Matheran -- A Town Lost in time!!!

Matheran is a city and a Hill Station municipal council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a hill station in Karjat Tahsil and is also the smallest hill station in India. It is located on the Western Ghats range at an elevation of around 800 m (2,625 feet) above sea level. It is around 90 km from Mumbai, 120 from Pune. Matheran's proximity to these Metros makes it a popular weekend getaway for urban residents. The name Matheran means either "forest on top" or "mother forest".

Matheran is an eco-sensitive region, declared by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India. Thebest thing about Matheran is that the vehicles are not allowed, which makes the place different from others. Matheran takes you over a hundred years back in time when there were no vehicles. Because of vehicles being banned in Matheran, the place is quite peaceful despite the thousands of visitors coming to visit throughout the year.

There are lots of lookout points that provide spectacular views of the surrounding hills and valleys. Matheran has a reasonably dense forest cover. There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Khandala Point; from this point, the view of sunrise is breathtaking. The Louisa Point offers crystal clear view of the Prabal Fort. The other points are the One Tree Hill Point, Hart Point, Panorama Point, Monkey Point (there seems to be no point visiting this point as there are monkeys all over the place in Matheran), Porcupine Point, Rambgh Point, and more. The Lord point is spectacular for its lake and the view you get if you march on a little further, especially in evening with the sun setting.

The food can be a problem though, as there is lack of good restaurants. But, be sure to dine at Diwdakar's Bar & Restaurant. The food and drinks is cheap, worthy of good savor. You can also have your morning breakfast at Ketkar’s. Ketkar’s batata vada sambhar is a delight and so is the onion and tomato uthapa.Try avoiding Park View hotel as the food sucks, so does the cook. Customer satisfaction is last thing in their arsenal. Food you choose from the menu is more likely to be unavailable. It is mighty expensive on your pocket as well.


The only sorry sight is the amount of work put on the horses and the senseless tourist littering everywhere.

Getting there is not much hassle, nearest airport being Mumbai; from there you can either hire a car or take a train to Neral station. By road it should take an hour or two and by rail around three hours to reach Neral. From there on the choice is yours. A winding hike of just over a 9 km's is easier said than done. The same goes while coming down. The mini train is another way to reach Matheran, hop on and enjoy the scenic ride of an hour or so. The easiest and the fastest way to reach up is cab making you Rs. 50/- lighter (I guess it depends on the number of people traveling in one cab). Make sure you inquire about the mini train reservations, if taking one, as there are on 30 general seats available at one go and the booking starts prior to 45 minutes of departure. I suggest you take a cab and from there on take hike of around 2+ Km's enjoying the quiet, calm and menacing monkeys.

The best time to visit is whenever you have time.