Known for its lush greenery and incredible beauty the Western Ghat are all the more spectacular during the Monsoons. The white mist that swirls about the Sahyadris, the thick tropical forests that grow wild in the lashing rain and the cool air all make for the perfect monsoon getaway. The Ghats run the down the length of Maharashtra, parallel to the coast into Karnataka and further south. It seemed the perfect time to explore the mountains of Maharashtra, along with the Konkan and Malvan coast, a region famous for its stunning beauty, lip smacking food (yaay for sabudana vadas, malvani masalas and rava fried prawns!) and history of the great Maratha Empire with its dozens of forts either built or taken over by the great warrior King Shivaji.

 Having made this grand plan of traversing the state in the monsoon and hiking up the many forts along with way, we, two very unlikely trekkers, packed ourselves and our gear into our little blue car and set off. The plan is to drive down from Bombay through the Sahyadris to the end of the state, and drive back up the coast as phase one, before heading inland to explore the magnificent ancient caves of Ajanta and Ellora, climb up more forts and rediscover the glory of the Marathas. Having already seen the extent of the Deccan Sultanate and Adil Shahi’s dynasty in Karnataka, history would connect as we explore the sites of battle between the two empires at various places around Maharashtra whilst driving through the palm lined coast and hiking in the clouds.