Trek to the Karnala Fort and Bird Sanctuary Visit

On every other trip passing through Panvel on the NH17, in front of one’s eyes passes the thumb like mountain peak covered with dense forests at its base. It is the Karnala Fort, located about 10 kilometres away from Panvel ST.Stand, it was the trek I had started my trekking with back in 2009, but for some reason left unaccomplished. I couldn't wait any more and even though only four of us gathered we set ourselves to the trek to the Karnala Fort and the visit to the beautiful bird sanctuary nearby on 2nd December 2012. To my company were as always were Zian and Tushar, with another member Jay who was on a trek after 2 years.  

Karnala Fort and Bird Sanctuary Map with Spots
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

We reached the Panvel ST. Stand exactly at 7.30 am, one of the advantages of having a small group. It was winter and the cold morning called for a hot cup of tea at the stand. A minute or two in front of those lucrative bhajis and vadas we fell for it. We also packed a few of those along with some grapes and bananas. An auto rickshaw ride worth 200 Rupees would take us to the gate of the bird sanctuary. We dropped the idea of a sharing six seater, as it would drop us only halfway leaving no option for the further half path, so we choose the former one. It was only a 15 minutes drive with a loud trouncing music played inside the rickshaw. 

Karnala Bird Sanctuary Booking Office
 Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

Suddenly a belt of cool air surrounded us as we moved into the forest area which was well marked by a board on either side of the road with warnings of Not to disturb the wildlife habitat about 500 metres away from the sanctuary gate. 

The sanctuary gate was marked by a vehicle barrier and nearby a good parking space where 15 cars could easily be parked at a rate of 50 rupees per LMV. At the gate while Jay booked the entry tickets, a board which had a list of people fined for breaking the rules of the sanctuary caught our sight. The fine was ranging from 100 to 5000 Rupees and entry tickets only 20 rupees per adult. The 5000 was for offering bananas to monkeys, well were carrying a few of those in our bags and certainly didn't have 5000 rupees with us. There weren't any ATMs around either. Next to the board was the list of rules and regulations to be followed and the employee at a check post a few meters away reminded us about the ban on plastic bags and bottles in the sanctuary.

Karnala Map with all the Trails
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

In front us here was the map showing various trails in the forest area leading to the fort. The prominently stated steep short-cut in the map had lead to us being stuck up back in 2009.  So the next thing we do.......we again went for the same path with the Steep Short-cut.It was located on a path on the Mortaka Nature Trail which would initially start with the Haryal Trail. 



 The Mortaka & Haryal Trail 

Haryal Trail Begins
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

It begins with a nice oval bridge with wooden members over a gentle water body which forms a remarkable scenery for starters. 

Oval Wooden  Bridge
 Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

Suddenly you move into a whole new different world. There was very little water in the pond as it was winter.The freshness and warmth in the air filled us with a lot of excitement. On this way met a photographer alone who waited to capture the events of the woods.

Wooden Watch House
 Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla

The path further leads a way in to a sort of wooden watch house if you may call that, meant for bird watching which stands about fifteen feet high. 
It's built so nicely that one can get a good view of the bird movements from that height.

Mortaka Trail Starts
 Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

It’s a beautiful place for nature lovers with a good flock of birds, immensely varying in species, colour and shape, some sturdy others delicate, busy with their eloquent chants in the silence of the cold morning.

A Spider as big as a Palm
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

One comes across a lot of webs built by spiders  of sizes as big as child’s palm beautifully coloured, with shades predominantly brown & black and dots of yellow and red. Most of these webs were in the way of the trail only visible with the varying angle of the sunlight. 

Hugely Spread Web 
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

Dew settled in the grass
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

We tried to avoid them by leaning down and making our way through as we didn't intend to harm the natural habitat to the extent possible.At our feet were many of those webs built around the grass but had become wet due to the dew.The dew had nicely settled on the grass near the trail, a much better settling of dues than that in our daily course of life, pun intended. 

At regular intervals around the trail there are steel indicator boards planted with the pictures of the birds that belong to this part of the forest. Also several trees carry metal plates each with a tongue twisting botanical names and a commonly used name. 

Various Rare Birds found in Karnala Bird Sanctuary
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

Variety of Trees in the Sanctuary 
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

By now we were quite away from the roadside and the occasional sounds of the trucks passing the highway had diminished. We reached a sleek tree with a circular plate with paint dubbed on it. It was unclear as half the colour had blown away and only thing left on it was ‘END’. 

