Matheran Shivaji Ladder - Garbet Trek 1

Matheran up by Shivaji Ladder route

Ten Routes to Matheran

Going cyclical around Matheran (as seen from the sky) the ten routes starting from Dasturi are:
1. Neral - Dasturi by road intermittently with hill trails arriving Dasturi (some also call this pipeline route as there is a water pipeline)
2. Bhivpuri - Bhutavali village - Garbet Plateau. There are three variants - the now popular variant is right on the ridge line down from tip of Garbet Point to Garbet Plateau. The other route earlier used more often goes up from Garbetwadi, a small hamlet to the West of the Garbet Point. This village is on an inward extension of Garbet Plateau and can be seen from Matheran market when you look down into valley. There is a broad trail that the villagers use to go up to join a western circuit trail to Garbet Point. Lastly there is now a proper unpaved road under construction to connect this remote village. The road goes all circling from West side to East side around the Garbet ridge and finally traverses the East flank of Matheran connecting with Neral Matheran road.
3. Karjat - Burujwadi – huge secret hidden waterfall – Alexander Point. This is a tricky trail year round but especially during monsoon. Route finding is difficult as you get lost in the jungle below. However, if you maintain level, even if you miss the waterfall you would eventually end up at village Khatwan. This means you overshot the main trail. But you can still climb from Khatwan and join the main trail up.
4. Karjat - Burujwadi - Rambaug Point: By far the easiest trail. Villagers use this to supply milk and other stuff to Matheran.
5. Karjat - Ambewadi - One Tree Hill Point. Once upon a time it was easier to reach the base village from Chowk directly. But now due to the Morbe Dam waters, one has to take a long detour. So it makes more sense to reach here from Karjat
6. Karjat - Arkaswadi - Warosa - Shivaji Ladder / Pisarnath Mandir (Here too I think there is a variant - I have tried tracing a traverse that goes south towards the mid plateau below One Tree Hill. So one can arrive at the base of the ladder from base of final One Tree Hill climb - in the jungle below). For paucity of time, I gave up exploring this traverse.
7. Hashyachi Patti / Malang Point - this will eventually lead to Dhodani or Arkaswadi depending on whether you are going to Panvel or Karjat. The latter is much farther
8. Dhodani - Sunset Point (the route starts at / before Dhodani coming from Panvel)
9. Dhodani / Monkey Point (the route goes past Dhodani village upstream along river and then climbs in sight of the Dhodani waterfall visible only during monsoon
10. Wangani - Peb - Matheran - There is a regular route that now goes from Peb top climbing down the East and to col between Peb and Matheran below Panorama Point. But I have traversed from the West side - a long traverse. For this you don't need to climb Peb but from the cave below Peb on the Western side, keep level and traversing along exposed trail until the Col between Peb and Matheran