Travelling to Saguna Baug Neral

We have just returned from a lovely trip to Nisarg Niketan, better known by its other name, Saguna Baug, located in Neral. Two of us travelled by the Koyna Express and reached Neral within a hour. Make sure (a) to take photo ID proof for the train journey and (b) keep hold of the ticket as the TC at Neral station will ask for it. 

We boarded the train at Dadar station, from where it leaves at 8.52a.m. and reaches Neral Junction station at 10.05a.m. At both stations, the train halts for just 2 minutes so you have to be quick. Hence it is advisable to be ready once the train leaves Badlapur station, after which it passes through Vangani and Shelu before reaching Neral.

When you get off on the platform (platform no.1) at Neral, take the foot over bridge (FOB) to the other side (platform no. 2). That is the main exit-entry point of Neral station. When you come down from the FOB to go out, the TC will ask for your ticket to check it. Head out and turn right, where there will be a row of autos (we did not see any taxis, though these too are available as informed by the TC).

We hired an auto to take us to Saguna Baug. The auto driver charged us Rs.150/- for the two of us, which we did think was steep. However, we were to later realize, for that amount it was worth the journey. The auto driver expertly wound his way through extremely narrow streets, passing through the main market with stalls/shops on either side, most of which seemed to be selling vegetables and fish. [Contact for auto: Salim Naje, mobile - 9767347494. Since he frequently takes visitors to Saguna Baug & stays near Neral, it is a good idea to contact him a day before your arrival to pick you up from Neral station]

The short (10-15mins.) road trip to Saguna Baug was an absolutely bone-jarring one, with the condition of the roads really bad. The worst stretch was the one from the main road to Saguna Baug – it was entirely a stony stretch which we would not call a road at all. In fact, if you are a first-timer visitor, that one terrible bumpy ride will literally have you cursing whosoever recommended the place! 

When you enter the gate, heaving a sigh of relief of having arrived in one piece, an office staff will direct you to the Pond House/cottage. Then follows another few minutes over another stony, bumpy road. 

Arriving at the entryway of the Pond House, you are eternally grateful that the auto driver took you up right up to there! So here’s a really useful tip: take the auto or taxi right inside, never mind if you have to shell out a little extra. You definitely do not want to walk with your luggage up to your rooms over those rough stretches.

The two senior citizens in our group came in a hired car (Pacific Travels). They left from Mumbai at 7.30a.m. and reached Neral by 9.30a.m., arriving at Saguna Baug by 9.45a.m. The Karjat-Neral road was in bad condition and they too stated that the worst stretch was from Neral to Saguna Baug. One good thing is that there are plenty of sign boards of Saguna Baug on the road route from Neral station, as also on the Karjat to Neral route, to guide you in the right direction so that you don’t take a wrong route anywhere. In fact, they not only arrived before us but even had their breakfast by the time we arrived.

Passenger trains from Mumbai to Neral

• Koyna Express: arrives at Neral just after 10a.m.
• Deccan Express: arrives at Neral at around 8.20a.m.

Note, based on personal experience: The Koyna Express is announced as Kolhapur-Mumbai Koyna Express, so if you are not paying proper attention, you are likely to hear only the first part, namely 'Kolhapur-Mumbai' & will not realize that it is the train you have to board!

Local trains from Mumbai to Neral

You can board any local train going to Khopoli or Karjat. These halt at Neral.

Passenger trains from Pune to Neral

• Sinhgad Express: this goes up to Karjat, arriving there at around 8.20a.m., after which you can take a local train from Karjat station to Neral station.
• Sahyadri Express: arrives at Neral after 10a.m.
• Pune-Karjat Shuttle train: this goes up to Karjat, arriving there at around 1.30 in the afternoon, after which you can board a local train from Karjat to Neral.

Return Journey to Mumbai

While boarding a local train back to Mumbai from Neral, you should avoid the one marked Thane as this is a slow train and takes longer. Instead, board the CST fast train, the ‘fast’ part being after Kalyan station. We boarded this at 11.35a.m. and reached Dadar station at 1p.m. on the dot. 

Road route from Mumbai to Neral

From Mumbai you can take the road from Sion towards Vashi bridge (Thane – Airoli bridge). Then the route is as follows:

Konkan Bhavan – Kalamboli – Eastern Expressway – take the exit at Shedung/Khopoli on to the old Highway which goes to Khopoli. From there proceed to the Karjat phata (on route you will see Nitin Desai film studio premises) and take the left turn towards Karjat (which would be about 8kms distance), then again take a left turn to Neral (about 14kms). 

Then the route is as follows: take a right turn at Ambika Naka – railway crossing – Kalamb road – you will pass a temple (Omkareshwar Sai temple) on the way, after which a little later comes a wide, big bridge where you can see clothes-washing activities in the river below. Along the entire route from the railway crossing you can see sign boards of Saguna Baug. So you will see a large board on the left a little ahead of the bridge, where you turn left, the road heading into Malegaon. This takes you on to the worst stretch of road! It is narrow and completely made of stones and it takes about 5 minutes to reach the main gate of Saguna Baug.

Road route from Pune to Neral

As per the pamphlet given to us, this is the route: Pune-Expressway – Take non-toll exit for Khopoli – Old highway to Mumbai – about 15kms to Karjat phata – take right turn – 8kms to Karjat – take left turn – 14kms to Neral – take right turn at Ambika naka – then comes the railway crossing – Kalamb road – 4kms to big bridge – turn left to Malegaon – 1km to Saguna Baug.

Note that on the road route, whether in a car or an auto, you will cross 2 railway tracks - one is of the main railway lines connecting Neral and Mumbai/Pune and the other is a single track of the Neral to Matheran toy train. You can see this train parked at Neral station, ready to set off on its slow journey to Matheran.