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

Ganpatipule Beach and Goa Road Trip

                Konkan! The pride of Maharashtra comprises the complete stretch along the coast of the state till Goa. A very unique culture and even more beautiful Western Ghats parallel to the coastline add to the beauty and scenic thrill. The entire coastal line never fails to thrill the travel aficionado irrespective of the season. Comprising of beaches and ghats, it provides the perfect destination for the water baby as well as the trek enthusiast.  The coastal highway isn’t one to be missed upon.

         The trip to wander the konkan side was decided late Friday afternoon on 05-Oct-12. My cousin, Shankar who is down for couple of months wanted to get away from the city for the weekend. Considering his request and me having leave on 06-Oct-12, decided to head to ‘Ganpatipule beach’ in ‘Ratnagiri’ district of Maharashtra. Catching an ST bus (State Transport bus) on the night of 05-Oct-12 from Chembur was the only option. This proved a boon which saved up on time considering the distance to be covered overnight.

        Located at approximately 350kms, a semi luxury ST bus is more than one could ask for. Their best bus, a semi luxury bus was a non air-conditioned one, but with cushioned seats and priced marginally higher than the ordinary bus that ply. The bus wasn’t in that great a condition, but decent enough to travel. Tickets were available online, but I didn’t take that risk since I could only leave work by around 8PM on 05-Oct-12. Wrapping up my work, quickly rushed home to pack my stuff within half an hour and reached the ST bus stand by 10.00PM. The enquiry counter was unoccupied with the fan and electricity being wasted. This was pretty irritating considering the power shortage currently faced in the state. Enquiry wasn’t an option due to personnel’s unavailability. We enquired every ST bus stopping at the stand. After a brief wait of 15mins, we finally got our bus and the fare was Rs. 920.00 for two people. The fare was a little too steep primarily because the bus was of semi luxury nature. The fare is cheaper for an ordinary one, though wouldn’t be comfortable to travel long distance.

               

               Though the seats are cushioned, but not well maintained, all seats aren’t retractable and you could sometimes find yourself sitting in an uncomfortable seat. The peak season for Ganpatipule had just passed; hence very few people boarded the bus. The bus journey was very comfortable through the night without any incidents. The bus driver and conductor wanted a tea break early morning at around 7AM and since my cousin and I were the only bus travelers, we readily agreed for the same. A tea break at ‘Jakadevi’; on enquiry found out that it was the biggest ‘Taluka’ of that region. The drive from Jakadevi to Ganpatipule was pleasant and scenic. 

                 With the rains still imminent, the greenery was in full bloom with lots of palm trees dotting the horizon. We reached Ganpatipule at 8AM. We got a half day hotel stay deal with ‘Krishna Sea View’ resort. This means that you check-in at 9AM and check-out by 5PM, that very same day. It was a very good deal provided our plan was to reach ‘Sawantwadi’ by nightfall. One of the ‘Ashtavinayak’ temple of Lord Ganpati and Ganpatipule beach was just 10 mins from our hotel. A beautiful and well maintained temple, I must add. Hitting the beach, all the rumours about one of the best beaches in Konkan region proved true. Crystal clear water lapping onto our feet with the sun kissing our backs was blissful. Moving away from where the crowds were, we reached a spot which was quite far from the picnic noise one would normally encounter at various tourist spots. 

               We tried to catch up with a fisherman moving swiftly along the shore wanting to catch some fish and crabs. We came to a lagoon with clear water linking the sea water in between. The stark contrast of the lagoon’s fresh water inspite of mixing with the sea water struck us. A swim with mild under water currents was a chance we didn’t want to miss upon. Spending couple of hours here trying to swim against the current was fun. Beautifully maintained beach, but for parts littered with plastic waste. It just annoys me to find out that the place isn’t respected enough for what it provides to one. A sumptuous lunch at ‘Tarang’ hotel at MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) and we headed back to the hotel for some rest.

