at 5pm. We were late by 10mins. :(
The bus fare from Rajawada to the village was
Rs. 60/- per person one way.
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Rajawada Chowk.
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We were
very hungry, so we went to a nearby hotel, "Hotel Aaraam". We had rice plate
& hot tea with some snacks. Meanwhile we were also thinking of a way to go to
Bamnoli. So we decided to take lift or hire a car or something. It was
already 6.30 pm and it was getting darker. We tried every possible way
but with no success. Locals there were not ready to go to Bamnoli after
6pm as they were scared of wild animals and the Ghat way that go to
the village. Looking at the scared locals my friends who were already
scared, were now even more scared and cursing me to plan this Trek. :)
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Friends efforts asking for lift.
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Hotel Aaraam
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After losing all hopes we decided to stay in a hotel somewhere near Rajawada and take a bus to Bamnoli the next morning. First bus starting at 5.30am. We came back to Hotel Aaraam to have another cup of tea and cool our minds. I started browsing for nearby hotels. Fares shown were starting from Rs. 800. But luckily the hotel owner knew a person from the village who had a tempo and was ready to take us to Bamnoli, but for a huge price i.e. Rs.1400. But because of Mangesh's bargaining skill and with the help of his typical Marathi accent he was able to lower down the fare to Rs. 900. Which we thought is a better deal because instead of staying in the city hotel it would be much better to stay in the village free of noise and pollution. So we agreed.
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Mr. Patil (Tempo Owner).
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Tempo we hired to go to Bamnoli.
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We left for Kasbe Bamnoli at 9pm. It took us an hour to reach the village. And this journey was worth the tempo rent we paid. It wasn't raining, but there were thunder storms. The Ghats had no street lights so it was pitch dark. Vehicle's headlights were the only source of light available. The Ghats were deserted and we could see very few vehicles passing. I was wondering, the local transport been closed after 6pm, how would the villagers travel in case of emergencies? Anyways, the cool breeze was very relaxing and we three started playing "Antakshri". We could see hundreds and thousands of "Jugnoos (fireflies)" along the way until we reached the village. And it felt as if we were in the sky full of twinkling stars. A beautiful view indeed. Unfortunately the photos that I clicked in the tempo were all blurred because of the heavy breeze. Singing, dancing and chatting we reached the village at around 10 pm. I wished if we could have been at the Ghats for few more hours.
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Pitch dark at the Ghats
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Another surprise, as we reached the village all the Restaurants and Lodges were closed by 8 pm itself. The villagers were resting in their houses. There very seldom street light. Street dogs & ducks were our only companions at that time. And I was missing my Tent that we had to leave at home as it was too bulky to carry in bus. Luckily, Mr. Patil was a minor head of the village. He had many contacts and he asked the restaurant owner to prepare dinner for us and also made an arrangement for us to stay in the Lodge. Thank god!! The lodge owner was asking for
Rs.1500 per day rent, but on the request of Mr. Patil he lowered it too
Rs. 500. :) I noticed there were only 2 restaurants, 1 lodge, 1 Bank with ATM (to my surprise it was Bank of Baroda branch) and 4-5 grocery shops in the village.
More about Kasbe Bamnoli.
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We were the only guests in the Cafe.
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Ducks were our only Companions.
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The care taker took us to the lodge which was hardly 2 minutes from the main center of the village. Now we encountered another scary adventure. We were the only guests in the lodge. The care taker himself was very scary, and it reminded me of the care takers from Bollywood horror movies. The room was spacious with bathroom (not very clean). By the time our dinner was getting ready we took bath & got ready. As we were heading towards the restaurant the owner of restaurant came with his car and gave us a lift up to the hotel as the roads were completely dark. The hotel was at a distance of only 200 meters from our lodge, but the owner said its not safe to go walking and therefore picked us up. That was very sweet of him.They made chicken curry for us, which was served with rice , chapattis and salad. Very tasty. We made some phone calls to our families and friends informing them that we were safe and having fun. We were done with our dinner by 11.30 pm.
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Caretaker in Deep sleep. :)
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Thanking the hotel owner we decided to take a walk to the lodge
without the help of the owner. Gosh, it was too dark & very silent. I
managed to take some pictures and recorded few Vlog's.At the lodge we
prepared some Hukka and had some smoke. Mangesh is very talented in
making Hukka. After the smoke we shared some chat, jokes, horror
stories, etc. Which was again fun as we could see forest from our lodge,
no one around, listening to various insects like crickets, beetles and
even Bats making scary sounds and noises. Finally it was an end of the
adventurous day & we called it a day off by 1.30 am as we had to get
up early in the morning and start the new adventure.....
