Karnala(1538') is beautiful fort overlooking the Mumbai-Goa highway.There is a nice dense forest around the fort which has been made in to a sanctuary.Monsoons are the best time to climb this fort.It is a small distance from Panvel.The trek starts from the entrance of the sanctuary.A prominent path climbs up to the col between the fort and the hill alongside.From the col a flat plateau walk for twenty mins will take you to the thumbshaped karnala pinnacle. We encounter a small gate and a statue of some god on the small narrow plateau of the fort.There are some fortifications and some water cisterns which are hewn out of the pin..The view is wonderful. One can see the matheran range,manekgad and irshal prabal.A nice visit for a days outing in the rains.