Alibag

Alibag or Alibaug (Marathi: अलिबाग) or Alibagh (Hindi: अलीबाग़) is a coastal town and a municipal council in Raigad District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It is also the headquarters of the Raigad district.

Alibag is surrounded by sea on all 3 sides, it is often called as the Goa of Maharashtra

Shivaji's naval chief Kanhoji Angre developed Alibag in the 17th century. It is not only a sun city but also an amazing weekend location. The city shot into prominence after Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built the fort of Kulaba.

Fixed in the lap of nature, Alibag is a maritime town of India. The town is renowned for its clean waters, sand like beaches and fresh air. Alibag is an astonishingly beautiful place and nature appears to be at its best. Alibag is placed on the southern tip of Mumbai, on the constrict strip of Arabian Sea.

Alibag is a tropical island with all trees and palm lacunae beaches. The various orchards and chikoo trees have made the place an unpolluted spot. It is particularly fantastic during the rainy season.

Beaches around Alibag:

Beaches The following are the main beaches in and around Alibag:

• Alibag beach: This is the main beach of the town.
• Alibag Fort: Alibag is the seat of District Administration of Raigad (formerly Kolaba) district since 1852. The name Kolaba is attributed to a Sea Fort Kolaba built by Shivaji the great, in 1680 to fight the mighty naval prowess of the Siddis' (Abyssenians) of Janjira and the British of Mumbai. Kolaba fort is famous for many battles, between Siddis and Kanhoji Angre, the British and the Portuguese.
• THAL beach: Isolated Beach 5 km from Alibag.
• Varsoli Beach:Located about a mile from the main beach, home to a very large naval base.It is situated just on the outskirts of Alibag. It is relatively less visited site and as a result is a quiet beach with sparkling white sand and cleaner seawater. Varsoli is a small satellite village across Alibag, complete with thick vegetation of coconut and Casuarina.
• Akshi Beach: It is situated 6kms away from Alibag.The famous Kashid beach is located 18 km from Murud. The specialty of this beach is the beautiful slivery white sand. literally dazzling silvery on this clean beach. It is a favourite spot for advertising, TV serial and film shoots. The beach is complete with small-food stalls. This beach is well suited for the children and ladies as the sea is flat for a long distance. One can walk through to a considerable distance towards the sea.
• Nagaon beach: It is situated about 10 km away from Alibag and is famous for coconuts and betel nuts.
• Kihim-Navgaon Beach: Kihim is a secluded place at a distance of 12 km from Alibag. The Kihim beach is famous for dense cover of Coconut trees. It is also famous for woods which are home to rare butterflies, birds and flowers.
• Awas: It is situated about 16 km away from Alibag.
• Saswane: It is situated about 18 km away from Alibag.
• Rewas: It is situated about 24 km away from Alibag.
• Chaul Revdanda: It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag.
• Kaneshwar Mandir: It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag to Karlekhind - Chondi road.13 km from Alibag in Northeast direction is this very famous Shiv temple on a 900 ft. high hill. It is a 5000 ft. long climb on well paved stairs, which takes around one hour. Landmarks along the route are tombs of MohanGiri and Balgiri, Nagoba Rest, Jambhali Plateau, God's stair, Gaymandi etc. The fatigue of the uphill climb vanishes the moment one enters the scenic temple premises . It comprises various small temples of Sri Paleshwar, Sri Hanuman, Sri Balram Krishna and Lord Shiv. The special attraction is an ancient sweet water tank enclosed in traditional structure of black stone. The ancient temple was built by Raja Ramdeorai yadav. The height of the Shiv temple is 54 ft. The front gate has Lion sculpture on both sides with traditional lamp-pillar(deepmaal) in front. The 4 ft. long 'Pindi' of Lord Shiv is silver plated. The premises also include Nagaar-khana, Bheem Kunda, a garden for flowers to be offered to the Lord, Sri Ram Ganesh temple and Gomukha. Every year, there is a fair on Kartik Poornima in Hindu calender. On this hill, a variety of herbs are found.
• Mandawa: It is situated about 20 km north of Alibag. The catamaran/ferry services are available from Mumbai to the Mandawa jetty. Many Bollywood celebrities own bungalows here.
• Kashid Beach: It is 36 km away from Alibag, on the Alibag-Murud highway, also this beach is possibly one of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in the region with almost 'white' sand. There are many cottages and resorts available ranging from around RS:1500 to RS:20,000. Prakruti resort is the luxury and the costliest of all. This village does not have any wine shops. One has to go around 6 km towards Murud to buy alcohol. Kashid is the perfect place to calm down and relax for the urban people. One can find water sports facility and number of small shops for snacks. BEWARE: Take care of your self in the water (particularly at the high tides) as there were many incidents which cost the life. There is a danger board warning the people.
• Korlai Beach: A quiet serene beach with alternate white and black sands, along a serene stretch of the Arabian coastine, adjacent to a village of Korlai Creole Portuguese speaking Indians. Just across the bridge, to the right there is Korlai fort within the sea and attached to the mainland by a narrow land strip through the Korlao fort through the Korlai Village. It is supposed to have been built by the Portuguese in 1521. The main gate has an inscription which means 'no entry without a fight'. The fort has seven gates, a sweet water well, a church in disuse, a Hindu temple and a Lighthouse.

 

Getting There:

Mumbai	93Km
Pune	140Km
Hyderabad	698Km
Nagpur	907Km
Bangalore	982Km

By boat:

There are ferries and catamarans available from the Gateway of India, Mumbai. The journey takes 2 hours. However, service is suspended during the rains, i.e. May-October. The ferry takes you to Rewas and you are taken on a bus to Alibag. The cost of the bus trip is usually included in the ferry fare. This is the recommended way of getting to Alibag.

By bus

• MSRTC buses should be available from various parts of Maharashtra. If you are leaving from Mumbai, then you have an option of boarding MSRTC buses, leaving every 30 mins - 1 hr from the Mumbai Central Bus Station. Though they might be uncomfortable, they top in terms of punctuality. Remember to grab a window seat!
• Private buses can be chartered - a good option if you are going in a large group.

By car

• Take a car or a taxi from Mumbai. Alibag is on the way to Goa from Mumbai, so you could do the trip as part of a trip down south to Goa. To reach Alibag from Mumbai, take the Mumbai-Goa-Ernakulam National Highway (NH17). At Wadkhal 'naka'(crossing), which is a little 8 km ahead of Pen, continue straight (the left turn keeps you on the highway to Goa), and you are now on the road to Alibag! Alibag is about 22 km from that point!
• From Pune, take the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and take the Khopoli exit. From there drive towards Pen (30 km), then cross Mumbai-Goa highway to proceed towards Alibag.

By train

Alibag is not served by the Central Railway. The nearest Central Railway stations are very far - Panvel, 85 km away and Roha, 50 km away.

By bike

• Take a car or a taxi from Mumbai. Alibag is on the way to Goa from Mumbai, so you could do the trip as part of a trip down south to Goa. To reach Alibag from Mumbai, take the Mumbai-Goa-Ernakulam National Highway (NH17). At Wadkhal 'naka'(crossing), which is a little 8 km ahead of Pen, continue straight (the left turn keeps you on the highway to Goa), and you are now on the road to Alibag! Alibag is about 22 km from that point!
• From Pune, take the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and take the Khopoli exit. From there drive towards Pen (30 km), then cross Mumbai-Goa highway to proceed towards Alibag.