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A walk from the cafe to the Lodge.
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Hukka Session.
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***** DAY 2 *****
Though we slept hardly for 4 hours, it felt ages. We were eagerly waiting for this day. We woke up at 6 am on the buzzing of Alarms that we had set up on our cell phones. Because we didn't want to get late and miss the moments. We got freshen up. Got ready in our best attire. Though it is advisable to carry proper trekking kit. We were in our normal costumes.
Things to carry for Trekking.
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Exterior of the Lodge with beautiful views.
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An Old Goddess statue at the Entrance gate of the lodge.
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We left for the restaurant nearby at 7 am and had breakfast there. Poha & Tea. My favorite There was this other group there of around 14 people who had already finished their breakfast and was about to leave for the Trek. Quickly we finished our breakfast and left for the Trek.
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All set for the Trek.
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To reach Vasota one has to hire a Boat from Bamnoli boat club to the base of Vasota. We reached the ticket counter and to our surprise it was quite expensive.
Rs. 3000 + 15% Taxes (1person or up to 12 persons). We were only 3. So it was coming to Rs. 1000 per person. The ticket man there gave us an idea to wait for other groups to come so that we can join them and make a single group of 12 people. So that the amount fee would be divided.
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We at the Booking office.
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Boat Fares as of June 2015.
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Rules & Regulations.
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Boat Club Signage.
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An old demolished Exhibition hall.
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So we waited, time was running. Ideally one should live by 8am if one has to complete the Trek completely without any rush. But with us it was getting delayed as no other groups were coming. We wandered in the places nearby. There was an Exhibition hall which was closed and now looked like a Haunted mansion. Finally we decided to drop the idea for Vasota and planned for some other package that would suit our budget. As we were planning, there came a group of 4 people from Sangli. We were very happy to see them because it meant that we can continue with our plan for Vasota.
After introducing each other and explaining the situation to them we came to an agreement that we will make a group of 7. So we bought the tickets. After that, one has to go to the forest department and take permission from them to travel to Vasota. Also pay a small fee there. Around
Rs. 620 for 7 people that included guide fee too. The boat fees also included one personal guide. After dividing it the Boat fare & forest department fee it came to
Rs. 450 per person in total. After competing all the formalities we left for Vasota at 11.30am.
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Forest Department.
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Fee Receipt.
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We left Bamnoli through boat at 11.30am. The Boat journey was for 90 minutes approximately. We played Antakshri. Had some photo sessions & Vlog's. Ate mangoes that Mangesh bought from the village. The mangoes were quite different as compared to the ones found in cities. We made friends with the boat driver. His name was Bajirao. Most of the people I came across in the village had historic names. The view was wonderful. Dense green forest as far as you can see. Clean water. Fresh air. It was cloudy too. People said that wild animals come to drink water near this reservoir. So our eyes were fixed all over to have a glimpse of the animals but we were not that lucky.
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Mangesh enjoying "Gawti" Mangoes.
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"Hum Saath Saath Hai" :) From Left to Right: Gaurav, Prashant, Manoj, Vishal, Mangesh, Ranjan & Myself.
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After chatting with Bajirao, we came to know that in these dense forests there were small villages. And apart from taking the trekkers to Vasota these boats were also used as local transport to travel from one village to the other. Finally we reached the starting point at around 1pm.
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Our Boat driver cum Guide "Bajirao"
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We in the Boat.
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We started our trekking at around 1 pm. From the base we could see Vasota fort in front of us. The Gang started the Trek by reciting some Shloks and prayed for the our safety during the journey. We reached the main entrance of the base. Had some refreshing lime juice there. There was only one vendor serving the drinks also collecting fees for plastic bottles. Also had to pay Rs.20 per plastic bottle that you carry while trekking. the money will be refunded once the trek is completed and after submitting the bottles to the authorities. This is done so that we don't litter around. There was another exhibition hall here which was under construction..
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Vasoto fort can be seen at the top.
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Main Entrance.
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Information Hoardings.
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Exhibition Hall.
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After getting refreshed we started the journey at around 1.30pm. Make sure that each person carry around 2-3 liters of water and food/snacks as there is no availability of the same at the fort. However there are small streams flowing nearby which has refrehing water to quench the thirst. There were many sign posts that had information of various wild life birds & animals found in the Jungle. We made sure that we all are together and follow the path created by the forest department. Because there were chances of getting lost in the dense forest if you get diverted off the main path.
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Gang getting refreshed with Fresh Stream water.
