Kothaligad Trek

Kothaligad trek

5th August 2018

Planning:

Scrolling the feeds on Instagram I came across many friendship day treks. So decided to plan one by myself. Asked for confirmations from some regular friends. Just a couple of friends gave confirmations. We were just a group of 5 friends.

Reaching the base village:

We caught an early morning train to Karjat Railway Station. On the East side of the Station, we asked some locals the route to ST depot. It's a straight 5-10 min walk from the station. You have to catch the ST going to Jamrukh. Take a ticket to Ambivali i.e the base village of the fort. The ticket will cost you Rs. 45. And the journey will take around 1 hour. So it's always better to reach early and grab a seat. Another option is to catch an 8-10 seater rickshaw which will charge you 500-800 rs but you have to use your Bargaining skills. The ST leaves at the KOTHALIGAD HOTEL. You can have proper breakfast and lunch here if you have left your home with an empty stomach.

Starting the Trek-

Taking the road to the right of this Hotel you have to walk on a straight road and then at next diversion take a left. Now again walk straight up to a checkpoint. Here you have to take an entry ticket that’ll cost you rs. 50 including the trek charges. There is one guide for a group of 10 people. The entry ticket and guide is made mandatory now to provide employment to the locals. So being a group of 5 we were accompanied by another group.

Note: Being a small group is a bit disadvantageous in this situation. If two groups are provided with a single guide then you have to adjust to the pace of another group as the amount of time both groups take a break is different. So the guide has a tough time to keep both groups together.

The trail-

The first half part trek is very easy. You have to simply walk on a trail up to the plateau. This is the first break for most people. The views from here are amazing. You can see the green hills, base village, reverse waterfalls and an amazing view of the Kothaligad peak. After a long break here and clicking some amazing snaps, you can proceed with your trek again. A simple walk up to another village on top and then starts a rocky patch. There are food stalls and locals at regular intervals to provide you with refreshments.

The Last patch-

 The entire trek is easy except a small patch on top above the caves. The caves have two rooms with one filled with bats. There's a small Hanuman shrine. Besides this starts the funnel route. This is the most interesting part of the trek with steps caved from inside the mountain. These steps are uneven and steep. This route opens up directly on the peak. The entire trek is small and good for beginners.

On the Top-

There no big flag post on the top unlike other forts but two small flags. You can see a mesmerizing view of windmills on top of the opposite mountain. The interplay of fog and the blades makes the view more stunning. There is a water tank from the past. We had our lunch with some amazing songs in the background and cool winds. Then while clicking pics we were fortunate to meet the owner of Travco Company. Had a great time interacting with him. Please check out them on Instagram and you'll fall in love with their posts. Being a Sunday there were many trek groups. Few even had brought drones to capture the fort at a better angle.

Starting to descend-

The staircase is one way. So you have to wait until the people climbing up, have finished. Just the stairs are where you have to take care while getting down. Taking a few breaks we got down within 2 hours.

Waiting for the bus-

We had trekked down by 5.00 pm and now it was up to us to decide our transport back to Karjat Railway Station. We checked the fare with the Van Driver. He was going to charge us Rs. 400 for a group of 5. So decided to go by Bus which would arrive at 5.30 pm. Meanwhile, there were multiple attempts made by different groups to join them in a van so that the contribution would come down. But soon enough we saw our ST bus. It reached around 6.00 pm. We caught the 7.45 pm Train towards CSTM.

Trek Experience-

It is a perfect one day trek for beginners and people of all age group. The compulsion of Guide makes it even easier as you don't have to explore the path (which has its own fun). The amazing views including the reverse waterfalls, the Bhimashankar range, captivating view of windmills on top of the mountain and the marvelous engineering make your trek more fulfilling. The only little hectic part is the travel to and from Karjat Railway Station to Peth village which takes an Hour. But the overall experience is worth all the efforts.

Our Plan -

⛰⛰ *Kothaligad (Peth Fort) Trek* ⛰⛰

🌦 Friendship Day  Special🌦
( _Organised by *The Passionate Souls*_)

🌳 *About Kothaligad:*
Kothaligad is a small funnel fort near Karjat (Maharashtra). The fort is also called "Peth Fort" because of its vicinity to Peth village. Unlike other funnel hill forts, the pinnacle or the funnel is carved from the inside, forming a circular staircase that reaches the top. The superlative view from the top of the pinnacle combined with this unique and awe-inspiring engineering feat definitely deserves a visit. The interplay of clouds and waterfalls along the plateau walls is the best in this season. During the monsoons, the pinnacle is usually draped in clouds and you might have to wait for gaps in the cloud cover, to be able to peek at the countryside. An early start gives a better chance of viewing and photographing the surrounding countryside.

🌳 *Date :05 August 2018*

🌳 *Train:* CSTM-Karjat
5.38am- Dadar

5.58am- Vikhroli
6.10am- Mulund

6.15am- Thane
6.37am- Dombivli
6.48am- Kalyan
7.39am- Karjat

*Note-*  See this train timing from your place accordingly to reach Karjat. If you miss the train you’ll miss the trek.

🌳 *Difficulty level:* Easy to Moderate

🌳 *What to carry-*
1.COMPULSORY 2 L OF WATER(PREFERABLY  1L NORMAL WATER AND 1L ORS WATER)
2.LOTS OF EATABLES(BISCUITS CHOCOLATES SNACKS)
3.SEMI HEAVY LUNCH(THEPLAS, SANDWICHES, etc)
4.SWEAT TOWEL OR NAPKIN
5. WINDCHEATERS AND UMBRELLA
6.ENERGY DRINK IF POSSIBLE
7.CAP
8.MOSQUITO REPELLENT AND BAND-AIDS AND RELLI SPRAY(JUST AS FIRST AID)
9. COMPULSORY SMALL PACKETS OF TANG OR GLUCON D
10. CARRY BAGS AND NEWSPAPER
11. POWER BANK AND CHARGERS

🌳 *What to wear-*
1.COMFORTABLE TRACK PANTS/SHORTS
2.T-SHIRTS
3.CAP
4.GOGGLES
5.GOOD (GRIP)TREKKING OR SPORTS SHOES

🌳 *Event risk-*
Please take care of your own safety and other fellow trekkers. Everyone joining for the trek abides by that he his responsible for his own safety and any mishappening during trek.

🌳 *Trek cost:* 300 Rs.

🌳 *Contact :*
Rushank - 7710920070
Ajinkya - 7506160981