Matheran Hill Station-Explore magical monsoon in Maharashtra

Matheran hill station, a quaint hill station, near Karjat in the Raigad district of Maharashtra is one of the best places to explore during monsoons. Why? Thick forests, abundant nature, scenic hills, and green living, as it is Asia’s only automobile-free hill station, are some reasons to plan a trip to Matheran.

Being a Mumbaikar, I have visited this hill station before but this time my experience was beyond imagination. It felt like a dream, like a scene from the Bollywood movies, thanks to the foggy climate in the peak of monsoon, August. I fell in love with what my eyes saw and how my mind felt – calm, serene, dreamy – all at once.

Where is Matheran Hill Station located?

Known as one of the smallest hill stations in India, Matheran lies on the range of Western Ghats and is easily accessible from Mumbai and Pune via both railways and roadways. You can get your car and park at the entry point of Matheran, beyond which no vehicles are allowed.

How to reach Matheran hill station?

The easiest and hassle-free way to reach Matheran is through a train. From the central line, we boarded from Thane Railway Station and deboarded at Neral Junction, which is a station at the foothills of Matheran. From Neral, we took a taxi charging Rs. 100 per person to reach the entry point of the hill station. Earlier, there was a toy train service from Neral to Aman Lodge, but it was not in service when we visited this time. The drive by taxi is hardly 30 minutes but the hairpin bends make it feel like a long drive, especially, if you are not fond of ghats and drastic turns.  

Why Matheran train is famous?

Matheran Toy Train is a famous attraction of this hill station, thanks to the splendid view of the hills and the jungle that you can enjoy from these little tiny carriages. After paying a minimal entry fee to enter this hill station, you are welcomed by red dusty pathways. Just five-minutes’ walk and you will reach the toy train station to board the cute train to the main market, which is a 45-min walk from the entry point if you choose to walk instead.

Did you know there are a total of five toy trains in India, one of them being Matheran, famous for its incredible ascents & descents? I enjoyed the toy train ride and the magnificent views from the mini carriage.

What are the things to do in Matheran Hill Station ?

Things to do in Matheran largely depend on your likes. We enjoy trekking, so we visited a few points like:

Louisa point

Charlotte Lake

Matheran Echo Point

Khandala Valley View Point, near the main Matheran market.

We didn’t visit the sunset point as it was raining and it didn’t make sense.

Remember, there’s a lot of walking that you need to do once here, so plan your trip to Matheran if you are a trekking enthusiast. It’s a vehicle-free zone, so the plus is you get to breathe clean air. However, if you get tired, you can hop on a horse or one of the hand-pulled rickshaws, as these are the only mode of transport in this hill station.

Horse riding at Matheran hill station

If you are traveling with a kid, one of the must-do things to do here is to enjoy a horse ride. It’s the specialty of this place, besides many people’s livelihood depends on it. Although, I am too against hurting animals, when I spoke with one of the horse riders, he showed his discontent on how people nowadays don’t choose to ride these horses and how they are left without a source of income. So just enjoy it while you are there.

Words of wisdom (oh really!)

• The list of places to visit in Matheran can be exhausting. But for us, the trek amidst the greens was the only thing that mattered. The calm and serene vibes of the hill station, the clean air, the omnipresent valley view, and the red pathways. So, we didn’t cover many points but loved the ones we visited.

• You can just decide to chill in the resort and soak in the foggy climate. Just relax and have no agenda to strike off all the points. That’s cool too. After all, Matheran’s monsoon vibe is enough to relax your mind and make you feel one with nature.

• One more piece of advice is to book your hotel stay in advance. There are many hotels in Matheran but most of them are shady and if you are traveling with your family, you might not enjoy the experience. Thankfully our company has a guest house in Matheran, so for my family, the stay was the best part of our visit. The food was high-quality too. Do your research before booking your hotel stay in Matheran.

• Beware of monkeys. A huge monkey population resides here and they are intimidating. Don’t carry stuff in your hands as they might snatch you and, in the bargain, you might get hurt. Carry your water bottles and snacks in a closed shoulder bag only.

 

• Lastly, pack minimal things in your bag, as you have a lot to cover on foot. And, don’t forget to wear comfortable footwear. Speaking of which, Matheran has a huge market for shoes. So, ladies make sure you pick a pair or two and add them to your shoe closet. I did ?

 

• Again lastly, walk the toy train track once. We did walk the dreamy train tracks while on our way back to the Matheran entry point and believe me the views were mesmerizing. Don’t miss this walk, it will hardly take you 30 mins.  

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All in all, I had a memorable trip to Matheran hill station and I plan to visit it again next monsoon. I love Matheran, yes, I do ? I also love Mahabaleshwar.