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

Visapur Fort rek

Visapur Trek

Date: 28 July 2018

Planning:

We were planning for Rajmachi for a long time now and once again the plan got scrapped. Since we confirmed with the locals that the Karjat route was closed. So we decided to go to some other place instead! And I came across Visapur fort. So we quickly made a plan late night for the next day's trek!

Train:

We had decided for the 7.12 am Intercity express from Thane, but couldn't board it due to the extreme rush being weekend. So the next train after that was Deccan Express which had more General coaches, so we could easily find a place to stand in the train. It was 2 hours journey to Lonavala station. From Lonavala we caught the 10.10 am local train towards Pune and got down at the next station ( Malavli ).

Towards Visapur from Malavli:

The Base village Patan is at a walkable distance of 15-20 min from Malavli Railway Station. We made a mistake of taking an auto which cost us rs 250.

Starting the Trek:

We directly started following the road where the auto left us. This track was extremely risky and slippery. It had a difficult waterfall climb at the beginning itself. We managed to cross it somehow and were following the people ahead of us. Soon enough we were informed that it was a wrong route and people are returning from the top. So also trekked down and started exploring another route. We could see people climbing another on another route on the next hill. But if we wanted to go there we would have to go down the waterfall again which was risky. There was another waterfall which was connecting the two hills. This was another option for us. This option was also dangerous. But we decided to take it as it would save our time and energy. So carefully we crossed the waterfall and climbed the slippery rocks covered with moss.

Main Route:

Now we were on the right track. We started following the foot trail and people ahead of us. There were locals and small children at the start, selling food and drinks and offering guide service. The entire trek route was extremely slimy with small rivulets in the middle where you could wash your feet. The slimy mud in our sandals was causing us to slip more. Hence washing sandals at regular intervals was mandatory.

Note: Don't forget to carry odomos and wear track pants and full sleeve t-shirts because there are plenty of mosquitoes and other insects.

 Reaching the Top:

The last patch goes through a waterfall and then you come across the most iconic steps. The continuous water falling from sides on the rocks have made them extremely slippery. Therefore you have to be very careful. Most people trek the rocks on the sides to avoid slippery steps. After completing this patch you reach the top! It's a fantastic feeling of accomplishment. The views are really thrilling. The cold fog hitting your face accompanied by the wind makes you feel relax. Now you are free to explore the fort. This is a massive fort with three water tanks. The fort is now in ruins. There is not much left to see other than one canon and double fortification walls. You get the eagles view of the Lonavala hill station and Sahayadris. Also, you can see the twin fort Lohagad.

Descending:

This is the trickiest fort to trek down. Because of being slippery during monsoon you will tend to break your sandals. You must keep each and every step with great care. You can slip even while you are standing. Also, don't forget an important tip given to us that while climbing keep to your right always and while getting down always take the left. There is a small plunge created by the waterfall in which you can get drenched and destress.

Back to Mumbai:

We caught the 4.09 pm train from Malavli Railway Station to Lonavala station. Then caught the Deccan Express back to Mumbai. It was crowded being a weekend and we couldn't find a place to sit. It was exhausting to stand at a place after a trek. But finally, we got down at Kalyan and caught a local train back to Home. On this trip, we made new friends and enjoyed the fullest.

BHIVPURI WATREFALLS

BHIVPURI WATERFALLS-

A PERFECT MONSOON GETAWAY

• We wanted a break- 

Started with the new sem. But as always still in the vacation mood. There was so much happening in life that we friends wanted a break and plan out for another monsoon trip. Post this we would start with our studies. This is the plan most of the times but always fails.

• Deciding the place-

I suggested two places to my friend juily. Either Bhivpuri waterfalls or Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Both these location were already visited by me.Juily informed that few of her old friends had planned already for bhivpuri and we could join them. But this plan was finalized at late night by Juily and she gave me the details.

• Past experience-

First, I didn't want to go to bhivpuri because of our past experience. Though we had an amazing trip last time few of the negative points of this place are.

 1. There is humongous crowd during the weekend.

 2. Drunk men.

 3. Glasses n beer bottles lying all over.

 4. Every year there are deaths here.

• This time we were going to a new place at Bhivpuri waterfalls-

But Juily informed me that we are not going to the main waterfall. We were going somewhere else nearby. I was confused. But at the same time was excited to explore a new place. The next day morning it was raining cats and dogs so I taught maybe the plans canceled, so just confirmed once before going out. the plan was still on. 

