Fort in the midst of Sanctuary
Height: 1538 ft.
Grade: Easy.
Region: Raigad.
Range: Karnala.
Climbing Time: 2 Hours.
Food source: At base in hotel, which is on the Panvel-Pen Highway.

Best Seasons: July To February.
Nearest Railway Station: Panvel.
Water: Water tank available on fort.
Where to stay: Forest rest houses and hotels  available, which is situated near the Sanctuary

Emergency Contacts: Forest Office.

Karnala Bird Sanctuary which is situated near Panvel (12 Km. from Panvel ) on Mumbai Goa Hoghway in Raigad District in Maharashtra state. Just a short drive outside Mumbai on the Mumbai-Pune Highway to Goa, is the densely forested Karnala Bird Sanctuary, a pleasant surprise away from Mumbai's concrete jungle

Maharashtra Government in 1968-69 declared this 4.48 Sq.Km. region as the Karnala Bird Sanctuary. 

The total rainfall through the year is aproximate 2000 mm. The period is June to October. The monsoons rouse a number of feathered musicians, amongst them the Shama, Paradise Flycatcher, Magpie Robin and the Malabar Whistling Thrush. This is the season when the stillness of the forest is ruffled by the melodies of these songbirds, and the antics of the Racket-tailed Drongo as it mimics the calls of other birds! Winter heralds the journey of migratory birds as they flock to Karnala - the Ashy Minivet (Rare Bird), Spotted heart woodpecker (Rare Bird), Red-breasted Flycatcher, Blackbird, Black-headed cuckoo-shrike, Blue-throat, the Blue-headed Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush and many others. 

Rich with natural habitats for various kinds of birds, in the sanctuary one can find around 140 species of residensial bird & 40 species of migretery bird found in this sanctuary.

On the east of the fort, on the bank of the river Patalganga, is village Apta, on the west is Ransai Dam, while on the north is Vhichwan. The whole area is full of greenery. 

The fort of Karnala and its famous steep rock always has been challenge for trekkers. Bird watchers are advised to bring powerful binoculars to avoid disappointment. Karnala is worth visiting all year round except between March and June.

History of karnala Fort:

The Karnala fort is an important feature of the sanctuary. Its geographical location is 18053'N and 73007'E. The fort was built by Yadavas of Devgiri. It was under their rule from 1248 to 1318. from 1318 to 1347 it was in charge of the Muslim Dynasty of Daulatabad. During this period it was the head quarter of North Konkan Districts. Afterwards it came under the influence of the Gujrathi rulers. In 1540 the Nizam of Ahmednagar defeated the Gujrathis and took charge of the fort. With the help of Portuguese, the Gujrathis got the fort back again and handed it over to the Portuguese. To develope a friendship with Burhan Nijamshah of Ahmednagar, Portuguese handed it over to Nijamshah for 1750 pounds per year. In 1760 Chhatrapati Shivaji attacked the fort and took the possession. The fort was surrendered to the Moghuls under the Purander treaty, But soon it was again conquered by Shivaji. After the death of Shivaji the fort was captured by Aurangzeb in 1735. In 1740 the fort was captured by Peshwas. In year 1818 the Grandfather of the famous freedom fighter Vasudev B. Phadke fought as a keeper of the fort with the British forces and lost 300 soldiers, finally the fort was surrendered. Karnala Fort is situated at 445 Mt height above MSL. An exhaustive trek of 3Km is required to reach the Northern Gate of the fort. There are five gates in a row on the fort. The munitions store building and plinths of few other building are the only remnants on the fort. There are 12 water storage rock cut tanks at the base of the funnel hill which contains water all the year round. The funnel hill has many recharging drains which drain the rain water in to the tanks. There are many small tanks which get charged with the percolating water from the near by tanks. Earlier there were two stone carved inscriptions on the main gate. One was in Modi which read 'Bhalji Gambhirrao Thandar' and the other in Farsi which read 'Sayyed Burhanuddin Khan Hijri 1947(1735B.C.). This inscriptions was probably fixed during the conquer of the fort by Aurangzeb in 1735. At present none of these inscriptions can be seen. The plateau in front of the fort seems to be a grave yard, with stones arranged to form several rectangular shapes. The fort is situated on a strategic position. It was used to keep watch on the trade route from Pune to Mumbai or Chaul port. If the sky is clear, forts like Manikgad, Prabalgad, Chanderi, Saksi, Malang gad, Rajmachi and Sagargad can be seen from here.

