Kotligad is a small fort near Karjat and a good bet for an
easy hike. A train to Karjat and then a bus or local vehicles to base village
Ambivali (via Kashele) make reaching the fort relatively easy. The trek
involves a moderate gradient at first, followed by a flat walk on the plateau
till the base village of Peth and a final short steep climb to the pinnacle. It
is an easy trek with good views and well-marked routes (it is difficult to get
lost!).
However when we started the sun was beating down on us.
There were two friends in our group, new to Bombay, who had never done a rainy
hike and wondered what the fuss was about trekking in rains. As rivers of
sweat began to flow prayers for some cloud relief (and a few harmless bets on
whether it would rain) punctuated the conversation.
However one-third way up when we rested at a point where the
plateau and the fort first come into view, clouds seemed to be gathering. As
the hike progressed, the weather improved. By the time we reached the village
of Peth, it was raining nicely. At the village there is shelter and food
available for a price, thanks to enterprising villagers cashing on the trek’s
popularity.
One has to walk ahead of the village towards a small
settlement from where the final climb begins. After the climb, one traverses the
final hump and climbs onto a ridge that takes one towards remnants of the fort.
At the base of the final pinnacle is a cave; a staircase is carved inside of the
cave which takes one towards the highest point of the fort. At the top there is
nothing much but views; when clear Bhimashankar and Padar Killa are visible.
In the end though we started with the sun, we got the views
and then we got the rain. The showers brought a refreshing coolness turning
climbing paths into miniature cascades while the clouds and mist played hide
and seek in the hills. This was almost a textbook hike for explaining our new
trekkers what magic the rains bring to the mountains!