Kalote Waterfalls trip

            Three weeks into June’13, the rains were in full swing in Mumbai and the surrounding western ghats region. The trek to Kotligad was just done the previous weekend and our group decided on a waterfall outing for a change. There are quite a number of natural waterfalls in close proximity to Mumbai. Saturday, June 29, 2013, we set towards Kalote waterfalls.

               

                We zeroed in on Kalote waterfall for it’s a delight and it was early into the season for not too many people to be there and secondly, one could enter the pool at base of waterfall. The chance to enter a wide pool as well experience the brute force of water falling down from 50-60 feet is something as one would term ‘White sensation’.

                This trip included a lot of our friends who couldn’t make it to the trek on the earlier weekend as well. All of us decided to meet up at ‘Dadar’ station being the connecting station between the central railway and western railway of Mumbai. Kris, Kevin, Hamilton and Clive decided to meet us at ‘Chowk’ junction directly as they were commuting by their respective bikes. Cleona, Duana and me met at Dadar station at 8am and took a train to ‘Karjat’ station from where we boarded an ST bus to ‘Chowk’ junction. Alighting at Chowk, we met up with the bikers. Rickshaw drivers agreed to drop us on side of the highway from where it’s a casual hike of 30-40 minutes to the waterfall. Bikes and cars can be driven up this path and parked at close proximity of the waterfall. From this parking spot, it is a 5 minutes walk to the waterfall. This waterfall is located at approximately 20 kms from Karjat station in the area named 'Khalapur'. 

                               We reached the waterfall between 12.30-1pm. The waterfall doesn’t seem strong as one feared, but if were to sit below the waterfall, the brute force can be experienced and one shouldn’t miss out on that. There were just a couple of families there, but no one venturing close to the waterfall. So, we got a nice little spot just for ourselves. The water was cold, but a quick dip and the body gets acclimatized to the temperature of the water. One can catch sight of empty plastic bottles being strewn along with other plastic waste on the sides. This is the sad part that hasn’t been inculcated in majority of the people and it’s a long and strenuous fight against environmental pollution. We caught a guy throwing an empty plastic bottle into the stream and we picked it up and requested him to dump it in a dustbin away from the place. A condescending smile and he threw it back in away from our reach. It’s a fight that just cannot be won unless the thought is inculcated from within oneself or stringent laws are in place for the same; both which seem highly unlikely in the near future.

                Munching on sandwiches all afternoon, it was complete bliss. Admiring nature’s beauty and relaxing; sharing stories amongst each other. The camera pictures are a bit blurry and hazy cause of the weather. Packing our stuff up, we proceeded towards our bikes at 5pm, in order to catch a direct bus to ‘Karjat’ station or a rickshaw to ‘Chowk’ junction. With no rickshaw passing, Kris and Clive agreed to ferry us in turns until Chowk, taking 2 people as pillion. Cleona, Hamilton and Kevin proceeded directly towards ‘Karjat’ station as they wanted to go in the comfort of the train journey while Kris, Duana, Clive and myself decided to do the return journey by bike. Returning home by 10pm, it was not a strenuous day and a day well spent close to Mumbai and full of memories to cherish.

Costing (Per head):

Train from Dadar to Karjat returnà Rs. 40.00

ST bus from Karjat to Chowk junctionà Rs. 11.00

Share rickshaw ride from Chowk to Kalote falls entranceà Rs. 15.00

Water, Foodà As per requirement

Twitter handles:

Kristopher- @krist0ph3r

Clive- @the_rhoadie

Cleona- @CleonaJ

Narayanan- @MeanderinTravel

Kotligad Trek Notes

First rains of 2013 and the planning of my outings started. Trekking, being on the top of the agenda had to be appetizer of the upcoming season. Couple of days and discussion with friends, ‘Kotligad’ was zeroed upon. Relatively close to Mumbai city in the vicinity of Karjat and the reach of the local train till Karjat were all factors that helped in finalizing this destination.

