TheFreeBird
First time I saw photos of Garbett plateau trek OR Garbett point trek I couldn’t resist looking at the photos again and again. That moment itself I planned that this was going to be my first monsoon trek that year. And here i was standing on Garbett plateau imagining how come such a beautiful place went unnoticed from me for so long. During monsoon clouds constantly cross Garbett plateau playing hide and seek with rain. This plateau view from the Garbett point of Matheran is what dreams are made of. Every once in a while clouds clear up to show beautiful views with Morbe dam on one side & Dhom lake on the other. In this Garbett point trek blog you will get all the information to plan this Garbett plateau trek yourself. More adventures like Garbett at the end of the post.
Matheran is one of the most famous hill stations in India where vehicles are not allowed. Normal tourists reach Matheran via the Neral toy train or just drive on the normal road to reach Dasturi Naka ( which is the entrance point of Matheran). These tourists then visit different view points of Matheran by walking or on a horse. However adventure lovers like me love to reach Matheran by trekking from base village to these view points. There are more than 10 Matheran trekking routes. Garbett point is such a beautiful view point in Matheran & this trek is a way to reach it from the base village. The namesake Garbett point provides a beautiful view of the Garbett plateau as seen by my friend Vicky just before monsoon.
Is Garbett point trek difficult for beginners ?
What is the difficulty level of Garbett plateau trek? Garbett trek is one of the easy sahyadri treks with perfect views in monsoon. You will need to have basic stamina to do this trek but trust me the views are so beautiful that no one will feel tired.
How long is the Garbett point trek ?
Niraj, how much time does it take to complete Garbett plateau trek ? It will take about 2.5 hrs to reach Garbett point and another 30 minutes to reach the main Matheran area. But make sure to have buffer time as you will click photos. Even the khadoos people who dont like to click photos turn into a photographer after reaching here. If you are planning a descend trek you will need 90 minutes to get down.
Khane me kya hai ?
Many hotels are available at Matheran & Diksal which the two end points of the trek. However i would suggest to support locals of Sagachiwadi which is at mid point for the trek. You can get tasty home made food here. ( checkout my trek food & trek gear )
Stay & Camping at Garbett Plateau
Hotels are available in Matheran which as you know is a famous hill station. Camping can be done on Garbett plateau in winter. In monsoon winds are too powerful for tents at Garbett point as well as Garbett plateau. Camping near Dhom dam seems to be a feasible option.
How to reach Garbett point trek from Mumbai and Pune ?
Garbett point trek to Matheran starts at Diksal, one walks through Diksal to reach Dhom dam. Walking around the dam we reach the Diksal waterfall . After a small stream crossing & a small climb we reach a big tree & further to a village called Sagachiwadi which is surrounded by paddy fields. From here walking pass a well we climb to reach the Garbett plateau.
Once we reach Garbett plateau we need to climb to the Garbett point where the trek is officially complete. From here one can reach Dasturi Naka ( entrance point of Matheran) take a shared taxi to Neral railway station and head home.
Nearest Railway Station is Bhivpuri Railway station (Diksal) & Neral Railway station ( For Moving to Matheran)
These two railway stations are very well connected with Mumbai and Pune. From Mumbai one can catch a Karjat local and get down directly at these stations. While coming from Pune one also get on a Karjat train and change to local trains at Karjat to get down at these stations which are 10-15 minutes away.
From Matheran to Neral station there is plenty of connectivity with shared taxis charging Rs 70 per head.
Route for the Garbett trek: Bhivpuri Railway Station > Diksal > Dhom Dam > Sagachiwadi > Garbett plateau > Garbett point > Matheran > Neral railway station
Garbett Point Trek to Matheran : TheFreeBird’s Story
As part of my #ProjectMatheran I am covering all the trekking routes to Matheran. Since the time I had seen photos of Garbett plateau I was counting days till monsoon. As soon as it started raining I took the first train to Bhivpuri road railway station. From station one needs to walk through the Diksal city (15-20 minutes) to Dhom dam from where the Garbett trek starts
Dhom dam has a huge expanse. The size of its banks changes through the year with the amount of water . During monsoon the water rises more and we need to walk more as backwaters rise in certain areas. Once I started walking past the dam I could see the Diksal waterfall & the BIG tree on its right side. The first target was to go near this waterfall
As I reached near the waterfall the sound of a near by water stream became louder and louder. I was enticed to take a plunge in this stream but the water was too cold. I didnt want to wet my shoes at the start of the trek hence I took them off for stream crossing.
