Karjat Region

This region consists of those mountains which are accessed by local trains going from Mumbai CST (Mumbai VT) to Karjat. The first train to Karjat leaves Mumbai CST at 4:17am, and the last train at 12:45am. It takes 2 hours and 40 minutes to reach Karjat by a slow local. Karjat is 100km from Mumbai.

Ulhas Valley

This area comprises the valley of the Ulhas river. Trains going from Mumbai to Pune climb along this valley from Karjat in the Konkan to Khandala at the edge of the Deccan plateau. Khandala is at a height of 550m. The road route (Mumbai-Pune national highway) climbs from Khopoli to Khandala instead, as it is a shorter albeit steeper climb. In fact, the Khopoli-Khandala road is along the Bhor Ghat, which was an ancient trade route connecting the ports at Choul, Revdanda, Panvel, etc. on the Konkan coast and the hinterland on the Deccan plateau. The railway from Mumbai to Pune was constructed at a later stage in the 19th century , for which a different route in the Ghats section from Karjat to Khandala via Palasdari was carved out. Khandala is 25km from Karjat by train and 11km from Khopoli by road.
The base villages for treks in this area are Khandpe, Sandshi and Kondiwade. This area is well connected by State Transport bus services from Karjat to Kondiwade and from Karjat to Sandshi, both of which pass through the village Khandpe. All these villages are about 15km from Karjat. The Ulhas valley is a beautiful sight, particularly in the monsoon, when there are a lot of waterfalls gushing their way down. From Kondiwade or Sandshi the valley looks like three-fourths of a circle, and one can see trains climbing the valley, passing through tunnels, at regular intervals.
For a trek to Bahiri and Kondheshwar temple one should reach Sandshi. For climbing up to Dhak Plateau one has to get to the village Moolgaon on Khandpe-Sandshi road. For visiting Kondhane caves, Fort Rajmachi or the up-stream area (which is known as Kataldara) of Ulhas river, one must reach Kondiwade.
There used to be a bus at 8:00am from Karjat to Kondiwade. But these days, since buses to Kondiwade from Karjat seem to be cancelled, one can take a bus going to Sandshi and get off at Khandpe. It takes 10-15 minutes to walk to Kondiwade from Khandpe. But instead of relying on buses, one can take those 8 seater sharing basis auto rickshaws (called Vikram locally) from Dahivali railway bridge at Karjat (about 15 minutes walk from Karjat Rly. Station) to Kondiwade. This is a more convenient and frequent mode of transport from Karjat to Khandpe and Kondiwade. Sometimes one finds Vikrams plying from Karjat bus stop to Kondiwade and Khandpe.
Another entry route to the Ulhas valley is from Station Thakurwadi on the Karjat-Khandala section on the Central Railway. Station Thakurwadi at 112 km from Mumbai is a compulsory technical halt (as a safety measure) for all trains coming down the Ghats from Khandala to Karjat. A few trains like the Deccan Express in the morning, Sinhagad Express in the evening and Sddheshwar Express in the night halt at Station Thakurwadi (for the convenience of the railway employees working in the Ghats section), while climbing the Ghats from Karjat to Khandala. From Station Thakurwadi there are pathways descending down to Kondhane and also to the hamlet Mundhyachi Thakurwadi, both of which are on the banks of Ulhas river. For visiting Kondhane caves and Rajmachi fort this route from Thakurwadi station is sometimes more convenient.

Kondana Caves

These are a group of 4 ancient Buddhist caves situated on the lower part of the western slope of Rajmachi, at a height of about 60m above the Ulhas valley below. For some pictures and a route description, visit here.

Rajmachi

Rajmachi is a twin peaked fort overlooking the Ulhas valley and the Bhor Ghat. It has good views of the surrounding countryside, and is a beautiful place to visit, particularly in the monsoons, when there are a lot of waterfalls and streams all around. The most popular approach is to hike from Lonavala. It is a 15km mostly flat walk to a small plateau, at the base of the twin peaks, passing through Walwan village, though the straight line distance from Lonavala would be about 10km. This walk is very beautiful in the monsoon. There are is a village called Udhewadi at the plateau right at the base of the twin peaks, where one can get plain, hot and tasty Maharashtrian food. Rented accomodation is also available there. The plateau is at a height of about 700m. The taller of the twin peaks is about 130m higher than the plateau, whereas the other one is about 80m higher. They are called Shreevardhan and Manoranjan respectively. Both of them are easy to climb from Udhewadi. A temple is situated on a col between the two peaks. Broad steps lead up Shreevardhan from the col. The steps can be a bit slippery to climb in the monsoon, and one or two stretches of the route are slightly exposed. One can see water tanks, storerooms and ruins of the fort on the way. It takes about 30 minutes to reach the highest point of Shreevardhan from Udhewadi. A flagpole is situated here. For more information about alternate routes to Rajmachi, go to this page.

