Lets take a quick trip around the smallest hill station in India Matheran TravelRecommends

Early to bed, early to rise, is what I always follow while taking on a weekend trip.

The closest hill station to Mumbai at a height of 800m from sea level is Matheran, the smallest hill station of India. It was discovered by Britishers during their reign in the country. And since then, Matheran is considered to be one of the summer retreats for the people of Mumbai or Pune.

Let's get started on a journey to the smallest and the only hill station that is completely eco friendly. Yes, you heard that right, there are no vehicles that are allowed to the hill top.

Curious about how we will continue our journey to the hill station? Let's read further.

How to Reach from Pune :

From Pune, Matheran is approximately around 120kms (2.5hrs journey approximately). Matheran is well connected by road and railways.

Talking about train, the best train to catch from Pune is Pune CSMT superfast special which departs at 7.15am everyday for Mumbai. Reach Lonavla station by 8am. From Lonavala, continue the journey with another passenger train to Karjat.

From Karjat, board a local train which will directly drop us to Neral station. As Neral is nearest to Matheran, you can share a taxi with fellow travelers till Matheran base (30min journey) and from there either ride a Pony or take a toy train journey.

Another way to embark on this journey is to catch a local train from Pune till Lonavla. And further on following the same steps as before.

A summary of the journey is

Pune ➡️ Lonavala ➡️ Karjat ➡️ Neral

How to reach from Mumbai :

Mumbai to Matheran is a 90kms journey, which also can be travelled by train.

Kalyan Junction/ CSMT(Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) ➡️ Karjat ➡️ Neral

P.S. : At the entrance of the hill station, visitors are asked to pay a 'Capitation Tax', which costs around Rs. 50 for adults per person.

What to see and do there ?

Matheran, being a hill station has a lot of view points in its kitty to engage the travellers.

The most famous ones are these, which will give you some breathtaking views.

If you take a horseback ride, the masters of the pony also work as a guide and hence they give alot of informational insights about the place. The entire ride with sightseeing in between and reaching the last point will cost you around Rs.400 per person.

Other than the points,Matheran is famous for it's sweet delicacy, Fudge, which should not be missed.

Best time to visit :

Due to its height, Matheran has a much cooler weather than Pune or Mumbai and hence visiting it in April, May would give you relaxation from the crunch summer situations in the metropolitan cities.

Matheran experiences heavy rainfall from July till mid October, and hence try to avoid visiting it during that period as the roads might get slippery and the toy train services might be suspended during that period.

After October untill Dec is also one of the best times to visit the place.

Where to stay :

As it is close to Pune and Mumbai, it can be covered in a day's trip. However, there are a number of hotels where we can reside for a day or two.

One of those is an MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) resort, a government resort which offers the best view of the hill top and is the most convenient as it is near the railway station and the base of the hill station.

Matheran has alot of private hotels as well under its name. However, book the hotel prior during peak seasons, to avoid any rush at the last moment.

On our return journey, as we had decided, we took the rail route this time. To take the toy train, book the ticket one hour before the journey, as it might be get crowded at the last minute and we might miss out on our desired seats.

To enjoy the journey thoroughly, book a first class ticket which will cost somewhere around Rs. 150 per person.