Fireflies Festival Kothaligad Trek 2024

Kothaligad Fireflies Festival 2024 Trek Near Mumbai by Mischief Treks

Album link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/D8hhxUcTWx9ViUHg9

Charges and Travel Options:

Option A: INR 850
You can reach the base village in your own vehicle. We will be sharing GPS locations and directions/instructions on the WhatsApp group.

Option B: INR 1200.00
Camping & Pickup/Drop from Neral Railway Station included. Pickup/Drop Time: 18:08 pm Neral. Next day 11:00 am pickup from Base village.

Kids Charges: For Kids Charges without pickup are Rs. 499 and with Pickup from Neral are Rs. 950

⚠️ Eligibility Condition:

Participants need to "Read" and "Understand" the Details, FAQ's, Inclusions, Important Note, About-us, etc... Before considering to be apart of our group for this event. Do not book this event if the details and points mentioned are not agreeable to you.

Booking closes once slots are sold out.

The above date and time is for reaching the Camping location. Travel from Mumbai needs to start at 12.30PM

• Identity proof.
• Good and reliable trekking shoes and extra pair of floaters.
• Water (minimum 2 Ltrs) Compulsory.
• Torch with extra batteries - do not depend on the phone. 
• Keep your phone fully charged.
• Mosquito repellent (optional)
• A bedsheet or Turkish towel to lay down and rest or you may carry a sleeping bag.
• Some ready-to-eat food like biscuits, plum cake, etc to keep your tummy happy.
• Medicines (if you need any), Glucon D / Electrol / Enerzyl Powder (We will have a basic first aid kit with us).
• A haversack to put all your things. Your hands need to be free while trekking.

Important Points to note regarding Fireflies Festival 2024

Transport: If you have opted for the transportation the local vehicles from the Neral station to the base will be provided.

The main focus of this event is watching "Fireflies" and this is not a Camping focused event. Village home stay is just a medium to provide shelter for the night. 

Accommodation: The stay for this event will be at village homestay. This group homestay at a village house comprises of a large hall for the group to rest at night. Each participant needs to carry a mat/sleeping-bag to rest upon. Please remember this is a extremely basic shelter in village home. 

TREK- The uphill ascend from base village to pethmachi, will take 01hr 30 mins.
The (optional) morning trek ascend from pethmachi to peak will take approx 30 mins.

This is the Monsoon season and camping is best suited in winter and summers when it's not too windy or rainy. Please do not book this event if your focus is on luxury/comfort camping only. This is specifically a Fireflies-focused event and due to weather conditions, all other things need to be handled as per the best-suited option basis. The event schedule, itinerary, group composition, and all operational aspects are subject to change without prior notice. In these uncertain times, we will try to do our best to get things rolling but unavoidable circumstances may impact the operations.

IMPORTANT: Please do not book this event without reading and understanding the details mentioned on this page including inclusions, exclusions, FAQ's, Itinerary, Important note, and cancellation/rescheduling policy.  

Fireflies Festival is based on natural phenomena, just like rain/clouds, etc... as per the past few years` patterns, the events have been lined up from 18-May to mid of June 2024. During this period on some occasions, we will be able to spot thousands of fireflies, and sometimes we may barely get to see a few. The first and the last batch will have lesser number of fireflies. 

How to reach Kothaligad Fireflies Festival

• Open Google search tab
• Type the following words in the search window 'My location to Kothaligad'.
• You shall get the exact time required to travel, modes of travel, and distance (kilometers) from your location
• Click on the Get-Directions button on your screen or Start Navigation button(depending on your phone OS, and follow the directions on your phone to reach the destination.

Location: Kothaligad, Maharashtra.

Q: What are the best dates to attend the Kothaligad Fireflies Festival in 2024?

