A Trek To Karnala Fort

Hey, I'm back after a really long break. Have been very busy with work - cooking shows, talks and presentations! Besides, I had been advised rest for a bicep tear and neck injury. It’s still healing and I have to be ultra careful. So, writing is very restricted.

Anyway, let’s get on with life. I cannot recollect when I had gone trekking last in so many years. Yesterday was a good break with a one-day trek to Karnala Fort with my trekking partner Sanjana Kodical. Now, this is something I strongly recommend to all nature lovers. Escape from the concrete jungle, at least once in a while, especially if you are a nature lover. It’s great for your sanity.

Adventure Begins

Let me start from the very beginning. A train journey to Panvel followed by a bus ride to Pen from where we had to go to Karnala Bird Sanctuary. This was the instruction given to us! There! Our adventure began from the time we got on to the bus to Pen. In the bus, we discovered that the sanctuary was much before Pen. A lot of pleading with the bus conductor had him stop the bus close to the sanctuary. Relief!

It was 8.30 am. Entering the sanctuary, especially on a weekday, is getting into a peaceful zone with only birds or rather their chirping for company. Now this is not exactly the right time to catch the birds in action. One has to be there at sunrise. We had to be quiet and really look out for the few birds that were around. We spotted a couple of Kingfishers and Black Indigos. There were lots of spider webs with huge spiders.

The walk around is blissful, to say the least. We spotted few tiny birds perched high up on trees. We could hear a peacock. How we wished it would emerge from its hiding. But no such luck! We stopped to take eat a sandwich. Suddenly, we heard a sound above us. It was a Langoor. We ran. Now, we were eager to get on to the fort.

Less Travelled Path

Soon we came to a bifurcation in the path. One was the easy track (easy, only when compared to the difficult one). We chose the difficult path. We regretted our choice when the climb kept getting tougher. More than anything, we were worried if we were going the right way. There was no sign or directions. We were on the verge of climbing down and going back the same way (a scary thought, considering the fact that it had been a steep climb), we heard voices.

What a relief! It felt good to know that there were people around. 

Mission Accomplished

We were just 800 m away from our destination. I would have never forgiven myself if I had turned and gone back then. With renewed energy, we continued our climb. Soon we caught a glimpse of the fort. It had all been worth it. Like all of Shivaji's forts, it has a regal bearing. We climbed as close to the fort as was possible.

Scared Duo

Suddenly we got a little scared - it was just the two of us. A few minutes later, we saw a group of boys heading to the fort. We started our trek down the easy path. We kept bumping into a lot of college kids on our way down. That was reassuring. Down, there are a few caged birds – peacock and peahen, lovebirds. We also saw lots of monkeys in this area. 

We spotted a small dhaba down. It looked welcoming. That day, they just had Jhunka Bhakar and piping hot tea. Wow, the perfect ending to a memorable trek! On weekends, they serve chicken, mutton, dal, rice and some more dishes. One can even call them a day in advance and order fish curry or fry. Call Gitabai on 9422489609.
The ride back to Panvel Station in a goods carrier was fun though it was preceded by a lot of tension. This has been one of my best treks ever. Unplanned and directionless. Looking back, it feels good that we dared to trek up the difficult path without a guide. I want to go again!

Pics: Sanjana Kodical