Getting there : Karnala Bird Sanctuary is 60 km from Mumbai, on the Mumbai-Goa Highway, NH-17. This is a 2-hour drive via Thane Creek and Panvel. Central Railway trains from CST-Mumbai Station stop at Panvel, 12 km from the sanctuary; from here you can catch autorickshaws, taxis and buses. State Transport buses run from Mumbai Central, Panvel and Pen to Karnala. Ample parking for 4 and 2 wheeler vehicles is available at the entry point.

Best time to visit : The sanctuary is open to visitors throughout the year. The resident bird and animal population can be seen at any time of the year, especially the monsoons, while the best time to see migratory birds is from October to April.

Time: Daily 6am to 6pm ( Strictly) the sanctuary is open for the visitors

APPROACH
By Air : The nearest domestic airport is Santacruz in Mumbai and the international airport is Sahar in Mumbai. Both the air ports are 65 Kms. from the sanctuary.

By Rail :The nearest railway station is Panvel.. Panvel is the last stop on the Harbour line and an important station on the Konkan Railway. The important trains including Rajdhani and Express trains stops at Panvel. The Apte station is also the nearest station, but very few trains, that to passenger trains stop at Apte. Apte village is on the eastern boundary of the sanctuary. 

By Road :K.B.S. is accessible mainly by road. The Mumbai-Goa National Highway No. 17 passes through the sanctuary. The major taluka place Panvel is 12 Kms. from the Sanctuary. 
Panvel and Pen are the nearest and adjoining taluka headquarters having facilities of Rail head, Petrol, STD telephones and good hotels. Few good hotels with luxurious facilities are also coming up along the highway outside the sanctuary. 

Legal Status : Original status of the sanctuary was reserve Forest which was declared in the year 1885. In the year 1968 an area of 4.27 Sq.Km was carved out and was upgraded as Karnala Bird Sanctuary. The enquiry regarding the rights and privileges of the surrounding villages was completed and finally an area of 12.11 Sq.Km. was declared as Karnala Bird Sanctuary in the year 2003. In the year 1994 the area was transferred from Alibag Forest Division to Thane Wildlife Division. The eco sensitve zone of 10 km from the boundary of the K.B.S. was eastablished as per the supreme courts order. The eco-sensitive zone is drafted to be reduced to 0-8km, the notification is pending with Govt. of India for final notification. link for the Draft notification http://envfor.nic.in/sites/default/files/S.O.%201658%20(E)%20[17-06-2015].pdf

Terrain : The sanctuary is located on totally hilly terrain. The sloppy areas of the hillock forms ‘V’ shape basin, drains at a nalla and ultimately contribute to the river Patalganga. The entire profile of the land is deeply wavy with setting of long hill ranges which run in North-South direction. Karnala Fort is situated on a steep rocky edge. The difficult terrain has perhaps prevented the area being proliferated by human settlements for agriculture. The area also lack road network. 
To augment the water source to some extent three cement bunds and two ponds have been constructed. However the silt coming along the fast flowing rain water gets accumulated in them.
Trails :
There are 5 trails in the sanctuary which move in 4 directions from the camping site

1. Garmal trail :- 3Km. It goes towards the hilltop at the western direction. During spring It is exciting to watch the birds on the fully blossom Silk Cotton tree.

2. Mortaka Trail :- 6Km. It passes through probably all the terrains and the forest types. There are chances of siting maximum number of birds on this trail. 

3. Killa trail :- 6Km. It goes straight to the Karnala Fort. This is the most busiest trail with lot of enthusiast passing by. Watching the deep flights of the Shaeen Falcon at the funnel hill is sheer joy. 

4. Tadamba Trail :- 1.5Km. This trail takes you to the dense forest areas of the sanctuary. Few giant mango trees, Borassus palms and woody climbers of Gnetum are interesting to visit on the way. 

5. Hariyal Trail :- 1Km. Part of the Mortakka trail is good for visitors with short time available to spent in the sanctuary.

Admiistration of the K.B.S.
The final notification  of the Eco-sensitive area  around KBS published on 22nd January 2016 vide  MoEF Notification no. 230(E) Linkhttp://www.moef.gov.in/sites/default/files/SO%20230(E)%5B22.01.2016%5D%20Notification%20declaring%20Eco-sensitive%20Zone%20around%20the%20KARNALA%20Wildlife%20Sanctuary%20%20in%20the%20state%20of%20Maharashtra.pdf

Common Birds Found in K.B.S.