        

                  An early morning wakeup call at 6am on 15^th June, 13 and a train from Kurla station to Thane to join two of my friends Kris and Kevin who were meeting me there. A quick exchange of pleasantries, we proceeded further towards at Karjat; alighting at 8am. ST buses are available from Karjat ST bus stand until ‘Chowk’; a major junction from where rickshaws on share basis would be available. Purchases of snacks, bread and the basic necessity of water and we were off to the base village ‘Ambivali’ from ‘Chowk’. The route to ‘Ambivali’ was quite scenic and pleasant. Excited about the first trek of this year’s monsoons; enthusiasm was high.

                   We reached the village by 9.45am and wasting no time, started the trek around 10am. Kotligad is an easy trek of 2.5-3 hours to the summit. It’s a gradual muddy/stony trail to ‘Peth’ village. This would be ideal for an amateur cause of the gradual climb of 6kms to Peth village. This climb takes on an average 1.5- 2 hours on an average. Kotligad is frequented by a lot of avid trekkers for its easy climb and the views that it has to offer of the north konkan region. The views and the greenery were beauty at its grandest. Dehydration was minimal, partly because it was a gradual climb and more importantly it was a cloudy day. Taking breaks every 40 minutes, we made good time to reach the village of ‘Peth’. The walls of the fort are easily visible from this village. Kotligad is also known as ‘Peth cha Killa’ (Marathi for Peth’s fort) for the village that is at the base of this fort. There are two routes to the top; one being a difficult one, though doable, but we didn’t opt for it. The other being the easier and more frequented one. A quick confirmation from the villager and we proceeded towards the right path. Due to excessive rains, just at the entrance of the village, there is an area of slush which is of ankle depth that one just cannot avoid. There is no general stores kind of shop at this village. The village relies on stocking up their monthly requirements from ‘Ambivali’ which they ferry it up in a bullock cart pulled by two bulls. The stock is just too heavily loaded for the two bulls to keep momentum on a constant climb. On our return, there was section where the bulls just couldn’t move and we lent a helping hand to the two villagers by pushing the cart. It took nearly 25mins to make any sort of headway before we continued down our path.

The speciality of Kotligad fort is the entrance to the fort which is a funnel carved through the inside of a rock that opens up on the top of the fort. This is one of its kind. I haven’t come across a trek with this funnel type creation, as yet. The summit or the funnel is easily visible from various sections as one starts the trek. Climbing this funnel makes for the most exciting part as one must watch out for loose rocks on the steps and constant dripping of rain water ensured the rocks were quite slippery. Please ensure only one person climbs this at a time; if not ample space between people. The view just before one enters this funnel like structure is very beautiful. This fort was used more as a watchtower for the advancing enemy and the foresightedness and engineering should be marveled at. The odd cannon is still present, not preserved, at the summit ensuring one remembers a piece of history and the purpose served. Slight drizzle through the entire trek proved a boon and the panoramic view from the summit as clouds parted ways gave a stupendous view of the valley.

There are a couple of caves with a temple at the entrance of the fort on the left side. The locals from Peth village regularly offer their prayers to this goddess for their safety and well being. This provides a nice spot for trekkers to take a break before the final climb through the funnel entrance. We reached the summit at 1pm with couple of breaks in between for capturing the views that the place had to offer. We spent 1 hour on top, relaxing and munching our sandwiches that we prepared at the summit. Generally, as every return back to the base is filled with a heavy heart, this was no different. A dog from the village kept us company all the way to the base village ‘Ambivali’. We reached the base at our own leisurely pace at 5.45pm only to realize that the last bus from the village had already departed towards ‘Chowk’ area. There was another group of 6 trekkers who were facing the same issue and at the mercy of the rickshaw drivers from the village who charged an exorbitant sum of Rs. 700.00 to ferry us to Karjat station. They weren’t ready to reduce the fee since they had the upper hand then.

