Type                     Vasota is Hill fort (Forest fort)     

Difficulty level    Vasota is difficult to trek. 

Height                  Vasota is 4267ft (1300 meters) above sea level.     

Base village / District / Taluka -  Bamnoli / Satara / Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India.

Vasota Fort also known as Vyaghragad was defended by the Tai Telin, wife of Pant Pratinidhi who was the killedar of the fort when he was captured. Vasota fort is related to the Kolhapur Shilahara Raja Bhoja IIin 1178 - 1193 of Panhala.

Vasota Fort remained with Marathas, Shirkes, and Mores in the 16th century. It included this fort in his swarajya by Shivaji Maharaj in the year 1655 when he conquered Javli.'Vyaghragad' was renamed by Shivaji Maharaj in Marathi 'Vyaghra' means Tiger. In those days the surroundings of the fort had wild animals and other venomous reptiles.

It had dense forest making it naturally more defensive. Bajirao Peshwa the brave Maratha carried the swarajya after Shivaji Maharaj took the mission to remove Mughals from their administration in India.

In 1818 Britishers destroyed the fort by bombarding it with heavy artillery destroying many historical buildings on the fort such as Chandika Mandir, Daru-kothar, etc. and looted the property of 5- 6 lakhs.
Presently this fort has remnants of Shree Mahadev Mandir, a huge discussion place known as "Sadar", ramparts and a view of the Nageshwar peak, Shivsagar Lake, blue-green Koyna backwaters, Evergreen forests of the Koyna wildlife Sanctuary, trek in the thick woods.

When you reach Bamnoli base village one has take boat to reach the foot of the fort the boat costs around 500₹ per person but if go in the group they cost 2000 1-12 persons.

The time required to reach the foot of the fort is around 1-1.30 mins which is boring because the boat is slow but we can see the breathtaking view of the mountains surroundings and the lake.

The trek is hard it takes around 3-4 hours from the foothills and a bit tiring, Carry enough water because it has a lot of walking.

The group should be preferred while visiting the fort as there is a jungle. The jungle has many wild animals such as wild dogs, sloth bears, leopards and even tigers hence one should stay in the group.

In monsoon season the fort is not allowed by the forest officers because the area fills with blood sucking leeches. The fort will give a breathtaking experience and got adventure.

Note - The Vasota Fort is in the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary hence forest officers check your bags. They even cost 50 ₹ for mobiles and 100 ₹ for camera.

Reach the base by 8 am you will get enough time to get down at 4 pm as once it gets dark the wild animals start to come out, they may harm you and even the boat you leave is given a time to come back to take you. They leave you if you are not in time.

Time to reach the top

It will take around 4 hrs from the bamnoli.

Minimum Duration 

2-3 days, as there is many other spots nearby to visit.

Best time to visit the fort

One can visit the Vasota fort till the end of the monsoon season to the starting of summer. This is October to March.

Water Availability 

Yes, water is available on Vasota fort.

Accommodation Availability

Yes, there are accommodations available in 'Mahadev Temple' which can accommodate 3-4 peoples and Nageshwar cave can accommodate 22-25 peoples, but there is no permission to stay on the fort.

Entrance, Hanman Temple, Kalkaiche Thane, Mahadev Temple, Old Vasota.

way from Pune to Vasota Fort

Pune to Vasota By Bus

From the Pune, there are ST (State Transport) buses are available from Swargate to the base village Satara (118 kms), from Satara to Vasota fort is 40 kms, there are buses available from Satara station to Bamnoli, From Bamnoli there are boats which will take you to base of the fort. 1 to 1.5 hrs boat ride from Bamnoli, in the SHIVSAGAR LAKE water will take you the fort base to start your trek.

