Bhimashankar via Shidi ghat

Height : 3300 ft.

Wow factor : Thrilling. Especially scenic in monsoon.

Difficulty : Risky and strenuous. For the inexperienced without a guide - very difficult. For the experienced - difficult in monsoon, medium otherwise.

Endurance : 3-4 hours of medium/steep climb and 3-4 hours of descent (Total time : 1 day ex-Mumbai)

Travel mode : Train + bus (- can be skipped) + jeep/auto

Cost : ~ Rs. 400

Region : Karjat east

Trek route : Khandas -> climb via Shidi ghat to Bhimashankar -> descend via Ganesh ghat to Khandas

My trek date : 24-Nov-2013

The experience :
First thought when we saw the imposing wall of the Shidi ghat route ahead of us - this is going to be the most thrilling trek we've done so far. First thought after we'd climbed the wall - it's great fun, but the difficulty of this trek is overhyped. The only thought while walking back the Ganesh ghat route - why doesn't this trek end? In all fairness, the Ganesh ghat trail isn't so bad and must be very scenic in the rains. The reason I didn't like the descent back was that I hadn't eaten anything for a few hours, and had shoes with a thin sole that (although they were great for bouldering) did nothing to protect my feet from the gravelly ground.

So how was it at the outset? We had to walk almost an hour before the first breathtaking view came in sight - a formidable wall that seemed impossible to climb.

Rajmachi via Kondhane caves

Height : 2700 ft.

Wow factor : Low (or did I miss something?)

Difficulty : Not risky (- no exposed climb), but strenuous (especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle)

Endurance : 3+ hours of steep climb and 3- hours of steep descent. (Total time : 1 day ex-Mumbai - early morning to late evening)

Travel mode : Local train + auto (or bus)

Cost : ~ Rs.400 including travel and grub (Can be done in half of that)

Region : Karjat / Lonavla

Trek route : Kondhane village -> Kondhane caves -> Rajmachi -> back via same route

My trek date : 15-Sep-2013

Ramblings :

This trek turned out to be a myth buster. Here's what blogs said and what we found:

1. 'This is a scenic trek' - Whoever thinks so should climb up Matheran via Garbett plateau in the rains and then hazard a second opinion. The way from Kondhane to Rajmachi is through a jungle and for the most part you can't see anything but the trail ahead and the trees around you. The occasional glimpse of a train chugging along the Mumbai-Pune rail line is fine, but not that great. (Or maybe we were too drained to appreciate it.)
2. 'There are white markings to guide you throughout the path' - There's not one single marking on the entire trail! (Washed out by rains, maybe?) Nevertheless, the trail's pretty straightforward.
3. 'There's a huge tamarind tree waiting to greet you on the way' - This one's just like the mango trees that show you the way to Garbett plateau. There's no tree that stands out well enough to qualify as a landmark. (Maybe it's on some other trail to Rajmachi?)

Matheran via Garbett Point

Height : 2600 ft.
Awesomeness : Exceptional, at least in the rains
Difficulty : Tough (actually, scary, not tough) at the final 15-minute stretch for inexperienced people without a guide, or if you climb up the wrong spur. Easy otherwise. First time trekkers with a sedentary lifestyle find it tough.
Endurance : 4 hours of no to low to medium climb. (Total time : 1 day ex-Mumbai - early morning to late evening)

Travel mode : Local train

Cost : ~ Rs.200 including travel and grub

Region : Karjat

Trek route : Bhivpuri Road -> Garbett Plateau -> Garbett Point (Matheran) -> Neral

My trek date : 03-Aug-2013

Ramblings :
Returned to this trek last week after more than a decade. August 2001 was when I had first taken this route - my first trek. It was a gang of about 50 hostel-mates going on the traditional 'sophies trek' then - starting on foot from campus at 4 in the morning - waking up effortlessly since we hadn't slept - to catch the first Karjat local... Last Saturday, it was a group of 5 techies, hung over from late Friday night coding horrors, fighting to make it to the 5:20 AM local. My adventure started right from CST when I just missed the Karjat local. Fortunately, it was a slow train, slower than the taxi that I took to catch up with it at Dadar.

All I remembered of my last trek to Matheran was lush greenery, low flying clouds, stinging rain, a well (- weird, I know), a couple of risky spots on the way, and great fun - mostly useless. So I did a bit of google search before the trek, and a couple of hours of blog and google-map review later, I had it all figured out... Or so I thought.