Matheran - by bus no. 11

Tripoto
24th Jan 2015
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 1/11 by Richa Gupta
Rail track guides to top of Matheran. :)
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 2/11 by Richa Gupta
Street vendor.
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 3/11 by Richa Gupta
Entry point to Garbett point
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 4/11 by Richa Gupta
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 5/11 by Richa Gupta
Matheran - from on way to Garbett point
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 6/11 by Richa Gupta
Human settlement- Garbett point
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 7/11 by Richa Gupta
View
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 8/11 by Richa Gupta
Sahyadris
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 9/11 by Richa Gupta
Mini Neral - Garbett point
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 10/11 by Richa Gupta
Toy train!
Photo of Matheran - by bus no. 11 11/11 by Richa Gupta
Sunrise - Khandala point

It was First long weekend of 2015. And Matheran it was. 

Matheran literally means, a forest on the hill top. Dense forests, notorious monkeys, eco-friendly zone, no honking, red soil, red squirrels, and spectacular views of the Sahyadris and valleys below.  

There are many beautiful points to catch sunrise/sunset and the spectacular views of Sahyadris. You can either choose to run and visit every point or be the Naina of Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and sit and relax at a point, and absorb the glory of the place. Ponies are available to visit all "points". I wish they weren't!

We chose to hike to Garbett point. The best thing of the trip. Its about 5+ kms from the main area, almost 4 hrs to and fro. And so, no ponies would readily go there, and so, less number of people, and so, more fun. You get a view of mini-Neral from the top, and possibly the toy-train passing through Matheran. You might meet 1-2 villagers and lots of monkeys. Remember, no teasing. You can even ask for Lord Hanuman's help, if they stare awkwardly at you, like they did at us. [:D] 

We stayed at hotel Premdeep. Good Food. Good Hosts. Walk-able from Khandala point. Hence if you are late to catch up and reach a crowded sunrise point, go and sit with your friends here. The Sun is not in a hurry. 

Try the chikkis. 

Nearest rail-head. You can take the toy-train to reach Matheran, or cabs which will drop you at Dasturi Naka, point beyond which it is the eco-zone.
Right in the market area. Very accessible.
Main source of Matheran's drinking water. Okay-ish view.
Long shady walk through the dense forests. Scary at times. Wonderful view of the valley below and the Sahyadris beyond.