Alibaug – Weekend Destination Near Mumbai,places to visit Alibaug
Location and Getting There:
State : Maharashtra
Distance : 113 kms S from Mumbai
Location : On the south coast of Mubai Harbour.
Journey Time : By road 3 Hrs from Mumbai.
By Sea : 50-55 Mins Plus 30 Mins by road
Route : Take Vashi Bridge to Panvel and then NH17 to vadkhal naka via pen and State highway to Alibaug via poynad and Khandale.
How to reach there?
By Bus : Froyou can take bus, Mumbai central and from borivali you can take bus which take 3-4 hrs to reach Alibaug.
By Sea: Launches for Mandwa leave from the Getway of india at regular intervals from 6.15 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. From Mandwa Jetty you can take bus, taxi or jeep to reach Alibaug
Tel for Launches :
022-22829695, 022-26590017
022-22822287,022-22026364
Madawa :
02141-237110, 02141-237464
Best time to visit Alibaug :
Alibaug is year round destination but try to avoid peak of summer .
Places to visit Alibaug :
Alibaug Beach :
Alibaug Beach is one of the prominent beaches of Alibaug town in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Among all the beaches Alibaug beach has some of the finest facilities like speed boat ride, parasailing, banana ride. Alibaug beach has a blackest sand in the region . It is very lively beach. It is full of bathers in the morning and food stalls by evening. From here you can head towards Kolaba Fort on a horse- Cart. From here you can head towards Kolaba Fort on a horse- Cart which is situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km from the shores of Alibaug, 35 km south of Mumbai. It is a popular tourist destination and a protected monument. Tourists can have a beautiful view of the Kolaba Fort from this beach. Keeping in mind the safety of tourists, a platform has been built by the government. This fort was built by Shivaji Maharaj. It is now in ruins but from outside it still looks impregnable. You can also visit Jaybhavani and Hanuman Mandirs inside the fort there.There are many resorts and hotels in Alibaug which can provide best facilities to the tourists coming here. Alibaug is very famous among tourists who come over on the weekend. Some call it mini Goa. Alibaug is a frequent getaway for people in Mumbai with many owning farmhouses off the beach. The launch from Mumbai makes it closer although during the monsoons a boat ride is not advisable.
You can also take horse ride on Alibaug beach which is quite a good experience. Taking bath in the Arabian sea is a complete refreshment to your body and mind. Kolaba fort is also an attraction of alibaug. It was under the command of Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre who was the Naval chief of Maratha empire. The main attraction of this place is to see the fort during sunset it gives an immense peace and pleasure to your mind. The sea food here is also famous especially surmai fry and roasted crab.
Akshi and Nagaon :
Akshi is a very quiet beach it is mostly favoured by birdwatchers and nature lovers. It is only 3 kms away from Alibaug. There are 2 Stone tablets or shilas on the way to beach one is near to Someshwar temple near Deepasthambh and other is further down that road.
Nagaon Beach is 7 Kms from Alibaug ,it is accessed through the Fish market and Fishing Village. You can visit the twin Khanderi and Undheri forts from here. With beautiful white sand beach Nagaon is getting popularity for its adventure sports facility on beaches. you can enjoy all adventure sports like Paraglyding, Banana Ride, Speed Boat, Horse Cart, Horse Riding and many more in Nagaon. Most important thing is that these rides are not so costly like any other cities which will create hole in your pocket. With proper safety measures one can enjoy these rides and make their Nagaon Trip memorable
Kihim Beach
Kihim is a small village located to the north of Alibag. Commonly known to people in Mumbai as a weekend getaway, it is accessible via Road and Water.
Kihim Beach is 11 kms away from Alibaug . Major attraction in Kihim is it’s sandy beach. The beach at Kihim has soft fine sand and is predominantly a black sand beach with a slightly more coarser white sand covering. There are food stalls near the beach selling ‘chat’ and snacks near the parking area. ”. This beach is also famous for shootings of many hindi movies. You can hire tents from MTDC and spend a night under the stars.
Though Kihim was once known as a “Bird Watchers’ Paradise”, very few exotic species can be still found in the areas having dense cover of trees. Variety of butterflies are also found here. Tourists enjoying in the waves on a sunny day on Kihim Beach On a clear day Colaba area of Mumbai is visible from Kihim Beach on the north western side. The Khanderi and Underi forts looms over the horizon at the Kihim beach and along with the rocky stretches offers one of the most beautiful views of the setting sun in this part of the konkan beaches.3 kms from Kihim beach in Mapgaon is the hill of Kankeshwar Temple. Enroute the trek up is “Brahma Kund”, a rectangular tank surrounded by steps on all four sides with a semblence to the Pushkarini in Hampi. built in 1764 by Raja Ramdeorai Yadav has a silver plated idol. The temple also has a Kund known as “Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh Kund
Versoli Beach :
Versoli beach is 20 mins from Alibaug. You can see the outlines of Colaba fort from one side and Khanderi and Undheri fort from the other side.There are Colourfull fishng boats bobbing on the sea in the nearby fishing village koliwada. Varsoli is famous for its calm and clean beach. It is a popular tourist spot which is frequently visited by beach loving people of Mumbai, Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. The beach is not crowded and hence is quiet. The sea water is also clean. It is pleasure to watch sunset and blue sky and stars at night.
Nagoba Mandir
Nagoba Mandir is 20 Mins from saswane Beach. Here you can see bells hung in clusters of 4,6,12 etc. People come here to ask for devine favours and return to tie bells once their wishes are granted.