Plate Indicating Path End
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

We sort of neglected it to move further down and found ourselves at a place where paths of two water bodies crossed. None of these paths seemed as clear trails, but we chose to take the one on our left as it appeared closer to the peak. 
A moment in that space was a real experience of the woods, with a dense array of trees and the significant movement of birds which we could spot. But as they were distant enough we could not exactly recognize any from the boards that we saw earlier. While our efforts to spot them were on we heard a very significant sound. This was the wood pecker........the continuous sound with a high frequency of the strong beak which, as shown in the images is tapered to the tip, almost like a metal chisel, used for pecking woods for food or nests.  The sound repeated after a regular interval resembling the one from a rusted hinge of a wooden door opening in an ancient in a horror movie .

Rocky Path Formed by Waterbodies
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

We kept looking for the bird but pretty much in vain. Boy...Bird watching is a patient exercise...I mean the actual birds. The hip hazard arrangement of the rocks formed due to the flowing water in the monsoon, made us stretch our muscles as we passed through. 

The rope Climb up the Slant Hill
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

Soon we reached a point where a steep hill climb appeared as a way up covered with a tinge of pale grass and soil loose enough to make an average adult slip. But to our rescue in the climb were the aerial roots of the trees on the slant, which were slim yet tough enough to take our weights. Soon we reached a flat plot with trees dense enough to hide the panorama around us. We were stranded in what would appear as a circular patch from Google earth, roughly 30 meter in radius. All we could manage to see were monkey movements above us on the branches of the tall trees. We were Lost...

Short Break with Grapes & Bananas
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

A few grapes and bananas down our throats were a good food for thought, as we decided that only way up was to go back from where we started at the base. So we turned back to the same path that we had come from for returning to the base. Moreover it was only 11 am so we could still complete the trek by the normal path.  It took us only 10 minutes to reach back to the Haryal trail boundary, where again on our way back we met those spiders and birds.  




Here we actually spotted the beautiful Black Drongo, the glorious black shiny coloured bird with a long tail feathers. We were lucky enough to capture this not so shy bird, but from a distance and only in our normal digital cameras. The Black beauty sat on the branch roughly a foot tall shining in the morning sun.

A Black Drongo Bird Spotted
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

So many undisturbed spider webs right in the way was a good sign to know that this path is certainly less travelled, especially by the human kind, but somehow we missed that initially. Only because of the beauty of the natural that we fell for and little did we regret


The Karnala Fort Trail 

The Karnala Fort Trial Starts
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

The huge well lead us to the Karnala Fort trail where we started our way up. The sanctuary has bird cages here and this part was the most populated with many groups and couples who had primarily come to visit the bird sanctuary. At this point Joy had started to crumble and sat down at a place where he decided to quit, perhaps a 2 year gap in the treks had left him daunted. 



An hour or so on the path with small stones dusted by the arid soil and with benches at equal intervals took us to the top of the adjoining hill. Most of it was shady which helped us wait at times take photos or put down some of the real fruit juices; an extra ammunition carried by Zian.

The Karnala Fort Thumb Pinnacle View from adjoining hill patch
 Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

Finally when we moved out of the shades, a long trail which is on the top edge of the mountain open to the sky with valleys on either side awaited us. And in front of us was the pinnacle of the fort with the Saffron Flag of Swaraj on it and a few more groups around its base.

Temple of Goddess Karnai 
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

As we approached the peak on our right we found the temple of Goddess Karnai where we paid our homage and moved further. A smaller adjoining rock leads the way to the main pinnacle through steps carved in it. Here there are very few remains of the fortification left, of the fort which as history has it, was captured by  Shivaji Maharaj from the Portuguese in the 17th century, then lost to Aurangzeb and later re-captured by the Peshwas. Finally the East India Company captured it in the early 19th century.

Water Cisterns at the Pinnacle Base 

The base has many cisterns with water claimed as potable. There were a couple others groups one of which occupied the best spot where one could sit and enjoy most beautiful view of the valleys and mountains. As they moved on we almost captured that spot to relax ourselves and break for lunch at about 2 pm. 

Some Leftover Fortification
Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla

The timely intake of the juices and banana fillers had left us with very little hunger.Moreover it wasn’t that much demanding endurance wise either; it’s just that we had made it a bit more difficult than it actually was. We could have waited there for long, but as Jay was waiting below, we started our descend at 2.30 pm. 

The Pinnacle Base
Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla

The way down was one of the easiest and with only a group of three we made it without any hassles whatsoever in an hour’s time. At the base we found Jay completely relaxed after a good couple hours sleep and acquaintance with all the locals so much so that he played our guide for the rest of our time in the sanctuary. He showed us the cages with the Himalayan parrots, the peacocks and the peahens. The sanctuary claims to adopt the birds for treatment and after a certain period they are left free in their natural habitat. There also a cage there with a tortoise on the other side of the road.  









Finally we moved out at the gate of the sanctuary where we got the company of our ancestors which were present in good numbers as if to bid us Adieu.

At the Base after the Trek
Courtesy: Zian Lakdawalla

An ST bus arrived and stopped 5 metres ahead of where we were standing like most ST buses do. We took the bus which would take us to the Panvel ST. stand. 