 

   Out of the various sights of that region, one that proved kind of enticing was a visit to ‘Jaigad Fort’. Located at a distance of 20kms from Ganpatipule, it offers a panoramic view of the region. Contemplating our next move, we decided on going to the fort for a quick tour and then headed straight to ‘Ratnagiri’ railway station to either catch a train or bus to head down south.’ Jaigad fort’ wasn’t a fort of much importance, but just known for the views offered by it. Reaching the fort at 4PM, it was a complete disappointment; trees and grass completely outgrown; kids playing cricket and cattle grazing. This was apparently a tourist spot and shocking at the manner of promoting the same. The panoramic view was fabulous. If only, they could maintain the fort, could that also be included for tourism with pride than just a mere request to the tourists. 

  By 5PM, we headed back to the resort in order to leave for Ratnagiri station on time. The scenic views offered by the State highway SH-106 were mindblowing, especially with the sun setting down that evening. We found out that there were no buses available for Sawantwadi at 7PM and the last train was ‘Netravati Express’ reaching Ratnagiri station at 7.30PM leaving Mumbai that very morning at 11.30AM. 

 

  Our hopes were dashed when we learnt that the train doesn’t stop at Sawantwadi railway station, but its next stop was ‘Kudal’. Kudal though located in Sawantwadi district is a good 43kms away from ‘Tarkarli’ beach and with no bus available beyond 7.30PM in the konkan region, we would be at the mercy of the rickshaw guy who would definitely charge us a steep fare in order to reach our destination.

 A quick discussion and we bought 2 rail tickets to ‘Thivim’; the station that is closest to beaches in North Goa. Surprised as one could be, we were as well. Saturday night, 06-Oct-12, we were actually in Goa! We headed to Baga beach and though it isn’t the peak season, the influx of tourists hasn’t dwindled. Beach shacks aren’t a feature of Goan beaches just yet, but it hasn’t deterred the tourists. A not so expensive room was taken for couple of night’s right opposite the ‘Tito-Baga’ beach lane. Goa was in party mode until 4AM. Critics would always have a say, but the bottom line is that the party destination never skips a beat when it comes to having a good time. I wouldn’t dare lie saying that we slept early. We actually came back to our rooms only at 6AM. The last 2 hours, we spent in the quietness of the beach by a bonfire. Kids working as helpers in various restaurants who hadn’t completed education gave us company. Felt at peace to be away from the panic street of Baga beach.  An extended sleep and a good breakfast on Sunday morning at ‘Nisha Bar and Restaurant’ shouldn’t go unmentioned. Very few places were open for breakfast. A Goan home turned restaurant with sumptuous goan delicacies.

  I had to be back in Mumbai for work on Monday and headed towards ‘Mapusa’ to book my bus ticket for Sunday evening which would reach the city by early Monday morning. Underestimating the rush, it came as a surprise when none of the air conditioned bus tickets were available. Ultimately, I settled for a sleeper non air conditioned bus leaving Mapusa at 7.30PM and reaching Mumbai at 8AM on 08-Oct-12. My cousin, though was on vacation and extended his stay in Goa for an extra day and headed down south towards the beautiful beaches of ‘Karwar’ and ‘Gokarna’, Karnataka.

 Weekend well spent and worth a mention. We could not cover ‘Tarkarli’ beach, but no regrets whatsoever. This is considering the places covered by the modes of travel used and with the amount of time on hand. The budget wasn’t steep, but could have kept it to a minimum with better time management. Wouldn’t suggest ‘Jaigad fort’ as a must visit to anyone unless they spruce up the spot with a view on cashing on tourism. Not worth the effort for the time and cost. A must visit to Ganpatipule beach. Another place struck off my bucket list.

Costing:

·         Bus ticket from Mumbai To Ganpatipule beach- Rs. 450

·         Half day hotel deal at Ganpatipule- Rs. 400

·         Hired car to Jaigad fort and back (40kms)- Rs. 1300

·         Rail ticket from Ratnagiri station to Thivim, Goa- Rs. 200

·         Cab from railway station to Baga beach- Rs. 650 (Rs. 150 was night fare due to our train running late)

·         Hotel stay at Baga- Rs. 700 per night

·         Bus fare from Goa to Mumbai sleeper bus- Rs. 500