Korigad or Koraigad or Kuwarigad near Amby Valley, Lonavala

Name of Fort - Korigad or Koraigad or Kuwarigad

Location - Base village is Peth Shahapur, Appprox. 25 km from Lonavala on Amby valley Road.

Trek level - Easy 

Date of visit - 9th Dec 2017

Korigad Fort - 

This fort was incorporated into his kingdom by the Maratha ruler Shivaji along with the forts of Lohagad, Visapur, Tung and Tikona in 1657. On March 11, 1818, Colonel Prother tried to take over this fort but even after a prolonged siege could not make any headway. Finally on 14 March, by igniting the stored ammunition by means of a loose cannonball he succeeded and this fort went to the British. (Detailed history in the photo attached)

The fort is located about 923 m (3,028 ft) above sea level, rising over 200 m (660 ft) higher than the neighbouring valleys. 

How to reach 

Approximately 25 KMs from Lonavala, there is a village called Peth Shahapur. This village is the base of the Fort Korigad. This region of Pavana is called Maval of Korbarsa. Fort is now maintained by Aamby valley city and from base point; stone steps are laid till the top. 

To reach at the base of fort from Pune– Join Pune-Mumbai national highway NH4 the old highway, I feel its more scenic and you can save on Toll money (105 INR for return toll with Lonavala Kusgaon exit. (you can also take express way and take Lonavala exist, Toll costs you almost the double) – Reach Lonavala – Take a left at Kumar resort – Bushi Dam - Travel towards INS Shivaji – Start climbing ghat section  – Take right till Peth Shahapur village. 

Route via NH4

Other route is Pune – Chandani Chowk – Pirangut – Paud – Take a right at Paud just after Bus stand – Kolvan  – Javan – Take left at Javan village - After crossing Hilton resort, look forJavan Tungi road (Javan to junction distance is around 14 km) – Take left at junction and drive for Approx. 6 km. You will reach at Y junction and take you turn towards left to reach at Peth Shahapur village.

Google map is the best way to reach the fort base. 

Route via Paud

Trek to Korigad - 

It was long time , since we did Rohida and Raireshwar this monsoon, (Almost 3 months of fasting on trekking is actually a looong time for trekkers)

Korigad was in our mind since the start of this year's monsoon. On 9th Dec 2017, it was a school picnic day for my daughter and we, myself and my husband had an ample of time in our hand from 6.30 am till 4 pm. And here we go to complete our to do list item, A trek to Korigad.

We woke up early in the morning by 6 am and left Pune by 6.45 am after dropping my daughter to school in Kothrud area. We knew the roads and we were going to travel in our four wheeler. We chose the first route i.e. via NH4 , Pune - Mumbai old national highway.

It was all foggy morning with very low visibility till Ravet. Hence we were driving cautiously and slowly.

Foggy Morning near Hinjewadi

We had thought of having breakfast at manashakti kendra lonavala canteen. But here google maps misguided us showing it on opposite side, just after Kusgaon Toll post. Actually it is located on the left hand side only, just before the Neeta volvo bus halt hotel, below the expressway flyover. The food over there is very tasty and fits low budget. 

Contact number +91 2114 234 330

Website - http://www.manashakti.org/

As we missed it, we went straight ahead in Lonavala town, which was still sleepy. We had breakfast in Hotel Ramkrishna , just before the turn to Bhushi Dam, Amby valley road. Hotel Ramkrishna, is an authentic south Indian restaurant. We had south Indian breakfast. 

And after a south Indian breakfast, Filter Cappi is a must. And while parking the car, we had located a stall, I thought it as an interesting one. Hence proceeded to have cappi (coffee) there. It was a small road side stall, serving all kind of hot beverages with lots of thing like , tea varieties, coffee and hot milk varieties on the menu.It is located just after the turn to Bhushi Dam road. You can find the stall details and contact number in the photo below. The taste of coffee was perfect and we liked the design on the glass in which it was given. It was a normal glass with a handle to hold. 

