Visapur Fort Trek: A Complete Guide to Explore the Historic Fort in Lonavala

Visapur Fort is a majestic fort that stands on a hilltop in Lonavala, Maharashtra. It is one of the twin forts of Lohagad, which was once a stronghold of the Maratha Empire. Visapur Fort is larger and higher than Lohagad, and has a unique architecture and design. It also has many attractions and highlights that make it a must-visit destination for history buffs, nature lovers, and adventure seekers.

Photo of Visapur Fort 1/2 by — (C) Tripoto

If you are looking for a thrilling and scenic trek near Mumbai or Pune, Visapur Fort Trek is the perfect choice for you. It is a moderate level trek that takes you through lush green forests, rocky terrains, and cascading waterfalls. You can also witness the panoramic views of the surrounding hills, valleys, and lakes from the top of the fort. The trek can be done in any season, but the monsoon season adds a special charm to it.

In this article, we will provide you with a complete guide to explore Visapur Fort in Lonavala. We will cover everything you need to know about Visapur Fort Trek, such as how to reach, trek details and tips, architecture and attractions, booking options and reviews. We will also share some photos and videos of the fort and the trek to give you a glimpse of its beauty and charm. So, let’s get started!

How to Reach Visapur Fort

Visapur Fort is located about 65 km from Pune and 105 km from Mumbai. You can reach the base village of Visapur Fort by road or rail from either city.

By Road: There are two routes to reach Visapur Fort by road: via Bhaje village or via Patan village. Both routes are well-connected by state highways and have signboards along the way.

Bhaje village route: This is the most popular and convenient route to reach Visapur Fort. You can take the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and exit at Malavli. From there, you can follow the road to Bhaje village, which is about 10 km away. You can park your vehicle at Bhaje village and start your trek from there. This route is about 105 km from Mumbai and 65 km from Pune. It takes about 2 hours to reach Bhaje village by car from either city.

Patan village route: This is an alternative route to reach Visapur Fort. You can take the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and exit at Lonavala. From there, you can follow the road to Patan village, which is about 15 km away. You can park your vehicle at Patan village and start your trek from there. This route is about 110 km from Mumbai and 70 km from Pune. It takes about 2.5 hours to reach Patan village by car from either city.

By Rail: You can also reach Visapur Fort by rail from Mumbai or Pune. You can take a local train or an express train to Malavli station or Lonavala station.

Malavli station: This is the nearest railway station to Visapur Fort. It is about 10 km away from Bhaje village, where you can start your trek. You can take a local train or an express train to Malavli station from Mumbai or Pune. The train journey takes about 2 hours from either city. From Malavli station, you can take an auto-rickshaw or a taxi to Bhaje village, which costs about Rs 100-150.

Lonavala station: This is another railway station near Visapur Fort. It is about 15 km away from Patan village, where you can start your trek. You can take a local train or an express train to Lonavala station from Mumbai or Pune. The train journey takes about 2.5 hours from either city. From Lonavala station, you can take an auto-rickshaw or a taxi to Patan village, which costs about Rs 200-250.

Trek Details and Tips

Visapur Fort Trek is a moderate level trek that takes about 3-4 hours to complete one way. The trek distance is about 7 km from Bhaje village and 9 km from Patan village.

Read About Tulika's day trip to the twin forts: Lohagad and Visapur.

Trek Details

Altitude: The altitude of Visapur Fort is about 1084 meters above sea level.

Time taken: The time taken to complete the trek depends on your pace and stamina. It usually takes about 3-4 hours to reach the top of the fort from either route.

Water sources: There are no water sources on the way to the fort. You have to carry enough water with you. There are some water tanks and cisterns on the fort, but they may not be potable.

Terrain type: The terrain type of the trek varies from forest trails, rocky patches, grasslands, and muddy slopes. The trek is easy in the beginning, but becomes steep and slippery as you approach the fort.