• Assembling-

Ankit, Aditya and I caught the train at Mulund and got down at Dombivli. Juily and Tushar joined us at Dombivli.  Then we caught a Karjat local which was crowded even at morning. The crowd usually gets off only at Badlapur, Neral, Bhivpuri road, and Karjat (all being popular destinations in monsoon). on the train journey you come across various rivers, green fields etc once you cross kalyan. 

• Breakfast-

We got down on Bhivpuri road as it is the nearest station from bhivpuri waterfalls. We meet Juilys friends at the station itself and began our trip from here. We had to first cross the tracks to go to East from below an express train. Then we had to refill our stomachs. We sat at local restaurant. It was a weird place with the roof leaking, tables all wet. I didn't want much to eat so simply ordered something light. Juilys friends were generous enough to pay our bills too. They were not even taking our contribution. so we decided we would take some snacks from that  money so that we could eat once we were at our location.

• Towards Bhivpuri waterfalls-

We headed towards the waterfalls. But meanwhile, Juilys specs broke. so we stopped until we could fix it and Tushar and Aditya went to change. Instead of repairing, the specs got more damaged because the Feviquik that we were using spread on the lens. Anyways we kept walking on the road that would lead us to waterfalls. it had lush green rice plantations on both sides. The entire road was flooded only with tourists.

• Two options at Bhivpuri waterfalls-

First, you have to cross a river which might be up to your waist level during heavy rain. Then walking ahead you'll notice the people dividing. Some start trekking upwards on a mountain and others moving towards main Bhivpuri waterfalls.

• Trekking-

We started trekking. And no sooner Juily slipped and damaged her phone's screen. It seemed she had hard luck that day. The rain started again. The winds were also very strong. They were strong enough to disturb your balance while walking. On the way uphill one can see many waterfalls and brooks. Some are crowded whereas some untouched. Only few people choose to trek up the mountain. So it’s less crowded and a clean place. There's also a village up and the villagers practice farming here. There are vast open fields.

• The virgin waterfalls-

We halted at a waterfall clicked a few snaps under it. Aditya, Tushar, and Ankit had gone a bit ahead in the stream of this waterfall for getting light. But sooner someone slipped and he was getting pulled into the stream but they managed their way out. This was a huge joke on our return journey in train.

We clicked many pictures above the waterfall also. It was good that the rain had taken a break because of which we could take our phones out. 

• Racing uphill-

Aditya and Juily disappeared somewhere, then Tushar was next to disappear and then ankit and myself were searching them. It was fun racing on the lush green open ground. We found them sitting on another hill so again we ran up to there. 

• The photobomber-

Now we were again clicking photos and shooting videos. Tushar was spoiling the photos by acting funny.

• Exploring the Bhivpuri Plateau-

Then we started exploring the Bhivpuri Plateau. It had so many picturesque locations. We headed towards another quiet place up there. We opened our dabbas and snacks. Everyone shared everything with each other. Then we were full in a while. And sat chatting and joking. Again started with our photo-shoot. We have a fun time posting amidst nature in rain.

•  The multilayered waterfall-

There was a beautiful multilayered waterfall at some distance from us. But Juilys friends warned us that it was risky so we all didn't go there. Also we were planning to start our return journey. So upon asking Juily also she denied to go there. But i wanted to go there at any cost because it was a really beautiful location to click pics. I asked Ankit and he agreed readily. So we quickly went clicked many pics and came back by the time others were busy talking. 

• Descending-

Then we packed our bags and started our journey downhill. On the way there was a broken overhead electric wire with which small kids were playing. An amazing view of main Bhivpuri waterfalls and its trail. Then we all started taking different routes to descend. It was a quick way down. 

• Boomerang videos-

Then we shot a few boomerang videos and headed forward. In our way there was a comedy drunk man who was entertaining the crowd with his antics. 

• Evening snacks-

We had enough time our train so decided to have evening snacks at a hotel. It was more kind off a dhabba. We ordered hot samosas and vada pavs and chai. A perfect snack to enjoy in wet and cold season. What’s better than a hot roasted corn to end the bhivpuri trip! 

• Returning back-

We boarded the train back to Mumbai from bhivpuri road railway station. In the train we found a good place to stand and were again recalling the amazing fun we had that day. There was a big joke on which we were laughing like fools. We shared the photos. We got down at our respective stations. It was such an a memorable, perfect, amazing, mesmerizing monsoon trip. We were completely stress free and could start with our semester fresh