Kothaligad (aka Peth)!
6/19/2014 03:00:00 am
How to reach: There are two options. You can either go via Karjat (S.T from there to the base village, Ambivili) or from Neral ( There are those larger sized rickshaws aka "Tum Tums" ). We chose the Neral route. You have to get down on the other side of Matheran at Neral. We had already booked the rickshaws as we were nearly 100 people. Its better to start as early as possible
Here is a link if you want to know about the history : History
Base Village : Peth/ Ambivili
The route from Neral to Ambivili was surprisingly pleasant. The roads were excellent, most probably due to the pre-election constructions. Otherwise the one hour journey would have been a pain, especially when ten of you are stuffed in the Tum Tum (aka "Dukkar rickshaw")
Once at the base village there is a small hotel where we had refreshments and started the ascent.
This was our YHAI group. Please forgive my editing and (non-existent) photography skills. All pics have been captured on a humble 8 megapixel Note II camera.
The trek is otherwise easy but the monsoons hadn't set in. The three and half hour climb was hence a bit tiring due to the scorching heat. The same trek in the monsoon was a superb experience with multiple small waterfalls en route. Its always better NOT to carry your umbrellas/ rain coats , cause thats the best way to enjoy a monsoon trek. Trust me you will NEVER fall ill post a monsoon trek.
These are pics from this years trek
The difference if quite evident. The route is surrounded by lush green trees and waterfalls in the monsoon. Pics courtsey : TeamBHP.com
There are no difficult patches and even newbie can scale the peak quite easily. You can always take a guide from the base village. Once you reach the top there is a cave where we rested for a while and had our lunch. There are water tanks near the cave.
There is a spiral stairs which takes you to the top. The view from there is breath-taking. A large portion of the Western Ghats is see. The experienced trekkers could name all the peaks seen.
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| Finally there!!! |
The way down was easy as there path was dry. Had it rained it would have been slippery and that would have made things tough.
I would like to thank the YHAI group for organizing an excellent trek. The YHAI Ambernath consists of many senior trekkers who ensure safety of all the trekkers. The fees for the trek are also very very affordable. Here is the link for the website : YHAI Ambarnath HomePage. You can check the page for upcoming treks. I am not advertising them, but they are way better than the other hiking groups which charge anything in between 300 to 1000.
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