Adventures in India

Date :30th July 2006This o­ne day hike to Karnala is best enjoyed during the monsoons, when wisps of mist flirt with the way to the top of the fort as it towers protectively above the dense forest at its base. Maharashtra Government declared this 4.5 Sq.Km. region as the bird sanctuary in 1968-69. The sanctuary, while small (4.8 sq. km) is a delight for bird watchers all through the year, and is home to some 150 resident species and over 35 species of migratory birds.

Rich with natural habitats for various kinds of birds, the dense foliage consists primarily of Teak, Flame of the Forest, amaltash or laburnum, babul, bael, jamun, mango, peepul, bamboo and red silk cotton trees - the perfect refuge for birds to live in, and us to walk through.We can spot sunbirds, drongoes, orioles, babblers, red vented bulbus, mynahs, kingfishers, magpie robins, Malabar whistling thrushes…. Or the lesser seen paradise fly-catcher, peregrine falcon, spotted heart woodpecker, king vulture and the crested serpent eagle …. Four-horned antelope, wild boar, common langur, African monkeys and the muntjak or barking deer abound and spottings of leopards have been noted infrequently as well.Winters are good times for sightings, with resident as well as migratory birds like the the ashy minivet, red-breasted flycatcher, blackbird, black-headed cuckoo-shrike, blue-throat and the blue-headed rock thrush. The monsoons come alive with calls. The songbirds lead and the racket-tail drongo mimics them.This is a small fort compared with the others in the Sahyadri, built in the 12th Century. It was under the Nizamshahi rule until the 15th century after which Emperor Shivaji captured it. The Moghuls, the Angres, the Peshwas and even the Portuguese are said to have had posession at various times until Colonel Prother finally captured it for the British in 1818.Its command of the high road between Bhor ghat and the rivers of Panvel and Apta, must have from the earliest time, made Karnala a place of strategic importance. The fort itself is in reasonably good condition. Two Darwajas guard the entrance to the fort, and some of the fortification is still in shape for us to observe. There are two inscriptions in the Fort, o­ne in Marathi and the other in Persain. We leave Mumbai at 6:00am sharp and reach the base of the fort be 8:30. A filling breakfast and short half an hour’s walk later, we are o­n the top of the fort, with the thumb-like pinnacle sticking out next to us, and the Mumbai coastline in the distance. We come down again for lunch, and spend some time relaxing in the greenery around us. We have tea and return for Mumbai at 5:00pm.The fees for this hike are Rs.800/- per head and bookings along with full payment should be done before the 23rd of July 2006

<font color="#000000">Instructions</font> for participants o­n Monsoon Hikes. Please do read them before heading out.