Pune to Vasota By Train

From Pune junction there are trains available to Satara station, from Satara to Vasota fort is 40 kms, there are buses available from Satara station to Bamnoli, From Bamnoli there are boats which will take you to base of the fort. 1 to 1.5 hrs boat ride from Bamnoli, in the SHIVSAGAR LAKE water will take you the fort base to start your trek. 11005 Puducherry Express (Timing - 01:10) 11011 Mahalaxmi Express (Timing - 00:20) 11017 Ltt Karaikal Express (Timing - 01:10) 11021 Tirunelveli Express (Timing - 01:10)

Pune to Vasota By Road

Route of Pune to Vasota Fort 

From Pune reach Satara via Pune-Satara Highway (NH-4), from Pune to Satara is around 118 km, from Satara reach Vasota Fort, which is 40 kms from Satara. 

Pune - Narayanpur Phata - Shirwal - Khandala - Surur - Satara - Bamnoli - Vasota fort.

Way from Mumbai to Vasota Fort

Mumbai to Vasota By Bus

From Mumbai there are ST (State Transport) buses, and local buses are available from Mumbai to Satara, which is around 259 km from Mumbai, from Satara to Vasota Fort is 40 kms, and there are buses available from Satara station to Bamnoli, From Bamnoli there are boats which will take you to base of the fort. 1 to 1.5 hrs boat ride from Bamnoli, in the SHIVSAGAR LAKE water will take you the fort base to start your trek.

Mumbai to Vasota By Train

From Mumbai CST there are 13 trains available to Satara, which is 182 kms from Mumbai, the minimum time a train takes to reach Satara from Mumbai is 4 hrs 15 mins, from Satara to Vasota fort is 40 km, there are buses available from Satara station to Bamnoli, From Bamnoli there are boats which will take you to base of the fort. 1 to 1.5 hrs boat ride from Bamnoli, in the SHIVSAGAR LAKE water will take you the fort base to start your trek. From Mumbai there are trains. 11005 Puducherry Express (Timing - 21:30) 11011 Mahalaxmi Express (Timing - 20:23) 11035 Shqaravati Express (Timing - 21:10) 11021 Tirunelveli Express (Timing - 21:10)

Mumbai to Vasota By Road 

Route of Mumbai to Vasota fort 

From Mumbai you can reach first Pune, which is 148 kms from Pune, then from Pune reach Satara via Pune-Satara Highway (NH-4),from Pune to Satara is around 118 km, from Satara reach Vasota Fort, which is 40 km from Satara.

Mumbai - Dadar - Vasai - Khopoli - Lonavala - Dehu Road - Chinchwad - Pune - Narayanpur Phata - Shirwal - Khandala - Surur - Satara - Bamnoli - Vasota fort.

As this fort is situated in satara one can visit many places which adventurous and interesting many of such places are Kass Plateau Also known as "Kass Pathar" it is 22 km from Satara. It is known for its various ranges of wild flowers which can be seen in August to September in a year. Kass plateau has been declared as the Biodiversity World Heritage Site by The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

Here around 850 flowers of different species can be found with some of the plants including Orchids, karvy and 'Kassa' tree through which kaas plateau got its name. As it the biodiversity tourist should take measures not harm the greenery of spoil them by throwing garbage or waste materials once visited.

Sajjangad fort

It basically fort but it is important because it the Samadhi of Ramdas Swami who was the teacher for Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who blessed him and took Samadhi on saying of Shivaji Maharaj. We can see water tanks, darwajas, and most important 'Ramdas Swami Samadhi'.

Bamnoli Boat Club

This place is famous for the Bamnoli Boating Club. Tourists can hire the boats which ply from here to Koyna Dam, Vasota Etc. beautiful view of the Shivsagar River and enjoy the experience of the surroundings of the Shivsagar Lake.

Apart from this we can also see Thosegarh waterfalls, Kaas Lake, Panchgani a famous hill station, Chalke Wadi Windmill Farms, Mankeshwar mandir, and much more.

Gowalkot fort

Gowalkot Fort is spotted around 10 km from Chiplun and spreads a range of in excess of two sections of land of area. This fortification was developed in 1690 by Habshi of Janjira and was revamped by Chhatrapati Shivaji in 1670.

It is as of now in vestiges and is secured by trees and structures. The fortification lies on the Mumbai-Goa Highway and is around 250 km far from Mumbai city. It ignores the Vashishti River and can be arrived at by walking from Chiplun.