I am new to Mumbai and suddenly on a lazy saturday evening decided to go to Matheran on Sunday morning. Provocation - While browsing mouthshut.com, I came across a few rave reviews on Matheran and decided to pack my bags.
Matheran is a wonderful place and what attracts most is the total ban on cars in the town, though the dust blown by horses, can be disturbing.
Starting off early morning, you have to reach Neural (as opposed to Neral, I my got confused) from Kurla. From Neural you take either a shared cab or the toy train. Of course toy train is the best. The one and half hour journey gives you the best possible views on a lazy morning.But tickets are booked pretty early and you need to reach Neural atleast 2 hours before its departure.
The couple of beautiful ’points’ gives you a view of the western ghats, the Charollette lake, the horse ride ( mind you a horse not a mule) is what makes matheran a pleasurable experience. Remember to bargain hard with the horse owners. Plenty of hotels and booze is available, but I would recommend you to take back home some readily available pure honey. Beaware of the monkeys as they snatch food.
Matheran is a perfect getaway for stressed out Mumbaikars.
A note of caution: Dont overstay beyond 2 days as looking at the same peaks from different angles at different points can get irritating!