My 1-day trek to Matheran from Mumbai

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”

John Burroughs

I have never done a rain forest trek. Though this term is a little far-fetched for Matheran, but as I went there in mid-June, trust me, amidst heavy rains and winds and muddy tracks, it didn’t seem any less than an adventure.

History of Matheran

Matheran (meaning – forest on top) is a hill station, located on the Western Ghats, about 90 km from Mumbai. It is Asia’s only automobile free hill station. It was discovered by the British in 1851 and was one of their popular resorts. While strolling around Matheran, you will see many buildings representing British Colonial architecture.

Best time to visit

As I went in mid-June, I kept getting drenched in heavy rains every now and then(which actually made the trek more fun). But if you want to avoid these heavy downpours, then October to March is the best time.

Things to carry

You just need to carry an umbrella/raincoat, a waterproof cover for your phone and camera, water-bottle(prefer carrying your own bottle so that plastic bottles may be avoided), snacks, band-aids and trekking shoes(if you are going during monsoon, WEAR CROCS ONLY, else wear trekking shoes). Carry some cash because once you enter Matheran, there is only one ATM in Matheran city and online payment modes are not reliable due to network problems.

How to reach Matheran

Take the Karjat bound train from CSMT and get down at Neral. It is a fast local with around 90 min of journey and will cost you Rs. 25 for general class and Rs. 210 for First class. If you are boarding from CSMT, then you can travel in general class with ease as seat will be guaranteed. But if you are boarding after a few stations, you will be crammed in general class even if you manage to board it (without hanging out of the train). That being said, you can imagine the crowd that goes to Matheran during peak season! From Neral, there are two options to reach Matheran.

Option 1: From Neral, take a sharing cab which charges Rs. 80/person and will drop you at the car-parking stop within 20-30 min. The route is scenic and if the weather is nice, it will be worth it.

Then, it is a 20 min walk to Matheran entry gate where you will have to pay an entry fee of Rs.50/person and voila, you have entered Matheran! Trek through the misty train tracks and scenic valley and you will reach Matheran Station in 1-2 hrs depending on your pace and random pit stops taken for photography!

Option 2: From Neral, take the toy train to Matheran station (cost Rs.300 for first class and Rs.75 for second class) which will take about 2 hrs to reach Matheran Station(imagine the snail speed!). Tickets can be booked only at Neral and you have to reach 30-60min before the scheduled departure from Neral(as tickets get sold out in peak seasons, specially on weekends). Also, remember that the frequency of toy train is limited to 1-2 times arrivals and departures only.

Time taken is roughly the same in both cases, but the experience is totally different. You can also experience both, but for that, you will have to reach Matheran early, take Option 1, finish sightseeing some points and go back by Option 2. This will be too hectic as the toy train has specific departure time with limited frequency. Most of the people prefer Option 1 unless there are elderly people. Let me take you through Option 1 , after entering Matheran gates.

Begin your journey from Matheran entry gate

Green forests and misty environment will leave you in awe of the beauty of Matheran. You might also see a toy train passing by you as you trek your way up to the hills along the train tracks.

As you ramble on, you will cross a small winding curve. It is filled with trees which cover the skies, so sun-rays can’t penetrate. The effect is breathtaking.

As the breeze blows and clouds drift, the view keeps changing.

The trek towards Matheran city is fun-filled and full of picturesque views.

Once you reach Matheran city, eat something before you starting your trek. Just BEWARE OF MONKEYS pouncing on you the moment you have any edible item in your hands. So, it is better to finish your food at small tapris/shops/restaurants before stepping out in the open area.

Sightseeing Points

To be honest, Matheran is a crowded and dirty place with youngsters and horses bustling around. So, if you are looking for a trek with fewer people, it is not the place for you. But if you can endure this for initial 30 min and start walking towards the points, the view gets better and it will be a nice change of pace.

Though there are 38 sightseeing points, the popular ones are: Echo point, Louisa Point, Khandala Point, Porcupine point, Charlotte lake, Honeymoon Point, Panorama Point, One Tree Hill, Alexander point, Monkey point. If you want to cover around 10 points in a day, it will take take you about 5-6 hours on a normal pace. You can also ride your way on a horseback!

First is Khandala point. A bit crowded but you will get a good view of Khandala hills. A little stroll here will only take around 20-minutes or so.

Most of the sightseeing points are one after the other on the same route and it requires a bit of walking for 2-4kms. Now, this looked like a fair distance to walk, but amidst heavy downpour and winds, it kind of felt like an eternity. That being said, it was totally worth it to see.

The deeper you go inside the forest, the crowd gets thinner and you can enjoy a quiet trek.

When you will reach this fork, the higher elevated path will lead to louisa point and charlotte lake. It is around 2 kms walk from this point.

Once we reached Louisa point, we were in awe at the sight before us.

I could not take pics of Charlotte lake as it was raining heavily. As the rains increased, we decided to go back. The journey back was equally fun-filled and mesmerizing.

I would recommend that if you want to get back to Mumbai the same day, you can start walking back by 4pm as the journey downwards will tire you further(unless you plan on taking the toy train). If you want to stay at Matheran for the night and go for early morning trek to some of the nearby areas, there are many budget stays which start from Rs.400/night (online booking available).

3 things that I liked about Matheran

It is a good trekking place for beginners who are looking for a 1-day getaway from Mumbai.

Variety of landscapes which will give you good photographs

It is just 2 hrs from Mumbai and will cost minimum Rs. 300/person and for the views that you get to see, it is worth it!