TheFreeBird
As a child my parents took me to Karnala fort trek as an introduction to Sahyadris. The Karnala Bird Sanctuary holds a special place in my childhood. Those golden memories of seeing peacock dancing , rabbits , mongoose & some colourful birds singing are still fresh in my mind. Over the years i have visited Karnala fort many times, but the views still fascinate me. People always ask me for a simple beginner sahyadri trek – answer to that has always been Karnala fort trek. It is easy for all members of the family and being just 10 kms from Panvel makes it the most sought after beginner trek. In this Karnala fort trek blog i will provide all the required information to plan this trek yourself & how the Karnala view changes from monsoon to summer. More adventures like Karnala fort at the end of this post.
Is Karnala trek difficult for beginners ?
Niraj what is the difficulty level of Karnala trek? Karnala trek is one of the easiest sahyadri trek perfect for beginners & families with normal stamina. Plus the bird sanctuary is a good way for kids to know more about nature. Being a very easy well marked trek guide is not needed for Karnala fort.
How long is the Karnala Trek ?
Karnala trek takes about 90 minutes to reach the top . The initial trek till the rest point 2 is the steepest and is the more time consuming. For all the family members Karnala fort will take 2 hour time in monsoon at max to reach the top.
What is the best time to visit Karnala bird sanctuary ?
Monsoon provides the best climate and the best views full of clouds , hence i prefer to do a monsoon trek. However winter has its own charm with beautiful sunsets. Winter is a good time for bird spotting as well. In this Karnala blog you will see photos of Karnala fort in monsoon , winter & summer. You can decide for yourself which weather do you like.
Khane me kya hai ?
There is a canteen inside the premises near the sanctuary where you will get good food. However if you are carrying any food with you make sure to eat properly with a lookout for monkeys who tend to like it too. Water is available in the rock cut cisterns / Tanks at the top . However with time the tanks usage as drinking water has reduced. Better to carry two water bottles with you. ( checkout my trek food & trek gear )
Camping & stay at Karnala
Being a wild life reserved area, camping is not allowed on Karnala . It is only done as a one day trek .
How to reach Karnala Fort from Mumbai & panvel ?
Where is Karnala fort located? Karnala is located in Panvel taluka of Raigad district, Maharashtra. It is a famous landmark on left of Mumbai – Goa highway. On good days it can also be seen from the Old Mumbai-Pune highway as well as Mumbai-Pune expressway.
There are two routes for Karnala trek
Route 1 (Easy): NORMAL ROUTE ( From Mumbai-Goa Highway)
Mumbai – Goa highway passes through the Karnala bird sanctuary and is the easiest way to reach Karnala fort. Karnala lies some 10kms away from Panvel railway station ( which has got great connectivity with local trains as well as express trains). From Panvel railway station walking for 5 minutes to the ST stand( state transport buses ) you will get to see many bus options.
Take any local bus heading to Alibaug, Pen or Sai which will take some 15-20 Rs & 20-40 minutes depending on traffic. Before getting into any bus make sure to check with the conductor whether the bus will stop at Karnala. If there are no bus with a scheduled stop at Karnala request them to give them the ticket of next stop but drop you at Karnala. For a bigger group there are large number of EECO ( rickshaw taxis ) out side the railway station as well as the ST depo which can drop you for about 300 – 400 Rs depending on the bargain.
Rajmachi, Manikgad & Songiri fort visible in the above map are also great day trek options
Route 2( Longer & Confusing) : JUNGLE TRAIL
The Jungle Trail starts from Rasayani Railway station. I will describe this route in a different blog ( will update the blog link here). The route passes over rough road to reach a wadi from where a confusing trail passes through many streams under dense forest cover to meet the normal route at Rest point 2 mentioned in the map below.
Forest Check Point at the start of Karnala Fort trek
Being a forest area there are certain rules which need to be followed.
- The timing for Karnala is from 7am to 1pm at the Entrance Check point & make sure to get down by 4pm.
- Entry fee is Rs 30 for adults .
- Parking fee is Rs 25 for bikes & Rs 100 for cars
- Camera charges are Rs 100 and Rs 250 for DSLRS / drones
- Bags will be checked for plastics & they will be charged at entrance for a refundable amount which you will get back on showing the proof while going out . This has been done to reduce loitering and is a good step towards keeping the area clean
Karnala Trek Blog: TheFreeBird’s story
The entrance of Karnala makes me think that this is some kind of a Jurassic Park 🙂
This tar road will take you to the main Sanctuary where many birds have been kept in cages. Earlier there used to be different kinds of birds here but now only few are kept for public viewing. On enquiring with the officials they said that most of the birds have been released in the wild on government orders & only few injured ones are kept for rehabilitation. Lies i say 😉
Spotting a peacock dancing got me excited. There are few more houses here for officials & a canteen as well. From here onwards starts a trail to the Karnala fort trek. The start is a bit inclined and we need to walk the muddy stairs for abour 20 minutes to reach the Rest Point 2 ( Also called Nagesh Point) . In between there is also a rest point 1 build by the authorities as well. Lekin itne me thakk ke nahi chalega.
