Malang Gad Trek — How to Get There, Climb, Stay, And Sight Seeing
Last week during the vacation period our family took a trip to Haji Malang Dargah. It is situated at the peak of the mountain Malanggad located in Thane district, Maharashtra.
A trek to this 3200 ft tall fortress can be a fun, adventurous, and budget-friendly trip with friends and family. Especially for those residing or staying near Mumbai. So in this blog, I will share our experience through the journey and tips on travel, food, and accommodation. I will sum up the cost of a complete one-day trip at the end.
So let’s begin
Journey to the Mountain Foot
Since we stay near the South Mumbai area, we took a local train from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Kalyan Junction in the morning at 6:24. That fast train dropped us there nearly at 7:30 a.m.
After exiting from Kalyan West, there were Auto Rikshaws, Taxis, and Buses available for the commute to the foot of the mountain.
We took an Omni van taxi having a capacity of 7 people, as we were 6 of us, and within half an hour reached the foot of the hill.
The Climb
The straight route of starting the climb of the mountain is from the Taxi/ Riskhaw stand. However, there is one more route. From the rickshaw stand at the bottom, there is a concrete bridge that leads to a gate. From that gate, there is a narrow path that connects to the stairs for climbing the mountain. This is an alternative shorter route and cuts down almost 20 % of the climb as the taxi will climb the bridge and drop just outside the gate.
Note: It is a risky and crooked path so be extremely careful. Also, sometimes you might find a gatekeeper who may require some convincing for letting you go through that path.
We took the shortcut path to climb. The initial path has steep and heavy stairs to climb, although there are many stops in between to sit and rest. There are stalls for refreshments like vada pav, omelet pao, sugarcane juice, and lemonade. As the top approaches, the path becomes less steep.
I took around 1.5 hours after taking the shortcut, stopping for two refreshments. But my mom, who took stops more often for resting, took 2.5 hours which is the average time.
What I found most fascinating is on your way up, you will see people of all ages. Small kids who enthusiastically jump and climb, young mothers who climb with newborns in their arms, husbands with all the baggage, their woman’s purse, and old couples.
Food
Near the top, as Dargah approaches, there are lunch homes, small eateries, and restaurants. Most of them serve Halwa Paratha, Puri Bhaji, Nihari, Chicken Masala, and other Veg and Non-Veg Indian dishes. Some also serve desi-Chinese food. Though it can’t be called as most hygienic because they are cooking right in the middle of a jungle.
We had some egg bhurji and puri bhaji for Breakfast at the SubhanAllah Restaurant, and Dal tadka with rice and Noodles for lunch at the Apsara Hotel. Again not the best quality but that is all you get there.
Accommodation
There are plenty of lodges, guest houses, and rooms available. AC, Non-Ac rooms with beds, and attached bathrooms are also some options to choose from.
Since we had decided to return the same day, we rented a room for just 4 hours, to rest and freshen up. We stayed in one of the rooms of Kamaal Florist. It was spacious, clean, and decent with an attached bathroom.
Note: There is a weird custom there where the florists own rooms that they invite the tourist to stay in without any charge, however with the condition that the tourists buy all their flowers to offer at the dargah from them.
Sightseeing
On the way to Haji Malang dargah, there is Dargah, and also a Temple that you will come across the midway.
The sightseeing point, a few meters away from the Haji Malang Dargah, is the perfect spot for photographs. The view from up there is breathtaking.
Further down the Dargah, there is a famous tourist attraction, an oasis called as “Ghode Ki Taap ”. The water from this oasis is considered holy.
There is also another Dargah of Paanch Peer.
The Descent
Descending is always presumed to be easier than climbing, but it is not always the case. While coming down the rocky mountain, we must focus and exercise extreme caution
We started descending after lunch, at 4:30 p.m, with a plan to reach down before the sunset. However, we couldn’t achieve it. We were tired from the morning climb and we did not take the shortcut while coming down for two reasons:
- It was getting dark and it was a crooked and unsafe way.
- Finding a rickshaw/ taxi to get back to the railway station was a risky bet.
As it got dark, the rustling of trees and flowing of water making the stairs slippery made it very clear that the animals there wanted us to leave.
Since there were a lot of native residents who had set up their stalls, there was no shortage of fuel for the body.
Total Cost
Rickshaws from Kalyan Junction Railway Station to the foot of Malang Gad mountain would cost around 300 INR while a taxi that we took cost us 450 INR. However, while returning that same taxi charged us 600 INR
A room rent for 4 hours was 500 INR and would cost somewhere around 1800 INR for one entire day. An AC room would cost almost 30–40% more.
The food is fairly priced at approximately 200 INR per person, but, packaged water is priced at double its MRP. We don’t have a choice because the only other option is to carry all the drinking water required on our backs while climbing.
Our total cost from home to home for a group of 6 people was around 5k INR.
Some Important Tips
- If you intend to climb and descend on the same day, travel light. Carry as little stuff as possible and wear comfortable footwear.
- If you are a first-time climber, opt to do it in daylight.
- You will find a family of monkeys on the way. Please stay away and do not entertain or feed them, because they may attack you and snatch away whatever they find interesting and edible.
- I highly suggest renting a room attached with a bathroom even though one without it would be slightly cheaper.
That’s it from my side.
Until next time,
Zufisha K.
