ALANG-MADAN-KULANG:- TOUGHEST TREK OF MAHARASHTRA

Alang fort from Madan

So after a lot of planning, discussions, & research we decided to go for the toughest trek of Maharashtra; the Alang-Madan-Kulang trek! Alang_Madan-Kulang are 3 different forts which are joined by small routes and all three forts are difficult to hike. If you're hiking somewhere else in Sahyadri's and see the route is no longer leading anywhere, I would say you should turn back and look for another route. But here, at AMK, if you see the road is blocked due to some landslide or huge chunks of rocks and see the route is no longer leading anywhere; it won't be a great suggestion to turn back and look for another route. At AMK, you have to cross those chunks somehow and go ahead. The route is very much exposed to deep valleys and the width of route is very short; i.e only 1 person can walk at a time.

View from Alang

These forts are not historically significant. What makes them special is they are very difficult to climb. During the reign of Shivaji Maharaj i.e in 1670's, these forts were included in Maratha Empire. These forts are almost at the center of the Sahyadris. Almost all forts, all peaks in Sahyadri can be seen from these 3 forts. Hence these 3 forts were much important to keep a watch on enemy. After the death of Shivaji MAharaj, these 3 forts were captured by Mughal sultanate and then it was taken by Peshwas.

AMK is a 3 days trek, which can be done easily in 2 days; but yes, the 2 days expedition is very much exhausting! We went there with a organization called 'Drifter's club, Mumbai'. I will suggest that you should follow them on social media to know more about their expeditions. These guys are really great!

We took the 11.34PM Kasara train from Thane station on 18th January. Reached the Kasara station by 1.30 AM. We were a group of total 33 people which was sub-divided into 2 groups; one of 12 and another of 21. So we were in the group of 21 people and our route was a bit easier than the other group. There are 2 villages from where you can begin the trek. 1- Ambevadi (Difficult but short path) & 2-Uddavane - (A bit easy but lengthy path). We reached Uddavane at 5 AM. Many people went to get some sleep. Some of us didn't sleep; instead of sleeping, we lit up a bonfire and sat next to it as there were bone chilling cold winds. This program lasted for 2 hours and we were chit-chatting about different things on social media. Due to this, we got to know each other very well. After breakfast and tea at 8.30 AM, we started hiking at 9 AM.

Dense Jungle routes.

DAY 1 - Alang.
To reach Alang from Uddavane, the route is a bit tiring and lengthy. It takes almost 5 hours to reach the top of the fort. We started hiking at 9 AM. My only goal was to reach the top as soon as possible and take enough rest for day 2. Also, I didn't sleep for last 36 hours so yes, I wanted to get some rest. There's a dense jungle everywhere on AMK, which prevents you from the sun rays and do not cause any dehydration. We kept on going, clicking many photos on the phone and camera as well. While climbing, I didn't feel I was doing something really extraordinary, because this type of jungle can be seen on Ramjachi in rainy season. So yes, my previous trekking experiences helped me a little to go ahead faster. There was a ladder patch which has a tiring route of nearly 1 hour before and after. After a long walk of 4 hours, we finally reached the destination of day 1; The caves on Alang fort! The topmost point on Alang fort is 10-15 mins away from the caves, where all the water tanks are situated. We went there to refresh ourselves, and filled up our empty bottles. Rested for a while, clicked some photos and came back. One of the best thing I feel about this trek is, we had some people who carried the raw material for the food throughout the trek. They cooked food on the Chulha and served the hot meal to us! We came back to the caves, had our lunch and then I went to sleep. After a long hike, and not sleeping for almost 2 days, I leaned on my bag and slept. After waking up, we saw the sunset from the fort and after the tea break, everyone of us went to play! We played lock and key on a small plateau. Each and everyone of us was enjoying . The other group who climbed from Ambevadi also came to Alang for stay. We also played 'Dumb Charades' (I don't know how to spell it) for 2 hours and we enjoyed a lot! We, as a group had made the best memories for the very first commercial AMK event of Drifters! After playing and enjoying, we had our dinner, and went to sleep! The temperature was about 17-18 deg C.

