Karnala Trek

Last sunday i went to Karnala Trek (Pics), Karnala is a bird sanctuary and fort just an hour drive from mumbai. Nature Knights has arranged the trek and it was nice meeting new people. With 45 of us talking and trekking, the birds decided to have a peaceful sunday and disappeared. Usually bird watching is done early morning and late evenings and in groups of max 10 ppl. So started the rocky & muddy trek. We started at around 9 am and reached on top at around 12. Actually it takes around 90 mins but we went out of way trying to spot a langur, watching small inects and spiders and snails. Also stopped at the plateau where we could see for miles and enjoy the cool cool breeze. From here we could had the first glimpse of the fort.

The fort is almost 1000 yrs old now and was actually a vantage point. You could see 15 KMs in all directions on a clear day. The fort has actually 2 parts, the fortifications or the walls and the 2nd were water tanks carved out in the mountain. Such tanks are common in the forts around here. The tanks had the perfect geometry which showed the skills and vision of its makers.

The pinnacle itself was 150 feet high and it could be scaled only via ropes and climbing gear.

There was a narrow opening between 2 pinnacles and the feeling there was unbelivable. Soft white clouds were squeezing through that opening and caressing our face. From the top all u could see were white white clouds and the only distracting thing you could see were ur eyelids. As the clouds cleared you could see the land below and that view was breathtaking.

Lastly we came down had lunch while it was raining and went to a waterfall. Though the waterfall could accomodate only 2 at a time we had fun there. Some enthusiasts went on top of the waterfall to make some temporary embankments to assure a good flow of water.

After that i had the tea in one of the most beautiful surroundings, made beside the water streams on a portable cylinder. Eveyone chose a nice rock to sit on and some ensured the monkeys didnt bother us.

By 8 PM i was home with loads of pictures, a sweet pain in my muscles and small plastic bits which were securely tugged in my pocket during the trek.

Long Live Nature