A: Rajmachi Fireflies Festival is scheduled from May 18, 2024, to June 30, 2024. For having the best experience of seeing fireflies you can plan your visit between May 27, 2024, and June 18, 2024. During this period you have best chance to find the highest number of fireflies. As heavy rainfall begins in the third week of June, trekking at the Kothaligad Fireflies Festival becomes tricky and tough.

Q: How to book Kothaligad Fireflies Festival online?

Ans. Booking tickets for the Kothaligad Fireflies Festival 2024 needs to be done online through the official website of Mischief Treks on www.mischieftreks.com It is important to note that advance booking is mandatory for participating in the Fireflies Festival in Maharashtra. To book/register for Bhandardara Fireflies Festival you need to click on Book Now button on this official booking website www.mischieftreks.com of Mischief Treks, and select the preferred date available for booking Bhandardara Fireflies Festival. Next step is to follow the instructions mentioned on your screen. Once you have made the payment and submitted your KYC data, your booking stands confirmed.

Q: Is the Fireflies Festival suitable for females?

Ans. Absolutely, We at Mischief Treks believe in equality and adventure for all. Whether you are a female or male, as long as you're physically fit and ready to embrace nature's wonders, you're more than welcome to join our events and have a memorable experience. 

Q: Are Kids allowed to participate in Kothaligad Fireflies Festival? 

Ans. Yes Kids are allowed. Age does not matter, It purely depends on how fit the kids are and how they have been raised in terms of adaptability to nature. One of my 3-year-old nieces can do all the Fireflies events at all the locations easily, but on the other hand one of my 16-year-old cousin can't even dare to think of going to any of the events listed on our website. His parents have raised him in such a way that now he is incapable of being in nature. This may sound harsh, but its ground reality.

Q: Is Kothaligad fireflies festival safe for solo participants?  

A. Yes, mostly 30% of participants come up solo and blend in. Mischief Treks has a reputation of providing a memorable experience for each and every participant.

Q: Is Kothaligad Fireflies Festival safe for girls?  

A. Mischief Treks has a track record of making our trekking and camping events extremely safe for girls. Normally 60 to 70 percent of our participants are females. 

Q: Are pets allowed in Fireflies Festival?

A. We dont mind, but the forest stray dogs cause trouble for all other participants when they sense presence of any outsider animal in their territory. If this happens we will have to ask the pet to be taken away. Hence we highly recommend not bringing any pets into any forest region including Fireflies Festival. 

Q. Are any discounts or coupon codes available?

A. Mischief Treks is known to be one of the rare few organizers who do not try to manipulate people using marketing tricks like unreasonably increasing charges and then providing offers and discounts to make people feel as if they have got best deal. The concept of Group-discounts end up making  solo participants pay more and hence we do not support it. We at mischief Trek believe in honest and transparent charges for one and all. 

Q: How long can we watch fireflies?

A. We at Mischief Treks make sure everyone gets enough time at the spot where fireflies are visible in huge number. However, if you are craving an extended firefly experience, feel free to stay back at the spot as long as you like. You can join back with the group once you are done. It's all about creating unforgettable moments.

Q: How long is the trek to the fort?

A. The uphill ascend from base village to pethmachi, will take 01hr 30 mins. The (optional) morning trek ascend from pethmachi to peak will take approx 30 mins.

Q: Can we reach or leave early/late from the Trek?

A. Yes you can provided you have your own wheels, you can reach as per your comfort and leave the base whenever you wish. You can skip dinner/stay, and if you are ready to hit the road, you can return to your home or hotel. We don't have any restrictions or obligations when it comes to staying back at the base village. You can reach and leave as per your choice. The charges for participation will be the same for all participants. Skipping part of event will not qualify for special rates or discounts. 

Q: Is mobile phone network coverage available at the Trek?

Ans. The network is poor and you may get intermittent network on Jio phones. Vodafone and Airtel networks are pretty bad in entire region. 

Q: Is mobile phone charging facility available at the Trek?

Ans. No, mobile phone charging facility is currently not available. We advise you to carry a portable powerbank with you along with torches to be used at night. 