Kalsubai Peak from Kulang.

DAY 2 - Madan & Kulang.
We woke up at 7 in the morning. Brushed, had tea, packed our bags and left for Madan. The patch from Alang to get to Madan is the only patch where I was about to cry out of fear; because that patch is so much exposed and the staircase route is narrow and steep. It's very difficult to clear it with a huge 75 ltr bag with you and a Camera! I was the first guy from the group to go ahead, and even if I had all safety equipments with me, with 0% probability of me falling off; my whole body was shaking and I was very scared! There was a rope on one side of stair and the other side was a deep valley. We

80 ft rappelling patch.

Caves on Alang Fort.

had to change the carabiner at every turn. And while doing that, due to my heavy bag and a camera I could not stand properly. I somehow cleared that patch and after that there was a rappelling patch of nearly 80 ft. After clearing these 2 patches, I was so happy and relieved. After this, nothing was as scary as those patches. When all of us rappelled down, we started to hike further. There's a spot where all forts' routes meet. We reached that point, kept our bags there, and went to climb Madan.

The spot where all 3 forts meet.

To reach Madan, there are just 2 difficult patches. One, where you have to clear the road where there is no such route and you have to cross the road with a rope, and another is the 100 ft wall which you have to climb. After that, nothing is difficult on Madan. We went upstairs, climbed the rock patches and reached the topmost part of Madan from where you can see the Alang fort on one side and Kulang fort on another! We didn't waste our time up there as we had to get down and start marching for Kulang as well. But yes, we clicked many photos in the beautiful background of Sahyadri mountain range! We rappelled down the wall, came back to the point where we left our bags, had our lunch and immediately started heading towards Kulang. Madan fort takes only 3 hours to go and come back, and same time is required to get to Kulang. After clearing Alang and Madan, road to Kulang seems very easy! There's nothing difficult! After experiencing the thrill of Alang and Madan patches,

100 ft Rappelling and climbing patch.

Kulang can be considered as the lamest part of the trek. There's only one patch where there are chances of falling but after that there's just walking and hiking for 3 hours. Nothing else.

Kulang from Madan fort.

But yes, I should mention this that the view from Kulang is much worth than the views from Alang and Madan. Kalsubai peak is clearly seen from here. Also, at night, the beautiful twinkling stars give you pleasure. We reached the top, had our tea, rested for a while, had dinner and then we were set for the campfire to celebrate the success of this expedition! The manchow soup added some fun to this. The shivering cold forced us to stop and go to sleep; but the rest of the group was still enjoying.

DAY 3 - Return Journey.

At kulang after successful expedition.

After these 2 long but best days, on the last day, we woke up, refreshed ourselves, packed our bags and were all set to leave. We had a special breakfast, Maggie! After eating maggie, we clicked a group photo and started to descend! The descend route is of moderate difficulty. There are some patches where you need to be really careful in order to not to hurt yourself. We started to come down by 10.45 AM. and reached the base village by 1.30 PM. The transport vehicles were late. So for next 2 hours, the whole group was clicking photos, dancing on random songs, playing cards and many more crazy things were happening. Everyone was totally enjoying themselves! After all this, we had a short session about how the trek was successful and how everyone co-operated and we applauded to ourselves for not giving up! Then our transport vehicles came to pick us up. We reached Kasara station by 4.30 PM. We had our snack, and left for Thane!

These 3 days were the best days of my life and I really want to go back there once again! I really thank the 'Drifter's club, Mumbai' for giving us an opportunity to be with you and enjoy, to fulfill our long awaited wish!

Height :-
Alang - 1372 mtr.
Madan - 1494 mtr.
Kulang - 1471 mtr.

Recommended season - December mid week.
Difficulty - Hard.
Endurance - Very High.