THE KIKI STUDIO - BLOG

Matheran Hill Station

Dhruvil Nisar
September 27, 2023
4:19 pm

The commercial capital of India, Mumbai, has a fast-paced life. That is why when people get a day or two off, they visit nearby hill stations located in Maharashtra. One among them is the beautiful Matheran hill station. It is only 100 km far from Mumbai. There are around 38 viewpoints in Matheran, and most of them are very beautiful. Here we will list out those beautiful places, how to reach them, what to do in Matheran, and more. So keep reading!!

How to reach Matheran Hill Station

To reach Matheran, you must come to the Neral railway junction via local or express train in Mumbai. It will hardly cost Rs 30 from any of the local Mumbai stations to reach Neral junction. From Dadar junction, the journey takes around 80-90 minutes, having the central line, and if you take the western line, then you must change the train from Dadar junction. It is because Matheran comes on the Mumbai central line.

You can also take a hired taxi or your car to reach Matheran. The route would be from the eastern express highway, and the best time would be to leave early in the morning. So after reaching Neral, you can go with the road option, which would hardly take 30 minutes. The road journey will be full of beautiful valleys.

The next option is a lovely toy train. The toy train is slow, but the experience with the amazing view is worth trying. Do check about the availability as during monsoon the toy trains are closed. There are only two toy trains from Neral to Matheran in a day. The first is at 8-50 am and the second at 2-20 p.m. The first train that leaves Neral reaches Matheran at 11-30 a.m., and the noon train at 2-20 p.m. would reach Matheran at 5-00 p.m. The train fare charges start from Rs 75. The first-class ticket price is Rs 300. Reach the Neral junction before two hours to catch the train as there is a huge line of visitors to get the ticket.

Reaching the entrance point of Matheran Hill Station

If you wish to avoid going via train, you can choose to have a car direct from Mumbai to Matheran as the roads are very good. If you are traveling by road, when you reach the foothills of Matheran, which is 7 km long, has quite a tricky drive. There you can get local drivers at a nominal cost of Rs 200 to drive up the hill. It is a safe option than self-drive. The road is very well maintained, and the 7 km journey provides stunning valley views. When you reach at the hilltop, you need to park the car at a point called Aman lodge. The toy train also stops at Aman lodge point. After this point, cars, trains, or any other vehicle are not allowed.

Options for transportation in Matheran Hill Station

After parking, you need to take a ticket for entry to Matheran. It is Rs 50 for adults and Rs 20 for kids. From there, you can start visiting viewpoints. Now you have three options to choose from to start visiting all the Matheran points. You can either take a Toy train that comes at every hour. The ticket price is Rs 45 to reach at the main market. But that can be time-consuming. Next would be walking. Again it would be tiring enough from one point to another. The last and the most favorite option of travelers are Horses. The road to all points is not straight, and you need to climb. All points can’t be covered in a day. So you can book a hotel or luxurious resort and stay for a couple of days and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of Matheran.

You will notice directions written everywhere if you are walking and covering all points. Visiting via horse is safe as they have their identity card and their owner’s license. Government officials on the card itself mention the registration number. You need to bargain to take horses as they provide a very high price to travelers. They would cover several points while on a horse. Riding a horse among valleys is so cool.

Attractions at Matheran Hill Station

There are so many points to be covered in Matheran. Here are a few of them that you must visit.

Heart Point

It is a popular viewpoint in the hill station, offering a stunning panoramic view of the Western Ghats along with lush valleys. The atmosphere is so soothing, and watching the sunrise and sunset over here is great. As the name says, the point is in the shape of a heart. There are many tea stalls, maggie stalls, and egg stalls over there. To overcome thirst, you can have lemon water or ice gola. The scenic valley view is really mesmerizing. But it is too crowded with shops and too many people.

Panorama Point

As the name says, the place provides a panoramic view of the hills and Ulhas River. It is quite far from the main Matheran market. It is also called Sunrise point. Come 50-60 steps below the heart point, and you will reach the Panorama point. It is also heaven for photographers as there is so much to explore over there. The point does require a bit of trekking due to the steep trails. But the view is to die for. The best part is, in the monsoon season you can witness clouds touching and playing hide and seek with you.

Monkey point

Matheran boasts of having more enchanting locations than any other hill station in Maharashtra has to offer. One such famous point is the Monkey point. As the name suggests, there are flocks of monkeys over there. Take care; they are everywhere and can snatch upon the food you might have in your hand. They climb on the other side of the rock and do not care about falling down.

The main market of Matheran Hill Station

Various stalls cater to chappals, clothes, accessories, food joints, and more in the main market of Matheran. You can shop over there while walking. There are no vehicles allowed in the market as well. So it is not very chaotic. From there, you can walk again to the Aman Lodge, the parking point. Visitors do walk alongside the toy train road on the railway tracks.

You can visit several other points in Matheran, such as Echo Point, Porcupine point, Louisa point, Charlotte Lake, and more. All points cannot be covered in the day although motor vehicles are banned in the Matheran hill station. Returning from Matheran would bring bagful memories and memorable experiences of a lifetime.

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