User reviews of Matheran
A little piece of heaven
Matheran is a densely forested evergreen plateau at around 600m AMSL, about 100km away from Mumbai. After Dasturi car park vehicles are not allowed. From here you can walk, hire a horse or hand rikshaw. The govt. run MTDC hotel is at Dasturi itself, if you prefer not to be in the commercial area. The best least frequented nature trails are on this side (Panorama , Garbut Points). Most star and budget hotels are near the market place. If walking, it is easier to walk along the railway track than on the rubble strewn road which has a high red mud particle content in the air due to horse traffic. What hits you first in Matheran is the dense evergreen canopy that is all around, mostly syzigium and dipterocarpus trees. If you are patient you can easily spot the beautiful and cute endangered giant squirrel - Ratufa elphinstonii - there is a resident family of them in the tree tops adjoining the MTDC. Snakes and exotic coloured frogs[seasonal] are also easy to spot. What you definitely cannot avoid are the naughty rhesus macaque (ordinary brown) monkeys who can be very aggressive at times. A walking stick or bamboo is a must to safeguard your shopping, bags etc from these monkey menaces. The golden langurs by contrast, are gentle shy creatures. Another famous resident is the very large Blue Mormon butterfly, who you surely cannot miss. For nature lovers, there are numerous trails traversing the forests that lead upto view Points. The popular ones on the western side are Sunset Pt, Monkey Pt, One Tree Hill, Chowk Pt , Charlotte Lake etc. The overgrown, less frequented ones are the Garbut, Panorama, Berry Pts on the eastern side. The weather is always pleasant even in the height of summer due to the dense forest cover. In the monsoons it is slushy, but full of rivulets, streams and waterfalls. The flora is noteworthy, during the rains the jungle is dripping with ferns, lichens and mosses. Ground orchids abound. Post monsoons the wildflowers come into bloom with their attendant butterflies. In October & Nov 2008 we were privileged to enjoy the mass flowering of strobilanthes (Karvy) on the entire hillside near Panorama Pt. This takes place only once in 6 years and is quite a sight, the blooms being a violet purple, emerging from egg sized pink conical bracts. The forest floor is covered with every sub species of acanthacea like barlerias in yellow, blue and pink, justicias of several varieties some unique to Matheran. The grasses are also delightful, growing quite large and swaying in the breeze. Pretty senecio daisies abound along with purple buttons. You will hear plenty of birdsong, whether you spot them is another question as it is difficult to spot birds through the dense foliage. In the morning, monkey families like jumping on hotel roofs for some peculiar reason and it is quite a delight to watch the baby monkeys upto their 'monkrobatics". Avoid peak school holiday tourist season to enjoy Matheran without the hordes, but even if it is season, there are always parts of Matheran that are only for you. Tip: Sturdy walking shoes, stick and flashlight are a must. The electricity goes off at regular intervals and nights can be pitch dark. Observe the Milky Way at night from any clearing. A night walk through the forests is also a unique experience. Plenty of restaurants nr the market serve all varieties of food. Divadkars thali is particularly good. Must buys are the local chikki - crushed groundnuts is the best variety; forest honey - mostly of jamun fruit - choose a darker shade for medicinal value; footwear and straw products. The adventurous can trek up to Matheran from many points in the plains. The mountain railway runs between Neral and Matheran throughout the day except during monsoons, it takes about 3 hrs, and is very scenic. Enjoy Matheran and help keep it litter free.
Last Visit: November 2007
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(Report Problem)never go there with kids or elder people.
Had been to matheran recently. the main attraction of matheran the mini train does not work and the only mode of transport are the horse and poor rickshaw pullers. the roads are too bad. the richie resort we stayed in - the managers are arrogant. the swimming pool is too dirty. we could not keep the doors open as monkeys would come in.
Last Visit: August 2007
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