Planning a Day Trek to Matheran Hill Station and have a lot of questions ? This guide will help you plan your Trek.
Few years back, me and my friends decided to go on our very first trek to Matheran. We had planned to trek via the Garbett Plateau.
Since we wanted to do this trek on our own, we did a lot of research and found out that, the Trek to Matheran via Garbett Plateau was the easy one. This article is to share my experience which can help you plan a better trip.
The day before the Trek
The day before the trek is the most important. No one in our group had any kind of experience, so we just bought a small medical kit, few snacks and
3 – 4 bottles of water and a packet of glucose.
On the day of the Trek
Check out the time table for trains from Dadar to Karjat.
Use the above time table to plan your own journey.
You would need to get down at Bhivpuri Station and it will take at least an hour to reach Bhivpuri from Dadar by local train.
Once you get down at Bhivpuri Station, ask the locals the way towards Garbett Plateau, we did the same. Have your breakfast and fill your bags with less snacks and more water bottles.
The first thing you will see is a small village, this is where your trek to Matheran will begin. Ask for directions and if possible get a map drawn… back then we didn’t had google maps to find the right direction and there could be chances that you may not find a network, so getting a map drawn would be very helpful.
With very little information and some directions given through hand gestures, we started our trek.
The unknown Terrain!
After walking for an hour, we realized that we are lost with no one to ask for directions, we sat down on the ground thinking of going back to Bhivpuri Station. But we were no quitters ! We all wanted to finish what we started.
We looked around and made a decision to move towards the mountains which were the highest! I know that sounds crazy and stupid but we had to make a decision.
I turned on my Bluetooth Speakers and we started our journey towards the unknown!!
30 mins into trekking,we were having a break on a cliff enjoying the view. At this point of time, we absolutely had no idea how difficult it could get later on.
We started our journey again and after walking few miles, we saw a group of trekkers… they were all heading towards Matheran.
One of them asked if we ever trekked on this route before?
They told us to join their group, but we did not trust them and decided to go alone.
Unknowingly, we decided to take a route thinking of it as a shortcut. But it was a dead zone!! We were facing a lot of difficulties to cross that patch.
Fortunately, that group of trekkers saw us struggling . We heard one of them saying… ” Aaj tho yeah log gaye “. They came to our rescue and helped us cross that rough patch.
We were young and reckless and we went to far!
Finally we decided to join them and complete the Trek.
The Final Hour :
It was a hot day and we were running out of water and to even make it worse, the route to Garbett Plateau had some problems.
We had an alternate route but it was dangerous! This route had steep slopes. We started trekking with no protection. One small mistake and we were done!
We were getting exhausted and our heart beats were fast… it was like we were running out of oxygen.
We took small breaks but we did not quit and made to the top of the mountain! Once you see the railway tracks, the trek is over.
It started raining from no where… We were so freaking happy and proud of ourselves. No prior trekking experience, no water, hot day, dangerous slopes, difficult routes… conquering our fears, we completed this Trek.
I don’t think, I will ever forget this trek…
Matheran to Neral Station – The return journey!
After having lunch, we took a cab from Matheran Entry Point. He charged around Rs. 30 per person and within 20 mins we reached the Station.
Note : While going back to Dadar, the trains are extremely crowded, so be prepared to stand! It will be exhausting!
This was my experience on our Trek to matheran. I hope you enjoyed reading my story! Let me know in the comment section below about the article.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) :
What is the Best Time to Visit to Matheran :
From June to February – This period is one of the best time to plan your trip to Matheran.
How to Reach Matheran from Mumbai:
This depends on how you want to travel.
Catch a train from Dadar Railway Station to Karjat. You need to get down at Neral Station. From Neral station to Matheran Hill station, the distance by road is just 30 mins.
One can catch a local taxi from Neral station to reach the entry point of the hill station.
Beyond the entry point, no vehicles are allowed, so if you are driving your own vehicle, you would need to park at one the parking zones at the entry point.
Toy Train to Matheran :
A beautiful journey through the forest. The toy train takes almost 2 hours to reach Matheran, so just sit back, relax and enjoy the scenic views.
The fun part is, you could also get down from the train and take awesome photos.
What are the Places to Visit in Matheran :
Some of famous Matheran Points that you can visit are :
- Louisa Point 2. Panorama Point
- Charlotte Lake
- Monkey Point
- Echo Point
- Shivaji’s Ladder
- Alexander Point
- One Tree Hill Point
- Hart Point
- Khandala Point
Neral to Matheran taxi fare:
Few years back, it was Rs 30 / Person. Now it could vary.