Alang Madan Kulang Trek – AMK – Igatpuri

Alang Madan Kalang
Region

Sahyadris

Elevation

4852 feet

Distance

24 km

Duration

3 Days

Difficulty

Hard

Exposure

Moderate

Base

Ambewadi

Season

Nov-Feb

Alang-Madan-Kulang trek is a high difficulty grade trek in the Sahyadri – Igatpuri region of Maharashtra, India. It is surrounded by some of the mightiest mountains like Kalsubai, Aundh Fort, Patta/Vishramgad, and Bitangad to the east, Harihar, Trimbakgad, and Anjaneri to the north and Harishchandragad, Ajobagad, Ratangad, and Katrabai Peak to the south. You can also get a view of the Mahuli range from Kulang fort on a clear day.

Visit this trek for its thrilling experience of climbing and rappelling through rock patches, living in caves, and spending a few days away from the civilisation.

You Should Visit Alang Madan Kalang (AMK) Trek if You..

Love Challenges:

Alang Madan Kulang is termed the “Toughest Trek of Maharashtra”. Although there might be many more hikes tougher than AMK, this is the only tough hike that is conducted commercially by all the leading organisers of Maharashtra.

Need a long break from the routine:

This trek requires at least 3 days (including traveling) from Pune as well as Mumbai. You will be gone away from the daily hustle for a long time.

Want to experience rappelling & rock climbing:

AMK trek involves a lot of rock patches where you will be fixing ropes, climbing, and rappelling. This will be a huge adrenaline rush and an unforgettable experience if you’re doing it for the first time.

Alang-Madan-Kulang Trek Navigation Route Map

Contact us at contact@thrillbear.com to download the KML file of AMK Trek Route Map.

Alang-Madan-Kulang Trek Route

There are multiple ways in which you can take for this trek. AMK trek basically includes covering 3 different mountains which are connected by ridges and other features. All 3 mountains have entry/exit points.

Base Village:

Alang Fort (4852 ft) - Ambewadi

Madan Fort (4500 ft) - Samrad

Kulang Fort (4825 ft) - Kurungwadi

You can enter and exit from any of the base villages that seem fit as per your travel plans.

The best way to do this is to start from Ambewadi and finish in Kurungwadi or vice versa to avoid hiking back and forth.

The trek route is covered under thick forest for the majority part and the paths are really confusing. The climb to Madan fort as well as Kulang fort requires technical expertise as the rock-carved steps are destroyed now.

How to Reach AMK Base Village

Ambewadi Village

This is the base village usually preferred by most hikers to start the hike due to its proximity and accessibility to Kasara Railway station on the Central Railway Line of Mumbai Locals.

How to reach Ambewadi village?

The best way to reach Ambewadi village for people traveling from Mumbai as well as Pune by local transport is by taking a local train on Central Railway line till Kasara Station and hiring a shared Jeep from there. Hiring a Jeep will cost you about ₹4500 for a return journey for 10 people. You can find the contact details of the local taxi drivers in the local contacts section below.

Do check the schedule of the train on the m-indicator app (Android / iPhone) before leaving because typically there’s just 1 train every hour.

The same vehicle can then be arranged to pick you up from Kurungwadi on day 2 or day 3 depending on your plan.

How to reach AMK with Private transport?

If you take private vehicle for this hike, and assuming you do not have an extra person to be driving around from one village to another when you go hiking, you will have to cover twice the distance on foot.

You can park your vehicle at any of the villages mentioned above and come back to the same village after covering all three peaks.

Bear in mind that this is a technical hike and you will need some serious rock climbing and rope fixing experience if you’re doing this all by on own. Alternatively, you can take assistance from the locals who regularly do the super-human job of fixing ropes and helping the trekkers climb these forts with as much convenience as possible.

Availability of Resources on Top of Alang-Madan-Kulang Fort

Drinking Water

There are a few water cisterns along the trek to Alang fort but none of them are potable.

We suggest you to carry at least 5-6 litres of water per person before you start the trek. Fully refill your bottles whenever you get the chance - assistance of the locals is paramount here.

Food

Traditional maharashtrian food can be arranged by the locals. If you contact a local guide (number attached in the “Local Contacts” section) they will arrange a delicious home-cooked meal at your request on the top.

Accommodation

There are 2 caves on the Madan fort and 1 cave on the Kulang fort where you can spend the night. Madan fort also has a huge plateau which can be used for set up your camp if you have your own tents. You can take help from the locals to set up camps on Malang fort

Local Contact for Alang-Madan-Kulang Trek

Local guides for technical setup

Ganpat More: +91 8055695521

Food and Refreshments

Tuka: +91 9930801634

Transport from Kasara

Ramesh Bhangare: +91 9922655116

Ananda: +91 9823761312

Alang-Madan-Kulang Trek Images

Sunset from Kulang Fort

Sunset from Kulang Fort

Alangad Cisterns

Alangad Cisterns

Trek to Alang Fort

Trek to Alang Fort

Alang Madan Kalang

Alang Madan Kalang

Best Time to Visit AMK and Why

November to February

Since this trek involves a lot of rock climbing, it is best to visit this place during Maharashtra’s climbing season.

During monsoons, this place receives very heavy rainfall and this could make the trek really slippery and risky. Summers, on the other hand, heat up the rocks so much that it gets really difficult to hold on to them while climbing if you do not have special gloves.

Itinerary for Alang-Madan-Kulang Trek:

This is the most convenient itinerary that you can follow if you opt for local transport and, thus, have someone to drive the car from one base village to another:

Day 0: (Friday)

09:32 PM - Leave from Mumbai CST by train (96409 CSMT to Kasara)

Day 1: (Saturday)

12:15 AM - Reach Kasara and leave for Ambewadi
03:00 AM - Reach Ambewadi and take some rest
06:00 AM - Wake up, get breakfast, and leave for Alang Fort
12:00 PM - Reach Alang fort and have lunch
01:00 PM - Start hiking towards Madan fort
07:00 PM - Reach Madan fort, and have dinner, get some rest

Day 2: (Sunday)

05:00 AM - Wake up, get breakfast, and leave for Kulang Fort
11:00 AM - Reach Kulang fort, have lunch, and start descending towards Kurungwadi
02:30 PM - Reach Kurungwadi and leave for Kasara railway station

Things to Pack for AMK Trek

- 5 Liters of water (compulsory)

- Torch with extra batteries (Do not rely on your phone’s torch) - preferably buy a headlamp

- Sun hat or cap

- Blankets, sleeping mats, and sheets / sleeping bag

- Warm clothes during winter (Temperature could drop below 10° Celsius)

- Trekking shoes or trail running shoes (strictly no sandals or chappals)

- Comfortable t-shirt (preferably dry-fit and full sleeves)

- Comfortable trekking pants (no jeans or shorts)

- Extra pair of clothes and a hoodie (weather gets chilly)

- Electrolyte powder (such as Electral, Enerzal, etc.)

- Light snacks to munch on during breaks

- Fresh fruits / Dried fruits such as dates, figs / Nuts mix, etc for eating along on the trail

- A small day pack to carry all the above (Kindly avoid handbag/sling bag)

- Personal medications, if any

- Optional items: sun goggles, wet tissues, hand sanitizer, cameras, etc.

Alang Madan Kulang Fort - Ratings and Reviews

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