Peb Fort Trek ❤️ Easy Matheran trek we all love

I have been trekking in sahyadris for decades now. My mom always asks me, Niraj what is it that drives you to mountains ? what do you find so appealing in those mountains? Only way to show her what the mountains offer was to take her on a trek. After so many years it was time to show her the beauty of sahyadris. I was planning Peb fort for a training session when she asked if she could join. I was not sure whether she would be able to climb those ladders on this Matheran trek. But then decided to give it a try. This Peb fort trek blog will act as your Peb trek guide to plan this trek by yourself. More adventures like this one at the end of the post.

Peb fort can be reached from four sides –

• Matheran side (Railway Track Route)
• Non-Matheran side:
  • Anandwadi village (Neral side) -Tower Route
  • Maldunge ( Panvel side) 2 different routes from this side
  • Nakhind (North side) – Nakhind Peb ridge range trek

Peb trek from Matheran side is the easiest one & the most frequented route. The treks from non-Matheran sides are longer, less frequented & tougher.

Is Peb Trek difficult for beginners ?

Niraj, what is the difficulty level of Peb fort trek ? If the Matheran railway track route is chosen for Peb trek it can be classified as an easy trek. Some beginners may find the ladder section a bit difficult especially in monsoon. If you have some expert trekker with you then beginners can do the Peb trek easily with little motivation. Peb trek from non-Matheran side can be classified as Intermediate treks with slightly steep climbing & longer routes. From this route you will need to climb a 10 ft rock patch which has proper holds (slippery in monsoon) & a ladder with a waterfall

What is the best time for Peb Trek

Most trekkers do the Peb trek in monsoon when there is greenery & waterfalls everywhere. Since many people turn up on monsoon weekends its better to plan it on monsoon weekdays to avoid crowds. I also prefer this trek on winter evenings to enjoy beautiful sunsets when the surroundings are actually visible as against in monsoon. Only pro trekkers visit here on summer days starting very early.

Iss Matheran trek me Khane ko kya milega ?

There are no stalls anywhere on Vikatgad – Peb fort. Its better to carry your own food & water. On monsoon weekends there are few huts which crop up on the railway track which can provide snacks. None the less once the trek is finished you can reach Matheran where you will find plenty of food & stay options. From Anandwadi & Maldunge there is absolutely nothing – sometime even not a single person on the trail especially from Maldunge

How to reach Peb fort from Mumbai & Pune ?

Where is the Peb fort located? If you havent realised it till now then Peb lies in the Matheran range of hills in Maharashtra. For the Peb trek from Matheran & Anandwadi the nearest railway station is Neral which is about 80 kms from Mumbai & 120 kms frm Pune . Neral has lots of trains from both Pune & Mumbai and hence is the cheapest preferred mode of transport to reach Peb.

• Peb via Matheran toy train railway route: (134 NM) This is the easiest route to reach Peb / Vikatgad. The starting point of the trek is at intersection of the railway track route & the road to Matheran( Dasturi Naka). Peb trek starts at 134 NM ( railway track marker location) on the Matheran – Neral toy train route. From 134 Nm one has to walk to 155 Nm (about 40 minutes) on the railway track to take a diversion from where the actual Peb trek starts (1 hr) . From Neral one can get on the shared taxi (Rs 100) for Matheran and ask them to drop at 134 Nm ( Or just mention Peb trek start or the route for Kadyavarcha Ganpati ). On completing the Peb trek after returning to 156 Nm we need to walk to 180 NM @Matheran to get a shared taxi for Neral. This Peb fort trek blog describes the same trek journey.

• Peb fort via Anandwadi: This is a lengthier trek version which requires experience. One can reach Neral Station and walk 3 kms to reach Anandwadi or may be just take a rickshaw. From Anandwadi it takes about 2 hours to reach the top of ridge. Since the trail follows a series of electric towers this is also called as “Tower Route“. The trail diverts from the third tower to reach the top via a waterfall route. From the ridge there is a 10 ft rock wall , a cave & a waterfall ladder (shown at the top of blog) which one needs to cross to reach top in an hour.
• Peb Fort from Panvel side: There are two routes from Panvel side . One starts from Maldunge & another from neighboring Komaltekdi village. The maps for these routes are available in my Project Matheran blog.
• Peb fort from Nakhind: This is a full blown range trek for which I will write a separate blog.