Q: How to reach the Kothaligad Fireflies Festival location from Mumbai/Pune? 

A. You need to reach Karjat Station at the scheduled meeting time, from here you can follow our vehicles. After this point cellphone network coverage is bad and our team might not be contactable. The GPS location is provided in the WhatsApp group for ease of travel. 

Q: How is the road to Kothaligad Fireflies Festival location? 

A. The road till base village is in extremely good condition, one won't find any issue driving up to the location.

Q: How do we get in touch after reaching the meeting point? 

A. Three hours prior to departure from Mumbai, we will be creating a WhatsApp group for coordination where you will be provided all the necessary information regarding the contact person, exact point to meet, GPS coordinates etc.. The common meeting point is Kasara. Apart from on-field coordination related info, all other information is already available on this page.

Q: Is parking available at Kothaligad Fireflies location?

A. No, Official parking lot is not available at the Kothaligad Fireflies location. There is a open space where people park their vehicles. You may choose to park your vehicle at the given location at your own risk. Till date we have not encountered any issues related to parking. 

Q: How is the stay arrangement at Kothaligad? 

A. The stay for Kothaligad Fireflies Festival will be at a Local village homestay. This group homestay at a village house comprises of a large hall for the group to rest at night. Ones who wish to sleep under the night sky and fireflies ca do so. Each participant needs to carry a mat/sleeping-bag to rest upon. Please remember this is a extremely basic shelter in village home. This is not to be mistaken as a private room stay. The entire group will be sharing the place.

Q: What is provided in meals/food at Kothaligad Fireflies Festival?  

A. The meal will consist of veg and Jain food options. Rice, Chapati, Daal, seasonal veg, salad.  For breakfast Poha and tea will be available. This basic home cooked food is prepared by local tribal villagers. Restaurant and Hotel food is not available at Kothaligad Fireflies Festival.

Q: Is alcohol allowed during Kothaligad Fireflies Festival?

A. Using alcohol and smoking is strictly not allowed during Kothaligad Fireflies Festival. Consequences of breaching this guideline can be serious as this place has religious sentiments attached. 

Q: Is there a washroom available at homestay?

A. Washroom is available in the village for public use. Please be informed this is a basic toilet built in accordance to tribal village standards. Western style commodes are not available. There is no electricity in washroom and also for water one needs to refill the bucket before using washroom. If you wish to use the washroom at night, its advisable to carry torch.  

Q: Is there a washroom available during trek to the fort?

A. We have washroom available at base village of the fort. This is a basic workable washroom in a forest area of the village, it's clean and usable until people reach, beyond that, it purely depends on the participants on how they use it. It won't be like the ones you find in hotels or restaurants. This is a village and the village washroom is in line with the village people.

Q: How many people will be participating per batch? 

A. Final count of participants depend on the number of people booking, cancelling and rescheduling the event. Generally, the batch size is approximately 25-35 participants. Kothaligad is a Public place and we have no access to data on other organizers' bookings hence we cannot comment on the exact number of people planning to visit this place on a given date. 

Q: What is meaning of word Camping?

A. According to wikipedia and general understanding, Camping is not limited to staying in a tent. It can actually mean temporarily staying anywhere outdoors or in nature. It's all about immersing yourself in the great outdoors and enjoying the experience. So, whether you're sleeping in a tent, a camper van, a village home, a hammock, or even under the stars under open sky, it's all part of the camping adventure. It's about embracing nature and creating lasting memories wherever you choose to set up camp. 

Q: Which locations are available for booking Fireflies Festival 2024?