Bahiri Cave

This is one of the very best treks. It is a difficult trek and should normally be done with an expert who is familiar with the route. It has to be done in winter as there are highly exposed stretches which would be impossible to negotiate in the monsoon. Also it is a long and strenuous trek.
Bahiri cave is a cave about 600m high facing the Ulhas Valley hewn out on the rock face of Dhak. There are two pinnacles nearby, which can be seen from trains climbing the Ulhas valley. From the cave one gets a good view of the Ulhas valley, the Duke's and Duchess's nose of Khandala and the pinnacles. There are statues of Bhairav in one of the chambers, and in the other chamber, one can see remains of animal sacrifice. On Chaitra Purnima day, each year, a fair is held in the area, and animal sacrifice is offered in the cave. There is also a water tank in this chamber.
For more information about Bahiri, visit this page.

Matheran Range

This range starts at Haji Malang in the north-northwest, continues to Tavli in the north, and then runs south and finally terminates at Bhivpuri Hill. Strictly speaking, this range is not a part of the Sahyadri, but rather runs parallel to the Badlapur-Karjat railway line to its west. The Sahyadris proper run parallel to the same railway line but to its east. Badlapur is 68km from Mumbai by train and is the starting point for treks to Tavli, Badlapur Hill and Navra-Navri. Vangani is 78km from Mumbai, and is the starting point for treks to Nakhind and Chanderi. Neral is 85km from Mumbai and is the starting point for treks to Nakhind, Peb fort and Matheran. Matheran is the most famous mountain in this range and a popular hill station. For the treks in this region, one usually walks to the base of the mountain from the corresponding railway station. But sometimes one can avail of autorickshaws, or in the case of Matheran, taxis, which are available from around 7am till 7pm.

Matheran

This is a popular hill station, accessed from Neral either by road (11km) or by toy train (21km). It is 767m high at its highest point. The top is a plateau running for 13km in the north-south direction, thickly forested, but nowadays highly commercialised with a lot of hotels, ghodawallas etc. It takes 25 minutes to reach Matheran from Neral by taxi and 2 hours by toy train. But the train route is far more picturesque and winds all the way around the mountain. No motor vehicles are allowed inside Matheran.
The most popular places in Matheran are the "points", which are places on the plateau from where one gets a good view of surrounding mountains and the Konkar plains. These places have sharp drops to the Konkan below. There are many such points in Matheran, all along its length.
There are many possible trekking routes to Matheran. The simplest one would be to walk along the road or the railway line. But other, more unconventional routes exist too. For more information about them and for a few pictures click here.

Peb fort

This is a popular trekking spot situated just north of Matheran, 474m, high. It takes about three hours to trek to Peb fort from Neral. One reaches a cave with a statue of Shivaji, which is below the actual fort. To climb into the fort, one has to walk further ahead to a wall about 10m high where large nails are stuck in. Climbing up the wall using these nails or by climbing a chimney nearby, one can enter the ruins of the fort. But it would be more interesting if instead of climbing the wall, one traverses ahead along a narrow and sometimes exposed path, to the railway line of Matheran. For more information about Peb fort, and for some pictures, follow this link.

Nakhind

Nakhind is a hill, 704m high, situated north of Peb fort. The top is a narrow forested ridge, running in the north-south direction. It can be identified by a hole at its northern end, which is visible even from trains travelling to Karjat. The highest point of the ridge is in its centre. Towards the south, the ridge descends to meet a hump forming a saddle at the junction. To the south of this hump, is another hump, and to its south lies Peb fort. Electric power lines cross the Matheran range at the above-mentioned saddle from Neral to Panvel and there is a transmission tower here. The saddle can be approached from Neral, following essentially the same route to climb Peb fort. It can also be approached from Panvel side. Turning left at the junction leads to Peb fort, and turning right leads to Nakhind. The route to Nakhind climbs steeply and leads onto the highest point in the centre of the ridge. A good view of Chanderi and Konkan plains on both east and west can be got during the climb. It takes about three hours to reach the top of Nakhind from Neral. For more information about Nakhind, visit this link.

