Peth (Kothligad) Trek

Peth (Kothligad) which is (~1550ft.) is situated in Karjat & is one of the famous treks of Karjat area, because of its small height and easy climbing.

We started our journey at 5.30 am from thane and our first destination was karjat. As we reached Karjat we had a small intro session where Saurabh told us in short about the trek and the route of the trek. Then we headed in a hotel where we had our breakfast and everyone introduce themselves. That time i came to know that our small group was of 33 guys and girls in total. Wow !!!

From their we hired 3 six seater auto (so called autos) for 400 bucks each for single journey and reached ambivali village in 1 hrs which was approx. 30 km from karjat station. Then we formed a circle where we decided to map the route on a book and before we started our actual trek we sang our national anthem as that was the rule of the trekking group (KALAWARDHINI PRATHISHTHAN) with whom i was doing the trek.

After that we started walking towards the base village of Kothligad which is Peth. Kothaligad is more commonly known as the fort of Peth because the village of Peth is situated at its base. Myself and yatin took the responsibility to map the route, which can help us to trace the route if we lost some where and also to find the time required. On the way we came across many beautiful locations, birds and also the beautiful valley covered with clouds. All those who were carring cameras were busy taking the snaps as the greenery was very attractive. After walking for around 30 min we took a halt on a beautiful plateau, from were we were able to see the kothligad. Even the valley was looking very awesome with green fur all over it could see the clouds below us, even the clouds could be seen kissing the pinnacle of the kothligad from the plateau.

Within 15 min of walk from the plateau, we came across very small waterfall. We enjoyed a bit there and then headed. Peth village was just 15 min away from the waterfall. Its a very small village with population of hardly 100-200 people. Just before entering village we came across green fields everywhere. This much greenery can been seen only in the villages.

Rain was playing hide and seek game with us and literally we were loving it. When the rain used to stop the clouds used to come down and we felt like we are in heaven. Nature was at its best.

The real trek started when we started climbing the fort. As soon as we started climbing rain started pouring heavily. The only problem was the losses soil, as the water started carrying the soil with it. The problem got worse when the slope was too much and we had not much grip of the rocks. Some did face some problems while climbing but at the end we all made it to the top of Hill.

On reaching the top of the fort, the first one is the cave of Goddess, besides which is a water cistern (Taak) and the last one is the specious Bhairoba cave. A flat floor and well-sculpted pillars are specialty of the cave. Most are the dancing sculpture which have some history behind them. One of the cave is already occupied by Bats , but not to worry as they don’t disturb their guests. It has a large cave, which is good enough for a night stay. The best feature is the pinnacle which is carved from inside, into a staircase to reach at the top.

One can get hot tea and mineral water (local) as some villagers are their for your help inside the cave. We had carried our afternoon lunch with us which we had after taking some rest. Then we all sat together to discuss the experience of the trek and then saurabh , Nilesh, Dipte told the history behind the caves and the sculpture.

Then we decide to go to the top of the pinnacle. The Pinnacle staircase were the deadliest part of the trek, i’ll say my most thrilling experience of the trek. As we reached the top, we could see clouds everywhere and also in the valley. Everyone were just dying to take solo pics of themselves. The top of the pinnacle was more crowed than the caves. We told a guy to take a group pic and then we started coming down the pinnacle.

At around 3 pm we started our return journey from the top. As always descending is the easiest part in the trek. Some trek members came across a landslide, by gods grace they were saved. Some members who were behind had to change the route and had to find an alternate route which was quit tough. We did manage to get down after plenty of precautions.

We had booked the same auto’s to take us back to karjat station at 5.30 pm, at the same place where they have left us in the morning. We reached ambivali village by 6 pm and to my surprise the auto’s were waiting for us. We reached karjat station by 7.15 pm.

By mistake we gave the auto driver 300 bucks extra and it was a big shock to all of us when he called us and ask us to take back the extra money. Normally people dont even return 50 bucks but that guy returned us 300 bucks, Amazing !!!

The overall experience was excellent and trekking with that group is also a nice experience. Liked the way they manage and plan the things.

Group Member’s Name:- Dipti, Rasika, Samruddhi, Manasi, Sampada, Amita, Dipali, Sonali, Jyotsna, Bhakti, Vibhawari, Rasika, Jagruti, Pranali, Poonam, Rashmi, Kirti, Dipti, Dakshata, Chetana, Vishal, Rohit, Gaurav, Prathamesh, Yatin, Rajan, Saurabh, Nilesh, Ashish, Pravin, Siddesh, Omkar, Chetan,

Some Key Points for Peth (Kothligad) Trek

– Leave early for the trek, Reaching the base village by 11 am would be good.
– On the way you can come across many reptiles, be carefull (Dont hurt them, they wont hurt you).
– Its always better to take your lunch along with you.
– Be careful from Landslides.
– Do Not wear sandals (For both boys/girls ).
– Carrying water is advisable.
– Better to book an autorickshaw for the return trip in advance.

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