Kalsubai Trek

Kalsubai Peak

Hey guys we are back with another trekking adventure and this time it is none other than the highest peak in entire Maharashtra - Kalsubai Peak. Kalsubai is a mountain in Western Ghats range and is also known as Everest of Maharasthra. The peak is at around 5400 feet height. We did this trek in previous monsoon season.

Sleepy bats just like us

We did this trek with Mumbai Trekkers trekking group. This was out first trek with this group. Our trek started from the Dadar Station which was meeting point for all the people. We left the Dadar station around 11 via a private bus. The destination was Bari village at the base of Kalsubai mountain. We reached the village around 5 in the morning. We had light breakfast at the base village. The weather was very nice with clouds and slight drizzling. The base village was crowded with a lot of trekkers and trekking groups. We could also see a couple of school trips also happening the same day. While we were waiting for everyone to get ready for the trekking we clicked some sleeping bats 😋.

Initial Muddy Path

We started trek around 6:45 from the base village. Initially we had to traverse through the village to start hiking the hills. The path was muddy and a little slippery also due to rains.

Water Stream

After a short distance through the village and fields we came across a short stream which we had to cross. We got our shoes completely soaked with water for rest of the journey while crossing that stream

Trek starting point

There were a lot of small insects that were continuously attacking everyone. We were glad that we had our bodies covered in full sleeves. Still we got some bites. After some more walking we reached a small flat piece of land where there was a man-made arch. It was kind of starting point for trek to the peak. We had our group introduction round there. We rested a bit and then we started moving ahead.

Clear trail with natural steps

The trail was very clear. For majority of the way to the top there were natural/ man-made steps on the trail. At some places we could also find ladders installed where the steps have eroded. Some of us feeling more adventurous ditched the steps and took the hard routes.

First break point

After some more walking we completed the first leg of the trek. We reached a flat plateau of sorts where we could see lots of trekking groups and people resting. We took a decent break there and moved ahead.

Second break point

The way to the top was very easy, at least by our standards, as one only had to climb the already present steps. At some places the ladders were a little dangerous, as some of the rungs were either damaged or missing. The second break point came after another 30 minutes or so. This point was a protruded arch, protected by an iron railing. One could easily see the beautiful downwards valley view from there. There was a lot of photo-session on this spot and then we moved ahead.

Steps on the trail

After some more hiking we came to another similar railing protected edge which also provided a beautiful view of valley under it. This was another break point for the group. Even though the trail was easy, constant climbing up the steps was tiring everyone out and we had to take a lot of short breaks. The cloudy atmosphere did help a lot as were constantly moving through the clouds every now and then.

Fauna and foliage near top

Moving ahead we came across a part of mountain where there was a lot foliage on both sides of the trail. We could see a lot of wild flowers and shrubs scattered across the land. The view was beautiful and the wild flowers only added to the beauty. everyone clicked a some pics there before we moved ahead.

Kalsubai Peak

This place also coincidentally was the base of the final climb to the peak. we could easily see the peak from there and it looked very steep. But once again there were steps to guide you to the top.

After a short climb we all reached the top. At the top there was a temple of Shiv. It was very crowded at the top and very noisy. Our purpose of hiking to find a nice, quite and beautiful scenic place was kind of defeated with people littering and creating noise pollution.

Temple at the top

Anyway we rested there for quite some time. We took our time to catch our breath and rest. We waited for clouds to part so the we can click pics of valleys. There was one particular piece of ruck jutting out from the peak and everyone was clicking their pics there. Obviously we also clicked a couple of pics on that.

On top of the mountain

The wind was very nice on top and it was a little chilly too. Other members of the group had snacks on the top. Overall the view from the top was very nice. There was even a marker on top which mentioned the total height of the peak.

While waiting for the group

Since we were not enjoying all the noise and ruckus that was happening on peak, we decided to move ahead of the group to come down. We took around 3 hours to climb to the top, but our descent speed was very fast. It was good we decided to come down ahead of everyone because within a matter of an hour the entire trail from base to the peak was crowded with people. On the way down we had to be a little cautious, specially on ladder because it was crowded as well as slippery. We took a total time of 1.5 hours to get down the starting point where we waited for our.

Once our group arrived about another hour later we descended back to the base village and had lunch there provided by Mumbai Trekkers. The lunch was sumptuous and very tasty. Once everyone has eaten we drove back to Mumbai by bus again.

Overall it was a easy trek from a difficulty level but from a endurance and stamina level it was medium level trek. We just wish it was a little more quieter and peaceful. The view from the top is beautiful and worth every bit of energy needed to reach the top.

My partner on trekking adventure ❤❤

Till next trek... Toodles

Hill-Skippers
hill.skippers@gmail.com

P.S. Do not litter. Keep the nature clean