Matheran Travel Guide

Matheran hill station is situated 2,636 ft above sea level in the Western Ghats 23 km from Karjat. There was a time when a trip to Matheran was a ture adventure Trekkers from Mumbai braved the occasional leopard to get up the forested slopes from Neral to the tiny hill station on top which had but a few hotels in which to rest their tired bones. The reward lay not as much in the cool, crisp air that greeted them but the incomparable views on offer of lush plains silver rivers and in the distance home.

Matheran despite developing into one of Maharashtra’s prime tourist destinations, still rewards all who make the effort to reach the top of the ghat. And there are many ways of making the journey now apart from trekking including on horseback in hand pulled carts and in matheran’s very own toy train service. Many ways indeed save for petrol and diesel powered ones. For the powers that be in Maharashtra Tourism decided to preserve this ecologically sensitive zone banning motor vehicles from the town limits. And that’s the story of how matheran has remained a beautiful sahyadri hill station till date.

Matheran has a thick cover of evergreen forest which keeps this hill station cool and a walker’s paradise. But if all the walking gets your feet sore don’t fret riding on horseback is an exciting alternative. Matheran although small 8 sq km has about 38 designated lookout points. Before heading out try and get a map of Matheran from the MTDC office at Dasturi Naka or from the chikki shops in the market.

Point to point tour

Panorama Point almost 5 km north of the market is a trek that can be refreshing though long in the rains and in winter but quite grueling in summer. From here you get a bird’s eye view of Neral town and on a clear day even as far as mumbai in the west midway if you time it right you might catch the oy train as it chugs along the narrow mountain tracks. Sunrises and sunsets are quite dramatic here. Louisa Point to the west of the market offers an undisturbed view of the ruins of Prabal Fort and the many grass-topped hills.

At the name suggests there is indeed only one tree at the windy one Tree Hill Point from here a footpath leads south wards to shivaji’s Ladder which descends into the plains in Chauk via varose village. This 9.6 km long path was the one that mallet took to reach matheran and the locals continue to use it. Another must on every visitor’s itinerary is Charlotte Lake. Also check out hart Point monkey Point, Porcupine Point, Rambagh Point, Echo Point, Khandala Point, Mount Barry.

Trekking Options

The best time to trek to Matheran whether from panvel or Neral is soon after the rains when the slopes are carpeted with monsoon foliage. The numerous waterfalls along your way make the walk up very refreshing. Beginners can opt for the 11 km Neral Matheran tar road while seasoned trekkers can first go from panvel to Dhudhani 15 km away by local St bus or auto where the trek begins. After 2-3 hrs of a moderately steep climb the path emerges at Porcupine Point.