Impromptu trip to Matheran 

We reached Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus to catch morning fast local to Neral (Nearest Local station to Matheran). It is the fastest mode of transportation to reach Neral from Mumbai. On arriving we took a sharing cab at Rs 80 per person. It took us 40 minutes to reach Matheran from Neral. Since we left quite early from hotel, we were damn hungry. So first thing first; we searched for a place to eat. There aren’t many options available at taxi stand. So we ate Misal Pav (Buns served with Curry & Namkeen) at small dhaba.

We purchased entry tickets (Rs 50 each for adult) and headed forward. Now there were two options for sightseeing. Option-1:Hiking. Trek along the abandoned railway track and hilly terrain. Option-2: Horse riding. Package for sightseeing are like 12 spots in Rs 1000 or 5 spots in Rs 500.

We chose to hike to have a better glimpse of picture perfect Matheran and embrace the natural beauty of place. Walking along the railway track was truly adventurous with steep slope on one side. We stopped at many spots, clicked pictures, had lots of fun and arrived at the market area in about 2 hours.

Matheran has small market where one can buy famous Chikki, Imli goli, Jelly candies etc for near and dear ones. I myself bought some for my home.

Place also had lots of eatery options. We had lunch at one of the restaurants. We were again recharged and headed to explore more. We covered Khandala Point, Louisa Point, Charlotte Lake, Echo Point and Madhavji Point. View from Khandala point and Echo Point was enthralling. We spent some time by lake side. Although the place would have looked much more beautiful in monsoons with lushgreen forest all around. Here are some clicks from summers..