Ratangad Fort, Bhandardara

Ratangad, the "fort of jewels," rises to roughly 1,300 metres in the folds of the Sahyadri (Western Ghats), a scenic trekking summit that looks down on the placid blue sheet of Bhandardara lake.

• It sits at the heart of one of Maharashtra's most celebrated hill landscapes, ringed by Kalsubai — the highest peak in the state — and the serrated crests of Ajoba, Alang, Madan and Kulang.
• The fort's signature landmark is the Nedhe, a natural window bored clean through a fin of rock near the summit, framing the sky and the ranges beyond; it is one of the most photographed rock formations in the Ghats and a favourite of trekkers who climb up at first light for the view.
• The fort is generally regarded as centuries old and, by tradition, formed part of the network of hill forts held under the Maratha empire and associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who is believed to have used the Bhandardara-Ratangad tract as a strategic watch over the surrounding valleys.
• Its stone ramparts are pierced by carved gateways — remembered locally as the Ganesh, Hanuman, Konkan and Trimbak darwazas — and near the top are rock-cut caves that once sheltered garrisons and today give overnight trekkers a place to rest, one holding a small perennial water cistern.
• Most walkers begin at Ratanwadi, the base village reached by road or by ferry across Bhandardara reservoir.
• Ratanwadi is worth the journey for its own sake: the ancient Amruteshwar temple, a Hemadpanti-style Shiva shrine built in dark basalt, is believed to be around a thousand years old.
• From here a moderate three-to-four-hour climb, aided by iron ladders on the final rock band, reaches the plateau.
• The monsoon and post-monsoon months cloak the slopes in green and thread them with waterfalls, though the rock turns slippery; clear winter mornings reward you with the widest views.
• For food, keep expectations rustic and vegetarian.
• The homestays and small stalls at Ratanwadi and Samrad villages serve simple Maharashtrian fare — jowar or bajra bhakri, pithla, zunka, thecha, seasonal vegetable bhaji and hot chai — and most rural kitchens here are vegetarian by default; still, ask your host to confirm a pure-veg (and, if you need it, Jain) meal before ordering.
• Larger eateries cluster near Shendi and the Bhandardara dam, where you will find plain veg thalis, poha, vada pav and misal — request the pure-veg option and carry water and packed food for the climb itself.