An Adventure Trek up the Mystique-vertical tunnel; monsoon gives this trek a unique mysterious touch..
combined with complete village experience ..
Date: July 26, 2015.
combined with complete village experience ..
Date: July 26, 2015.
Category: Moderate
Duration: One Day
Base Village to Peth (2 Hours one way) easy gradient
Peth to kotligad fort 1:15 minutes one way (Moderately steep climb)
Monsoon Special Backpacker's Trek Planned for July 26th, 2015. (Sunday).
Trek Cost: Rs.750/- per head.
Click here for bookings / registrations
Includes: Rickshaw Fare from Karjat to Base-village and back; Breakfast; and Evening Tea/Snack; Trek Management Charges.
Excludes:
Lunch (You may carry your packed lunch or it can be organised at Peth Village at extra cost.)
For check-list and other thinks to carry refer list below schedule:
Schedule:
6:00 am Meeting at Ghatkopar Station Central line.
Note: Those staying in Western Suburbs can take Metro from Andheri to Ghatkopar.
Buy your Karjat Return Tickets and meet us at Ghatkopar Railway Station.
Train Travel to Karjat
Board Rickshaw for base village
Breakfast at base village
Easy Trek from Base Village to Peth
Tea at Peth
Adventure Trek from Peth to Kotligad up the vertical funnel tunnel.
Lunch at Peth
Return trek Peth to base village
Return Rickshaw journey to Karjat Station
End of trek.
6:30 pm Expected back at Karjat Station
Commercial Terms:
All bookings against 100% advance, we have to manage all arrangements to create a good experience for you and your group.
cancellation policy with respect to your date of booking:
25% deduction of total camp fee booking amount for cancellation done before 21 days
50% deduction of total camp fee booking amount for cancellation done before 5 days
No refund for an cancellation done in last 4 days before your event.Exclusions:
Bottled Water or other beverages other than mentioned above not included, Tips not include.
Anything that is not included is excluded.
To design Custom trips for large group kindly get in touch with us separately.
History of Peth.
The history of Kotligad fort can be traced back to till 13th century. The cave and the temple carvings at the entrance of the Kotligad fort date back to the 13th century. Not much is known about the history until the 18th cent. In 1716, this cave was captured by the British. Then later on, on November 2, 1817, it was taken by the Marathas under the leadership of Bapurao who belonged to the second generation of Bajirao. It was recaptured by the British, on December 30, 1817, the very next month, under one Captain Brooks. The British had the fort till 1862; it served as an outpost for keeping vigilance on the surrounding valley and the hills all around it. Basically it's the only big peak in the middle of a big valley surrounded by many hills, which made it strategically important as a watch post.
How to reach Peth?
Taking public transport, board an early morning train for Karjat and board a bus for Kaashele or hire a dug-duggi (Big Rickshaw) that takes you directly to Ambiwali Village. The base village is Ambiwali, which is about 10km from Kaashele towards the east. Ambiwali is not on the main Karjat-Khaandas route, and so there are not many direct buses to Ambiwali from Karjat or Neral. So it is a good idea to take the 7:15am Khaandas bus from Karjat, and alight at Kaashele. From Kaashele, there are many tempos available to go to Ambiwali. It takes about 20min. to reach Ambiwali from Kaashele by tempo. To come back to Kaashele from Ambiwali, there are buses till 4:30pm and tempos till 6:00pm; you may also find occasional dug-duggi.
The history of Kotligad fort can be traced back to till 13th century. The cave and the temple carvings at the entrance of the Kotligad fort date back to the 13th century. Not much is known about the history until the 18th cent. In 1716, this cave was captured by the British. Then later on, on November 2, 1817, it was taken by the Marathas under the leadership of Bapurao who belonged to the second generation of Bajirao. It was recaptured by the British, on December 30, 1817, the very next month, under one Captain Brooks. The British had the fort till 1862; it served as an outpost for keeping vigilance on the surrounding valley and the hills all around it. Basically it's the only big peak in the middle of a big valley surrounded by many hills, which made it strategically important as a watch post.
How to reach Peth?
Taking public transport, board an early morning train for Karjat and board a bus for Kaashele or hire a dug-duggi (Big Rickshaw) that takes you directly to Ambiwali Village. The base village is Ambiwali, which is about 10km from Kaashele towards the east. Ambiwali is not on the main Karjat-Khaandas route, and so there are not many direct buses to Ambiwali from Karjat or Neral. So it is a good idea to take the 7:15am Khaandas bus from Karjat, and alight at Kaashele. From Kaashele, there are many tempos available to go to Ambiwali. It takes about 20min. to reach Ambiwali from Kaashele by tempo. To come back to Kaashele from Ambiwali, there are buses till 4:30pm and tempos till 6:00pm; you may also find occasional dug-duggi.
