Matheran is a hill station in the Maharashtra state and a weekend gate away from Mumbai. Matheran is around 80kms from Mumbai.
It is also accessible from Pune . You can take a train till Neral to reach Matheran. Trains are available till Matheran from both , Mumbai and Pune.
From Neral a small Toy train , takes you to Matheran (21 kms) and the route is zigzag and soothing to eyes with all the greenary around. Matheran is located on the range of Western Ghats at height of 800 m (2625 Feet) above sea level. The name Matheran means either ‘Forest on Top’ or ‘Woodland overhead’.
What to see ?Charlotte Lake : 1.8km from the Matheran railway station.The lake is set amidst the densely forested area, sprawls out with a dam at one end and the Pisarnath temple at the other. Also, from the lake, one can see get to see the view of the famous vantage point of Matheran - Echo Point and Louisa Point. The best time to visit its mesmerising beauty is monsoon as this is when you can see the shadow of the scenic view of the mountain dancing on the lucid water of the lake.
Echo point : The point is most visited by love birds as they keep shouting the names of their loved once and the reverting sound in low tone keeps coming back . There are many such echo points in the western ranges.
Panorama point : The view from this point is magnificent and ravishing .This place is comparatively less crowded than other points in Matheran as it requires one to trek. Panorama Point
Alexander point : Migratory birds flying freely in the close racing sky; sun rays dancing on the trees; lush landscapes with ravishing highways edged by the royal-ish mansions, and hardly a sign of technology - these are some of the promising views that the Alexander Point offers to the tourists. Forgetting binoculars here would be a sin as the view of the vantage points like Palasdhari Lake, Garbut Point, Rambaug Point, Chowk Point and Borgaon Village is fabulous. What adds to its fame is the breathtaking view of the deep valley from the cliff.
Trek to Chanderi caves : A grand mountain range that extends to a height of about 800 meters, Chanderi is located on the way to Karjat from Badlapur and you can witness the stunning the landscape.
Louisa point : Located near to the Charlotte lake, this point offers you a superb view of historical prabalgad and vishalgad fort.
Chowk point : It provides enormous views of the Sahyadri Ranges, drawing countless visitors each day. From this vantage point, you also get amazing views of the Karnala Fort as well as the scenic town of Panvel.
Other points include Monkey point , Ambernath shiv temple and porcupine point .