The stream though not that big got me excited for the actual trek i.e climbing which starts from here. Taking the route on right side we reach this BIG TREE where we had out first snacks for the day. This tree’s shadow would be a blessing during a summer trek . With a small brunch we were once again on the trail.
Gradually climbing higher we first reach Sagachiwadi. The trail passes through many paddy fields before reaching here. With proper sunlight this would be a sight to behold but that day it was very cloudy . We made out way through the village. There are few food options available in this village. If not for the brunch 10 minutes back I would have definitely had something here. #SupportLocals
Many kids were excited to see us in full trekking gear. Some took fancy to my friends DSLR. He took many photos which no one ever got to see again. Classic DSLR guy !!! Passing through the village we reached a well where we filled our bottles
Just after the well is a sign directing us to start climbing the short hill to reach the Garbett plateau. The cloudy climate had started to clear up and the view was getting better & better with each step. Soon the weather cleared up & Dhom dam became visible.
I was finally going to reach the Garbett plateau after waiting months for monsoon to start. But as fate would have it, it was a huge anticlimax as clouds gathered all over the plateau minutes before I reached it. I was praying for the nature god to clear the climate and give me a sneak peak for the view around. We waited for some time in vain and started to walk towards the Garbett point. The clouds did clear up a bit but not as much as a photographer would have wanted..
The clouds continued to play with the mountain. The trees & Garbett point disappearing within clouds every now & then did provide a unique experience. We walked towards the Garbett point which was mostly hidden behind clouds untill we reached near it .
As we started climbing towards the Garbett point the clouds were back in action. Wind speed increased drastically making it even difficult to walk. I mean come on Nature God do you really want me not see anything on this Garbett trek ??
But even the darkest cloud has silver lining . The wind picking up speed bore unexpected fruits as the the clouds started to clear up & soon I was shocked to witness this Garbett plateau unravelling its beauty in a magical way.
This magic show lasted for couple of minutes before the clouds took over and we were walking through clouds again. As the wind picked up speed I kept my camera inside and slowly moved towards the Garbett point. The famous view from Garbett point Matheran had disappeared today and only railings were visible to identify the view point
Above is what Garbett point view of the plateau looks like without clouds but I feel the cloud experience is a hundred times better. Since no view was visible we moved ahead towards Matheran market. Its about 2 kms of walk to reach the main market. Even the inner trails in Matheran were cloudy.
We passed under many trees to finally reach the main road of Matheran which runs besides the railway track. This Garbett trail meets the Matheran railway track at this point which conveniently happens to be a tea stall. A cup of tea always tastes good when you been trekking for hours completely drenched.
With the hot tea in our systems we walked over the railway track to reach Matheran railway station where the toy train was parked for the monsoon season. The train service is stopped in monsoon due to constant landslides. We went to the main market area, moved around a bit before calling it a day
Next move was to reach Dasturi Naka, get into a shared taxi to Neral railway station. A day well spent in sahyadris
Till next time.
Bye !!
Hope you enjoyed reading this Garbett trek blog .
If you have any doubts add a comment at the end of this post or reach out to me on my social media channels(at the end of this page). I also create ambience sahyadri videos on youtube.
TREKS NEAR MUMBAI & PUNE
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SOULFUL TRAVELS
I saw similar pre monsoon clouds just yesterday where we couldn’t see scenery at all. We waited for half an hour for the clouds to clear up but they didnt go away. Got no photos 😓
Garbett is always covered in clouds. Sometimes you dont get to see much due to cloudy weather. But trust me its equally beautiful & be sure it would be much more memorable than the photos