A. Out of the several locations for fireflies festival we have handpicked few best ones as mentioned below.
Best Fireflies Festival Camping Locations in Maharashtra

• Bhandardara Fireflies Festival
• Igatpuri Fireflies Festival
• Rajmachi Fireflies Festival
• Kothaligad Fireflies Festival
• Secret Location Fireflies Festival
• Karjat Fireflies Festival
• Prabalmachi Fireflies Festival 
• Sandhan Valley Fireflies Festival
• Ghatghar Fireflies Festival

Q: What are the major problems faced by organizers during Fireflies Festival? 

A. The Fireflies festival happens during end of may till mid June, and this is the worst time to go for overnight stay at such locations, But as the fireflies are visible only in this season the only thing we can rely upon is having shelter at village homes or tents. Tents are completely unreliable in this region due to heavy wind possibilities. Hence if the participants haven't read and understood the event details mentioned on this page, they might end up having unrealistic expectations from the organizers or they may expect this to be like the regular camping events. For example, at fireflies events food will be pretty basic, stay arrangement will be very basic, bonfire cant be done as smoke harms fireflies. Hence during enquiry phase we insist and almost force people to read-and-understand all aspects of Fireflies events Before-Booking. Yet, some people just scroll through and ignore the Important Points, Terms, FAQ section and About-Us section. We cant guess what you already know and what you don't. So, we insist that you need to at least once reading event details to avoid any omissions. Even after all the efforts to educate the participants, some of them still choose to be not aware of the facts and their unrealistic expectation causes lot of pain to the organizers. 

Q: Can someone call me and read out the details on this page?

A. We at Mischief Treks have a strict condition, each participant who wishes to join our group needs to be aware of all the aspects of the event. Hence we have mentioned the details with utmost clarity and transparency on this page. We will not make phone calls to read out information that is readily available this page. We strongly urge you to refer to the provided resources before requesting redundant assistance. We do not verbally provide details on phone as it usually creates a lot of "Misunderstanding" and "Miscommunication". If something mentioned on this page is confusing, you can get clarity on chat by clicking on WhatsApp icon on your screen, we shall revert with written clarification to all the queries. To discuss things that are "Not" mentioned on this page we can arrange a callback from one of our Trek Leaders.

Q: I have booked/paid for the event, is my booking confirmed for Kothaligad Fireflies Festival? 

A. No !, your booking can become invalid if you do not submit the "Most Important Details" required for emergency situations. This form needs to be submitted within 3 hours of receiving Booking Confirmation email. We do not allow anyone to the trek until we have complete and authentic details of the person. This info is crucial in case of an emergency and is a mandatory KYC parameter. The link for the "personal details - KYC form" will be sent after you complete the booking instructions mentioned on the website. Submitting incomplete/incorrect/fake details in the form or not submitting the form will make your booking invalid and no refund will be provided in such case. 

Q: Why is submitting emergency contact details and KYC information mandatory?

A. It’s a standard protocol and also part of guideline by local authorities. We are accountable for every Human-Body present at our event, and in case of any unfortunate event need to provide all relevant information about you to governing authorities. In order to comply, we have to take authentic information from you. Providing Fake/Incomplete information, or non-submission of the details will make your booking (paid amount) invalid and no refund will be provided in such case. You will not be allowed to participate in the event.

Q: Since when is cancellation policy applicable?

A. The policy is applicable for your booking immediately after you make the payment, irrespective of the date and time when you booked. The refunds/rescheduling requests will be processed based on the refund slabs mentioned in cancellation policy. The date and time of booking the event are irrelevant for calculating applicable slabs for refunds.

Q: Which is the Official website for online booking Kothaligad Fireflies Festival 2024?

A. The official website for Online-Booking of Fireflies Festival 2024 at Bhandardara, Karjat, Rajmachi, Igatpuri, Kothaligad, Secret Location and Prabamachi is https://www.mischieftreks.com Online registration is available for Groups, couples, Family and kids. These campsites and treks are couple friendly and kids friendly too.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aggregate Rating: 4.85 out of 5

Rating count: 2431

Update as on April 22, 2024

The best time to watch fireflies in Maharashtra, India is during pre-monsoon phase i.e. Starting from third week of the month of May to third week of June. According to the Trek-Leader Kuldip Rathore, last week of the month of May 2024 and the first two weeks of the month of June 2024 are going to be the best time for sighting maximum number of fireflies. He also suggests that this year maximum number of fireflies will be witnessed at AquaNest camping Fireflies festival, Karjat Fireflies Festival, Bhandardara Fireflies festival, and Rajmachi Fireflies Festival.

