Kalsubai - Highest peak in the Sahyadris in Maharashtra

A good friend, a bike in good condition, good road with fantastic views on each side and excitement of first trek.  Enough reasons for me to select Kalsubai Trek - the  highest peak in Maharashtra,  that lies within the Kalsubai Harishchandragad Wildlife Sanctuary. 

  

ENROUTE TO BARI VILLAGE

Myself and my friend Vishu started from Navi Mumbai in his bike at around 2 AM and the bike ride itself was thrilling.

And that’s how we went for experiencing the new world.

Our route was  Navi Mumbai - Thane - Mumbai Nasik Highway -  Igatpuri -  Bari.

We took a  right turn from Igatpuri on the Mumbai Nasik route to reach Bari . This route is a good choice for bike riders. Another option to reach Bari from Mumbai is through local train and get down at Kasara station. From Kasara one can get buses and share taxis to get down at Bari.

We had our breakfast from a hotel on the way. We reached Bari Village at around 8 AM after few halts.  Bari is a small village surrounded by vast mountain ranges and lush green paddy fields. Parked the bike in one of the villager's house. We ordered for food also from there, so that they can keep it ready when we come down. We had to cross the village to start our trekking.

About Kalsubai:
Height: ~ 5400 feet 
Grade: Medium
Time: ~ Maximum 3 hrs. from Bari.
Location: Igatpuri

And step towards my first trek.

Initially, we crossed the muddy trails with ease, but these soon graduated to steep paths. After a half-an-hour we reached a plateau and that was also our first resting point. From here one can see the ladders that are built on the rock patches.

climb to the top

There are many small stalls for food like lemon water, kakdi (cucumber) etc. and this was enjoyable during halt.  There is a small well before reaching Kalsubai peak. We filled our bottle with that water and washed our face and hands.

After two hours of trekking and climbing two ladders, we reached the plateau from there it took another 40 minutes trek to reach the final ladder.

Few minutes more to reach the top

After scaling the final Ladder we reached the summit -  top of Maharashtra. The summit is an open area with a small red shrine dedicated to Kalsubai, a local goddess. 

As per legends, this temple of local deity Kalsubai, is named after a lady who vanished at this mountain while aspiring to get away from anguish of her employer. 

Kalasubai top temple

And the view from the top was mesmerizing. Meditating at the top of Maharashtra is a lifetime experience

The blow of gusty wind made me feel like a leaf and I just loved that.

Kalsubai offers a panoramic view of other mountain range forts.

Towards west Alang, Madangad, Kulang can be seen and to the east Aundha, Vishramgad, Bitangad , to the east Aundha, Vishramgad, Bitangad can be seen. 

Towards north  Ramsej, Harihargad, Brahmagiri, Anjaneri, Ghargad, Bahula, Tringalwadi, Kavnai , to the south Pabhargad, Ghanchakkar, Harishchandragad can be seen .

Another view from top is famous Bhandardara Lake.

There was a chain  which is metallic, and is something like 30 meter long. You throw it downward, with one end tied on to the hill top. Then you have to pull it back, in one stretch.

After spending around one hour at the top, we started descending.

 

It was a thrilling experience to stepping on to steel strips by holding on to the railing/side bars.

final ladder

And mile to go

When we reached village, a delicious lunch of bhakri, batata ki sabzi , rice and daal was waiting for us. Even though this was my first trek, I never felt it as difficult and will always cherish the memories. And we drove back to home with memories of conquering Top of Maharashtra!

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Glimpses of Doha

Doha is a small city  and most of the major attractions are reachable in a short distance. A family holiday to Doha can be as exciting as it can get, a few must-visits are listed below :

Corniche : This is the highlight of Doha. Shaped like horseshoe and spread for seven kilometers, this is the perfect place to view palm trees, city's skyscrapers, traditional wooden dhow boats and grassy parks.

Corniche, Doha,Qatar

The spacious pathways gets busy with families in the evenings . View of the Museum of Islamic Art with its distinctive shape is one of the  main attractions along Doha’s waterfront .   

Katara Cultural Village : A huge Cultural City which hosts a roman style public auditorium,  Museums, Galleries, Libraries and many more cultural attractions. Several restaurants offer Egyptian, Indian, Turkish and seafood cuisines.

 

Katara Cultural Village,Doha,Qatar

The Pearl Qatar : Located on a man made island, this area is known for high end and luxury living.

Pearl Qatar, Doha,Qatar

This beautiful area houses many high end car showrooms like Rolls-Royce Motor , Maserati and Ferrari . It was a nice experience to walk around the area , seeing cruise boats and shopping some designer cloths.

Aspire Zone : Spread across 2.5 square kilometers, Aspire Zone is home to Doha's tallest structure, the Aspire Tower and several sporting venues, mostly constructed in preparation for the 2006 Asian Games.

Aspire Tower, Doha,Qatar

Villaggio Mall : One of the best malls in Doha. It houses food court, supermarket, banks and money exchanges center and nice coffee shops .

Villagio Shopping Mall, Aspire Zone. Doha, Qatar

Aspire Park : This is the biggest park in Doha with world class facilities. This is one of the perfect place for an evening out with family, with green areas, beautiful fountains and playgrounds for children.

Aspire Park, Doha,Qatar

Souq Waqif :  This is Doha's most popular shopping area. One part of this area has small stalls selling sweets, cloths and electronic items. Other end has a wide selection of restaurants and cafes which offers almost all types of dishes especially Lebanese, Iraqi, Turkish and Persian dishes.

