If you are interested for some adventure around a weekend in Mumbai, a trek to Kalavantin Durg is something that fits the bill. One of the most exciting and adventurous fortress located in a place easily seen from Panvel opposite Matheran and to next Prabalgarh fort, the place is exciting and scenic both. With a difficulty level of medium and a height of 500meters (2300 fts), it’s worth an experience that will last a lifetime, I can assure everyone on this.
HOW TO REACH
Via Train Mumbai:
Panvel station is the nearest railway station. You can either take a Bus till base village or Rickshaw till Thakurwadi village but I would suggest you to take a Tam-Tam, it’s unique and will surely be new to all the townies. The Tam-Tam will take you exactly to the point from where you should start your trek. Route is well marked with arrows painted in white color towards the peak.
Via Car Mumbai
Drive till Shedung Phata Panvel, on old Pune express highway and take a turn towards Thakurwadi Village from there towards the landmark Zoia Mountain Spa near Thakurwadi Village. Considering my personal experience, I would suggest the train route.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Considering Mumbai weather, there’s never an exact time to visit this trekking point. The trek can be done any time throughout the year but the thrill during the rains is surely something you would love to witness apart from that winters are a good season for a trekking trip to this astonishing peak.
FOOD
Food available at Prabal Machi is not exactly what you would be looking for. It’s always better to carry a bag of light snacks and minimum 3 liters of water.
TREK EXPERIENCE
Right from the time of arrival at the, Panvel railway station one can feel the excitement, you can take a bus from the Panvel state transport bus station or hire a rickshaw/ Tam-Tam being a little expensive as they would charge for the return fare too.
Once you reach the starting point the route is well marked it would take one hour or more to reach the Prabal Machi village situated at the top of this mountain. There are rest spots throughout the trek at many places.
One can camp there if they are planning for a night stay. Food can be arranged by the locals and can also be found in the only hotel over there.
You can easily find the village as it has a small Hanuman Mandir sculpted out of a rock at the start of it. After reaching Prabal Machi it would take around 45 mins or more to reach the Kalavanti peak.
The view from the top is totally worth the trek. You can even find a lot of wildlife while you head out to the peak. One of the most attractive thing about the Kalavantin pinnacle are the steps carved till the apex, which have no guarding’s on the side, one needs to be extremely careful while climbing these steps.
So go ahead, for a change fill your social media sites, with some different pictures!
