Family treks: Some good for grandpa, too

Life in Mumbai is so much about the commute. Try as you might, you always get stuck. And it is in those times that you wish you had an outlet; a place to reconnect —with yourself, your family and nature. And if you are looking to do that, then the place to head towards is the Sahyadaris, more specifically the Malshej Ghat region. Here’s a list of five places in the Ghats, just a few hours away from Mumbai, where you can just up and go with your family; you don’t need no climbing gear; just water and power snacks. Some of these are also places of religious interest, so if grandpa and grandma are fit and ready, then make a plan this weekend . [caption id=“attachment_108227” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The walls of Sudhagad still stand strong. Hrishikesh Burkule/Flickr”]  [/caption] Sudhagad: Still very well maintained, this was one of the places that Shivaji considered making his capital. The walls of Sudhagad still stand strong. The trek itself is easy and if you have a religious bent, there is Pali close by. The place is well known for its Ganpati Mandir, which is one of the eight Ganpati mandirs popularly known as Astavinayak. Gorakhgad: A pretty easy trek if you are decently fit. The initial part is pretty easy but it does get a little steep towards the end, which leads to a nice cave. Nothing that will take more than a couple of hours. Reach the cave, take a break, rest and then you have the chance to do something exciting. From the cave, there is a route that takes to the top of the hill, where there is a Hanuman temple. There is however, a catch. There is no proper path to the top, and to get there, you have to do a bit of rock-climbing. If you know how the three-point hold — at any given time while climbing, at least three of your limbs should be securely attached to the rock face) works, it’s done easily enough. Raigad: We’ve read about it in our history books but to see the imposing structure is quite the thrill. There is a temple on the premises so it’s quite clean and there is a water tank too. The trek itself is pretty simple, something that your grand-parents (if they are pretty fit) can do too. However, reaching the Bale Killa (a little fort right on top of the hill where the King stayed) is quite another thing. The fort is so huge that if you want to explore all of it, it can take you upto three days. Naneghat: A beginner’s trek. If you aren’t sure about how well you’d tackle the rigors of trekking, this is the place to check out. The trek is easy; you’ll often see entire families making their way up. At the top is a guard post from the old days from where you get a panoramic view of the entire area. Best time to visit is in the monsoons, but winters aren’t too bad either. Kothligad: Peth or Kothligad is another easy trek. It won’t tire you too much and you’ll still be able to go to work the next day. This isn’t quite out of touch with reality, there is a village at the base of the hill but the small fort at the top is quite something. The caves are a simple yet good example of Satvahan architecture. The views are quite astounding.