A Trek to Garbett Plateau!!! 

The monsoon in Mumbai was on brimming and we were craving for an adventure trip for so long. Finally, the day has arrived to fulfill our adventure instincts. Near Mumbai there are lots of trekking options and we decided for a trek to Garbett Plateau on Sahyadri Range which is situated near south east direction from Matheran. This is being frequently explored by adventure enthusiast and is categorized with a moderate level of difficulty. We contacted countryside for our trekking trip and they assigned two experts for our group. We have received all the necessary information as well as instructions for the trekking. So, we had packed our bags accordingly and were eagerly waiting for the ultimate day.

We left in the morning as per our scheduled time and straight away headed towards Karjat. We reached the village Dikshal our meeting point in Karjat which is near to Bhivpuri station as well. After having breakfast and tea we left from the village at 9:45 a.m. and in time we were in the lap of the nature. Initially the trek was simple and we were walking quite comfortably. In 15 minutes we reached the assembly point near the lake to start our trek. Our trek guide gave us briefing about the trek, what to follow, and how we will achieve our target. The scenic beauty and pleasant climate gave us the needed boost for the trek.

During the trek we were climbing hills and rocks, crossing streams and slippery patches, even playing on the fresh water, & were enjoying every moment. Slowly and steadily we were climbing hillock one after the other and with every climb the lake was getting far from us. The nature was unfolding its abundance at every step and we were enjoying every bit of it thereby taking small breaks. After some time we reached a section where the walk along the ridge started and this was quite thrilling. On our half way marked we reached a small village and crossed through its bye lanes. It was quite amazing to note that just 100 Kms away from a hustling and bustling city people reside in a village that doesn't even have basic facilities. Just to mention the children daily climb up and down the hill for their schooling. We were almost near the plateau separated by a stiff gradient of 75 degrees. While climbing one of the hillocks we heard a soothing sound of flute on the background and we were amazed to know that a bird is making this beautiful sound. The adrenaline was rushing through us and we climbed the gradient to reach the plateau.

Finally we reached the plateau after climbing a stiff gradient of almost 75 degrees. It took us three hours to reach Garbett Plateau which is 2000 feet above sea level. We cannot explain our feeling after reaching the plateau, it's like you walk up the hills, struggling your way up through different hurdles and suddenly you see a plain surrounded by nothing but nature. The plateau was vast, lush green and flat with few cows grazing there. We were rejuvenated by the beauty of the place, a lush green carpet, clouds, waterfalls, pinnacles, the soothing music of cool breeze and intermittent rain. We had our lunch and spent quite a long time there fulfilling our long lasting thirst of nature with pride.

We started our downward journey towards the base through another route and crossed all the hurdles again before reaching the lake side. It was an amazing experience whereby we came close to the nature through adventure. We are very grateful to our guides Sumit and Kiran for a safely guided and well informed trek. It was also noteworthy that they were very concerned about maintaining the cleanliness of the place. At last we would like to emphasize "Do not litter, keep enjoying the beauty, take only memories and photographs".

This blog was originally published on 'cloud9miles'