What To See In Matheran

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Matheran is a very popular tourist place in Maharashtra state. It is a beautiful hill station surrounded by dense forest. The place is located on top of the Sahyadri Mountains which are covered by dense forest. The place was discovered by Hugh Poyntz Malet who was the then district collector of Thane in 1850 discovered it. Lord Elphinstone laid the foundations of the development of the place.

Matheran is declared as an eco sensitive region by the government and vehicles are not allowed here. There are no concrete roads here and the present roads are made up of Red mud. It is one of the very few places in the world, where vehicles are not allowed. You have to travel to Dasturi point, which is 11 kms away from Matheran and travel by foot or on a pony. This is why; it takes you back to a different period when there were no vehicles.

There are a number of tourist spots in Matheran. These give you different views of the place and surrounding hills and valleys. There are about 38 lookout points in Matheran, which include Panorama point, Neral point, Louisa point, Alexander point, Olympia Race course, etc. Panorama point has a 360 degree of the surroundings. The views during sunrise and sunset are breath taking from here. Neral town. The Charlotte Lake is one of the most picturesque spot in Matheran. There is a Pisarnath temple on the right side of the lake and there are points like Echo point and Louisa point nearby. King George point is best during monsoons as there are beautiful falls there.

The toy train in Matheran is another tourist attraction and the ride is full of scenic beauty and very enjoyable. The Matheran hill railway was built in the year 1907 and is now a UNESCO world heritage site like the Darjeeling hill railway and Nilgiri mountain railway.

The journey to Matheran in itself is a trip as the scenes are very enjoyable and a visual delight. The route is not straight and has many turns and slopes. The road is very scenic and you have to reach Neral to reach Matheran. There on you will have to ride on a horse or travel by a pulled rickshaw. The walk to Matheran from the foothills is also very interesting and it is preferred by many a tourists.

The forest of Matheran is dense and has a number of trees. There are many medicinal plants and herbs in the forest of Matheran. There are also a number of monkeys like the Hanuman Monkey and Bonnet Macaques along with other animals and birds.

Shopping In Matheran

The Bazaar in Matheran is small and has shops and stalls selling the local produce. You can buy leather belts, Kolhapuri chaapals, leather bags, shoes, etc. the prices are very reasonable and the stuff is of good quality. You can buy amazing glass birds, dried flowers with quaint appeal from the local shops of Matheran. The most popular thing among tourists in Matheran is the Chikki (fudge), cane articles and other food items. You can hire ponies for your sightseeing from the market in Matheran.