This was the first outing after the rains had started. Having seen the “wet green” in photographs of the western ghats, my expectations were very high. Sinhagad lived up to these expectations. It was drizzling and most of the fort was covered in mist. The sun was peeping through small gaps in te clouds making the whole scene ethereal.
This was also the first “long” trip for the Xylo. Yeah 25 kms qualifies as a long trip in Pune! The drive was enjoyable and Xylo managed the bad roads pretty well.
Route from Pune to Sinhagad fort: It took more than an hour to reach the base of Sinhagad from Magarpatta. You have to reach Swargate to catch the Sinhagad road. To go to swargate from magarpatta, go on the solapur highway (big bazaar, krome route ). Keep on going on this road and you will reach Swargate . Keep going until you reach a T-junction. On this junction, turn left and immediately you should see a mahalaxmi temple on the left and a traffic signal right next to it. At this signal , turn right and you are on Sinhagad road. The route to sinhagad passes through Khadakwasla dam. The dam was not overflowing then. Even with less water, the dam was a pretty sight with lot of revelers enjoying the waves and eating corn!
Even with just a week or so of the rains, the greenery on the way was worth watching. Once we reached the base of Sinhagad, the commercialisation of the place became obvious with so many jeeps vying to offer you a drive to the top, if you didn’t want to go by yourself.
The road to the top of the fort is steep and the condition of the road is also not so good. Particularly, the hairpin bends have been very poorly designed with no provision of any kind of banking. It was a thrilling experience to take the xylo (with 7 adults) to the top. On many turns, i was forced to stop because of some oncoming vehicle and it was tough to start again on the curve and many a time i started to screeching tyres.
We did make a lot of stops on the way for many photo sessions. Nearing the top of the hill, mist almost covered the entire place. One particular view was amazing. The whole valley was in the shade/mist with the sun showing through only on a small area in the middle. The photo below doesn’t do any justice to the actual scene, but it can give you an idea 
have to start using RAW for all images from now on!
Once on the top, we had to get Akshara all dressed up, as it was quite chilly. This was our first outing with Akshara in Pune and it took quite a while to get Akshara in the sling. The last time she was in the sling was few months when she was much smaller! We didn’t spend long enough on the fort to explore it in its entirety, as we had some party to go to that evening. Anyway, this demo version was good enough to ensure that we visit again. More photos of the fort then.
Similar places around Pune:
August 1st, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Good Start…..thank you for directions.
August 6th, 2009 at 2:14 am
Lovely pics brought back a lot of very fond memories. Thank you for sharing.
August 30th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
the picture brought back so many happy memories,wish if we can take our life back to cherish those moment again and again in life………
June 17th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Best description of the sinhgad fort….thanks for sharing your exp with evrybody.
January 2nd, 2011 at 12:38 am
Hello,
Thanks for putting up the detailed route to Sinhagadh and various other places around Pune. We are also based in Magarpatta and your directions will be a big help.
Regards,
Sarika
January 31st, 2011 at 3:19 pm
me pune me janmi hu isliye mujhe punam khete hai sb vese mujhe sbse jada fav place pune hai or pune me katraj or i lov pune
May 27th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
nice description…keep writing and updating on such treks/visits by you
June 1st, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Very nice images of the greenery. Thanks for sharing those.
June 11th, 2011 at 11:39 am
I SEE U R IMAGES AND DECIDED TO GO AT SINHGARH VERY NICE PICTURES
June 19th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Great snaps! junya aathvani jage jhalya…nusta drushya baghanyaatach manaala kiti gaarva. Thanks for sharing.
June 30th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
We are planning to visit sinhagad this weekend (sat-sun 2 jul – 3 jul). just wanted to know accomodation facilities/options at sinhagad. Should be economical for a group of 5
July 17th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Nice …. Pic …..
July 20th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
photography was excellent.& the brief information of the area gives us good guidence to visit the area
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:20 am
Nice Place…………….?
August 12th, 2011 at 9:07 am
Nice information and wonderful pics! Thanks for uploading.
If you can help with some more information …..
Up to what distance from the fort does the motorable road go?
Is this road open all days of the week?
What is the approximate distance (by road) from the base of the hill to the top?
Thanks in advance.
August 12th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Hi Pradeep..i dont remember the distances in Kms..
The motorable road goes right until the parking lot at the base of the fort..after that u have to climb through the darwazas for may be around 40-50 steps ..
Road is open throughout , not late nights though
Not sure abt the distnce. but from Donje (base village) it takes around 30 mins to the top.
August 26th, 2011 at 10:56 am
Nice pics. Thanks for uploading. I have visited the place. It becomes so nice after rains.
September 21st, 2011 at 9:52 am
when i was saw these all pictures i really happy that how our nature is too greenery..
November 5th, 2011 at 11:00 am
nice pic
November 19th, 2011 at 11:27 am
Pls dont say 25Kms is a long trip in Pune,. Thats rubbish. I goto work every day and travel 20 kms in morning, and 20Kms back home.
January 12th, 2012 at 5:57 am
thanks for the narattion….very useful …good job
January 21st, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Hi !
We went last year to singhgadh fort…but the roads were blocked…only paid cabs were going…we want to go tomorrow or next week…plz let us know if its open now..
Thnx