Maharashtra's tiniest, yet one of the most popular hill stations ,Matheran in the district of Raigad,is a perfect getaway for the tourists from the neighbouring metros, Mumbai and Pune.
It has also been declared an Eco-Sensitive region by India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The local language of communication is predominantly Marathi with Hindi & English also being much in use due to it being a very popular tourist destination.
It's average temperature range is 32 ℃ to 16 ℃.
It's at a distance of 90 km from Mumbai and 120 km from Pune.
One can reach by road only upto Dhindi point and then walk or choose horse-riding, hand-pulled rickshaws the rest of the way.
The walk is only about a 30 minutes trek through beautiful forests with a Red Laterite mud road that looks amazingly beautiful, and get everywhere on the feet and clothes…!!
The railway options are
getting a local train from CST- Karjat that stops at Neral.
The Deccan Express from Mumbai to Neral
The Sahyadri Express from Pune to Neral
Neral being the closest station to Matheran and then traveling the rest of the way in the utterly unique & immensely enjoyable Toy-Train as it's popularly called.It meanders through hills, Ghats & even a tunnel adding to the feeling of fun & adventure.
Matheran has a surreal beauty due to the colonial style architecture, old style Parsi bungalows, cottages, beautiful resorts ,hotels , boarding lodges.
It's scenic beauty is unparalleled with it being constructed by clearing off the forests by the British who wanted a cool getaway during India's hot summer months.
Not surprisingly most of the tourist spots are named after the British explorers who reached or discovered it the first time.
Matheran is a textbook perfect hill station with beautiful views of the mountains, forests, forts , valleys , trekking routes, nature walks , rivers, lakes, parks , water falls, adventure sports ,rock-climbing ,camping.
It is also the most preferred spot for honeymooners, families, trekking- groups, adventure lovers due to its 38 beautiful tourist spots to visit and enjoy.
This Matheran-Darshan can take 2-3 days if one prefers walking / trekking whereas choosing horse - riding can cut it short into a one day adventure trip.
In fact, the majority of tourists from the surrounding towns , cities do prefer one-day picnics to a stay-over due to budget or time constraints.
List of the Tourist Places in Matheran
Alexander point
Ambarnath Shiv Temple
Big Chowk point
Belvedere point
Celia point
Chanderi caves
Charlotte lake
Dodhani WaterFalls
Echo Point
Honeymoon point
Hart point
Irshalgad Fort
King George point
Khandala point
Kalavantin Pinnacle
Little Chowk point
Louisa point
Lord point
Mt Barry
Monkey point
Malang point
Madhavji garden and point
Matheran Railway station
Matheran Shiv Mandir
Mayra point
Market
One tree point
Olympia Race Course
Porcupine point ( Sunset point )
Panorama point ( Sunrise point )
Prabal Fort
Paymaster park
Pisharnath Madhav Mandir
Panther's caves
Rambag point
Shivaji's ladder
Toy Train
Vikatgad peb Fort Trek
