Portuguese were the first few countries which came to India in the 1400s for trade. It all started with explorer Vasco de Gama and the influx of Portuguese started in India. Their luxurious lifestyle was famous all around. One such legacy which Portuguese left was the Korlai Fort in Alibaug. While they wanted to reign all over India but were not able. At last they just had few territories around Goa and Maharashtra. While they were not good at expanding their kingdom but one thing which they were perfect was their architecture.

The Korlai Fort of Alibaug was a prime place for Portuguese. In their good early days it was their place of power. While now this place remains a forgotten place. This stranded fort now has become one of the favorite destinations of tourists. Korlai fort is rich in history and has seen a lot of tough times. Now it remains alone with a lighthouse and few gates. Though Korlai fort itself is very enticing, the view also is dazzling. The beach around is very clean and the environment remains pleasant.

While history buffs will like this place for its architecture but the scenic view is also very enticing. The unmatched scenery of the sea and birds flocking around makes Korlai fort a prime destination.

What to do around?

The lighthouse

The lighthouse here is one of the few which still operates. From the southern gate you can visit the Lighthouse. This lighthouse was built in around 1955 and is fully automated. Around the lighthouse people do click a lot of photos.

The beach

The Kashid beach which is around the fort is also a stunning place. The sunrise and sunset remain the most alluring thing to see. You can also see a lot of fishermen around who are going fishing. While few people also love to collect seashells here.

The fort

Korlai Fort is at an elevation and gives you a 360-degree view of the Arabian sea. The fort is around 15 to 20 feet in height. The fort of course remains the star of this package. This great piece of history still stands tall. From the fort you can see the far-stretching sea. Also the fishing boats will also be visible from up top. Sea waves crashing onto the fort and alluring atmosphere make the visit memorable.

How to reach

The nearest town is Alibaug which is a coastal area. Alibaug is also known as the “GOA OF MAHARASHTRA”. Alibaug is 20 km from Korlai which makes it the perfect destination when visiting Korlai. Alibaug is very well connected by all means of transport.

By air

The nearest airport is the Mumbai airport which is about 140 km from Alibaug. You can take taxis and buses from the airport to reach Alibaug.

By train

Pen is the nearest town and railway station to Alibaug. Pen is connected to ALibaug and Panvel railway station. Panvel railway station is connected to Mumbai railways which are further connected to all over India.

By road

From Mumbai there are many buses that directly come to Alibaug. Private to public buses and taxis are available from Mumbai to Alibaug. While other cities like Thane, Nasik, Kohlapur, etc are also very well connected to Alibaug.

Korlai Fort Trek

While this, not a full-fledged trek and still remains far away from those rugged Himalayan treks. But this fun short easy trek is very enticing. The exciting thing is that we are not carrying that heavy load around. The Korlai fort trek is just one day depending on where do you start. Let’s start our journey from Churchgate.

We started our journey very early in the morning. We started from Church gate station at around 6 am in the morning. We all went to the Gateway of India from here. So we reached the gateway of India in time and took the ferry to Alibaug via the Mandwa port.

The beautiful sun was still rising and it looked dazzling in the morning. The slight breeze made the atmosphere even more magical. We were at Mandwa in an hour. And we took the bus from Mandwa for Alibaug.

We reached Alibaug in just 30 mins from Mandwa. The ride was short but the new problem was to reach Fort itself. There are many autos but they charge very high also they promised to drop up to the fort.

Soon we reached the Korlai village. This coastal village has a different vibe than what we would expect. The village looks exciting and people are friendly in Korlai. After a few minutes, we could see the blue sea. The seashore was visible and we started our journey towards the lighthouse. Soon we were there and also we could see the fort. We entered the fort from the seaside and were awestruck with the architectural beauty of this place.

While if you are still wondering about our trekking adventure around the Himalayas you can read our Roopkund trek here.