On weekends there is a mad rush at Karnala & you will only spot humans everywhere . I prefer weekdays to be one with nature. From the Rest point 2 , the trek becomes a normal walk till the base of the fort which is about 1 km away. I stayed silent and spotted many birds singing melodiously. Since it was a weekday the entire fort was empty. I spotted a peahen, parrots , monkeys ,mongoose, vanar ( big monkey) , many crabs and few birds with unusual colours & sounds which i could not identify.
I had now reached Roots point ( i named it so). This was once a normal route but lot of soil erosion over years has exposed all the roots. Here I spotted a mongoose looking at me. He might have been wondering how come this human is here on a weekday . Surprise. And it ran away into the bushes.
Monkeys at Karnala fort
I spotted few monkeys staring at me from far. The trick is not to look at the monkeys at all. Just look down and walk . If you try to show aggression , remember you are in their home and they will be aggressive as well. Just stay cool and walk. If you are having any girls / ladies in your group tell them not to shout out of fear, Also if they have any bags make sure to carry it off them.
Forts visible from Karnala fort
On some monsoon days when there are no clouds forts like Manikgad, Irshalgad, Kalavantin, Songiri, Matheran, Sondai, Prabalgad and sometimes even Rajmachi , Bhimashankar, Padargad & Kothaligad are visible . However today only clouds. Badal important hai boss. The entire region was under a cloud siege.
Walking further i saw the first glimpse of Karnala fort emerging majestically through the clouds.
As we near the actual fort we first reach a Bhawani Temple at its base which is almost half way to the top, i sat down and had some snacks. The actual Karnala fort begins from this area wherein you enter the fort through remains of fortifications
Moving ahead is a maze of stairs with pole railing fence to safeguard the slippery edges. I reached here just in time before the clouds wreathed the entire fort. Look at this beauty
The stairs to this main entrance are exposed and not in good shape. It would be nice to pass through these stairs as quickly as possile.
When there is no crowd this is indeed a gateway to heaven, the view from this gate is very beautiful. Have a look at the video below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram for some offbeat nature trails
As you see in the above pic the view from the entrance is beautiful throughout the year. As I continued ahead the main gate is near by. This gate has been newly installed by some fort lovers. Nice !!!
By now it was getting late for me as the clouds had decided to end the daylight. Hence i rushed through the remaining part of the fort as quickly as possible. However the clouds & wind at the top made for a superb combination. I wanted to stay there and take in as much of this fresh air & the scenic view had to offer. When i returned here in winter the picture was very clear & equally welcoming
In the above photo you will see the Pandu tower which is a huge basalt rock which was used for keeping an eye on the enemy movements in the areas near by the Bor Ghar which connect Deccan & konkan plateau. Its not possible to climb it in monsoon. However it can be climbed in summer with proper technical mountaineering skills. Besides the tower is a armoury room which is in dilapidated condition. 5 years back i had seen the walls of that armoury to be higher, but with time it has got smaller in height. If you go in you will see a lot of fallen stones from the walls. If proper care is not taken at proper time these historical monuments will be lost forever.
At the base of this grand tower are atleast 10 water tanks ( may be even more) . These have been the source of drinking water for centuries. Now most of them lie in disregards and as a canvas for some idiots to write their names on. I dont know why people deface such monuments. What they achieve by writing names is beyond my grasp. Be a hero & prevent someone from doing this idiocy
Sonki flowering in September- October makes the fort come alive. The mighty rock tower has been attacked by clouds & rain for thousands of years still holds strong after centuries . When i came back in winter this view presents itself in a different way as you will see below.
The lower part of Karnala was looking terrific with all the green and yellow decoration. Monsoon has its own flavour with the clouds & greenery and winter has its own branding with beautiful sunsets.
I will prepare a full length YouTube video for this trek. However for the time being here is short video of Karnala trek. Make sure to subscribe to my channel or I will hide your trek shoes 😁 Youtube Short: https://youtube.com/shorts/iaDV85TYlcY
I sat here at the top for some time enjoying the nature. It was time to leave. I was completely drenched and would have loved a chai or cup of hot coffee. Say no more.
In winter I had lots of time to enjoy the sunsets & the beautiful lights of dusk. Since I was not drenched as in monsoon I just sat here for an hour to enjoy the orange hues
In winter I had lots of time to enjoy the sunsets & the beautiful lights of dusk. Since I was not drenched as in monsoon I just sat here for an hour to enjoy the orange hues & finally unwillingly left after the cold became unbearable.
Reached my bike & rushed home.
Bye !
Thats it for the Karnala fort 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.
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Wow. Karnala pics looks really good. Those yellow flowers look lovely
Thanks a lot. Sonki bloom in monsoon adds to the beauty
Is the fort accessible now, since I saw a news that fort is closed due to some cracks
Yes Aditi, when I visited last Friday the route was closed after the temple. It might be fixed after monsoon i guess
Great article! Excellent insights! Thank you!
Do you think trekking up to the fort in April is doable and worth it? Would love to hear your thoughts
Thanks man. The entrance of fort at first gate is blocked for rework. Not sure on when the work will be completed… If it does get completed…then u can see the entire fort…however in April it would be very hot & not necessarily a good trek time…if u still want to do it in April starting the trek very early is the only option