Babbler, Common    Babbler, Jungle    Babbler, Spotted    Barbet, Crimson breasted    Barbet, Large Green    Baya weaver bird    Bee eater, Small green    Black bird    Bulbul, Black    Bulbul, Red vented    Bulbul, Red Whiskered    Bulbul, White cheeked    Chloropsis, Gold fronted    Chloropsis, Gold mantled    Cormorant, Little    Crow pheasant    Crow, House    Crow, Jungle    Cuckoo shrike, Black headed    Cuckoo shrike, Large grey    Cuckoo, Bay banded    Cuckoo, Hawk    Cuckoo, Pied crested    Dove, Emerald    Dove, Ring    Dove, Spotted    Drongo, Ashy    Drongo, Black    Drongo, Bronze    Drongo, Hair crested    Drongo, Racket tailed    Drongo, White bellied    Eagle, Crested serpent    Egret, Cattle    Falcon, Shaheen    Flower pecker, Thick billed    Flower pecker, Tickell's    Flycatcher, Black naped blue    Flycatcher, Grey headed    Flycatcher, Paradise    Flycatcher, Red breasted    Flycatcher, Rufous tailed   Flycatcher, Tickell's blue   Flycatcher, White browed fantail   Flycatcher, White spotted fantail Fowl, Grey jungle   Fowl, Red spur   Heron, Pond   Hoopoe   Hornbill, Indian grey   Iora, Common   Iora, Marshall's   Kingfisher, Small blue   Kingfisher, Three toed   Kingfisher, White breasted   Kite, Black shouldered   Kite, Common pariah   Koel   Lapwing, Red wattled   Lark, Malabar   Lorikeet   Martin, Dusky Craig   Minivet, Ashy   Minivet, Scarlet   Minivet, Small   Munia Spotted   Munia, Black heade   Munia, White backed

Myna, Commo   Myna, Jungle   Oriole, Black headed   Oriole, Black naped   Oriole, Golden   Owlet, Jungle barred   Owlet, Spotted   Parakeet, Alexandrine   Parakeet, Blossom headed   Parakeet, Rose ringed   Partridge, Grey   Peacock, Pea fowl   Piculet, Speckled   Pigeon, Blue Rock   Pigeon, Green     Pitta, Indian     Redstart     Robin, Indian     Robin, Magpie     Roller; Blue Jay   Shama     Shikra     Shrike, Common wood     Shrike, Large wood     Shrike, Rufous backed     Sparrow, House     Sparrow, Yellow throated     Sunbird, Loten's     Sunbird, Olive backed     Sunbird, Purple     Sunbird, Purple rumped     Sunbird, Small     Sunbird, Yellow backed     Tailor bird     Thrush, Blue headed rock     Thrush, Blue rock     Thrush, Malabar whistling     Thrush, Orange headed     Thrush, White throated     Tit, Grey     Tree pie     Vulture, White backed     Wagtail, Forest     Wagtail, Grey     Wagtail, Pied     Warbler, Ashy wren     Warbler, Booted     Warbler, Leaf     Water hen, White breasted     Woodpecker, Golden backed     Woodpecker, Heart spotted     Woodpecker, Maratha     Woodpecker, Pygmy     Woodpecker, Rufous

Butter flies and Moths

Baronet
Blue Mormon
Blue Tiger
Brown Awl
Baron
Chestnut streaked sailor
Chocolate Pansy
Commander
Common Banded Awl
Common Crow
Common Evening Brown
Common Five Ring
Common Jezebel
Common Leopard
Common Mormon
Common Rose
Common Sailor
Common Blue Bottle
Crimson Rose
Danaid Eggfly
Glassy Tiger
Great Egg fly
Grey Pansy
Lemon Pansy
Lime Butterfly
Plain Tiger
Pea Blue
Peacock Pansy
Psyche
Striped Tiger
Tree Brown
White Orange Tip
MOTHS
Atlas moth
Death's head Hawk
Moon Moth
Owlet moth

Common animals

Barking Deer  Common Mongoose

Jackal

Indian Flying fox

Indian Pipistrelle- Bat

Indian Gerbille-Rat

Blacknaped Grey Hare

Indian Porcupine

Fivestriped Palm squirrel bonnet Macaque Rhesus Macaque Indian langur

For the List of Plants or reptiles contact 

Chandrashekhar marathe 9860028238

Email; ccmarathe@gmail.com