Trail guides
Treks, trail runs and off-road routes in India.
Route notes, difficulty, best season and safety for popular trails in the Sahyadris, the Western Ghats and the Himalaya, plus high-altitude off-road drives in Spiti and Ladakh.
Sahyadris, Maharashtra
Basalt forts, monsoon waterfalls and short, steep climbs within a few hours of Pune and Mumbai. Most of these are day treks, at their greenest from July to September.
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ModerateKalsubai Peak
The highest point in Maharashtra, climbed from Bari village with iron ladders on the steepest sections. A classic monsoon and sunrise trek.
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ModerateHarishchandragad
A hill fort famous for the Konkan Kada cliff, the Kedareshwar cave and some of the best sunsets in the Sahyadris. Often done as an overnight trek.
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Easy – moderateRajmachi
Twin forts above the village of Udhewadi, reached by a long, gentle track from Lonavala or a steeper climb from Karjat. Famous for its fireflies before the monsoon.
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EasyLohagad
One of the easiest and most rewarding fort treks near Lonavala, with four gates, a long scorpion's-tail ridge and big monsoon views.
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Easy – moderateSinhagad
Pune's favourite training hill: a fort about 1,312 m high with steep trails, a road to the top and a strong morning running community.
Western Ghats, Karnataka & Kerala
Shola forest and grassland ridges in protected national parks. Expect forest department permits, guides and leeches in the monsoon.
Himalaya treks
Multi-day treks above 3,000 m in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Altitude, weather and acclimatisation matter here.
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Easy – moderate
Triund
A short Himalayan ridge walk above McLeod Ganj with a wall of Dhauladhar peaks in front of you. A great first Himalayan trek.
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Moderate
Hampta Pass
A dramatic crossover trek from the green Kullu valley to the stark desert of Lahaul, over a pass of about 4,270 m.
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Easy – moderateKedarkantha
India's best-known winter snow trek, with a summit of about 3,800 m and camps in pine and oak forest above Sankri.
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ModerateSandakphu
A ridge walk along the India–Nepal border to the highest point in West Bengal, with Everest and Kanchenjunga on the horizon.
Off-road & overland
High-altitude drives and rides with long stretches of no network, river crossings and passes above 4,500 m.