Where to Find Them: Some of the prime locales to witness the magical phenomenon are Bhandardara, Aquanest, Igatpuri, Rajmachi, Kothaligad, Karjat, Pramalmachi, Ghatghar, Purushwadi, Samrad, Sandhan Valley,   and our very own Mischief Treks Special Secret Location.

The Glowing Mystery: Did you think why do these creatures illuminate the night? Well, It's al about romance and warning. Fireflies use their radiant glow to attract potential mates while simultaneously sending a message to predators who often are afraid of fire and illuminating objects. 

The Threat of Decline: Loss of Habitat, increasing light pollution, and use of pesticides by humans pose significant threats to the firefly population in India. With only a handful of species remaining, the need for conservation efforts has become a matter of urgency. These fireflies are safe for humans and they do not bite. If you are concerned about rain and its impact on fireflies check the Facts vs Myth. 

Weather Conditions

Its too early to predict weather for May-June 2024. We will share updates once we have reliable information. 

Myths and Facts about Fireflies and Rain correlation

Since June 14, 2023 we observed that lot of people are believing lot of Copy-Paste based websites spreading incorrect information about the correlation between rains and Fireflies, hence we would like to take this opportunity to express our experience and things we practically learn in past 12 years. Rain can have both positive and negative effects on fireflies in India. For details click here - > Myths and Facts about Fireflies and Rain correlation

Commitment towards Fireflies and our Pledge: The Fireflies are very sensitive to changes in their environment, and smoke can be particularly harmful to them. We do not indulge or support unnecessary activities that cause smoke, eg. Campfire, Bonfire, Barbeque (BBQ) and any other activity related to smoke. By being responsible and respectful, we can help protect these amazing insects and ensure that they continue to thrive for generations to come. We pledge to continue protecting the interests of fireflies.

Appeal to Public:  Please take a step forward and spread the awareness about being responsible and help eradicate activities related to pollutants like Fire, Smoke, and Lights causing harm to Fireflies.  

• 90% will be refunded if canceled 15 days (360+ hrs) in advance.
• 75% will be refunded if canceled 10 days (240+ hrs) in advance.
• 50% will be refunded if canceled 05 days (120+ hrs) in advance.
• 0% refund if canceled in less than 05 days (120 hours) of the event date and time.
• 0% refund if the participant drops out, misses bus pickup, or does not reach the meeting point on the scheduled date and time. 
• Rescheduling can be done free of cost if the rescheduling request is sent to us 120 hours prior to event date and time. If the request is sent in less than 120hrs, 50 percent of event charges need to be paid for cancelling the current booking and rescheduling it to next available date. 

If the event itself gets canceled, you will be given the option to switch to any other event or any other date, Or you can opt for a 100% refund. If you need to reschedule your booking to any other available date, it can be done free of cost if the rescheduling request is sent 120 hours prior to the trek. From 0hrs - 120 hours prior to the trek date and time free rescheduling is not permitted. It will be counted as cancellation done in less than 120hours of the event date and time. It's a humble request, please do not give medical reasons, crib, argue or try to blackmail us if you drop out or cancel/reschedule the trek in the last 5 days.

​The basis of the cancelation policy is to protect the participant and the organizers from undue financial losses arising out of unforeseen situations. If the event gets canceled due to the medical/personal emergency of the organising team member, the participants will not have to suffer financial loss. Similarly, if there is a medical/personal emergency at the participant's end, the organizing team will not have to suffer financial loss.