Trek gradient: The trek gradient of the trek is moderate to difficult. The trek has some flat sections, some ascents, and some descents. The trek becomes more challenging in the monsoon season due to the heavy rainfall and slippery surface.

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Trek Tips

Things to carry: You should carry the following things for the trek:

- A backpack with rain cover

- At least 2 liters of water

- Snacks and energy bars

- A cap or a hat

- Sunglasses and sunscreen

- A torch or a headlamp

- A first-aid kit

- A camera or a phone

Things to avoid: You should avoid the following things for the trek:

- Wearing jeans or tight clothes

- Wearing sandals or flip-flops

- Carrying heavy or unnecessary items

- Littering or damaging the environment

- Venturing alone or away from the group

Things to expect: You should expect the following things on the trek:

- A scenic and adventurous trek with stunning views of the surrounding hills, valleys, and lakes

- A rich and diverse flora and fauna, including birds, butterflies, flowers, and trees

- A historic and majestic fort with a unique architecture and design

- A refreshing and exhilarating waterfall trail in the monsoon season

Photo of Visapur Fort 2/2 by — (C) Whats Hot

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Visapur Fort is from June to September, which is the monsoon season. This is when the fort and its surroundings are at their best. The fort is covered with lush greenery and mist. The waterfall trail is active and offers a thrilling experience. The views from the top of the fort are breathtaking and mesmerizing.

However, you can also visit Visapur Fort in other seasons, such as winter or summer. The winter season is from October to February, which is when the weather is pleasant and cool. The fort is less crowded and peaceful. The views from the top of the fort are clear and crisp.

The summer season is from March to May, which is when the weather is hot and dry. The fort is less green and more brown. The views from the top of the fort are hazy and dusty.

Architecture and Attractions of Visapur Fort

Visapur Fort is a marvel of architecture and engineering. It was built by the first Peshwa of the Maratha Empire, Balaji Vishwanath, in 1713-1720. It was later captured by the British in 1818 after a three-hour long battle.

Visapur Fort is larger and higher than Lohagad Fort, which is its twin fort. It has a surface area of about 7 km2, while Lohagad Fort has a surface area of about 4 km2. It also has a different design and layout than Lohagad Fort. It has a circular shape with multiple bastions and walls. It also has several entrances and exits.

Visapur Fort has many attractions and highlights that make it worth visiting. Some of them are:

The wall of the fort: The wall of the fort is one of the most impressive features of Visapur Fort. It is about 6 km long and 3 meters thick. It encircles the entire fort and has several openings for cannons and guns. It also has several carvings and sculptures of animals, humans, and gods.

The waterfall trail: The waterfall trail is one of the most exciting features of Visapur Fort Trek in the monsoon season. It is a steep and slippery trail that goes through a series of waterfalls that flow from the top of the fort. It offers a refreshing and exhilarating experience for trekkers who love water adventures.

The plateau on top: The plateau on top of Visapur Fort is a vast and flat area that has many ruins and relics of the past. It has several water tanks, cisterns, wells, granaries, temples, caves, houses, stables, and barracks. It also has a flag pole that hoists a saffron flag on special occasions.

The water tanks in caves: The water tanks in caves are one of the most intriguing features of Visapur Fort. They are large tanks that are carved inside natural caves on the fort. They were used to store water for drinking and other purposes. They have a capacity of about 22 lakh liters of water.

The flag, canon, and bastion: The flag, canon, and bastion are some of the most prominent features of Visapur Fort. They are located on the highest point of the fort and offer a spectacular view of the surroundings. The flag is a saffron flag that symbolizes the Maratha pride and glory. The canon is a huge metal canon that was used to defend the fort from enemies. The bastion is a circular structure that has several openings for firing guns and cannons.

The Hanuman temple: The Hanuman temple is one of the most sacred and revered places on Visapur Fort. It is a small temple that has an idol of Lord Hanuman, the monkey god and the devotee of Lord Rama. The temple is believed to be very old and powerful. It is also said that the idol of Hanuman grows in size every year.