Places to visit Around Alibaug :
Mandwa
Mandwa is 18 kms from Alibaug. If you are visiting Alibaug from gateway of India then mandwa is the place where you will land first. Mandwa beach is very clean as it is less crowded then most of the other beaches of alibaug. You can take speed boat or Banana ride or you can enjoy parasailing. This beach is surrounded by some of the most beautiful Bungalows of celebrities and Business magnets.
Chaul and Revdanda
The Ancient Chaul / Revadanda are located 16 Kms. south of Alibag. Chaul has 2000 years history. The port at Chaul was used for trade with Gulf & European countries by sea in olden days.
During the Maratha Regime, Chaul had 350 lakes & same number of temples. Of this temples, only 40 to 50 are still there. Famous among them are, Shitaladevi, Rameshwar and Datta Mandir on hill.
Portugese came to chaul 400 years back. The fort and the Observation tower named “Satkhani” built by them still exist.
The spices, fruits & flower trees are plenty in Chaul. Revadanda was formerly a part of chaul. The bridge constructed on Revadanda/Salav made it convenient to travel to Murud & Janjira. The Vikram Birla group Ispat Sponge Iron plant is located in Salav. The beautiful Ganesh temple built by Birlas at Salav is an attraction for tourists. The light illumination of the temple at night is worth seeing. The temple is located 4 Kms from the end of Revadanda/ Salav bridge. On the way to Murud Janjira from Revadanda, in between there is a beautiful and famous Kashid beach. Murud &Janjira, which are located 50 Kms from Alibag are also famous for beautiful beaches and a fort at Janjira.
kankeshwar Mandir Alibaug
kankeshwar temple alibaug, on the Konkan coast near Alibag, is a popular place, famous for its cool climate and the old temple of Lord Shiva. The temple is situated on a small hill near the village of Mapgaon which is almost 12 km from Alibag. The hill is almost 1200 feet high and one has to climb 700 – 750 steps to reach the temple.
In the mid of the hill one can see “Nagobacha Tappa” (a Place of Snakes) and the famous step called “Devachi Payari” named because, it is said, God himself stepped here after the construction of the temple and the steps. The temple of Kanakeshwar is very beautiful; it is a Hoysala style structure built in 1764. A water tank, called a “Pushkarni“, has water almost throughout the year.
The hill and the surroundings are good to visit. One can see the hilly region and the forest on the hill. The other places to see near Kanakeshwar are the Maruti Temple, Gaymandi (Sculpture of a Cow), Temple of Devi Putrabai, Gaymukh and the plateau of Vyaghreshwar (a small temple of Lord Shiva), etc.
Birla temple in Alibaug.
20 Kms. away from Alibag after rewdanda is a small village named ‘ Salav ‘ on the Alibag – Roha route. There is a birla temple on a hill top near Salav village. Vikram Ispat company, a part of Birla udyog group has built this temple called ‘ Birla Mandir ‘. This temple is between the Vikram Ispat company and its beautifully located residential colony. It is a temple built in pure milk white marble and its dome can be seen from a long distance also. It can be reached by road or by climbing the steps. While climbing the temple steps one is always mesmerized by the landscape. On both sides of the steps is green velvet carpet of grass and beautiful flowers which will keep you spell bound for a minute.
The temple has marble floors and the hall of the temple is open from all sides. The ceiling of the Birla temple is transparent which allows free flow of air and ample of light to come in. On entering the temple there is a square shaped nave. The nave is also made of marble and is very beautifully carved. The beautifully carved idol of ‘Ganapati’ is placed the nave. The idols of ‘Riddhi and Siddhi’ are placed on both sides of idol. Around the nave are small temples of ‘Radha-Krishna’, ‘Shiv-Parvati’, ‘Bhavanidevi’ and ‘Suryadeva’. In the garden next to the Birla temple there is a statue of “Late Aditya Birla”.
Worship and Aarti is done at 9.00 a. m. and 7.00 p. m. everyday.
The temple is open for the public from 6.00 a. m. to 11.30 a.m and 4.30 p.m to 9.00 p.m.
One can always avail the facilities of the auto rickshaws and other private vehicles which regularly ply to this place. It is also possible to travel Alibag – Revdanda by S. T. Bus or eight sitter auto rickshaws and onwards another auto rickshaws
Kolaba Fort – Alibaug
Kolaba fort alibaug (sometimes Kulaba Fort or Alibag Fort) is an old military fortification in India. It is situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km from the shores of Alibag, 35 km south of Mumbai, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It is a popular tourist destination and a protected monument.
The average height of the fort walls is 25 feet. It has two main entrances, one on the sea side and the other towards Alibag. An interesting feature of this fort is that it has freshwater wells in its premises even though it is a seaside fort. In the monsoons, the fort can be reached by wading through waist-deep water at low tide. However, at high tide, boats must be used to reach it. The Siddhivinayak temple inside the fort was built by Raghoji Angre in 1759.
Where to stay in Alibaug :
You can find many hotels, resorts to stay in alibaug. Even there are some bungalows which you can get on daily basis which can accommodate approximate 10-12 people.
Hotels in Alibaug :
Hotel Sea view :Tel: 02141-222605, 224062
Resorts in Alibaug:
Sun Glow resot : Tel : 02141-221072-73
Private Bungalows in Alibaug :
Where to eat in Alibaug?
Around Alibaug :
Mandwa : Mandwa is 18 kms from Alibaug.
Rawas Jetty : The road to Rawas Jetty from Alibaug is not that good but you can see many lotus ponds on the way.
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