Matheran (...forest on the forehead...)

Want to enjoy the beauty of nature?? Willing to see the valley?? Want to become a Kid again!!! Have potential to walk miles!!!

                        Then the answer is MATHERAN... 

Matheran is a Hill Station and a comes in the Raigad district, in Maharashtra, India. It is a hill station in Karjat Tahsil and is also the smallest hill station in India. It is located on the Western Ghats range. One big advantage is, it is a pollution free & noise free town. In todays world, there is no motor vehicle running inside the town. You can cover all the places by foot or you can take horse ride.

How to Reach:

• Mumbai to Matheran - 90 km, you can go there by bus or car.
• Pune to Matheran - 120 km, you can go there by bus or car.

(Also, Matheran could be reached by train. It's nearest railway station is Narel which lies on the Pune to Mumbai railway line. From Narel, you can also enjoy a ride of Toy Train (running on narrow gauge) to Matheran which takes around 1.5 hrs)

Best time to Visit:

September to March is the best time to visit there. You can see lush greenery, waterfalls and the lake full with water. However, people from Mumbai and Pune come to see every weekend mostly with their family as a part of their outing and relaxation.
Note : While visiting to Matheran, you must have 2 days in your hand then only you can cover all the places there.

Where to Stay:

There are number of hotels there, but as of my personal experience Hotel Rangoli Retreat is good, specially for vegetarians. It is in front of Matheran railway station and they provide Dine-In  also. So you don't have to roam here and there for food. Also sight seen points are not much far from that hotel.

Things to do:

• Narel - Matheran toy train.
• Horse Riding
• Valley Crossing is very good there.
• Good for shopping but don't forget to bargain.
• Various site seen point; Echo point, Charlotte lake etc.

 

Things to Carry:

• Umbrella/Raincoat
• Spare Cloths

(Matheran's weather are non predictable, so its better to carry these things to stay away from wet and mud)  

Gallery:

Trip to Harihareshwar Beach...

What could be the best way to utilize a long weekend... ??

Thought of various options like relaxing at home... watching a lot of movies... lot of shopping (obviously for wife....) working on some dream projects... blah blah blah... but I finally decided to go out for an outing trip... 

With 2 days in hand... tried to find various options around Pune & Mumbai (could not get any good options, thanks to my laziness... ) 

After exploring a bit of options, we decided to go to a few beaches around Pune & Mumbai (itne [time] mein itnaich milenga). We packed our bags and left for Harihareshwar, Kashid & Murud-Janjira ...

I must say it was a very nice outing, relaxing from the busy schedule...

People might find a lot of reviews & comments about Kashid & Murud, but finding information for Harihareshwar is bit difficult. So thought of sharing my experiences @ Harihareshwar...


Harihareshwar is a town in Raigad district, in Maharashtra, India. It is also famous for a lord harihareshwar (shiva) temple. It is a small town with two beaches, one to the north and the other to the south of the temple.

How to Reach:

One can reach here from Mumbai as well as Pune:

• Mumbai to Harihareshwar - 193 km, you can go there by bus or car.
• Pune to Harihareshwar - 107 km, you can go there by bus or car.

Best time to Visit:

The best time to visit this place is September to March. However, if you love rains then you can go there in the month of July & August too.

Where to Stay:

There are two good resorts:
- Harihareshwar Beach Resort
- MTDC - Harihareshwar
We stayed at Harihareshwar Beach Resort and it is quite good. It is a sea facing resort and you can hear the sea waves in the night which feels very pleasant. Even the food options are decent enough and you don't have to go anywhere else for food.

Things to do:

• Various activities on Beach for everyone
• ATV Ride
• Banana ride
• Parasailing
• Horse riding
• a few Water sports
• Visit to Harihareshwar temple.

Gallery:

Few of the pics we took there:

View from beach