Conclusion

Visapur Fort Trek is a wonderful experience that you should not miss if you are in Lonavala or nearby. It offers a thrilling and scenic trek, stunning views, and a rich history. It is also a great way to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and reconnect with nature and yourself.

Thank you for reading this article. We hope to see you soon on Tripoto!

Visapur Fort Reviews

KHUSHBU

23 Followers

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I think every trekker from Mumbai and Pune would have wishlisted famous waterfall steps: Visapur trek or must have visited it😝. When we stumbled upon one of the blog of Visapur we decided to visit it as it was perfect rainy season to trek through those waterfalls. Rainy season are like peak time for most of the trekking places around Mumbai and Sundays are worst if you don't like too much of crowd. We wanted to avoid too much crowd so we decided to take a day off on weekday to enjoy the serenity of nature's beauty. About the fort Visapur is located near Malavli village and is adjoining to Lohagad fort. Both the forts have dense forest and rocky terrain and are similar in structure built during Satwahan period. Visapur is slightly elevated than Lohagad and is home to lot of Hanuman Mandir. Transportation From Mumbai Take express train from Mumbai to Lonavala There are two trains namely Indrayani express(5.51 am from dadar) and Intercity (6.15 am from dadar) which will suit your timetable. You can take these same trains for your return journey also 7. 24 pm and 7.04 pm respectively. (Note: it is very difficult to book tickets for weekend to Lonavala, so you can try going from Karjat to Lonavala with local ticket, it takes 45 mins) If you take Indrayani express you will have enough time to go out in Lonavala and have good heavy breakfast (it will help you to gain good amount of energy) Then take local train from Lonavala to Malavli (it is next stop itself). Please check the timetable for to and fro on their website as frequency of trains are else. You can also hire cab if you have high budget as cabs are really expensive because of monopoly in Lonavala. On reaching Malavli station you can take left side flyover to cross express Highway and then walk down to base village or take an auto rickshaw, which ever ways you are comfortable. It took us 10 mins of walk to reach bhaje waterfall and it was also good warmup💁 ROUTES There are 3 routes that leads upto Visapur fort 1. from Patan village As you walk over the bridge, there are adjoining staircase with signboard that will lead to Patan village and from there you can start your trek to Visapur fort. This route is shortest but steep and muddy with many misleading paths so go with proper guide or large group. 2. From bhaje cave You need to walk till bhaje waterfall from station (Google directions available). Take up staircase leading to caves and then take left and follow white arrow marks that goes to fort. It takes upto 2 hours to reach at the northern entrance of fort. If you are smaller group then either hire a guide or trek along the group who knows the route. Note: bhaje caves and Patan village route will take you to those iconic waterfall staircase 3. Gaimukh khind Follow the tar road from bhaje waterfalls till the point of diversion The road to right goes to Lohagad and to the left goes to Visapur. This route will lead you to Southern entrance of the fort. This route is easily accessible and can be done without guide. If you want to experience real trek then avoid this route. Experience While ascending the fort, we took bhaje cave route and trekked alongwith experienced group as this route becomes slightly difficult during rainy seasons and even have misleading paths. We spent approximately 2-3 hours exploring fort, taking photos and having lunch. At top you will only find a tea stall near entrance so better carry packed food along with you. The view from above is scenic and full of lush greenery covered with fog. I am sure your gallery will be full of waterfalls and fog😂. While descending we decided to take Patan village route and joined another trekkers group (we lost the previous group 🙈). The route down was full muddy and slippery. My friends and I fell down numerous times, luckily no one was injured. Even couple of times we lost our ways and had to trek back to junctions but it was fun. We had amazing group with us to help us out. It was adventurous to take different routes and loved exploring it. Do's and Don'ts 1. Wear proper sports shoes. 2. Carry extra pair of sandal if you cannot wear wet shoes for long time. 3. Carry extra pair of clothes. 4. Do heavy breakfast and carry proper lunch alongwith you 5. Do not litter the place with packaged foods 6. Do not take up dangerous routes if you are beginner. 7. Take up the route which is most comfortable for your group depending on your capabilities. Duration: one day trek Best time: July to January Cost: ₹350-450 per person Level: moderate