Private transport, take to Mumbai – Pune Highway enter Express Highway and exit the express highway from the first exit (Shetung Phata) take the chowk route after crossing Karjat junction keep going straight; around 4 to 5 km before Kaashele keep a lookout for mile stone that will direct you towards Ambiwali; take right turn to head towards Ambiwali. Just as you enter Ambiwali you will find T-Junction as road that turns right. Park you vehicle here.
Start of the trek
From Ambiwali village, there is a broad mud path which gently climbs to Peth village at the base of the conical hill (5km, 90 min to 2 hrs depending on speed of participants). The path offers good views of the surrounding valley on both the sides.
The Climb
The Peth village is exactly as the base of the fort and you can see the walls of the fort. You go right across the village and here starts the second part of the trek. From a point there is a bifurcation. The easier route is from the left which goes around the fort with the fort staying to your right. There is a set of steps which will take you to the top. If you take the right side route, its much steeper but will get you faster to the top.
From Ambiwali village, there is a broad mud path which gently climbs to Peth village at the base of the conical hill (5km, 90 min to 2 hrs depending on speed of participants). The path offers good views of the surrounding valley on both the sides.
The Climb
The Peth village is exactly as the base of the fort and you can see the walls of the fort. You go right across the village and here starts the second part of the trek. From a point there is a bifurcation. The easier route is from the left which goes around the fort with the fort staying to your right. There is a set of steps which will take you to the top. If you take the right side route, its much steeper but will get you faster to the top.
At the base of Kotligad are water tanks, and a huge cave with a temple inside it. There is also a water tank inside the cave with very clean water. In fact, the villagers of Peth draw water from this tank and one can see pipes going down all the way to the village.
To go to the top of Kotligad, one has to enter the cave and climb up a funnel along a staircase carved out in the inside of the pinnacle! This is the most interesting part of this trek, and it is a unique feature amongst the forts in this region. The staircase climbs up steeply, and near the top, it is no longer totally inside the pinnacle. There is a narrow gap in the pinnacle rock face along which it climbs, and here one can enjoy a cool breeze and a great view of the Konkan. The steps soon take one to the top of Kotligad, 20m above the cave. It takes about 45 min. to reach the top from Peth village. The top is circular and quite small. There is a small water tank here, and one can see remains of fort walls here. It is from the top that one gets the fantastic views mentioned above.
From Peth village, another track leads on towards the wall of the ghat, and climbs up pretty steeply. It goes towards the Wandre Khind pass. This track is visible very prominently from the top of Kotligad. The view of the wall of the ghat from Kotligad resembles a giant amphitheatre, since the ghat is about 700m high here, higher than Kotligad.
Suggestions for packed
lunch: (Sandwiches); Thepla; Potato Vegetable; Roti; Boiled Eggs; Ready to eat canned food; home cooked roti / dry vegetable; Puran Poli; Bread / Cheese slice / spread; Potato Vada; Bread; etc..you can get creative; We will have multi-cultural buffet. Carry tetra packed buttermilk.); Fruits; Salad Items etc.
lunch: (Sandwiches); Thepla; Potato Vegetable; Roti; Boiled Eggs; Ready to eat canned food; home cooked roti / dry vegetable; Puran Poli; Bread / Cheese slice / spread; Potato Vada; Bread; etc..you can get creative; We will have multi-cultural buffet. Carry tetra packed buttermilk.); Fruits; Salad Items etc.
Also carry some chocolates; biscuits; salad items; 3 liters water per head for on-the-way in-between meals and water.
Attire:
Track pants or tights or any comfortable clothes (avoid heavy jeans)
Full sleeves T-shirt, (you may carry spare change clothes)
Carry Spare Swimming trunks, light towel
Regular Sun Cap or Hat
Monsoon - check list.
Rain wear (Poncho, or Short light Raincoat), Rain Cap or Hat
Hand Towel
Other mandatory items
Flash light with spare batteries
Water (2 liters per head)
Pack all items in plastic bags before packing it in your backpack or ruck sack
Pack everything in your backpack properly. Light items on top and bottom side of bag, heavy item towards center and towards your shoulder and body. Use compression straps to tighten the bag from all sides so that items inside the bag do not keep shifting.
Optional items
Comb and pocket mirror
personal medical kit
Mosquito repellent
Camera
Eco-Adventure Code
We strongly believe in traveling in small groups, and follow the principle leave only footprints and take only memories.
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