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We reached at a point where there was a very old temple that had Murti's of Lord Hanuman & Lord Ganesha. And this is the same place where we need to decide which trek we want to complete. One way directed to Vasota fort & one to Nageshwar temple. The guide told us that it is impossible to complete both the treks on the same day. Hence after some discussion we decited to go for Vasota fort. The Trek was of around 3 Kms and it took us 3.5 hrs to complete the Trek. We asked the guide to rest instead of coming with us. Ans we started walking.
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A Very old temple depicting Lord hanuman & Lord Ganesha's idols.
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We took pictures & V'logs. Saw the people from other groups along the way. Though it was Sunny but because of dense forest it was all shadowy. Very quiet. We could hear was only sounds of birds & insects. It was a bit terrifying too. No one around. We were hoping to see some wild animals. But could only see some leeches And Huge butterflies. The Trek was tiring so we were halting after every 200 meters and then proceeding. In mid way we realized that Mangesh & Ranjan were left behind and they were no longer a part of the Trek. poor thing.
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Dense Forest.
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Way to the Fort.
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VASOTA signage. More 500mtrs to go.
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Talking, singing, we reached the top of the Fort at around 3.30 pm. This was the time when we felt as if we were on the top of the world and had conquered the whole world . Beautiful scenes all over. A bit cloudy with few rain showers. Also, saw a rainbow straight in front of us. Felt as if we were in Heaven. There were few temples and an old pond. The water in the pond was contaminated and therefore advisable not to drink from it. However our friends from Sangli went ahead & drank from it. We could also see Nageshwar cave at a distance and wished if we could have been able to complete that trek too.
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Entrance Gate to the fort.
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Chandalika Mandir at the Top.
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At the Top.
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An old Hanuman temple on the fort.
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CONQUERED
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We had proper Maharashtrian lunch inside the Mandir. At it felt as if there were AC's inside. Natural AC. The Sangli friends were packed with proper food. Enjoyed the supper.To my surprise my phone had network, so I made calls to my family & friends. 7pm.
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Enjoying Maharashtrian lunch.
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A pond.
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A Grinder (maybe)
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Team Relaxing after a tiring Trek.
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At the end Vishal tied a flag on one of the Temples as a sign of successful trek. Finally, we started descending at around 4.30 pm. It was much easier to get down as compared to ascending. It was getting darker even at this time. We reached the Base camp again and saw our fellow friends & the guide waiting there for us. I shared the stories with them. And felt bad that they were not a part of it. Submitted the bottles and got the money refunded. But in exchange of money I bought "Jamun's" from the guy. We left for the Boat. Started boating at 6pm and reached Bamnoli by 7pm.
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Flag hosting.
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A view from the top showing a beautiful Rainbow and also the place where our boats were halted.
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Our next target "Nageshwar cave"
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7pm to 10pm:
After reaching Bamnoli we came to know that we have missed the last bus from Bamnoli to Satara. Goshhh!! Mangesh asked the villagers for any other option to go to Satara. But all refused. So we have to call Mr. Patil once again for our rescue and we hired the tempo. By the time he came we had some Tea and Poha at the café there. We spent time recollecting the stories about the Trek, calling our families & letting them know that we were safe. Mr.Patil came at 9p.m and we left for Satara. Again the beautiful dark view at the Ghats were mesmerizing. Though we were very tired the view was refreshing. We had to pay another Rs.1200 as tempo rent. We reached Satara. Exchanged our Goodbye's with Mr. Patil, had dinner at a restaurant & reached the Satara Bus depot.
10pm to 4am:
To our surprise, there were hardly any buses from Satara to Pune. And there were many passengers waiting for the buses. Some even had fight with the Depot manager there complaining about less number of buses. After waiting for few hours Mangesh came up with an idea & we decided to board one of the trucks that carry luggage's from city to city. So we hired a rickshaw and reached the highway. And Boarded one Truck from Chitale Company. Another adventure the Truck got punctured and it took an hour for the driver to repair the tires. Gosh. To pass the time I made a group on Whatsapp and started sharing the trek pictures with my friends. Finally, we reached Pune at around 3.30 am. Took our bike and left and final surprise, the bike too got punctured. And now it was getting too much and I prayed for no more adventures. Mangesh had some contacts, so he called his friends who came at 3am (true friends) and dropped us at our society. After bidding farewell to each other we left for our respected houses and reached home by 4am. Though the target to reach home was 10/11 pm. But it was delayed because of unexpected adventures.
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Exhausted - In the punctured Truck.
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Bike punctured.
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Vasota Fort trek can only be experienced and cant be described in words. I tried to give step by step guidelines so that the fellow Trekkers can enjoy to the max and avoid unnecessary obstacles. Have fun & KEEP TREKKING!!! :D
Please do share your stories. You can see more pictures of the trek on my FB page.You can reach me at
nazar.fallah@gmail.com
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