Peb fort trek Blog : TheFreeBird ‘s Story

I had planned an evening sunset from Peb. But when my mom decided to join me I was not sure whether we would make there in time for sunset. In hindsight my mom made me realize I do get my trekking genes from her as she climbed the fort without any problems in time for the sunset. So proud of her. I took my Xpulse all the way to Matheran and parked it next to the 134 NM spot. A proper parking space is available for bikes and cars free of cost.

Being weekday I didn’t expect to find any other people on the route. Though in the above picture you can see 3 kids who were making reels on tracks – Instagram has ruined every place. During monsoon there are many waterfalls on this route but being winter I didn’t expect to see any waterfalls. Few small waterfalls at the start itself got me excited and hopeful for great evening.

The Matheran toy train takes 2.5 hours to reach from Neral to top. Being a toy train the train’s speed is very less and the track has very less gradient. It felt like a flat surface & we walked at a fast pace. I expected my mom to get tired but she was doing a very good time. Only time we stopped was to get a picture below.

While walking from 134 Nm towards 156 NM we were lucky to come across the Matheran train going down towards Neral. I was so busy taking videos that i almost forgot to take a photo. Here is the train after it passed us. The train moves at a snails pace and gives ample time for the trekkers to move. You get smiles & waves from the children onboard the train.

Once we crossed the 155Nm Peb fort became visible in all its glory. The Datta temple at top was looking so beautiful in the evening light. Its barely visible in the picture below but i enjoyed the view in real time.

After 155 Nm we reached an arch from where we descend to Peb fort. As we took the stairs down we reached a bifurcation where left route goes to Kadyavarcha Ganpati & other takes you to Peb. My mother wanted to visit this temple – typical – but since we were low on time we decided against it.

Once we started walking towards Peb fort the greenery started to disappear and we were walking through tall grass. Atleast looking at the fort in front we knew where we had to go

At one point we reached a rocky patch which would definitely be slippery in monsoon. My mom showed courage to walk down the section without taking my help. These patch along with the first ladder is the difficult part of this descend

The ladder is sturdy but wobbles a little. Some steps are slightly loose and might scare some one if not attentive. Once this ladder was done the remaining descend is a simple one. Finally I could see the fort clearly & it was another 30 minutes to reach the top. It was about 530 pm and i didnt want to miss the sunset , we moved ahead.

We reached a rock which had eroded in such a way that it has formed horizontal slabs which felt like natural stairs. Here we saw a big monkey which shouted loudly. After we reached home mom told me that she was scared because of that monkey but didnt tell me as she didnt want to burden me. I told her I already felt that but it was just my freind who was greeting you😁

These stairs are the last piece of the Peb puzzle which needs to be conquered to reach the top. These stairs feel scary with all the shakes and loose steps. There is another set of ladder on the other route coming from Anandwadi. At the top there is a Shiv mandir, Swami Samarth Math , Datta temple & cave. But with the time limit we decided to just visit the Datta temple at the top and enjoy the sunset.

By the time i crossed the ladder the sun was at horizon. In winter the sunlight dies real quick hence i hurried towards the Datta mandir, with a look back I saw the mighty Matheran plateau.

After 2 hrs of trekking we finally reached the top. As a gift we got to experience a beautiful winter sunset. Many hills are visible from top which were slowly disappearing as the sunlight was dying. With few peaceful moments at summit we started our way back.

We reached the 156 NM railway track in the dying sunlight. If we had taken public transport to reach Peb we would need to walk towards Matheran over the railway track towards 180 NM for getting shared taxi @Dasturi Naka. On the way towards Matheran we could see the Kadyavarcha Ganpati from the railway track. We however had to walk back on the same track as my bike was parked at 134NM. This is how the idol appears from the track in daytime.

At 134 NM my mom was so glad to have completed the trek sucessfully. Hopefully she understands the meaning of trekking in sahyadris now. Got on my bike and headed home.

Bye !!

That’s it for the Peb fort trek blog.