TheFreeBird
I have already trekked to Matheran via Rambaug Point, Garbett Point , Peb fort & One Tree Hill point. After experiencing last sunsets of 2022 from One Tree Hill point I wanted to enjoy the first trek sunsets of 2023 from another Matheran trek. So one winter evening I decided to do this Matheran Sunset point Trek via Dhodani village. In this Dhodani Matheran trek blog you will find all the information to plan this trek yourself. Some call Dhodani as Dodhani as well as Dhodhani. Similar adventures like this one at the end of the post.
Matheran is one of the most famous hill stations in India where vehicles are not allowed. Normal tourists reach Matheran via the Neral toy train or just drive on the normal road to reach Dasturi Naka ( which is the entrance point of Matheran). These tourists then visit different view points of Matheran by walking or on a horse. However adventure lovers like me love to reach Matheran by trekking from base village to these view points.
Is Dhodani Matheran Trek difficult for beginners ?
Dhodhani trek is a simple ascend trek without any risky patches. The trail is used daily by locals to go to work at Matheran, hence is properly marked. The trail is a complete climb hence would be tough on legs hence would term it as an Intermediate trek which beginners with stamina can do easily.
How much long is Dhodani Sunset Point Trek ?
Niraj, how much time does it take to complete this Matheran trek ? It takes 2.5 hours to reach the top at full speed from Dhodhani village to sunset point. It will take more time if you take frequent stops for rest , water , food or photography
What is the best time for Dhodani Trek
All Matheran treks are perfect monsoon treks. Winter provides its own twist with beautiful sunsets & sunrises. This treks are also worthy of summer time because once you toil through all the climb Matheran provides with a very cool weather ( should preferably start early morning). Hence I term it as an all weather trek. Mostly trekkers do this trek on monsoon morning. But i also prefer to this Dhodani Matheran trek on winter evenings to enjoy the name sake sunset.
Iss Matheran trek me Khane ko kya milega ?
Since its not that famous there are no food huts through the trail. There are shops available in Dhodani village as well as at Sunset point. Through the trek you will come across 2 stream crossing which has water till December. I found a water source little out of the way where i found tasty water percolating from rocks in Jan first week. There is a shop near the temple midway through the trek which may be open on weekends
Dodhani Matheran Trek route
How to reach Dhodani Trek to Matheran Sunset Point Trek ?
Dhodani village is 20kms from Panvel. You can reach Dhodani village & trek to Matheran’s Sunset point or porcupine point. After reaching sunset point if you dont want to go back to Dodhani then you can head to Matheran market reach Dasturi Naka, take a taxi to Neral Station or you can do it the other way round
Nearest Railway Station is Panvel Station
Base Village for Matheran Sunset Point Trek is Dhodani
Public Transport to reach Dhodani
- Dodhani village is well connected by ST bus from Panvel stand. From my discussion with locals i understood that there are ST bus from 7 am till 7 pm from Panvel to Dodhani on hourly basis. The same bus returns to Panvel after ever hour from Dhodani- the last bus from Dhodhani is at 7 pm. Ticket costs Rs 30.
- The shared EECO for Dhodani from Panvel are available from under the highway bridge near the Ambedkar statue (Rs. 50). In case you book the complete EECO the price may vary from Rs. 400 – 600
- In case you dont find these direct options you can get plenty of options to reach Nere in Rs 30 from where you can get another rickshaw to drop at Dhodani.
Private Vehicle : Just add Dhodani on Google Maps and enjoy this beautiful drive. Roads are very good as on Jan 2023
The most common question that i get asked is I want to travel a lot but I dont have leaves. Should I quit my job ? I have always suggested to not quit your job unless you have another source of income. In search of this source of income I tried freelancing , trek leading, vlogging and I realised nothing works in the long term. After trying many different thinkgs finally I came across trading
Trading for getting freedom & income is perfect for a person with traveller mindset. You can trade from anywhere around the world be it some off the grid village in Himachal or Meghalaya, be it some island in Andaman. All you need is an internet connection and a trading account. You can earn by trading for 1-2 hrs a day and would have freedom to do anything in the free time.Or you might have just earned enough in a day to take the month off travelling around the world. If you are able to learn this then it has potential to make all your dreams come true. I would suggest you take it up as a side project for 6 months to see if you have patience & intellect to master it.
Dodhani Sunset Point Trek blog : TheFreeBird’s Story
As part of my personal #ProjectMatheran i am covering all the treks in Matheran region. In the last week of Dec 2022 I witnessed the sunset from One Tree hill Trek to Matheran overlooking the great Morbe Dam. In the first week of 2023 i wanted to enjoy the sunset from Matheran again. For that i decided to attempt the Matheran Sunset Point trek via Dhodani. I got on my bike and started towards Dodhani village on a very hot afternoon. The roads are very good and in no time I reached Gadeshwar dam ( just before Dhodani village).
