Echo Point

A dainty hill-station tucked away amidst the mountain tops of the great Sahyadri ranges, Matheran is listed amongst the must-visit places for all the nature and bird lovers. The Echo Point, Matheran has garnered immense popularity for its nature’s bounty and breath-taking scenery and real-life physics lesson illustrations through echo acoustics.

Centred by the verdant green stretches and loose clouds dressing up the place in white, the Echo Point is the best viewpoint to witness the hypnotizing views of the Western Ghats and indulge in the exciting echoes and reverberations. This is where, the viewpoint derives its name.

Thanks to its location at the hilltop, the place is a haven for adrenaline junkies, which offers a plethora of engaging adventure sports. An eco-friendly hill-station, the Echo Point boasts of being one of the few automobile-free spots and is said to echo in the same manner as the ancient years, irrespective of nature’s erosions and man-made developments.

Traveller Tips that Might Be Helpful

• Get offline maps installed in your smartphones, as it might be helpful.

• The Echo Point, Matheran is a 40 minutes’ walk from the main market.

• You can book a horse ride to reach the Echo Point, to help save yourselves from the walk. Though the trees on both the sides of the Echo-Point helps you save from the

• The zip-lining is offered to cross the valley, by the local tour agencies and operators throughout the tourist season.

• The trekkers usually board the State Transport bus from Panvel to travel to Dodhani, from where the sunset point of Matheran is just an hour trek. This trek is mostly taken up during the monsoons, to enjoy the rich forest area that carpets the trekking route, the sparkling streams, and verdant green trees.

Things to Do at the Echo Point

• The Echo Point, Matheran offers magnificent views of the lakes and the hills.

• The viewpoint is famous as one of the most frequented sightseeing spots in Matheran, where you can enjoy capturing the beautiful sunset and sunrise shots through your lenses.

• You can indulge in an adrenaline rush, by choosing to cross the valley by zip-lining.

• Masala Chai being sold by almost all the vendors present there is one of the few specialties of the place that you must indulge in.

• A nice viewpoint to treat your sore eyes to the riveting water-falls. Besides, the hills surrounding the place are responsible for the reverberation.

Availability

The place is opened between sunrise and sunset. And, it requires about a couple of hours to take a tour around the place.

History of Echo Point

Matheran was first explored in the 1850s by Hugh Poyntz Malet followed by the then Thane’s district collector, who while camping across the Village Chowk and quenching his thirst from the spring, unveiled and discovered the spellbinding hill station. The development foundation as a future hill station was however laid by the then Governor of Mumbai- Lord Elphinstone. The development of Matheran and Echo Point by the Britishers were mainly to brave the summer heat in the area, and to become as one of the most favourite hanging spots

Architectural Specialties of Echo Point, Matheran

The architecture all around Matheran is characterized by restored furnishings and quaint corners, some of them hinting at the Parsi culture. The Echo-Point on the other hand boasts of colonial quality and special heritage. You can expect flawless colonial style in the churches found all around in Matheran with the holy cross in the windows and pinched arches. The colonial charm of Matheran oozes through its famous toy train, narrow lanes, and gigantic mansions.

Festivals Celebrated

Almost all the Hindu and Muslim festivals are thoroughly enjoyed and celebrated with sheer magnificence and grandeur like the Makar Sankranti and Republic that is celebrated in January, Gudi Padwa in April, followed by Christmas and New Year. However, Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most significant and important festivals that is celebrated here in August or September.

Popular Culture

The Marathi culture is strikingly dominant all-around Matheran and amidst the lifestyle of the Matheran residents. The food served and sold at Echo point, Matheran is from the two flavoursome cuisines of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The most famous food that is savoured in the stall of Echo Point and all around Matheran is Vada Pav with delicious garlic chutney. The other food items found in the stalls and sold by the vendors along the route of Echo Point, Matheran are jalebi, usual, and missal.

Best Time to Visit the Echo Point

The Echo Point, Matheran comes alive with the free-flowing waterfalls descending the hills, making it a sight to behold for the tourists during the monsoons. No wonder, why the best time to visit the place is from July to February. You can be part of nature’s precious bounty and flawless beauty. However, the best is also best explored from March to May and between September to December, when there are no showers.

How to Reach Echo Point?

Matheran boasts of good connectivity to the cities nearby like Pune and Mumbai through a dense roadway network, and you can reach Echo Point at ease, by either booking a taxi or a rickshaw. The distance between the Matheran railway station and Echo Point is 2.5 kilometres.

Interesting Facts and Trivia About the Echo Point

• You can witness the Prabalgad and West Valley with a visible V-shaped notch.

• On a clear sky day, you can marvel at the HPCL Marol of Mumbai Chimney followed by the Tromboy hills, besides the building outlines in Sewri without the help of binoculars.

• The last lap of the Echo Point path is a bit risky, courtesy to the 1000 feet valley on of the sides.

• It is the only hill-station that could successfully ban motor vehicles, thus deriving the title- eco-sensitive zone of Maharashtra where there is no trace of pollution.

• You can marvel at the Sahyadri mountain ranges from here.

Frequently Asked Questions on Echo point

Q1) When is the Best Time to Visit Echo Point?

The perfect time to visit Echo Point, Matheran is during the weekends.

Q2) What are the popular hotels near Echo Point?

Few of the popular hotels nearby Echo Point are the

• TY Cecil Hotel

• Regal Hotel

• Khan’s Park View Resort Matheran

• Diwadkars

• Modi’s Resort Karjat

• Alexander Heritage and Rainforest Resort