Acting as a perfect weekend getaway for people living in the Pune or Mumbai, this small hill station town delivers everything you would like to expect from a ‘quiet’ weekend getaway. The pollution free location added by a beautiful calm and relaxing ambience and an even more beautiful landscape, this place, definitely is a haven for people looking for a breathing room.
Matheran is a beautiful tourist destination filled with thick luscious greeneries, serene environment with a picturesque landscape and an unadulterated ambience. It is located just 90 km from Mumbai and 120 km away from Pune making it a popular choice for a quiet weekend getaway for the working urban folks. It is Asia’s only automobile free hill station which provides it a unique and different experience you will never have experience anywhere else.
It is one thing when you are walking alone or you see people walking because people are more conscious about their health these days as opposed to a few years back. But to see the whole population walking around town and not a sight or sound of a single automobile’s horn or engine is astonishing. The only smokes you see are from people grilling kebabs outside their stall on the streets, otherwise the air is pretty much pollution free. There are proper accommodation facilities in and around town, however, the Matheran hotels owners are not very popular with the visitors. During peak seasons, the prices of the rooms could be increased by a staggering rate of almost 4 times the actual price of the room. The best time to visit Matheran is after the monsoons and its best advisable you visit it during this time and also, book your accommodations online prior to your journey. You would not want to miss the freshly and naturally sprinkled and watered greeneries glistening under the sunlight and the lakes and waterfalls filled with fresh gushing water. The hill station is at its most beautiful phase during this time of the year and the essence of Matheran will be missed if visited during the off season. This region is an eco-sensitive region declared by the ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India and there is an entry fee (of Rs. 50 for adult visitors and Rs. 25 for children from June 1, 2015) to Matheran. The proceeds from this is used for the upkeep of the place considering its fragile ecosystem.
Being in close proximity with Pune, it makes it easy to connect to Matheran though there are are no conventional modes of transport to that part. What you can do is get on a train to till Pune or catch a flight to Pune Airport which handles both domestic and international airline like IndiGo, Air Asia, Air India, Jet Airways and Go Air airlines. From Pune you would have to travel by road to Neral town from where you would have to catch a toy train to Matheran. This train runs 4 times a day and it will be the experience of a lifetime as you ride along the curves of the hills and enjoy a never before experience.
