Saputara A Hill Station of Gujrat

Saputara is raw, picturesque and a densely wooded only hill station town situated in the "Dang" district of southern tip of Gujarat, India.

Saputara has been constructed as a well planned hill station having all necessary services like hotels, boating parks, swimming pools, club, ropeways, theaters and a museum providing the tourists an delightful vacation in the coziness of the hill station.

The big Gujrat cities closest to Saputara are Surat, 170 Kms from there and Nashik, 80 Kms away. The border of Maharashtra is about 5 kms. away from Saputara.

This hill station is situated on a plateau in the Dang forest area of the Sahyadri Hills Range. At an altitude of around 1,000 m with a climate that is pleasant although bit cold, throughout the year, Saputara literally stands for "Abode of Serpent". There is a presence of snake sculpture on the shores of Sarpagana River which flows through the town. This snake sculpture on the shores of Sarpagana River is worshiped by the local tribes on many festivals like Holi.

Tribes like Kunbis, Warlis, Bhils and Gamits inhabit Dangs. They are known for their traditional dances, which are performed wearing Bamboo and Wooden masks. The dangs district constitute of an area of 1,752 km. having population of 1.5 lacks with a tribal population density of 94% and located in south-east of Gujarat.

Sight Seeing in Saputara

There are some worth-watching places to enjoy your holiday in Saputara town. Those lookout places or places of interest are: Ropeway, Sunset Point, Sunrise Point, Boating Club, Museum, Step Garden, Rose Garden, Honey Bees Centre, Echo Point, Lake View Garden, Snake of Saputara etc. and some other religious attractions.


Saputara Lake
This is one of those places where you can breathe unpolluted air while enjoying your holiday out of the hustle and bustle of polluted city life. You can even go for a trekking down to nearby villages. No local transport is that much available in this hill station and this
tourist's or trekking place can be best covered on foot.

Excursion tours from Saputara

Saputara is best known for its wildlife excursion tours. Saputara is rich in wildlife resources and scenic beauties. Some of the scenic beauties include Botanical garden, Gira falls, Mahal forest, Unnai Mata Temple & Hot Spring, Jambalaya, Girmal Falls, Dang Darbar, Hatgadh Fort, Saptashringi Devi Mandir etc.

Climate & Weather of Saputara

The hill station Saputara refreshes the tourists throughout the year with its cool and cozy weather. Any rough temperature variation is not seen in Saputara. Saputara is a prototypical example of general and wildlife excursion tourists" destination for the pollution hit and heat-scorched lives of the plains and metros.

Accessibility of Saputara

By Road: State transport buses end private luxury coaches are available from various centers of Gujarat and Maharashtra for to and fro journey from there to Saputara. Different distances to Saputara are mentioned below.

By Rail:
Nearest Railway Station from Saputara is Nasik Road (80 kilometers-Central Railway), and Billimora (112 kilometers-Western Railway). Nearest narrow gauge railway station is Waghai, it is in the narrow gauge section of the Western Railway. For the travelers coming from Gujarat via Ahmedabad or Surat or even from Mumbai, Billimora is the most convenient railway station as sufficient direct bus is available from there to Saputara.

By Air: Nearest airport is Mumbai, 265 kilometers away.

MATHERAN

This sparsely populated place at an altitude of 800 meters is a picturesque hill station called Matheran Hill Station, near to Mumbai at 104 kms. It is an undulating hilltop cloaked in shady trees and ringed by walking tracks leading to look outs that drop sheer to the plains. Matheran is situated in the Matheran range of Sahyadris at a height of 2516 feet.

Matheran truly is Maharashtra's one of the most beautiful and well maintained hill station. The availability of road and railway have made it accessible to all people irrespective of their age. The ban on motor vehicles inside Matheran have helped to preserve its ecology and keep intact its natural beauty.

Matheran has 38 points at which can get a glimpse of nature's beauty. However, to cover most of these points requires atleast one night stay in Matheran. Point seeing in Matheran is quiet easy due to the presence of sign boards and map. Maps are also easily availbale in Matheran and can be used to plan your point seeing. Given below are few points which we shouldn't miss.

Echo point offers a panoramic view and allows you to enjoy the echo's.

King George point
A must visit point in monsoon as it offers a beautiful view of the waterfall formed by the water overflowing from Charlott Lake. One can even reach he mouth of the waterfall with care, strong wind prevents the water from falling down and throws it back.

Charlott Lake
It's the only water source atop Matheran that it provides water to entire Matheran.
Louisa Point
It offers a beautiful face on view of the waterfall seen from the King George point.

Panorama point
Although quiet far from Bazapeth it gives you a panoramic view(that's why it's named as Panorama point) of the Sahyadri ranges


Even the bazaar is just that a small marketplace, not a commercial shopping complex. It runs the length of one street, and contains shops and stalls that sell the produce of Matheran. You can see workmen hunching over strips of leather, fashioning the Kolhapuri chappal that Matheran is famous for. Leather bags, leather belts, leather shoes& the workmanship is exclusive and the prices reasonable. There are also glass birds and dried wild flowers for sale that have a quaint appeal.

One other thing that dominates the market is chikki, a confection made of gram flour, jaggery and cashew nut. You could buy chikki in kilos to carry home; it is a universally popular sweetmeat.

The presence of hotel's and lodging boarding facilities have made it possible to have a multi-day stay in Matheran and thoroughly enjoy nature's beauty. The modes of transport in Martheran are limited to horses and rickshaws (pulled by humans), however seeing the various points in Matheran by walking is equally enjoyable.

To reach Matheran one has to first reach Neral. Neral is well connected to Mumbai by rail and road. From Neral Matheran can be reached by a narrow gauge railway or by taxies. Railway function normally in summer and winter sseason but there is only one train to Matheran in winter.The nearest airport is Mumbai that is around 100 kms from there. Neral 21 kms. away, is where you board to the toy train. Taxis are available from Neral to Dastoori car park. No vehicles are allowed inside Matheran and ponies are the favoured means of transport.