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Garbett Point Trek

Garbett Plateau
Garbett Point or Garbett Plateau is part of the Matheran hill range. This beautiful plateau, near the Matheran hills, is a very nice getaway during winters, though it is super chilly at the top of the plateau.

We did this trek with Travel Buffs. This was out first trek with this group. We did this trek during Feb month this year. We started our trek by taking a local to the Bhivpuri Station. There were supposed to be 4 people besides the group leader but only we two finally reached the station. So we left from there with our trek leaders. This was a night trek to the top of the plateau, view the sunrise on top and then go via the Matheran route to Dasturi Naka.

Diksal Lake from top
We left from the station towards the lake some distance from Bhivpuri station. The lake is known as Dhom lake or Diksal lake. The lake itself is beautiful and is a visiting spot. This place is also used for night camping by trekkers and we were able to some trekkers there. We went around the lake edge and hopped on to the surrounding hill. It was clear night and I personally did not need the torch to navigate. The moonlight was sufficient enough.

Helicopter view of way to top
The climb was very steep and we had to take frequent breaks to gather our breath. Unfortunately due to night we could not capture much in terms of photos on the way up. We took approximately 6-7 short breaks in between before we reached a village settlement. There was a way around the village also but through the village was a shortcut so we took it. But there was a catch of dogs chasing us and this did happen as we crossed the village in the middle of the night.

Our resting spot
Once we crossed the village the hike became even steeper, almost at a 70-80 degree angle hike. This drained us a lot and forced us to take a lot of water breaks. The weather was cool which was helping a bit, but we were still sweating profusely. After around an hour of hike we took a break to have some nuts and dates to gather our energy. We rested for a bit and then we moved ahead to our first major milestone - a flat grazing land for cattle just beneath the main Garbett Plateau.

Beautiful Moon
Since it was a clear night we did some photography activities there and clicked some good pictures of moon. We were able to get some very clear and good shots. We also for the first time in life saw the setting of the moon. We did try to click pictures of the red setting moon but by the time we could get a good shots, the moon had completely hid behind the mountains. Nonetheless, it was a really good sight to see.

On top of plateau - early morning
We moved ahead to reach the final peak. The way to the top was rocky and we had to be careful as it was quite slippery at times due to loose rocks and gravel. In another 15-20 minutes we reached the top. The top of the entire plateau was surrounded by an iron railing. We put down our bags and sat down. It was very chilly and windy on top. My partner was chilled to the bones even after wearing a jacket. The trek leader lit a small fire after collecting some fallen dry branches and leaves.

Sunrise
Fire provided some relief but it was still way too chilly for my partner. We rested till sunrise but my partner was not able to get any sleep as we did not have a sleeping bag with us. We kept the fire lit till some time after sunrise. The sunrise was beautiful as usual. Its always a view to treasure from the top of a hill. We clicked a lot of pics of surrounding areas and finally got to see what we climbed during the night. The view of the lake from the top was also mesmerizing. I clicked some zoomed in clicks.

On the way back to Dasturi Naka
After getting warmed up a little bit in the sunshine we packed up, diffused the fire and moved forward to a new path to get back to. We could have taken the same route back down but we decided to take the route to Dasturi Naka. If you guys remember from our previous blog of Peb Fort, it was the same route once we reached the Matheran railway line.

View on the way back
Anyway we moved forward through the green surroundings and followed the well-established trail to reach the Dasturi Naka. This time we were not able to spot any giant Squirrels like last time we took this route. We reached Dasturi Naka pretty quickly. From there we took a van to reach Neral Station and from there back to Mumbai.

This was my first trek where we had lit bonfire, so it was quite an experience to site beside fire on top of a hill. I just wish we had some jackets to fend of the chill of the wind. Next time definitely we will take a jacket to this location. Overall it was a very nice trek and we enjoyed a lot, except the chilly night hours.

Our trek lead on top of plateau
Thank you Travel Buffs for a wonderful trek

Till next trek... Toodles

Hill Skippers
hill.skippers@gmail.com

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

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