Monsoon Trek to Torna Fort

Torna is an easy day trek in Sahyadris. It takes around 6 hours to complete the complete trek. To reach the base of the trek, I took the bus from Swargate (Pune-Velhe-Ghisar). Since it was raining the bus was fairly empty. It takes 2 hours to reach Velhe Village which is the base of the fort. Many People do Raigad-Torna as a two-day trek, I also planned for the same but I didn’t have my tent to pull a 2 days adventure.

Public bus in Velhe Village

Shepherd and his goats

My Companion for the Trek

Lush green beginnings

Unlike the previous journey to Lohagad fort, This time I had a poncho to protect myself from the intermittent drizzle. After reaching the village, I had my breakfast which included Tea and 3 Vadapav. The Vadapav was very fresh and tasty so I packed 2 Vadapav, to enjoy at the top. I draped my poncho and started the journey to the top. Torna is the highest peak in the Pune area. Captured by Shivaji at 16, due to the magnanimity of the hill it was named as Prachandgad. The path to Torna is fairly laid out and ascent is moderate. After 30 minutes of the climb and wet shoes, I reached the place where the village, the Gunjvane Dam and the Raigad peak all were visible in one view. The View was so breathtaking that, I took out my camera in the rain to capture, but the image won’t do justice to the feels.

Gunjvane Dam in the Background

Amazing Lush Green Feels

Crossing the Waterfall

Fresh blooming flowers and Waterfall in the background

Saved the Vadapav for this location

Moving into the clouds

Moving Up

The initial portion of the trek was easy, from the ridge the climb ahead was a bit tougher due to the two rock patches which are quite slippery. It was a rough patch for people with short legs. In around 2 hours, I was at Bini Darwaza, the top. The visibility was not good. Anything beyond 3 meters was lost in the mist. I visited Shiva Temple, where a local was making tea. The Tea was not that good but it enriched the experience of rain, mist and hills.

Konkan Darwaja

Reaching the Fort enclosure

Fellow Trekker at the Top

Shivling outside the temple

Temple at the top

Scenic Gunjvane Dam

I tried to get the view from Zunjar machi, but nothing was visible from the top. After roaming around a bit, I started to descend down. The way down is very easy except that rough patch part. After reaching the Village, I again had a VadaPav and boarded the 5 am bus back to Pune.

Multiple Waterfalls

The Magic of the Monsoons

The Hide and seek of the Clouds

Raigad Fort in the background

Descending downhill

Walking Downhill

Last few memories

Trip Cost Breakdown Per Person