Raigad Fort
The Maratha capital on a cliff plateau, 1,737 steps or a ropeway
Best time to visit Raigad Fort
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, shoulder season
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, best avoided
- Oct, peak season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: October to February
- Shoulder: March and June, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to May and July to September
Planning a specific month? JanuaryFebruaryOctoberNovemberDecember
Raigad Fort season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is 14-32 C, clear enough to see the Konkan from Hirkani Buruj and cool enough for the steps.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Apr-May is 38 C and humid on a treeless plateau where the ruins give almost no shade at midday at all.
Monsoon June to September Shoulder
Jun-Sep brings 3,500 mm and the ropeway suspends in high wind, though 6 June coronation day still packs out.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct-Nov is the best time here, plateau green, waterfalls still running and the air properly washed clean.
What Raigad Fort is actually like
Basic rooms on top or cheap lodges in Pachad; ropeway day crowds, then dawn on the ruins is yours
Getting to Raigad Fort
Mangaon on the Konkan Railway is 30 km off, then bus to Pachad and 1,737 steps or a 4 min ropeway
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Steady at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 840 m
- State
- Maharashtra
- Coordinates
- 18.2340, 73.4403
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Raigad Fort?
October to February is peak season in Raigad Fort. March and June is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to May and July to September. Oct-Nov is the best time here, plateau green, waterfalls still running and the air properly washed clean.
How many days do you need in Raigad Fort?
2 days is the usual stay. Basic rooms on top or cheap lodges in Pachad; ropeway day crowds, then dawn on the ruins is yours.
How do you get to Raigad Fort?
Mangaon on the Konkan Railway is 30 km off, then bus to Pachad and 1,737 steps or a 4 min ropeway. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Raigad Fort expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs steady at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Is there a festival in Raigad Fort?
Jun: Shiv Rajyabhishek Din, coronation day on 6 June. Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Rajgad Fort
Maharashtra
Shivaji's first capital, three machis and a balekilla scramble
40 km from Raigad Fort, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Mahabaleshwar
Maharashtra
Sahyadri hill station famous for strawberries and viewpoints
60 km from Raigad Fort, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Panchgani
Maharashtra
Strawberry-farm hill town under a huge table-top plateau
80 km from Raigad Fort, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Murud-Janjira
Maharashtra
Unconquered Siddi sea fort off a casuarina-lined beach
70 km from Raigad Fort, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Velas (Turtle Village)
Maharashtra
Olive ridley hatchlings released on a Konkan village beach
70 km from Raigad Fort, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Lonavala
Maharashtra
Mumbai-Pune's monsoon getaway of waterfalls and forts
80 km from Raigad Fort, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Tapola (Shivsagar Lake)
Maharashtra
Backwater arm of the Koyna dam with kayaks and the Vasota trek
80 km from Raigad Fort, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Kaas Plateau
Maharashtra
Plateau carpeted in wildflowers for three weeks a year
110 km from Raigad Fort, roughly about 3 h by road
More places to visit in Maharashtra
- Ajanta-Ellora Maharashtra
- Alibaug Maharashtra
- Amboli Maharashtra
- Bhandardara Maharashtra
- Bhimashankar Maharashtra
- Chandoli National Park Maharashtra
- Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) Maharashtra
- Chikhaldara Maharashtra
- Gaganbawda Maharashtra
- Ganpatipule Maharashtra
- Harishchandragad Maharashtra
- Igatpuri Maharashtra
- Kaas Plateau Maharashtra
- Lonar Crater Lake Maharashtra
- Lonavala Maharashtra
- Mahabaleshwar Maharashtra
- Malvan-Tarkarli Maharashtra
- Matheran Maharashtra
- Mumbai Maharashtra
- Murud-Janjira Maharashtra
- Nanded (Hazur Sahib) Maharashtra
- Nashik Maharashtra
- Panchgani Maharashtra
- Pandharpur Maharashtra
- Panhala Maharashtra
- Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) Maharashtra
- Rajgad Fort Maharashtra
- Sahastrakund Falls Maharashtra
- Salher Fort Maharashtra
- Sevagram (Wardha) Maharashtra
- Shirdi Maharashtra
- Tadoba Maharashtra
- Tapola (Shivsagar Lake) Maharashtra
- Toranmal Maharashtra
- Trimbakeshwar Maharashtra
- Tuljapur Maharashtra
- Velas (Turtle Village) Maharashtra
- Vengurla Maharashtra