Jay Shiv Shankar Tea house, near Kumar resorts, Lonavala

After driving through the fog while enjoying the beauty of nature we reached the base village by 9.15 AM.While reaching Peth Shahapur, the base of fort, you pass though , bhushi dam, tiger point , lion point, INS Shivaji. We have to follow Amby valley road, which passes through scenic greenary.

Amby Valley road

We parked our vehicle, just ahead of Peth Shahapur village at 9.30am, Once you start from the base village, for 15-20 minutes you will need to walk through a jungle for 1-1.5 km to reach at the starting point of stone steps and then there are just 550 steps to get to the top.Due to Okhi cyclone in last week, there were showers and the whole jungle stretch was humid and moist.

Korigad from base

While walking on that route the fort is on right side, then you are on right track. The easy way to reach the steps is to towards the Mobile tower, that is there near the steps.

Amby valley has a straight tar road to the base of the fort but due to dispute that road is closed by govt. orders. Once you reach the base of steps, you can see the information board , where the complete history of the fort is mentioned. 

Before we started our hike on the steps, we met Sameer, a smart 10 year old local boy, with all information about the fort. On holidays, he runs a stall on the fort along with his mother. He was a very good sales person. He accompanied us while climbing. His mother provide food on order. Here is the contact number of Sameer's mother, Sangita 9923251848

After 10-15 minute walk, we reached at the midpoint of stone steps route. Climbing on steps is easy task. En route the top, there is a small cave and Ganesh temple. 

Cave near Ganesh Temple

We reached at the first entrance gate of Fort known as Ganesh Darwaja within 1 hour from the starting point. You can see ruined structure of the fort. After a few more steps, you can see Shiv temple and Lakes.Just near the Shiva Temple, we had Limbu Sarabat(Sweet Lemon water), prepared by Sameer. 

Ganesh Darvwaja

Lord Shiva Temple 

Lake at the top

We went to the right side assuming that Korai Devi temple will be on right side. But we were wrong. The temple is located on left side of Shiva temple. Right side, several ruins of older structures within the fort still exist. It has six cannons - the largest of which called the Laxmi Toph is located near the Korai Devi temple. You can get beautiful views of Ambey Valley from the top.

All the greenery has vanished by now. We saw a rattling snake in the dried grass near the Korai Devi Temple which is located on the left hand side of Shiva Temple.It has been recently renovated and has a 4 foot tall Deepmala(tower of lamps).The interesting part of the fort is that its wall is completely intact and one can walk along its entire perimeter(about 2-2.5 km), which we did. Restoration of the fort is still in progress and temples were re-built. 

Dipmala near Korai Devi Temple

 Korai Devi 

Korai Devi temple

Laxmi Tof i.e.cannon (I am not leaning on it but on the support)

It took us 1 hour to roam around the complete fort.After exploring each and every corner of the fort, we decided to climb down. Prior to that we met Sameer again and had Limbu Sarbat Once again. Descending was quite easy and we reached to the base within 35 minutes. We were back to the car parking area by 12.30 pm.
You can see a lot of birds in the forest. The forest is rich with Flora and Fauna as well.

We straight away headed for our lunch at Tony Da dhaba near Kamshet. Food is authentic Punjabi one. We reached there by 1.30 pm and to our home by 3.00 pm.

You can stay inside the temple if you wish to spend night on the fort, but it is lonely and very few trekkers were seen. Its not as famous as Lohgad. 

Few points to remember -

• No food facility on fort. Carry your own lunch in case you plan to have it on the fort. Ideal option would be to plan this trek in such a way that you can come to Lonavala for the lunch 
• A water bottle with at least 2 liters of water.
• Some dry food, in case you don’t find any suitable food stalls
• Do carry instant electrolytes like electoral, Glucon-D.
• Small first aid kit with band aid, volini spray, iodex etc
• Camera to capture best nature moments
• Comfortable cotton clothes.

Approximate Expenses - 

Car petrol  = Approx. 140 km with 16 km/Litre car average = 700 INR

Toll return = 105 INR

Breakfast = 200 INR

Limbu Sarbat(Sweet Lemon Water) = 80 INR

Lunch = 600 INR

Total = Approximately 1700 INR for a couple.