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(10 JULY to 11 JULY)

Introduction:

Matheran is situated at a height of 803 m above sea level. Since 1907, a

narrow gauge railway line connects Matheran to Neral in the plains. Motor

vehicles are completely banned in Matheran (Venice and Matheran are

probably the only places in the world where motor cars are banned), making

it quite peaceful despite the thousands of visitors that come here, mostly

from Mumbai. There are a number of lookout points that provide spectacular

views of the surrounding hills and valleys. Matheran is a plateau with a

reasonably dense forest cover. Being a hill station it is pleasant almost

throughout the year. In winter, the nights can get a bit chilly though. The

best time to go to Matheran is post-monsoon. It is truly spectacular at this

time of the year with lush greenery, waterfalls and the lake full with water.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Venicehttp://wikitravel.org/en/Venice

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Get in

DECCAN EXP. From Dadar @ 7.30 on 10th july 2010.Boarding at Neral @ 8.45

Then watch out for a cab or trek upto the matheran on toy train track .

You have 5 trains from Neral to Matheran . You have to reach first Neral to

reach Matheran. Train number is 601,603,605,607,609.

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Settle down to a hotel:

Royal Hotel it is best n cheapestd cheapest hotel in matheran is HOPE HALL...............flat 100 rs per day.........d rooms r spacious ask Maria her nos is.02148-230253/230193

Rangoli RetreatClosest from station there is the one and only RangoliRetreat...opposite the station! it has amazing rooms......at affordablecost....food was amazingly excellent and delicious.....yumm...and staff wasEXCELLENTLY EXCELLENT! superb!!

Hotel Sayeban,good rooms at cheaper price

Satkar cottage is economical too. Contact (owner) :9969459143

radha cottage is excellent . marathi food lovers just go there n i promise u'llhave a blast. the staff is super helpful + d resort is near rambaug point . it isin a vry peaceful n serene away from d market hush-bush ...the owner's number = MRS.KHEDKAR - 9833385209

preeti hotelright in centre of Matheran.gr8 food with excellent service.

(02148) 230202 / 230364Mobile: 9421915109http://www.hotelsinmatheran.net/preeti/

SAIHITgo to saihit... its a neat clean place.... without ... they have awesome rates...during off season they charge 75bukcs per person per day with roomservice... i.e only for me... but talk to niranjan who is the concerned personthere.. and tell him karan has asked me to come here... he might give u a

good deal.... and have food bang opposite they make homely food accordingto ur taste... i always do this combination wen i go with my friends..Affordable rates

please feel free to contact me for horse riding,restaurants.chikki mart andawesome outdoor partiesi in several points of matheran with meals and

beverages....kiran:.9422608815 ...thats my contact number

http://www.hotelsinmatheran.net/preeti/http://www.hotelsinmatheran.net/preeti/

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Points to watch:

Some of the popular points include:Panorama PointHeart PointMonkey PointMalang PointLuisa PointHoneymoon Hill

Echo PointCharlotte LakeLords PointOne tree HillOlympiaPaymasters ParkMount BarryArtist PointKhandala PointAlexandar PointRambaug PointLittle Chowk PointChowk PointSunset(Porcupine) PointGarbut pointPanorama point - This point is a very beautiful one, for you can see a

panoramic view of the hills on the left and a beautiful Ulhas River to theright. This point is too far from Matheran, and only one road leads to it, butyou get a good price for your travel. This point is perfect for Sunrise and is

also called "Sunrise Point."Heart Point - Here one can see a beautiful scene of the valley and this pointlooks like heart, so it is named so.Monkey Point - Here you can see the monkeys in large numbers and theirmischief life-sized.

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Do

Due to the prohibition of cars, Matheran is a relatively peaceful place. Sowalking is an activity that will be richly rewarding. There are numerous

points all over Matheran, some of which provide some fantastic views of thevalley below. While the central area and marked vistas are crowded, it isquite easy to find yourself all alone if you step off the beaten track. South ofCharlotte Lake, there are some wonderful trails.Horse riding is also quite popular way of getting around in Matheran.Finding a horse is not very difficult, as there are many of them around. It is agreat way to travel for people who prefer not to walk.

EatThere are all kinds of restaurants in Matheran serving various cuisines. Trythe Maharashtrian style Vada-Pav (Indian Burger)which is available at thevarious points. Also, try the chikki which is available in different flavors inthe main market. Meat is available in some restaurants, notably in the

popular and modern Khan's, which does very good Kebabs.

Things to keep in mind

Carry a good pair of comfortable walking shoes. Matheran is quite dusty &there is red dirt everywhere.The roads can be rough with many small stones in them but they are notsharp craggy rocks so wear a good pair of shoes with thick soles and youshould be fine. Obviously, if you dont intend walking much then this doesntreally matter too much.The weather is truly excellent as you can walk around even in summerwithout feeling too uncomfortable.Avoid carrying too much baggage with you. You cant take it up by car &need someone to carry it for you. Some of these porters are women & I didntfeel right about a woman carrying our 20 kg bag. Anyway, its quite easy to

find a male porter (also called "coolie" in India). They may charge aroundRs. 200 - 250 (US$ 5 - 6) for carrying your bags to your hotel depending onwhere your hotel is. For this they will walk nearly 45 minutes with the bagson their heads (which is somewhat sad). Also they are reliable and you cansafely hand over your bags to them and take any route you want. They will

be at your hotel before you.

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There is a government fixed rate for renting the horses which in (May 2008)is Rs. 160 or around US$ 4 per hour.

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The Planning (Subject to change according to us)

2 days r enough to cover all da points i.e 1 day n 1 nite stay

u catch da 1 st minitrain to matheran look for a hotel u want to stay, keep allur bags there have ur breakfast in ur hotel or in da market place, get da mapof matheran from ur hotel or any chikki shop over there [it is easily availablenewhere for free], which shows all da points of matheran then accordin todat u start ur tour, u can cover around 70% of mattheran on da first day,ustart from da points which r far away so dat u can see da nearby remaining

points on da next day.... u return to ur hotel after seein da sunset point.........

da next day u wake up at 3 am n go for da sunrise point, it takes around 1 nhalf to 2 hr to reach there, even da route is a bit confusing so u can hire aguide to take u there or u can also take a horse ride wid a guide to reachthere, but pls dnt skip this point if u r goin to matheran its worth seein, thenu return back n see da remainin ponits if ne..... then go to ur hotel checkoutfrm there n u r back at home in da eve next day

FOOD:

KHANS hukkas n tikkasdiwadkar'sshabbirs is also good.. its on the parallel road to the market.. go up betweenthe masjid and khans..Khans is very good for CHINESSEand shabbir bhai is very good for punjabi food