We requested the rickshaw driver to ferry all 9 of us to Karjat station and he agreed. This cost of Rs. 80.00 per head could have been avoided if one had reached in time for the last ST bus of the day. Lesson well learnt for all of us. The last ST bus via ‘Ambivali’ passes the village at about 5.30pm, as intimated to me by one of the villagers, and one must ensure that they come back down by that time in order to catch the bus. Heavy rains on our return towards Karjat in a rickshaw that had only 1 headlight in working condition and no wipers to ensure a clear view of the road was tricky and exciting, but also scary. The passengers who were sitting in the front next to the driver had to keep their vigil and communicate to the driver on the road state for potholes and oncoming traffic. With darkness engulfing by 6.30pm, vehicles on the highway would normally assume a single headlight vehicle to be that of a bike until it’s too late to realize.

Thankfully, everyone reached Karjat station safely at 8 pm. Boarding the train back to Mumbai with wonderful memories of a day trek to Kotligad. This trek is a must do for everyone, simply because its easy and it’s a day trek, close to Mumbai.

Costing (per head):

Return train ticket to Karjat from Kurla/ Thaneà Rs. 40.00

ST bus ticket from Karjat to Chowk junctionà Rs. 22.00

Share rickshaw from Chowk junctionto Ambivali villageà Rs. 25.00

Food, Waterà as per requirement

Rickshaw from Ambivali back to Karjatà Rs. 80.00

      Overall, the trek was done within Rs. 250-300.00 approximately on the top side.
      Please do not litter the environment and ensure plastic waste is carried back by you back to the city for
      proper disposal.

      Note (Imp.): Last bus leaves Ambivali village stop at 5.30 pm. The rickshaw guy will charge a big fee
      for however small your group is and considering the time of the day, one is at the mercy of them to ferry
      you. One must stock up on food, water and basic necessities from ‘Chowk’ junction itself.

      Twitter Handles:

      Kris: @krist0ph3r

      Narayanan: @MeanderinTravel

Sagargad Trek Notes

                 The month of October is a pleasant one in Mumbai. The rains slowly receeding and the chillness of winter just creeping in. We decided on an easy trek this weekend for starters. It was just a week after my Konkan road trip and I eagerly awaited the trek plan. For starters, it was a trek after more than a month. My cousin was in the city and was also keen on it. Zeroing in on a location not far from Mumbai city, we decided on the trek of ‘Sagargad’. Located 10kms prior to Alibagh beach, it was an ideal getaway for a day trek. 

                Because of no private vehicles and relying on public transport, we decided to leave a bit early to make good our trek on Sunday, 14^th October, 2012. Two of my friends Kris and Clive were also enthusiastic for this trek. Kris gave a wild idea of hitchhiking from ‘Panvel’ to the base village. This might seem really eccentric, but since no one had hitchhiked, we decided to give it a try. Leaving home at 1.00AM from ‘Chembur’, four of us went to the nearest ST bus stand and caught the bus to ‘Panvel’. It was a 45 minute bus ride, pleasant with the cool breeze and no traffic at that point of the night. Reaching the main bus stand at Panvel, we were in for a shocker. Being a major inter-city bus stand, none of the shops were open, but for a tea stall. Apparently, the shops aren’t open post 10.30-11PM on any given day. Stocking up on water, we stood by the road waving down potential vehicles to drop us off midway to ‘Wadkal Naka (Junction)’. This junction is the point where the road cuts off towards Goa and Alibagh. An ambulance travelling in that direction agreed to drop us off 5 kms down the road. The place where the ambulance dropped us off had shops that were open 24hrs. Stocking up on snacks, we stood on the side of the national highway waving down truckers for a lift. Reality hits in; no trucker agreeing to offer us a lift till 4.30AM. 

