Trek to Prabalgad Fort

So one a random Sunday, five of us decided that we have had enough of the corporate life and we should break away from the daily 9 to 5 routine. We thought trekking was a great way to escape the concrete jungle.

One good thing about Mumbai is that it is on the Konkan coastline and has got some of the most breadth-taking treks. The Mumbai-Goa highway is as famous as any other for its scenic route, waterfalls, bridges, rivers and vegetations along the way. It is infact on my 100-places-to-visit-before-you die list. I still haven't had an opportunity to drive down that highway. Anyways, there are quite a few places to go for trek around Mumbai. For reasons unknown, we zeroed in on Prabalgad.

We had everything in place. We had men. We had enthusiasm. I even had my toothbrush and a pair of jeans (just in case). Only thing we forgot in the entire excitement was a guide or a map to the place.

We were told that Shiavji built a fort in Prabalgad some 400 years ago and was a huge pain in British Colonial Rule's bum!

Reaching there
You take the Mumbai suburban local train to Panvel station. From there you take the auto to Thakurwadi. Some 19 KMs away, Thakurwadi is a small town in the foothills of Prabalad Plateu. Apart from playing host to the fort, the town also boasts of an awesome waterfall. In fact a trip to the town is worth the effort just because of that waterfall.

The trek is easy to begin with. Its as easy as walking. However as you gain height, the trek can be difficult at times. There was this time when we were on the edge of the cliff and we could see a 1000 feet drop (disclaimer: 1000 is an estimation). You just needed to slip once to fall off the cliff and get lost in obscurity forever.

From this point, I could see few low-lying mountains (the ones I still haven't explored), distant outline of the city (that we had left behind), a small river (I hope it was a river) and of course the village and farmers and mysterious things that are not really visible from up there. Isn’t life like that only? You cant really see things even though they are right there in front of your eyes?

Travel Advisory

1. Every single gram and milligram matters on a trek. Dont carry un-necessary things.
2. You cannot carry a lot of water (remember gravity?). Since Prabalgad is in green mountains, there are loads of streams and waterfalls along the way. Carry a water bottle, a thin cloth (filter) and chlorine pills (purify).
3. Do not forget a Glucose packet.
4. Mosquitoes can be a huge menace. Mosquito-repellant is recommended if you prefer the trek in shorts.
5. It rains all the time. Trek tends to get slippery. Make sure shoes are weather-proof.
6. Locals don't understand Hindi. They speak some random mix of Marathi and Konkani. Conversations could be a problem if you decide to go without a guide. If you go without a guide, you might not reach the top but you can always come down to the village. Try going without a guide if you want to seek the real adventure.
7. Surprisingly, cell phones work. You can carry your cell phones along.

Yes, the travel advisory came abruptly. I have a very good reason for that. We had to abandon the trek mid way. It was bit too difficult for few of us.

Anyways this is a trip that I will make again. I could not conquer the peak once and I will do it sometime soon. And till then this post shall be left open.

Other places on the web about Prabalgad
http://trekthesahyadris.blogspot.com/2005/07/prabalgad-trek.html
http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/prabalgad/