Unnati Patel

144 Followers

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I believe every experience changes you to be a newer and better version of yourself... "Life lesson" are most important outcome from it ... ! And for me travelling is best way to experience all those amazing changes. I feel like a free bird whenever I travel. It makes me feel alive. I enjoy each and every moment throughout my trips. Today I would love share my experience of trekking on July 2018 to Visapur Fort(also called Visapoor Fort) It's a hill fort near Visapur village in Maharashtra, India. Trekking can never go wrong when you start early morning with good friends and pre organized arrangements for everyone. The fort is Located around 60 kms from Pune and 100 kms from Mumbai. Standing at an elevation of about 1084 meters and one of the highest forts in Maharashtra. Perched upon a lush green plateau and a very popular excursion destination amongst nature lovers, trekkers, and campers. From Pune a bus ride will take around about 1hour and 30 minutes to reach and throughout the way you can see mesmerizing view of green mountain's, waterfalls and local people climbing on the mountain bare footed with heavy weights. From my point of view monsoon would be best time to visit as you will experience climbing This fort have three routes which take you to the top. The fort is a part of the Lohagad – Visapur fortification and is the higher one among the two. Apart from the view of lush green surrounding in the nearby region, Visapur also holds an outstanding view of Tikona Fort, Tung Fort, Lohagad Fort and the Pawna Lake. If you start your day early, you can easily cover both Lohagad and Visapur fort on the same day. This was adventurous experiences for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't click more pictures because it was raining and climbing through those slippery stones including beautiful waterfalls made it unmanageable, though I managed to click some. For me most difficult part was to climb those watery stairs, rain water was going down from them. Extremely foggy weather with cloudburst, I would hardly see long sited view but it was overall an amazing experience. I'll never forget that experience in my entire life. You find snacks stall in the midway. Well that was soo badly needed by me and my friends. We had hot tea and indian snack (bataka poha and vadapav) with mesmerizing view of the mountains.I completed my whole trip only in 2000NRI (vadodara to pune return tarin tickets,food,visapur fort ride,snacks but I lived at my friend's hostel so I saved accommodations money) I would recommend to wear protective cloths which covers your full arms and legs, carrying a jacket incase you feel cold, raincoat, water bottle, light snacks, sunglasses, cap, few bandages in case of minor cuts, sport shoes, avoid wearing expensive ornaments specifically rings, hand cloves to get proper grip while climbing and last thing of course your camera 📷... "I love to click photos because people may change but the memories stay forever "📸 ✍

mishishirteli

82 Followers

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About Visapur Fort, Lonavala: The Visapur Fort, Lonavala is situated 104km from Mumbai in western India. It is at an elevation of 3,556 feet (1,084 m). It is built on the same plateau as Lohagad Fort. The Visapur Fort, Lonavala is larger and at a higher elevation than its twin fort- Lohagad Fort. Visapur region was built by Bahmani rules. It went into the hands of Mughals in the treaty of Mahuli, between Shahajiraje and Mughals. Seeing that the Mughals were not able to keep control over the region, Shivaji Maharaj captured almost all the forts here till 1660. Historic evidence says that current fortification was built during 1713-1720 CE by Balaji Vishwanath. There are many places to see in the Visapur Fort, Lonavala. You can some Caves, old stone arch, and fort wall, cisterns of water, Old Grinder and Lord Hanuman temples. Route To Visapur Fort, Lonavala: There are 2 ways to start the trek to Visapur Fort, Lonavala. One is from Malavali station. After crossing the Express-Highway & reaching Bhaje village we get a straight route to Lohagad - Visapur. Now tar road is newly constructed from Bhaje caves to Lohagad base village. After walking for 1.5 to 2 hours & turning to the left from `Goumukh Khind` we will reach to Visapur base. After a 1 km walk from Goumukh Khind, you will find the old hut. Take a left route and walk for 10 ft. for another small left turn which goes through dense forest to the top of the Visapur Fort. Another route is from Patan village. After crossing the Express-Highway, take a left for Patan village. Once you reach Patan, you can start hike for the fort. Make sure that you will remain close to the waterfall route. This route is a bit confusing so better to hire a local person from the village. Their chargers are not fixed as such so whatever you will offer they accept it or better to decide amount before the trek. We decided to climb from Goumukh Khind and come down by the same route. Some Pics on Visapur Fort, Lonavala:

