Traveling to Matheran

The hip-hopping youngsters from Mumbai find Matheran a great hangout for weekends. Part of the fun is in traveling to Matheran. You need to take a tiny narrow gauge toy train from Neral up the 21 km route to this hill station. The journey takes 2 hours to ascend due to the winding way up the steep slopes. At one point it passes through ‘One kiss tunnel’. The Matheran Hill Railway was built in 1907 by Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy.

One could also take a taxi or minibus from Neral to Dasturi point. The distance between Neral and Dasturi point is 11 kilometers. This route is comparatively swifter (1/2 hour). But it involves a 40 minute walk into Matheran. Alternatively you could hire a horse or cycle-rickshaw. Only the toy train takes you through the scenic route and lands you into the heart of the little town. More than a few people opt to hike it up along the railway tracks but there are other walking trails which lead to the Matheran Plateau. The local people use these trails for commuting to the hill station. You could also climb up from the Western side, which would mean you would be in the shade for most of the trek up. But for this you would have to start your climb pretty early in the day. If one decides to scramble up during the monsoons, it would be advisable to take the path from the Dudhoni village that would lead you directly to the Sunset point in Matheran. This route takes approximately two hours. If you wish to take this route you need to take an autorickshaw from Panvel to Dudhoni village.

One has to pay a small fee to Matheran. This fee is collected when you exit the station at Matheran or at the taxi stand if you decide to travel by road. It would be advisable to carry a torch as the paths outside the town centre do not have lights. The Union Environment Ministry has declared Matheran an eco sensitive region. In fact one could say Matheran is a Health Sanitorium in itself. A word of caution: You need to be wary of monkeys if you are carrying any food items, especially bananas and peanuts. Some of the kinds of monkeys found here are Hanuman Langurs and Bonnet Macaques.

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