Trek to Kalsubai Peak : Trek Maharashtra

 

About Kalsubai Peak :

            Kalsubai (कळसूबाई)  is the highest mountain peak in Maharashtra. It has an elevation of 5400 feet above sea level which is about 1646 meters. The village of Bari belongs to the Koli Mahadev tribe. From this village there is a way to reach Kalsubai peak. There is a small temple of Goddess Kalsubai on the peak.

History of Kalsubai Peak:

            The history of Kalsubai is a legend. In ancient times there was a Koli girl named Kalsu. the Kalsubai was a housemaid living in Indore village at Patil’'s house. It is said that before starting her work, she made a condition to Patil that she would do other work besides removing garbage and washing utensils. Once a lot of guests came to Patils house, Patla asked Kalsu to wash the utensils, so Kalsu did her work as ordered but after this she left the house and started living on the hill. That is the mountain of Kalsubai.

Our Trek experience :

            We did our kalsubai trek with Trek team Hikersstop Adventures. It was sunrise trek so we have to travel at night from pune. Our Pickup time from  pune is 9:00 pm from Shivaji Nagar and some other points so everyone gathered at their respective  pickup points  and our journey started at 9:30 pm. We had so much fun during the travel up to the base point.

            We reached base village at 2:00 am, It was cold outside we stayed at villagers house for almost 1 hour up to 3:00 am we get our things ready drink tea and did some stretching.

            So, we started our trek at 3:00 am from Bari village it was so dark and cold outside everyone light there torches and star moving towards our destination. The guide was leading our way through the direction and one of his helper is at the end. First point of our trek is temple of kalsubai which made by the villagers for the people who cannot go to the top to original temple. The way to the temple was very tiring. It almost took us 30 minutes to reach their. Behind the temple there is a big entrance (Kaman) which indicates the starting of the trek.

            The way from the entrance was not confusing It is easy to find the path in torchlight and also we had guides to help us through the Trek.

            The large portion of the trekking was just climbing the steps. After trekking for almost an hour we reached to the first iron ladder. There are many shops and stalls in way where one can take a rest for a while and proceed further to the destination.

            At reaching the second ladder we are at the high land from where we can see the peak of the mountain. We were so exhausted at this time we rest here for a while, some our trek mates was already at the top. Then not taking much time we continued our trek after the second ladder we just follow the direction of the peak and reached to the final ladder which will take us to the top of the kalsubai peak. Seeing the top of the mountain motivates us and we climbed the last patch as quickly as possible cause it’s the time of sunrise. We reached the top by almost 6:00 am. It’s so refreshing  up there it feels like heaven at the top of the world.

            It almost take us 3 hours to climb the kalsubai peak . The best thing happen was we reached the top before sunrise. It was hard and exhausting but worth it. We stayed at the top for almost 2 hours up to 8:00 am and captured all beauty from kalsubai peak. You can see the surrounding views from kalsubai pic like bhandara dam as well as nearby hills like Harishchandragad, Ratangad, Harihargad, and Alang-Madan-Kulang forts.

Things To Know Before You Go On A Trek To Kalsubai :

• Carry enough water. 3 Lit of water will be adequate.
• Winter is the best season to visit Kalsubai.
• Wear proper shoes with grip to avoid slipping.
• Try not to carry too much weight during the trek.
• Night treks are best during the winter season and must be done under the guidance of a guide.
• If you’re going for night trek carry your separate torch with you.

How to reach Kalsubai Peak :

        There is no direct flight to Kalsubai base villages (Bari). You have to take bus, train or private vehicles from pune or Mumbai.

By Rail:

        The closest station to Kalsubai base village is Igatpuri. from here, you have to take  bus or taxi to reach the base village.

For private vehicle:

From Pune:

Pune = Nasik Phata = Narayangao = Otur = Bhramanwada = Kotul = Rajur = Bhandardara = Bari = Kalsubai

From Mumbai:

Mumbai = Kalyan = Asangao = Sakurli = Ghatgar = Bhandardara = Bari = Kalsubai

 

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