Chanderi

This majestic massif, 790m high, stands out as one approaches Vangani station on the way from Badlapur to Karjat by train. Joined to Chanderi by a col, are a group of four pinnacles called Mhasmal. The Chanderi-Mhasmal duo is very prominent and can be seen from far-away peaks in the Sahyadris. In the monsoons, one can do a one-day trek to a cave at the base of the Chanderi massif. The cave is on the side opposite to the railway line (Panvel side). One has to first climb upto the col between Chanderi and Mhasmal. The climb is mostly up a nala, and very beautiful. From the col, one can turn left and climb up a ridge to reach a short exposed traverse which leads to the cave. There is a water tank near the cave. In the dry season, there is scree on this traverse, so one should be very careful here. Also while coming down the nala, one should be careful as the rocks tend to be slippery in the monsoon. For a full description of the route, pictures and stories of our treks, visit here.

Tavli

This is a conical shaped mountain at the northern end of the Matheran range 790m high. It can be approached from Badlapur station or by traversing from the lower plateau of Haji Malang. The approach from Haji Malang is easy and leads to the saddle between Tavli and Badlapur Hill (another conical shaped hill south of Tavli of similar height). The approach from Badlapur is more tricky and there can be a problem finding the correct route in the midst of thick forest. To find out more about Tavli, visit this page.

Bhimashankar Area

This area is part of the Sahyadris proper and actually forms the southern limit of the Malshej Ghat region. But they are included in the Karjat region as treks to this area start from base villages accessed by bus from Karjat. Bhimashankar, Padar Killa, Tungi and Peth are the popular trekking spots in this area. The base villages here are served by buses plying from Karjat to Khaandas, or sometimes Neral to Khaandas. Khaandas is about 36km from Karjat and takes 90 minutes to reach by bus from Karjat. There is a bus which leaves Karjat at 7:15am for Khaandas. Nowadays, there are tempos too, going to Khaandas from Karjat. The last bus back to Karjat from Khaandas is at 4:30pm, but tempos and autorickshaws are available till 7pm. Another another important village in this area is Kaashele (26km from Karjat), which is on the Karjat-Khaandas route. There are more buses and tempos available from Kaashele, so sometimes one might be required to change transport at Kaashele. Tempos to Karjat or Neral are available till 7pm from Kaashele. It takes about 45min to reach Karjat or Neral by bus from Kaashele.

Bhimashankar

Bhimashankar is a huge massif 1005m high. At the top of this massif, there is a huge plateau where the Bhimashankar town and the Bhimashankar temple is situated. The area near the top is thickly forested. The forest is a reserve forest, and is a great place to visit in the monsoon. Bhimashankar is a popular pilgrimage spot, since the temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva. The highest point of the massif is about 50m higher than the top plateau and is called Nagphani, because it looks like the hood of a cobra from a distance. The Bhima river originates from here and flows down towards the Deccan plateau. Nagphani gives a great view of the southern Malshej Ghat mountains and the mountains near Lonavla, and the sunrise and sunset there is fabulous.
There are huts and dharamshalas near the temple for people to stay in. One gets hot, simple and spicy food at the dhabas near the dharamshalas. In the monsoon the entire area around the temple is covered in clouds and even the road lights can be difficult to see! The temple is very beautiful and serene, and has a huge bell at one end, a relic from Portuguese times.
Buses ply from Mumbai and Pune to the temple. These buses have to approach Bhimashankar from the Deccan plateau side (Khed side). But for trekkers, there are many other routes. For example, one can approach Bhimashankar from Ahupe Ghat in southern Malshej Ghat region. But by far, the most popular trekking approach is to climb up from the Konkan, from Khaandas village. There are two routes from Khaandas to Bhimashankar. To know more about them and for some pictures, click on this link.

Peth

Peth is an interesting conical hill, with a prominent thumb-like pinnacle on its top. It is detached from the main range and is 472m high. The pinnacle actually is a fort, and is known as Kotligad locally. Because of its location, Kotligad commands excellent views of the surrounding Konkan countryside, the wall of the ghats, Bhimashankar, Padar Killa, Tungi, Wandre Khind pass, and (if the visibility is good) the entire Matheran range! It is rare that one gets such amazing views after an easy climb, and so this makes Peth a very special place. One can visit Peth both in monsoon and in winter, but the optimal time is to come just after monsoon, when the visibility is at its best. For details visit here.