The agenda was to do nothing. A relaxing weekend in a new place. And that was exactly what we got.
Saturday morning saw these two Incurable Travellers headed to the Gateway of India bright and early. The ferry left The Gateway at 8.30am, which gave them very little time to buy tickets and grab some chips for breakfast. There are 3 ferry companies to choose from, all three have stalls at gateway, with ferry timings listed prominently. Fares are between Rs 80- Rs 110. We chose the Maldar non-ac upper deck tickets. Since we were among the last to board, we didn’t get the best seats, which are the ones on the side of the deck.
On getting to Mandawa, we headed towards the buses. If you choose to spend some time at Mandawa, you can take the next bus to town, which may be about an hour and a half later. Make sure you hang on to your ferry ticket. The Mandawa beach didn’t look interesting enough, so we moved on to Alibaug. There were two company buses, both of which were filled to overflowing. The rest of us were put into the autos, which made the ride slightly more interesting.
We got off at the city and headed to the most promising looking restaurant for breakfast. A Vada Pav and Masala Dosa later, we were interrogating the nearest rickshaw driver on the closest beaches and their attractions. The Alibag beach is of course the closest and hosts the fort. We got there around 11am, to find no beach and the fort looking more like an island. We were told that it was high tide and by 3pm, the water would have receded past the fort. There’s not much you can do here during high tide, and so we decided to come back post 3pm.
The auto ride to Nagaon costs 100 bucks, which is way too much, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Akshi beach lies on the way, and we took the detour to investigate it. It’s secluded and less populated beach. But it is reputed to be the hangout of ‘sharabi-log’, as our knowledgeable driver told us. So we decided against it and carried on to Nagaon.
Nagaon beach was better than expected. There is a reasonable crowd on the beach on weekends, but it is big enough to hold everyone. There are a few shacks on the way to the beach, but nothing on it. And it is mostly clean. The water is pristine and very nice to walk in. If you look carefully, you can see mollusks scurrying into the water. Activity on this beach is provided by tanga rides, and volleyball nets that you can make use of if you go in a big group. Or you can buy Frisbees, cricket balls, etc from the stall outside. Needless to say, we didn’t do any of these things.
Faithfully sticking to our agenda of not doing anything, we spread out old sheets on the sand settled down for a couple of hours of serious resting. The couple of hours stretched out into some more hours of resting. If you are not as serious about rest, or if you are not the talkative type, we suggest you take some music and books along. Maybe even a pack of cards.
The beach has limited scope for photography. The sand is clay-like and forms patterns when the waves recede. And the trees lining the beach and the odd tree stump provide a good backdrop.
We had our caps and our sunscreen, but it was a very sunny day. When we finally left for lunch at 4.30pm, we left in a slightly toasted condition. Lunch was the usual ‘thali’ at the shack outside the beach. The food was good, soft rotis with cabbage curry. The other stalls sell fried snacks, bottled water, beach-clothing (tee shirts and shorts you won’t be caught dead in) and other assorted necessities.
We caught the auto back to Alibag beach, although it was too late to explore the fort. When we got there, the water had receded sufficiently. But the beach it left behind was soggy and very marshy. The only attraction was the fort, and the tangas that take you to it. The whole setting looks very Victorian, with lamp posts to match. Some photography and a little shopping later, we went back to Alibag to catch the bus back. The last bus that leaves Alibag is the 6.30 PNP bus. The ferry leaves Mandawa at 7.30 and you have the choice between the AC lower deck and the much more interesting non-AC upper deck.
Mumbai always looks beautiful by night, more so when you approach it by sea and the lights are all you can see. We got off at the Gateway and hung around there some. An elaborate wedding reception was in progress a little way off, by the sea-side. So we gawked at the set up and the life-size dolls that were kept at the entrance, to greet the guests, and then left for Marine drive. Some more bakar by the sea and a nice dinner at Zaffran’s at Crawford market completed this very very nice Saturday.
How to get there: Take the ferry to Mandawa from the Gateway of India, followed by a bus from Mandawa to Alibag city. An auto from there will take you to any of the beaches closeby.
Travel time: Ferry – 1 hour + Bus – about 45 mins.
Budget: The whole trip (including food) came to less than Rs 400 per person.
Tip: The trip can easily be extended to 2 days. Book a room in advance in Alibag for Saturday evening. Room rates are around Rs. 500 a night and if you check out before Sunday afternoon, you get billed for only a day. One day can be spent on the Kashid beach, which is reputed to be very good. The second day can be used to visit the fort (during low tide) and Nagaon beach. Take some food along. Some of the more remote beaches like Akshi beach don’t have food close by.
Ferry Schedule:
| Company PNP | Company AJANTA | Company MALDAR | |||
| Gateway departure | Mandawa departure | Gateway departure | Mandawa departure | Gateway departure | Mandawa departure |
| 8.15 am | 9.05 am | 6.15am | 7.30am | 8.30 am daily | 9.30 am |
| 10.15 am | 11.05 am | 7.15am | 8.30am | 11.15 am daily | 12.15 pm daily |
| 12.15 pm | 1.05 pm | 9.15am | 10.30am | 1.30 pm daily | 14.30 pm daily |
| 4.15 pm | 5.05 pm | 10.00am | 11.15am | 3.30 pm Fri/Sat/Sun | 4.30 pm Fri/Sat/Sun |
| 6.30 pm | 7.30 pm | 11.00am | 12.15pm | 5.45 pm daily | 6.45 pm daily |
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| 12.30pm | 1.45pm |
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| 2.00pm | 3.15pm |
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| 3.00pm | 4.15pm |
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| 4.00pm | 5.15pm |
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| 5.00pm | 6.15pm |
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| 5.30pm | 6.45pm |
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| Fare Rs.110/-per head | Fare Rs.65/-per head | Fare Rs.80/-for main deck | |||
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