Matheran is a
fascinating hill-station 80-km east of Mumbai in Alibag district is
situated at an Altitude of 800m. This little hill paradise has been
left largely undisturbed, since the time when an Englishman, Hugh
Mallet, Collector of Thane, discovered it in 1850 and declared it a
fine place for shady walks.
Matheran is
the closest hill station to Mumbai and Pune . Ideally suited for the
weekend Matheran provides a break from the city. Perched on top of a
hill and enveloped in shady trees, Matheran is ringed by walking
tracks. The views from the look out, which drop sheer to the plains,
is fantastic. On clean days it is even possible to see Mumbai from
Hart Point.A Picturesque And Serene Hideout
One gets to
breath fresh air over here, as vehicles of any kind are not
permitted in the town, which makes it a very quiet, serene place.
This ban on vehicles makes the journey to Matheran an adventurous
journey. The journey involves an adventurous two-hour ascent in a
toy train. With food and drink vendors and monkeys jumping on and
off, as the valley glides by sedately. Hikers can opt for a tough
11-km hike through thick and shady forests.
Have A
Nice Walk
There are a
lot of nice walks in Matheran and points like Louisa Point, Panorama
Point and Little Chouk Point have fantastic views. Make it a point
to watch the sunset from Louisa Point.
One can also
see the little Charlotte Lake and the Parsi and Hindu cemeteries
near Rambaug Point. For the adventure trekkers, the interesting
places to visit are the romantic precipice called the "Byron
Garbutt" point, "Panorama Point". Trekkers can try a
footpath southwards from One Tree Hill, where Shivaji's ladder
descends into the plains. This path was discovered by Mallet but was
known to the local people for centuries.
One can stand
atop these peaks and survey the wild ravishing landscape, and the
reddish brown mountain ranges. The red soil is everywhere. Matheran
is a continuous poem of shady, thickly wooded paths of red mud and
velvet moss, stretching endlessly.
BEST TIME
TO VISIT
The Best Time
To Visit to visit this place is between the months of November to
June but the place is worth visiting any time of the year. During
the monsoon the trails become very dirty and the place virtually
shuts down.
HOW TO GET
THERE
Air: Nearest
airport is the Mumbai at 100-km.
Rail: Nearest
railway station is Neral at 21-km.
Road: State
Transport buses regularly ply from Mumbai and Pune to Matheran.
From Mumbai,
one can take a local train to Neral, where a tiny toy train waits to
take people to Matheran. Taxis are available from Neral to Dastoori
car park one can also catch a bus or taxi from Neral to Dasturi car
park from where one will have to walk to Matheran or hire a horse or
hand pulled rickshaw. As vehicles are not allowed inside Matheran,
ponies are favored as means of transport. Don't miss the train,
which is run four times a day. During the monsoon, the service is
restricted to one train a day and during heavy rain even this can be
cancelled due to landslides