Inside the Bus I just kept thinking of that steep Shortcut feeling just a little underachieved of not finding it but overall it was a good day’s trek with an added offering of the sanctuary.......  


At a Glance
Trek -Karnala Fort & Bird Sanctuary
Height above mean sea level - 1240 feet (Google Earth)
Trek Category - Very Easy
Base Village -Karnala , Panvel
Transport Panvel to Karnala by Autobus or Private Vehicle
Time to reach the top -About 1 hour from the base
Shelter -Caves at the top
Other Features - Bird Watching 

Trek to Ulhas Valley, Khandala

It was the onset of monsoon 2012 and the weather had gone through a miraculous change from 5 to 6 days and as forecasted there were small showers around early June 2012. 10^th June 2012, was the Sunday when we had decided to go trekking into the Ulhas Valley which is in Khandala. My day began at 4.30 am when I woke up to see the wet streets from the window of my bedroom and a cool breeze coming from the outside dark due to the overnight rain. In all we were 12 people from Mumbai and suburbs around. So we decided to meet at Dadar Railway Station near Swaminarayan Mandir  at 7.30 am. At the Dadar TT we took a sumo, which we booked for a negotiated sum of 2000 Rs. for a one way ride which seemed pretty fair for 12 people. But getting 11 people plus the Driver in a sumo was a herculean task which we somehow managed to do, after spending a good 10 minutes or so on permutations and combinations and finally getting a hard talk from the driver, most of us are MBAs you see.  Only one member was to board at Panvel. The journey began at about 8.00 am and the weather was helping our cause as it was overcast. As we passed by, many other peaks near Panvel caught our sight and we started re-living and sharing memories of those treks. It started raining pretty heavily and got cooler, much needed inside the packed sumo. Within no time we reached the food court where we waited for a little break. A further journey of about an hour came to an end at the Khandala exit where we got down and paid the money to the driver.

The Bungalows on the Hills around the Ulhas Valley, Khandala. Courtesy Zian Lakdawalla

We started walking towards the St. Mary School which has the approach road to the Ulhas Valley. It has a huge flat ground which gives a good sighting of the valleys and nearby express way with vehicles in good numbers. On the hills are the series of fat bungalows which enjoy the scenic views of this beauty of nature.

Birthday Celebrations (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

At this place we celebrated the birthday of one of our friend, thanks to another good friend who had brought a sweet and yummy chocolate cake for him. We ourselves got into such a bad shape after the travel and how could we expect the cake to be. It was all melted and screwed but was good enough to be cut into pieces and with the sweet taste retained. 

The ritual pic pointing towards the Lakshya - Downwards

The Path formed by the Waterfalls

At around 10.00 am we started the trek by taking the ritual picture pointing towards the target. Interestingly this was different from all our previous treks as it was to start with the descend first. So we pointed downwards. The trek starts with the path into the valley full of rocks weathered by the streams of the falling water. It helps a trekker as many of the rocks have patches to hold on to and one can get a good grip on those. It was quite easy for us at the start of the trail where we moved swiftly for an hour or so. At this point we met the first real rocky patch which was around 15 ft high and we started devising various ways to make through it.

15 Ft. high rock patch

It was a good test of our technique as well as the ability to control our bodies. Each one of us here had to stretch our muscles to achieve just that extra bit needed here. I had not carried the rope which I usually do in treks and was feeling the pinch of it. Nevertheless, its a human ingenuity to cope with situations where we are limited by options and we did just that. Now although the weather was on our side, after that effort we needed a bit of energy and recharged ourselves with water. A few minutes further down, we met another such rock patch which tested ourselves in a peculiar way.

A narrow passage through the rocks

We also passed through a small cavity below a rock which was our path almost like a filter and the flexibility of our bodies was put to test. All along the path there were many crabs,some dead, some alive, an option for food in case we get stuck here, is what we thought and joked about. I am sure Bear Grylls would have easily gulped in a few by the walk, if he were here. 

A healthy alive Crab

By now the view of the bottom streams was becoming clearer and we knew we were close as the continuous sound of the waterfall started hitting our eardrums in the silence. Slowly it had got overcast and we could see darker clouds above us. The express way with all the vehicles was now quite a distance above us.

Suddenly just as we passed the final rocky patch it started raining. Even before some of us could get our wind cheaters out, we were substantially wet. It was practically the first real rain this monsoon so we didn't bother. But it was only a passing shower which lasted only for a minute or two, and as it got over we moved further down. Another 15 minutes of descend and we were at the bottom of the valley. All of us were so eager to feel the waters that we took our shoes off to wet our feet. But the next thing that happened was beyond everybody's imagination. 

