Located just 120 kms from Mumbai, a drive along the picturesque Sahyadri Mountain range and crisp coastal air will take you to Dahanu and Bordi, what one may consider as a small, sleepy coastal town on the shores of the Arabian Sea.

Dahanu is located 65 km north of Virar on the Western Railway line of Mumbai Suburban Railway. It can be reached from the National Highway NH-8, 20 km off from Charoti Naka.

Westward flowing rivers and rivulets emerging from gentle slopes, traversing through thick forests will greet you as you approach Dahanu. There is little chance of you losing the way if you follow the smell of Chikoo orchards. The beaches are very quiet and clean, where the sand is blackish and sticky, and very much in its natural form. It is controlled by the Maharashtra Woods Preservation Department, which is why its natural landscape has been left untouched. The beauty of the place lies in the quiet sea beach, and the surrounding casuarinas and chikoo orchards. Infact, the best way to capture the scenic beauty of the place is to drive down from Dahanu to Bordi, 17kms of it. It also happens to be a safe beach, where the water does not rise above the waist for at least half a kilometre.

The city

The name “Dahanu Gaon” originates from the word “Dhenu Gram” meaning the village of cows. A lot of cattle, particularly cows were owned by the people in Dahanu. Today, Dahanu has become a major commercial and industrial town in the Thane district. It is well known for the chickoo fruit and accounts for over 50% of India’s chickoo production. Rubber balloons, rice mills and manufactured goods, are major manufacturing products which are produced in Dahanu. There is also a 500-MW power plant that supplies electricity to Mumbai

The Beach

It is a quiet and clean beach, where the sand is blackish and sticky, and very much in its natural form. It is controlled by the Maharashtra Woods Preservation Department, which is why its natural landscape has been left untouched. The beauty of the place lies in the quiet sea beach, and the surrounding casuarinas and chikoo orchards. Infact, the best way to capture the scenic beauty of the place is to drive down from Dahanu to Bordi. It also happens to be a safe beach, where the water does not rise above the waist for at least half a kilometre.

Sightseeing

Santoshi Mata Mandir and the Mahalakshmi Temple are the popular temples in the area. Drop in at the famous Vrindavan Studios, where some of historical tele-serials were shot. You could visit the town of Dahanu, either on your way back or on your way to Bordi. See the nearby Bharot Caves and the various other Jain and Hindu Temples there. Udwada, near Dahanu, has the beautiful temple, The Mecca of Zoroastrians, housing the very revered fire said to have been kept alive for a thousand years or so.

For a Pleasant stay at Dahanu, I would recommend Hotel Pearline on Dahanu Beach.

Come the rains, Malshej Ghat, just three hours away from Mumbai offers a sublime experience to savour the beauty of the monsoon magic.
Everyone should visit Malshej in the monsoons atleast once – but not on a weekend when it is full of drunken louts misbehaving and littering the place with their broken bottles. Having said that,if you visit mid-monsoons mid week, it is paradise on earth.Post monsoons, go for the wildflowers and butterflies. From Dec to March go for the birds. But monsoon reveals the true glory of the region.

Mumbai to Malshej Ghat (Distance : 140 Kms):

Take Eastern Express Highway upto Bhiwandi and then state highway road to Malshej ghat (Mumbai – Bhiwandi – Kalyan – Saralgoan- Malshej Ghat)

Fun at Malshej Ghat

There are many trails that are ideal for a long walk in the rains. There are plenty of awe-inspiring sights of mountains and valleys as you walk. Sometimes, the dense fog means you cannot enjoy the views. Instead, you can enjoy the walk in the mist. If you do not want to follow any of the offbeat trail, walk on the road itself. The Malshej Ghat road in itself offers excellent views of waterfalls. However, it gets too crowded on Sundays.
It rains heavily in Malshej Ghat and the fun is actually in getting drenched and soaking oneself in one of the waterfalls. There’s nothing better than these simple pleasures of life. There are millions of waterfalls and finding the one that is right for you at Malshej Ghat should not be too difficult.

Malshej offers a unique phenomenon – the mountains are so aligned that the wind speed is very high. Owing to this, there are plenty of places where water rises upwards instead of falling down as a waterfall. Locals will tell you that when the velocity of the wind is too high, 50 ft of natural water sprays are formed.

The most famous guests of Malshej Ghat are the Flamingos. Myriads of pink-legged European flamingos arrive during the monsoon and breed in the waters of the Pimpalgaon-Joga Dam. It is just 4 kms away from Flamingo Hill and worth the visit to watch the mating dance of these birds. Apart from flamingos, many species including the Alpine Swift, Purple Moorhen, Pitta, Quail, Whistling Thrush, Green Pigeon, Pied Crested Cuckoo can be sighted in and around Malshej Ghat.

For those into trekking, Harishchandragad offers an excellent climb. To start the trek, reach Khubi village at a distance of 7 Kms from Malshej Ghat. It is advisable to hire services of a local guide. Peak monsoons may not be the best time for the trek. It is generally more enjoyable during winters.

Get on and get moving to Malshej Ghat and enjoy the next rains.

I’ve been to Matheran twice now in the past 6 months and still wouldn’t mind going there again and again. The place has a totally different feel to it. The first two things you notice when you are there is the fresh crisp air and the lack of any ‘noise’. The best thing is that it takes just about 90mins for me to get there by bike
I think i’ve visited almost all the points out there, out of which Panaroma Point, Monkey Point & Charlotte lake are my favorite. Have not spent a night out there but i really wanna do so this coming monsoon. Who all in??

About Matheran
Matheran was discovered by Hugh Malet in 1850. The British developed Matheran as a popular tourist resort. At an elevation of around 800m (2,625 ft) above sea level Matheran is a hill station located about 100 km from Mumbai. Matheran literally means jungle on top. All vehicles (Except emergency vehicles) are banned here.The roads are not tarred and are made of red laterite earth.
The only modes of transport are on Horseback, by man-pulled rickshaw, or on foot. Every one living in cities needs this sort of change once in a while.
Old British-style architecture has been preserved in Matheran and most structures are now heritage structures.
Matheran has been declared an eco sensitive region by the Union Environment Ministry (GoI).  The name Matheran means either “forest on top” or “mother forest”.There are lots of lookout points that provide spectacular views of the surrounding hills and valleys. Matheran has a reasonably dense forest cover.
There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Panorma Point that provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and also the Neral town. From this point, the view of sunset and sunrise is breathtaking. The Louisa Point offers crystal clear view of the Prabal Fort. The other points are the One Tree Hill Point, Hart Point, Monkey Point, Porcupine Point, Rambgh Point, and more.
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