Gadeshwar dam provides a scenic view of Chanderi fort. No wonder many people like to chill here in the evening. I wanted to stay here longer but I was on a mission to chase the sunset from Matheran top. In another 10 minutes I reached Dodhani village which seemed to be completely asleep in the afternoon.
Parking my bike at the Dodhani bus stand I walked through the village towards the Sunset point which is clearly visible from the village. I made a mistake of eating too much & starting the trek immediately. So at the Banyan tree below i decided to rest for a while to let the food settle in & also for the sun to become less intense
It was 3 pm and the scorching heat was unforgiving. From this banyan tree my plan was to quickly walk to the next Mango tree, rest for some time & start again. I had to keep up with time if i didnt want to miss the sunset at about 530pm. After the initial exposed trail the remaining trail goes through the forest under the soothing cool shadow. Once in the forest its a continuous climb till the top
The colours changed from burnt yellow to soothing green. With the change in colours I felt re-energised to walk quicker. Soon I reached a dry water stream from where the climb becomes slightly steeper. Here i came across a lady carrying a huge load of dry grass to the top. She said it was for horses in Matheran. Looking at her climb so fast i was motivated to be quicker.
She also pointed out that before the temple you will reach an open section ( not covered by trees) just ahead of it to the right side is a water stream . I was so lucky that she directed me to the water source. Drinking water percolating from rocks got me excited. The water is full of minerals and has many benefits. One of the reason why locals from mountain villages are so strong.
I drank as much as i could and just felt supercharged. Within few minutes i reached the temple.
There is a hut near this temple which appeared to be a food stall – too bad it was weekday today , a lemon juice would have made me happier. This temple is covered by trees reminding me of similar temples I had seen in Himachal. It was so peaceful here with not even a soul in sight , just birds & monkeys. I really believe this is where God truly resides in peace and not at temples where lakhs of people crowd up.
From here onwards the trees became much bigger & the coldness in the air increased drastically. I walked through the jungle looking at every possible bird and at the rays of sunlight running parallely.
Finally the sunset point aka porcupine point became visible through the dense foliage. From here the forest opens up a bit and i could finally see the sun indicating that the sunset would be in the next 30 minutes
The different layer of mountains visible have always fascinated me. Sun over Prabalgad & Kalavantin was poised to set directly in the gap between the two forts. Would be a great moment for the V-valley to catch the sunset. As I didnt want to miss the sunset I moved hurriedly towards the top. The inclined climb just doesnt seem to end. The entire trek is an uphill climb with only the temple being a flat section.
Apart from the Godsend lady who guided me to the water source, i had not seen a single soul throughout the trek, only birds, monkeys & me. As soon as I reached the sunset point i started to see hordes of tourists pouring in from Matheran market on horses & by walk.
I heard one of the couple saying they were tired by walking from main market to the sunset point. Kamaal karte ho. Here i was after climbing 2.5 hours almost non stop in extreme heat and was still happy to see the sunset with all my heart. Though I was not happy to see all these people. The weather was very cold up here and the tourists were eating hot sweet corn, maggi & other hot stuff. Unlike them i was very thirsty and was the only one demanding a cold lemon juice 😁
Not wanting to see so many people with the sunset, i moved a bit further North to the edge of Sunset point which is also known as Porcupine Point. I guess tourists just didnt know this place as i was the only one there . My Matheran trek had reached its climax with this entire sunset just for myself.
I sat there for a while till the sun was completely swallowed by the V-valley between Prabalgad & Kalavantin. This seems to be perfect spot to think about puzzles of life. View from Porcupine point is just so beautiful with the entire stretch from Monkey point of Matheran on one side & the sunset on the other side.
With the sun almost gone I had to rush down as I wanted to cover the descend quickly with the remaining daylight. With the sun going down evening colours became even more vibrant & the mountains even more clearer. I wish i would have stayed back at the top.
With almost 15 minutes in descend it had become pitch dark, but my eyes had got used to the darkness. I descended the remaining distance towards Dhodani guided by moonlight without turning on my torch. This night trek was a terrific experience.
Villagers were surprised to see a single soul coming out of the jungle in pitch darkness. I reached my bike, washed my face & rushed home for dinner.
Bye !!
That’s it for the Dhodani Matheran trek blog / Matheran sunset point trek.
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I've written blogs covering numerous Sahyadri treks, all accessible in the section below. Additionally, I create ambient Sahyadri videos on YouTube, featuring solely natural sounds such as birdsong, wind rustling through the trees, and the soothing patter of rain—the elements of nature that I hold dear.
SAHYADRI TREKS NEAR
