Salcette To Matheran

Magical Matheran

Post by Durba

Catch a train on Mumbai-Pune line and get down at Neral. From Neral take a toy train to Matheran. If you are on a car, drive via Karjat to Neral and further to Dasturi. It’s a 45-minute walk or horse-ride to reach Matheran. From Mumbai it will be around 3 hours journey. The car route is for the brave few!! Enjoy the steep curves and the sharp bends and wave to the toy train as it criss-crosses with you! Book tickets ahead for the toy train or else you might need to stand in a queue for couple of hours!

Toy (Hill) Station

Post by Divya | Delhi | May 31, 2011

Cell phone connection can create trouble by its absence, for non-Maharashtra residents at least. Apparently BSNL and Idea work there, Vodafone works in most places except rooms and basements, Airtel has no/very limited connectivity. It is advisable to carry your entire supply of medicines as none other than the very basic ones are available there. However, in case of medical emergencies, a clinic and a hospital for basic care are available. I had injured my hand and was very well treated at Dr. Deepak Thupke’s clinic. To my utmost surprise, he charged no consultation fees, only charges printed on medication, syringe and bandage, which were procured from the local chemist. One must not forget that the hill station is a vehicle free zone so good walking shoes / appropriate attire/aids for horseback will be a blessing. A hat and a water bottle to wade through the heat, basic medication including first aid (a tetanus injection in advance is helpful, especially for children), a torch and mosquito repellant are essential. It is advised to be extremely careful at the cliff around the lake, especially with children, as such places do require reasonable caution for our own and everyone else’s safety. For us the first fight was to find suitable accommodation. Since we were unprepared for the trip we had no advance booking. Advance booking is completely advised. However, for those who want to look at the properties first, it might be worth the while to explore before booking. We checked a few places before we settled for one suiting our budget, starting from Rangoli Retreat, right in front of the station, to Vernadah in the Forest, somewhere in the forest! Rangoli Retreat had the station right in front, offered Jain meals, looked very appealing on the outside but a put off on the inside. Moving further, we realized that most places were similar. Hotel Sayebaan is very close to the mosque, in the heart of the market, but very congested. Hotel Lord’s is popular only because of its heritage popularity and its foreign appeal. To us, there was nothing more to it than an old (dilapidated nearly) mansion, uniformed waiters and continental meals. Brightland, we found, was similarly overrated, so was Verandah in the Forest. Usha Ascot declined entry claiming they entertain only advance bookings done through their Mumbai office. Gujarat Bhawan was decent, but overcrowded and a little into the jungle. We wanted a place that gave us a good room and was located right on the busy main road, in no more than rupees 2500 a night. That is exactly what we got in the form of a semi-suite in a shady looking lesser known Hotel Pointview (details in the Hotel Review section). However, if one does have the money, I would recommend to anyone, the suites (rooms lower than suite category are as bad as elsewhere) of a hotel supposed to be the new avatar of Richie Rich. I found those to be the only ones worth their quoted price (Rs.4500 per night off season, with meals) and the truly inviting buffet spread is a perk. Matheran can be reached by road/local rail up to Neral, from where one can take a shared or unshared cab to Dasturi, from where the journey will be covered by horse or hand pulled rikshaw. Trek enthusiasts could easily walk the distance. Alternatively, one can take the toy train from Neral (hour and a half journey time), which takes one straight to Matheran station, eliminating the horse / rickshaw ride. Toy trains ply to in the morning hours and fro in the evening (timings vary season to season). Horse/rickshaw ride from Dasturi costs 200-300 rupees, and at least for the hand rickshaw, is the minimum deserved compensation qua the effort. We took an a/c indica taxi from Bandra Station to Neral for 1700 rupees (120-150 minutes). A further cab (unshared) for 250 rupees up to Dasturi and thereon, a hand pulled rickshaw (30-45 minutes). The journey from Dasturi to Matheran is through a difficult terrain so a wee bit of caution is advised. On our way back, we boarded the toy train from Matheran station to Neral, from there a local train to Karjat and from Karjat station, an a/c sleeper train to Pune. The toy train journey is totally recommended. Views from the train are spectacular, unparalleled by any other mode of transport. Booking the toy train in advance, as we realized, was not required in the scorching summer season, but in any other, it would be very advisable. We were apprised that the train does not ply in the monsoons. A word of caution regarding unreserved passengers boarding the train as it was very annoying and harrowing experience for us. Matheran is best avoided in summers. It is extremely sunny, very dusty, dry and predominantly brown (instead of green).

Balm for the soul

Post by Florien | Mumbai | Oct 24, 2007

Carry thick soled walking shoes, a sturdy bamboo or walking stick - to walk on the pebble strewn trails and to ward off the monkeys. Carry a rechargeable flashlight, the power goes off at regular intervals. If you are an early riser, carry a tea making kit as hotels do not provide tea before 7am. The drive from Bombay is approx 11/2 hrs by rd. taking the Expressway to Shedung, then via Chowk and Neral. Leave Bombay by 7 and you will reach there in an hour. From Dasturi Car Park you will have to walk or go on horseback or hand riksha to reach your hotel. MTDC is the closest, 5 min away - not fancy, but right in the middle of the forest. Go in off season and enjoy Matheran at its best.