Mumbai was originally 7 separate islands, reclaimed to form the port city. Mumbai is a city I have lived in for more than a decade now. Mumbai Darshan is the first tour that most people take, seeing houses of Bollywood stars, Bandra sea face, CST Railway Terminus and colonial buildings of South Mumbai ending at Gateway of India. There is much more to Mumbai beyond that. Although you will see more buildings, less nature and speed/ chaos all around, Mumbai has some kind of life never seen in other cities of India or the world.
The buildings might be old, but the aspirations of people are new. There is hustle in every individual to make it work, make space in the congested city, treat everyone as their own and keep moving ahead day on day. All this famously known as “Spirit of Mumbai“, keeps the city going
Buildings with matchbox like houses come up every year to accommodate the growing population. While central areas like Dadar are always on treadmill, you will find relatively peaceful places on outskirts like Navi Mumbai. Mumbai itself is home to Gateway of India, Marine drive, Siddhivinayak temple, Haji Ali Dargah, Kanheri caves and the island caves of Elephanta. Lonavala and Matheran are quick weekend getaways
Places to visit in Mumbai
Gateway of India and Marine drive: South Mumbai necklace along the coast. Most people hang out here in the evenings and weekends
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and area around: Colonial buildings give you a feel of European city. Take a local train from CST to get a feel of how locals live and commute. The trains are heartlines of Mumbai, saving grace to beat the traffic
Siddhivinayak Mandir: Ganesha temple near Prabhadevi. People walk for miles as a service and pay visit here
Haji Ali Dargah: Almost inside the sea cut off during high tide
Yatch ride: You can take a ride from various companies like Gateway Sailing club or other companies. They also offer themed events for special days like birthdays and anniversaries. Go during sunset to soak the vibes of the sea
Flamingoes of Thane, Sewri, Nerul: See flocks of pink birds during December- February. You can take boat tours organized by local companies. You can also go on our own. Best places to visit are Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, Seawoods Flamingo Point at Nerul Palm Beach road near Delhi Public School
Elephanta (Gharapuri) caves
The caves of the island are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The ferry from Gateway of India takes an hour costing about INR 200 round trip. You can find 3-4 ferries leaving every hour as they get full
There are two large magnificent caves, and many more smaller caves. The caves were started to be built in 7th century by Rashtrakta ruler Dantidurga, believed to have taken more than a century to complete. The temples are monolithic, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Unfortunately destroyed over the years by invaders, the remains are still enough to give you a glimpse of grandeur of ancient times.
The three faced Trimurti Shiva features on all postcards of the place. There are many carvings showing different forms of Lord Shiva like Ardhanareeshwara (half male, half female form), Wedding scenes, dancing Shiva (Nataraja), Yogishwara, seated pose etc.
Visit during monsoons, the green tinge has an entirely different feel, although a little slippery to walk. Apart from the caves, you can see cannons on the hills on the island. The caves are closed on Mondays
Kanheri caves
There are 100+ caves in Kanheri carved out of Krishnagiri, just next to the vast Sanjay Gandhi National Park. You can see many Chaityas or group prayer halls, Viharas where Buddhist monks used to reside. Cave 3 is the most impressive one, being the largest and housing a big hall with 34 impressive pillars. Every cave has connections to get water from the river that flows here.
If you are a history and architecture enthusiast, there are many more caves in Jogeshwari, Mahakali. They are bit smaller and run down compared to the ones at Kanheri
Weekend getaways from Mumbai
Matheran
Matheran is a weekend getaway for Mumbaikars out of fast running city life into hill station. It is 85 km, 2.5 hours away from the city
Neral is the nearest train station. There is a toy train that runs from here to the hill top five times a day, which can be booked 3 days in advance to 45 minutes before departure from Neral station. Expect long queues and sell out during weekends
If you don’t manage to get train tickets, you can take taxis up to Dasturi point, followed by walk/ rickshaw/ horse ride. Walking is completely manageable and takes half an hour. The train route is a little more long and scenic
Panorama point has view of Uhlas river and overall area below. Charlotte lake is a serene stop as you walk along the trails
You could spot squirrels, langurs, macaques, snakes if you are lucky. While monsoon season has slippery tracks, the scenery is the best with greenery and floating clouds
Lonavala
Famous for the Chikki sweets, jellies, this hill station is just 90 minutes from Mumbai. Pawna lake is a large reservoir where people camp and spend evenings. There are many forts in the area with Korigad fort being one of the prominent ones
You can find properties with activities like sports, trekking, jungle walks. Special callout to tree house Machan, where you can get immersed naturally in the forests. They have rooms with sliding wooden roofs which you can keep open at night to gaze at stars
Dharana Shillim is another property if you want to splurge (all thanks to Corporate events, I would personally not spend at all). I personally like Machan much more given the natural setting