Souq Waqif ,Doha,Qatar

Desert Safari : We started from Sea line Beach Resort at the mouth of the desert on a 4 WD Toyota Land Cruiser driven by an expert Qatari driver. It was a nice experience to view unforgettable landscapes of the mysterious desert  and enjoy the real thrill of Dune bashing .The final destination in the desert was the Inland sea which is an amazing sight with the desert on one side leading to the sea and in the horizon you can see the coast of Saudi Arabia which has a completely different landscape . We stopped at the stunning inland sea area in the Qatar-Saudi border.   .


We then moved to the desert camp, which was literally in the middle of nowhere. Rooms were decorated with style tents carpeted with traditional seating. They also served delicious food - Arabic Food and BBQ Dinner.

Don't miss an opportunity for a Desert Safari if you have a  little more time in Qatar. Variety of different types of cuisines are available  including Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian and  Korean other than Middle Eastern food.

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Matheran

While discussing potential places around Mumbai for a one day outing, one of us suggested car free Matheran that was acceptable to all of us.  It was my first travel after I shifted to Mumbai.  At 7.00 a.m, our party of 15 boarded the van from Vashi  and it was a pleasant  drive, till we reached Neral station at around 9 AM.

We had our break fast from nearby area . You can find only few restuarants there. We booked tickets for toy train to Matheran and our train was scheduled to depart at around 11:00 AM from Neral.

The Matheran Hill Railway is a heritage railway in Maharashtra that covers a distance of 20 kilometers from Neral to Matheran.  It is one of the toy train journeys in India that uncovers the beauty of the Western Ghats and has several unique features on its route.

As it inches through uphill,  it crosses major attractions on the Matheran Hill Railway -  horseshoe embankment, Herdal Hill section, Bhekra Khud steep gradient, One Kiss Tunnel and Panorama Point. We spotted one huge Ganpati statue on the way.

It took around 2 hours for the  train to reach Matheran hill top and there were few halts in between. Another option to reach Matheran is to take a shared taxi from Neral to Matheran, but the  toy train is much more enjoyable.

By 1:00 p.m we reached Matheran railway station. The Matheran Municipal Council  charges a flat Rs.50/- per head for entering Matheran. There were few restaurants serving various cuisines. After lunch we leisurely strolled around the market area. The area was full of tourists - some arriving, some leaving.  There were also shops selling Kolhapuri chappals, chikki, cane products, forest honey and handicrafts.

By 2:30 p.m. we were all set to explore Matheran. It is a calm hill station near  Mumbai, with no vehicles which makes it  even more peaceful. Situated at an altitude of 800 mt, Matheran offers stunning views of the Sahayadri ranges,  the waterfalls especially in rainy season and 38 peaks that offer the best views of the hill station.

ROAMING AROUND MATHERAN

We walked from one point to another through the  red mud road and deep forest. Those who  cannot  walk can hire a horse. The signboards will guide you from one point to another. Once I was out of the market area, I was able to breathe the clean mountain air.

Monkeys and their families occasionally crossed our way. It is better not to  carry any food items in our hand as there is a  possibility that you might be encountered by a  group of monkeys . Occasionally, the horses walked blowing the red soil which created little trouble for walkers.

After two kms of walking, we reached Charlotte Lake  which is the  main source of water supply to the area. On its left is Pisarnath temple. Echo Point, Louisa Point are on the right side of this lake.

We had a halt  at each point. Small stalls selling black berries fruit, chips, biscuits, lemon water,  tea,  roasted corn etc were seen  along the way. We spent more time at Echo point. As the name suggests, Echo point reverberates what you speak from top.  We quitely sat down at the edge of hill and I found the beautiful scene of the rolling green hills at a distance

We walked through the wilderness, steep valleys, forest, calmness and could hear birds chirping along the way.  We stopped at  Lousia point for a while so that we could again recharge ourself.  There were lot of people when we reached Lousia point. The area is fenced with iron rail rods. Most of the people taking selfies had their backs turned to the view.

We sat on  a classic rock promontory at Lousia point. A gap allows you through a small path to the top of the rock. When we were leaving the place, thers were other people waiting to enter the place.

Louisa Point

On the left side of the point, we could see Lion head. I was surprised to see these unspoilt manifestation of nature.

Lion Head

The vast green valleys look scary, but it is a treat for the  eyes.

You will get a clear  view of ruined forts of Prabal and Vishalgarh from Lousia point. One can see Neral on the east and Panvel on the west from here. There were a lot of people  taking pictures or getting pictures taken of themselves.

Our cloths and shoes got soiled with red-colored soil by the end of the walk.  We covered majority of points which includes King George point, Lord point, Rambagh point, Alexander point, Echo point, Charlotte lake, Louisa point and Sunset point.

The sun had just began to set. We rushed to sunset point. In the distance, the sky turned in a blaze of orange, red and dark blue shade as the  sun set behind the hills. It eluded me and my camera.

It was already dark when we reached  the main market. As the sun went down, it seemed like Matheran was going to sleep too.

By 8:00 p.m. we returned from Matheran. Since vehicles are banned inside Matheran, we walked upto Dasturi Naka and then  travelled by taxi to reach Neral station

Everything in this place right from beautiful scenery and fresh air is enjoyable .  I recommend this beautiful hill station of Matheran on your must visit place.

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