                The cops also shrugged off our plea to stop by a trucker. A passing van ferrying people, suddenly agreed to drop us off at Wadkal Naka for Rs. 25/- per head. We were quite lucky because the whole idea of hitchhiking was turning into one of embarrassment. Moving on, it was really stuffy in the van and a trip of 20-25kms was painful for the back. We got dropped off at Wadkal Naka at 5.00AM. Quite tired, we decided to sleep for a couple of hours before we ventured on. The gas station and the cop station weren’t feasible. We then found a decent spot just outside an SBI ATM at the junction. We woke up at 7.00AM and tried to catch a rickshaw to the base village of ‘Shali’. The auto agreed to ferry us till ‘Poinad’ from where we caught an ST bus moving towards ‘Alibagh’. Finally, we started off our trek at 8.00AM and inspite of the events, we were quite enthusiastic.

                It was an easy climb initially. We took the assistance of villagers to guide us on the right path.  Watch out for spiders hung on webs spun between trees; smallest size of a spider being the size of one’s fist. This is at the start as soon as one starts the trek. Moving forward, it was a steep climb for about 1.5 hours. 

 

We pushed ourselves and made good time mainly because of the night travel to the base village. We reached the solitary village close to the peak at around 11AM. One of the villagers agreed to guide us to the summit primarily because there are many rogue paths leading to the summit. We were quite skeptical, but agreed to his request. Before we ascended the final climb, we made our way to the quiet waterfall just behind the village. Spending an hour there proved to quite fruitful. 

Taking the villager's assistance proved to be lucky because, it took us nearly 45mins to reach the summit and was quite confusing for a first timer. The sights were beautiful. ‘Vanartok’ is a pinnacle at the edge of the summit that we could access. This pinnacle is famous recognizable point of Sagargad. Legend has it that the convicts on death row during the rule of Shivaji were bundled and hurled down to their death from Vanartok. One can easily view the beaches of Alibagh and Murud in the distance as well catch a glimpse of Janjira fort in the horizon. Since we made up a lot of time, on the trek, we got an extra couple of hours to relax at the summit. Continuing downward, the villager intimated us that the village receives electricity only for couple of hours during the day. A small village school in the vicinity for kids; agriculture being the only occupation; having no access to any sort of technology; they were content people. Content with their way of life and content that trekkers and hikers made an occasional visit to their village en route to the summit. Since, our trek was in the midst of ‘Navratri’ festival celebrations across the country, the villagers were also celebrating the festival. They insisted we have lunch with them; part of the festivities. Shankar took couple of pictures of the villagers and they were quite thrilled to see their pictures on a cell phone. Running short on time, we quickly bid adieu and headed to base village filled with happy memories. We reached just before darkness engulfed the entire region.

 

                 

Getting an ST bus to Mumbai was proving a painful task. Since, the base village wasn’t a major bus stop, very few buses stopped. One mini carrier van stopped and offered us a lift to the next town ‘Poinad’ from where friequency of buses are better. Finally, after an hour’s wait, a bus fully packed was our only option. Cramming every inch of the way, it was quite painful to travel back to ‘Panvel’. 2.5 hours of partly standing and partly sitting on one butt cheek was not quite what one anticipates, but left with no choice. Reaching ‘Panvel’, we bid adieu to Shankar who continued towards ‘Mulund’ since the bus was headed to ‘Thane’ and 3 of us hopped onto the local train to my place in ‘Chembur’ from where Kris and Clive rode down to their place.

                An enjoyable experience of travel through the night and an even more enjoyable trek. The cost per head was approximately Rs. 300. A beautiful trek and a must do amongst fellow trekkers. Hitchhiking isn’t something for the fainthearted, nor would I suggest it to anyone; it was something to experience.

             

           Twitter handles:   

           1. Kris - @krist0ph3r

           2. Clive - @the_rhoadie

           3. Narayanan - @MeanderinTravel

              Costing per head:

1.       ST bus from Chembur to panvel – Rs. 40.00

2.       The Sumo hitch ride from Panvel to Wadkal Naka – Rs. 25.00

3.       Tumtum ride from Wadkal Naka to Poinad – Rs. 15.00

4.       ST Bus from Poinad to Shali; base village – Rs. 20.00

5.       Snacks, Cake, Chips, Water – as per requirement