A Visit to Matheran- Blissful Getaway
Ayush Kumar
Real-life event
I had been to different hill stations in India, but when I visited Matheran in October 2019, it really stood out to be a blissful one. There is a toytrain along the woods, ample view points with breathtaking sceneries and above all an unpolluted sublime air, the combination of which gives the place its uniqueness.
Matheran Railway Station
On a Friday morning I started from Bandra station and took a local to Neral. Neral is a very small station and does not have much to write about. Despite being a small station, it has an importance — the toy trains for Matheran leaves from here. Unfortunately toy train timings did not match with my itinerary, therefore I booked a shared taxi which took me up to a point called Dasturi Naka. After this point no cars are allowed, you have to take man-pulled rickshaws or horses to get into the Matheran town (only this toy train is the single automobile allowed inside the town, hence it is so popular on the weeknds). You can also walk through the lovely woods, it would merely take you half an hour to reach the town from Dasturi Naka. People from Pune or Mumbai can directly drive to Dasturi Naka, park their car overnight. It is very safe to park there (I heard there is a parking charge but not sure about it). From Neral to Dasturi it will take you 30–45 mins at the most but the toy train covers this journey in 2 hours (official time).
Toy train to Matheran
After reaching Dasturi Naka I took a bold decision to walk, after all I had come to trek, so physical activity was mandatory. The path to Matheran went through woods . Though I was completely exhausted, the serenity and the scenery made me forget my painful experience. The pictures below would show the path from Dasturi Naka to inside the town through the woods.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep"
Aman Lodge
NG Neral-Matheran Rail Line
After reaching Matheran I relaxed a bit at an eatery. A quick lunch refreshed my mood and
I set off on my trek further to explore this blissful town.
As with most hill stations, sightseeing at Matheran revolves around various Points from
where assorted views unfold of mountains, sunset, sunrise and everything in between. The
mandatory lake, the Charlotte Lake, is another must on the visitors circuit. In the
monsoons, an impressive waterfall develops from the overflow. Another smaller lake is
Simpsons Lake or Ghoda Talao as it is locally known — because the ghodawallas wash their
horses there!
The monsoons are magical, misty and refreshingly cool. Heavy downpours every afternoon are
the norm. Umbrellas are pretty useless, it is better to buy the standard local raingear —
a large plastic bag with cutouts for head and arms as a raincoat and a wide brimmed
plastic hat. Both are very cheap and very effective!
Some of the famous points are Khandala point,Echo point(yes! you can here your echo!!)
Panorama point, Alexander point … etc .. The list is endless. Walking down the tail you
can actually discover Matheran yourself. People here are very friendly and helpful. Just
set out to explore the place on your own (make sure you have the map as network is
feeble). Adventurers can even try ‘Valley Crossing’ .(you swing from one point to the
other by a rope with 1000ft deep valley below you!!!)
Lake Charlotte
View Point at Matheran
Blissful Sunset
Monkeys abound at every nook and corner. Most will boldly seize every opportunity to
deprive unsuspecting tourists of their eatables. Langurs and Giant Squirrels are often
seen in the forest. It is amazing how shy the forest monkeys are compared to their
oversmart city cousins. Giant Squirrels are arboreal, emitting their distinctive clickety
clack sound. The Matheran variety — Ratufa indica Elphinstonii — has a creamy white
tail,distinguishing it from the orange tailed Malabar squirrel. They are indeed very cute.
On a rare occasion, a deer or two may also pass by. Pretty hill birds are plenty though
easier heard than seen through the dense foliage. Butterflies are abundant. India’s second
largest butterfly the impressive Blue Mormon, and the Red Helen are common sights.
All through my trek down the trail I lost the count of time . It was time to head back
with memories and souvenirs. No one should leave Matheran without buying the local Chikki
sweets available in several varieties, the most popular being the old fashioned crushed
groundnut. Traditionally, chikki was made with jaggery and nuts, nowadays due to the
preference for everything crispy, glucose replaces the jaggery. Forest Honey collected by
the local Adivasi tribals, is also a good buy. Matheran is also known for its hand crafted
leather footwear, available in the shops in the main market.
Chikki- A sweet delicacy
So that was the end to a blissful getaway. It was a day well spent.