Cooling ourselves in the streams

Just as we had finished the descend with tired bones and muscles, the Rain Gods welcomed us with a pouring shower. It was so heavy and quick that we only somehow managed to get our mobiles and wallets in the bags under a small cave inside a rock thanks to a friend who discovered the same. Having done that, it was time to go wild into the nature and I moved into the stream to find a place to lie down. It was a moment worth the effort. The cold water flowing along your body and the rain from above adding to it. It was June, yeah it was. All the body drain in the heat of the summer was over.  It was the natural Jacuzzi for reliving all the stress of your body. It was Fortune at the Bottom of not exactly a pyramid, but a Hill you can say.  The timing of the rain could not have been any better than this.After enjoying there a few minutes we decided to move further towards the water fall. As we got out of the water we started feeling freezing cold. But the intensity of the shower had now reduced a little bit.

Pond at the base which leads to the Waterfall (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

 The path towards the waterfall was along a small pond formed due to water which had slowed down a bit. It was very slippery and we helped each other out in the whole exercise. We further moved to a spot where one can get a good view of the waterfall which appeared a bit frightening to start with. So we were in a dilemma whether to approach its base or not.After checking out watches we decided that we had enough time so a few of us proceeded towards the base of the waterfall. The water was quite muddy maybe because of the first real rains. It was also mushy and there was a froth formed at the base which made us realize it wasn't good to get wet into that and we moved back to our spot.

A Moment of Solace at the Base of the Valley (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

 Interestingly by now the rain had stopped and all of us were re-gathering ourselves after the eventful past couple of hours, sitting on the cold rocks, breathing in the fresh air, feeling ever so close to nature.We decided to find a place to have lunch and got our bags out of the caves where we had kept the bags dry, well almost dry. It was an interesting exercise where we formed a chain and passed the bags along it.

Bag passing exercise (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

Our power packed lunch was a great variety of multicultural cuisine with sandwiches, alu parathas, fried rice, theplas and chutneys, pickles and what not thanks to all the Moms for such a great effort as early as 4.00 am and that too on a Sunday morning. That’s why Moms rock, totally.  After such a filling lunch it was time for a little nap for 15 minutes as we had decided to start the climb at 3.00 p.m.

Munching before lunch

While most of us were asleep, a couple of members discovered a little snake in the water where we had spent our last hour. At first I thought it was a sort of prank and neglected it. But later I lost the 500 bucks bet when I actually saw the head of the small snake just above the water level dwindling as we approached closer. It was a weird feeling at the start as it appeared totally harmless. But the realization that there was a snake in the pond where we were sauntering for last hour or so was enough to send a tremor through our spine. But as a friend quoted “laziness overcomes fear” and it was the case with some members, who did not take the snake part all that seriously. Moreover, the beautiful view of the water streams was worth spending the time just looking at it and relaxing.

Beautiful View created by the Water streams in the Valley (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

 Finally at about 3.00 p.m. we set ourselves for the ascend, something new in this particular trek. Climbing up is usually easier than going down maybe because it happens first and also because you don’t look into the valley while climbing up. But with reasonably tired limbs and rocks that were slippery due to the rains, it made our climb a little harder than expected.

The Climb

In addition to that the spots of rock patches where we had a little exercise coming down had now turned into micro-waterfalls with small streams of water. Our climb at each of these three spots began with a team talk and strategy and finished with a strong action. The last of these patches was the toughest one that created many anxious moments for each one of us. But one by one guiding each other we managed to cross that hurdle, kudos to a helluva team effort.

The toughest Slippery Rock patch (Courtesy : Zian Lakdawalla)

That’s the best thing about treks; every path seems tough, every step seems rough but you are with your buddies fighting it out for you and suddenly you get that energy from within to fight. To fight against the fear, to conquer it, to move forward, forward together as a team. It takes you through a total grind of your body as well as your mind and you come out stronger every single time.

About two and half hours, and we finally reached the top of the hill where we had started in the morning. The ground was now with wet soil and we could see many people for an evening stroll at the ground which is a scenic spot.

Flat Ground on the Top of the Hill, Near St. Mary School, Khanala

Soon we made our way out at the highway where we bought water and took a rickshaw to lonavala Market place near the ST stand where some of us shopped the fudges and chikkis, ate some vada pavs. I discovered that both of my phones were not working due to water that had entered my bag, which had my wallet full of watery notes and cards. I was anything but handicapped without my phone.

 Our next task was fetching for our return travel options. Our group had 8 members from Mumbai who hired a car for 300 rupee seat from the Lonavala ST stand, which on a normal course of a day would actually take 170 Rupees. Remaining four of us had to reach the central suburb of Dombivli so we decided to take a train from Lonavala railway station to kalyan and a local train would get us further to Dombivli. We got the train alright but an engine failure delayed our commute by 2 hours, just adding some more pain to our already tired limbs.

All in all, it was an easy trek timed to perfection just at the onset of monsoon with memorable journey both ways…...