Vyshnavi Mateti

71 Followers

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We woke up and were awed by the beauty of the place that surrounded us. We had quickly got ready and headed for the trek we had planned. Before we reached Visapur, the village in Lonavala, we ate vadapav in a small shop. There we were with tiny rucksack bags with chips packets on our backs,standing before a hill,tryingto comprehend it's unfathomable beauty and slowly started the trek, we walked through high slopes, rocks, trees, all the places we never thought we would ever walk through. There were water falls flowing through the hill, we walked through them and again exclaimed at the freshness which the water had. I personally feel that, hill trekking let's us know more about our innerself. It requires a great control on our body to walk through such slopes which makes us realize that we are capable of maintaining contact with our centre of gravity, the belly button. We always hate our body, but it always helps us. It does whatever our mind asks us to do. You decide that you have to walk up to the top of the hill, it takes you. It takes you happily. And then, we reached the tranquil space; the flat surface of the hill, and were spellbound by the incredible freshness of the air. The breeze, that went through the hair, the clouds that touched the skin, the godliness that was in the pure air, we felt everything. And then we started our journey downwards the hill, reached the village, had food in a villager's home, simple Dall -chaval, roti-sabji. I have to mention that you shouldn't forget to hire a guide when you trek on an odd day. Generally, you will have many people trekking with you on weekends but we trekked on Monday, so we hired a guide. And then we reached our room and took rest for some time. Headed to Pune airport where we had our flights booked. That's how it ended. An experience to cherish :)

Swapnil Jagtap

208 Followers

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Story Of My First Viral Picture 🙆🏻‍♂️ As Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Sir says, "Sometimes, it's better to bunk a class and enjoy with friends, because now, when I look back, marks never make me laugh, but memories do." Aaur bass hum logone isse seriously le liya and bunk karna shuru kar diya tha 🙆🏻‍♂️ So I still remember it was my 2nd bunked lecture from 3rd sem of engineering. We decided to complete visapur fort. When we reached Malavali, One of my friend suggested that there is one back road which is unexplored, Let's try to find it. Vaise bhi bunk kiye the barish ka samay tha, to socha kuch naya hi kar lete.. And we decided to go via Patan route. As it was not much known route at that time, it took us around 2 and half hrs to find the right trail and to reach the top. The things which excited me the most during this trek were these stairs 😍❤️ Mann... This was like a waterfall flowing through the stairs and their flow was like 🔥 So we clicked some pictures and we returned home. Obviously ghar pe bataya nahi thaa so gile kapde kaise ho gaye ka ans to obviously raincoat bhul gaya clg me se accha koi ho nahi sakta.. And I was a noob back then... Kuch chotuse edit karke..kuch normal #tags use karke.. post kar diya... And bhaii saab 🙆🏻‍♂️ It was my first picture on instagram which got 5000 + likes and tabhii followers kuch 600-700 thee... It gave a me a boost ki like what the hell happened. And then my actual journey on Instagram began. I started researched about how instagram works, learned some things and the journey continues till the date. And yeah it was also got featured from @nature @beautifuldestinations And 150+ other pages.. Yeah more than 150 features to this post.. 😅 So, Bunk Karna Itna Bhi Buraa Nahi Hota So, Just take a break.. O sorry extra break rather than weekend 🙈❤️ And Be You, Which Matters The Most 🌈🤞