Matheran Hill Station Travel

Matheran is a wonderful hilly region located near Pune. Your joy will know no bound when you will make your journey through the shady trees and fresh air, especially when it is for 2 hours in a toy train. The narrow gauge toy train from Neral offers the tourists a view that keeps them spellbound. There will be for you food and drink vendors. Cliffs in Matheran near Pune are really astonishing. You will forget all the stress in your life and found yourself lost in the land of fantasy.

The principal market here brings you a variety of articles especially those made of cane and leather like hats, chappals and the special sweet, the Chikki. Vehicles are totally prohibited in Matheran, and that is why it is so quiet and peaceful a place.

Matheron is at an elevation of 800 meters above sea level. The languages spoken by the people over here are Marathi, Hindi and English. The best time to visit this lovely hill resort is during the months of April to May.

You can go to Matheran by the following ways:

* The nearest airport is Mumbai, about 100 km away.
* From Mumbai, you will get a local train to Neral, where you will find a tiny toy train awaiting for the tourists to Matheran. Mumbai to Neral takes about 2 hours, and the toy-train journey takes one and a half hours.

Some of the interesting places that area must-see in Matheran are:

* Chouk
* Panorama
* Garbut Point
* Louisa
* Echo

Echo point
Offers a panoramic view and allows you to enjoy the echo's

King George point
A must visit point in monsoon as it offers a beautiful view of the waterfall formed by the water overflowing from Charlott Lake. One can even reach he mouth of the waterfall with care, strong wind prevents the water from falling down and throws it back.

Charlott Lake
It's the only water source atop Matheran nad it provides water to entire Matheran.

Louisa PointLouisa Point
It offers a beautiful face on view of the waterfall seen from the King George point.


Panorama point
Although quiet far from Bazapeth it gives you a panoramic view(that's why it's named as Panorama point) of the Sahyadri ranges.

Shopping

Even the bazaar is just that a small marketplace, not a commercial shopping complex. It runs the length of one street, and contains shops and stalls that sell the produce of Matheran. You can see workmen hunching over strips of leather, fashioning the Kolhapuri chappal that Matheran is famous for. Leather bags, leather belts, leather shoes& the workmanship is exclusive and the prices reasonable. There are also glass birds and dried wild flowers for sale that have a quaint appeal.

One other thing that dominates the market is chikki, a confection made of gram flour, jaggery and cashew nut. You could buy chikki in kilos to carry home; it is a universally popular sweetmeat.

Travel Information

The nearest airport is Bombay (Mumbai), around , 100 kms/65 Mile. Neral 21 kms. away, is where you transfer to the toy train. Mumbai is 108 kms. away by road, via Karjat and Neral. Pune is 120 kms. away. Taxis are available from Neral to Dastoori car park. No vehicles are allowed inside Matheran and ponies are the favoured means of transport. Don’t miss the station, used by the train four times a day. It boasts a tiny steam engine mounted, with great pride, on a pedestal. It served the people of Matheran for 77 chuffing years.