Konkan Region

This region consists of mountains rising from the Konkan, which are accessed by Western railway local trains (North Konkan) or by Harbour line local trains (like the Chowk area), or by bus from Mumbai (like the Chowk area). These mountains are not a part of the Sahyadri, and sometimes exhibit different flora and fauna than what one gets to see in the Ghats.

Chowk Area

This area consists of mountains near Chowk village which is situated on the Mumbai-Pune highway between Panvel and Khopoli. The usual method to reach Chowk is by bus from Panvel. Panvel can be reached by bus from Dadar, or by a harbour line local train leaving CST. Chowk can also be accessed from Karjat by bus (15km). Irshal, Prabal and Karnala are in this region.
The first harbour line train to Belapur leaves CST at 4:19am. It reaches Vashi at 5:25am, from where, at 5:40am, leaves a local train for Panvel. It reaches Panvel at 6:10am. The first bus to Pune from Dadar leaves Dadar at 5:00am. It reaches Panvel in about an hour. Also there is a bus to Pune at 5:00am from Mumbai Central.

Manekgad

For some pictures, look here

Karnala

Karnala is an ancient fort situated about 10km from Panvel on the Mumbai-Goa highway. It is now a bird sanctuary. The peak is shaped like a funnel and one can see the Mumbai harbour from the top under clear conditions. An easy mud path leads from the highway to the base of the funnel. The funnel however is a technical climb, and there is a problem of scree and bees. There are huge caves at the base of the funnel, and for bird watchers, the forest of Karnala is a paradise. The best time for bird watching is winter. There are rest houses and cottages to stay in Karnala. Karnala is easily accessed by bus from Panvel. For a picture of the thumb-like funnel of Karnala click here.

Tungareshwar Area

This area consists of mountains near Tungareshwar, which is situated about 15 km east of Vasai Road railway station. Vasai Road is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Churchgate by a slow Western Railway local train. The first local train for Virar leaves Churchgate at 4:15am. Vasai Road is about 50 km north of Churchgate. The mountains in this area can be accessed by buses from Vasai Road for Kaman village. Kaman is about 20 km from Vasai Road and it takes about 35 minutes to reach by bus. Kaman is situated on the road leading from the Mumbai-Ahmedabad (Western Express) Highway to Bhiwandi. It is about 60km from Mumbai. Buses from Vasai Road to Bhiwandi halt at Kaman. There is a bus to Bhiwandi from Vasai Road bus stop at 6:00am. Generally buses along this route are quite frequent.

Tungareshwar

Tungareshwar is a beautiful conical peak, 664m high, easy to climb and the highest plateau in this region. Buses from Vasai Road to Kaman halt at Tungareshwar Phata, off the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. Tungareshwar Phata is about 15km from Vasai Road and about 60 km from Mumbai. One can take a bus to Satiwali too from where Tungareshwar Phata is a half an hour's walk. It takes about 20 minutes to reach Satiwali from Vasai Road by bus. From Tungareshwar Phata, after walking for about 5 km on a broad flat path, and crossing a few streams (which are quite flooded during monsoon) on the way, one reaches a temple of Shiva, called the Tungareshwar temple. Behind the temple are a few waterfalls. The broad path continues with a gentle incline for a further 8 km to reach the top, which is a large grassy plateau. This route is very beautiful, with thick forest on both sides. There are a few tubewells along the way, so there is no need to carry a lot of water. Walking further on the top plateau, and after descending a bit, one reaches an ashram of Sadanand Baba. Nearby, there are huge walls which offer rock climbing opportunities. From the ashram, the route goes down gently for a further 8 km to reach Parol at the base. From here buses are available to Virar (16 km) or to Vasai Road (24km).
This is an easy trek, and in fact, a powerful jeep could climb up all the way to the top. The attraction of this trek is mainly the beauty of the surrounding forests, and the views from the top. Tungareshwar is a great delight, both in the monsoon, and in the winter.
The speciality of Tungareshwar is that the forests are the only evergreen forests in this part of the country. The flora and fauna are quite different from the kinds seen in the Sahyadri forests, or even the Matheran range forests. This place is a boon for the biologist. Many colourful flowers and butterflies can be seen here. Also bird watchers will have a great time in this region, particularly in winter.

Kamandurg

Kamandurg is a peak, 652m high, situated near Kaman village. It is the highest point in the range of mountains seen behind Kaman. The easier way to climb Kamandurg would be to alight 3 stops after Kaman, further down the road towards Bhiwandi. From there a flat walk of about 4 km through fields and passing near brick kilns leads to a ridge coming down south from Kamandurg. One has to cross a shallow river on the way. The route up the ridge is easy and well defined. Near the top the route becomes a bit steep though. The flat walk to the start of the ridge takes about an hour and the climb up the ridge takes about an hour and a half. There is a flag attached to a bamboo pole at the top. This is the highest point of Kamandurg. Next to it is another pinnacle. The walls around both the peaks drop vertically on three sides. Behind the higher peak one can see another ridge which descends westwards. One has to descend a bit (along the side from where one originally ascended to the peak) and then go around the peak along an exposed route to reach this ridge. One can then descend down this ridge instead, for an alternate route. To know more about this route, follow this link.