Alibag

MINIMUM 3 NIGHT PACKAGE IS SUGGESTED FOR COMFORTABLE SIGHTSEEING OF ALIBAG.

Alibag is a coastal town and municipal council in Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is the headquarters of the Raigad district. Revdanda, Chaul, Nagaon, Akshi, Varsoli, Thal, Navigation, Kihim and Aawas villages were known as “Ashtagare”. Alibag and its surrounding villages are the historic hinterlands of Bene Israeli Jews. There is a synagogue in the “Israel Ali” (Israel lane) area of the town. A Bene Israelite named Ali used to live there at that time. He was a rich man and owned many plantations of mangoes and coconuts in his gardens. Hence the locals used to call the place “Alichi Bagh”(Marathi for “Ali’s Garden”), or simply “Alibag”, and the name stuck. Alibag houses a magnetic observatory which was set up in 1904. It serves as one of the significant observatories forming part of a global network now run by Indian Institute of Geomagnetism. The observatory has two buildings; the first building has magnetometers that record changes occurring in the geomagnetic fields. The second building consists of precision recording instruments, which give data about geomagnetic storms caused by solar storms which are shared with other countries.

Boat services

The nearest jetty is Mandwa From where catamaran/ferry services are available to the Gateway of India, Mumbai. Another port in the vicinity is Rewas, from where a ferry service is available to Ferry Wharf (Bhau cha Dhakka) (Dockyard Road). There is a jetty at Custom Bandar from were fishermen in Alibag set sail. One can reach Alibag by catamaran through Gateway of India to Mandwa or from Bhaucha Dhakka to Rewas and from Mandwa/Rewas to Alibag by bus. Ticket includes a journey from Gateway to Mandwa and bus journey from Mandwa to Alibag bus stop. Maldar and Ajanta and tickets can be purchased at their booth at the Gateway of India. From Rewas to Alibag one needs to take State Transport bus or a rickshaw. Take the ferry from Gateway to Mandwa. Services are usually available from 6:00 am till 6:00 pm. The trip takes 40 to 55 minutes depending on the type of boat.

Speedboats from the Gateway of India to Mandwa Jetty take roughly 20–25 minutes depending on the weather and can be hired at the Gateway of India at Jetty No. 5 opposite the Taj Mahal Hotel. The new jetty installed in 2014 at Mandwa ensures the safety of guests travelling by speedboat.

Tourism

• Alibag beach: This is the main beach. A very flat stretch makes for a long walk. It is reasonably clean and has thin crowds during the week. The sand has a hard texture and is a shade of black. It is not easy to create sandcastles. The tide rolls in from all sides: You may have to wade through water on the way back.
• Siddheshwar Mandir near Khandala: This is a Shiva temple near hills near village Khandale just 4 km from Alibag-Pen state highway. You can drive your vehicles near to hillocks and with the small trek, you can reach this temple. During Shrawan month, hundreds of people throng to worship here during Shrawani Somers. If you travel further you can see the remains of the ancient fort called ” Sagargad”. From Siddheshwar Temple Sagargad is 1 half-hour away by trekking. It is fully a natural place to enjoy with friends and family. but it is difficult to track in monsoon. there is no fix root-like as Kankeshwar.
• Kulaba fort / Alibag Fort: It is an old military fortification in India. It is situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km from the shores of Alibag. It is also famous for Lord Ganesh temple and Dargha. During low tide, it has walkable access.
• Khanderi and Under Islands: one can visit Khanderi and Under islands, They are heavily fortified and built by Shivaji as sea observation posts in 1660 CE. Most of the fort is intact. The most prominent structure is a lighthouse built in 1837 which is still in service and used for sea navigation.
• Magen Avot Synagogue: There was once a large Jewish community in Alibag; most of them were oil pressers and sellers. Beth El Synagogue is the only one in Alibag. Viceroy Lord Curzon (1899-1905) visited this synagogue. This place had been a place of worship for the Jewish community; it was where community centre, Konkan development programs and village meetings were held. The synagogue is a heritage property with a unique style and is a well-known Indian Jewish and Konkan tourist point.
• Varsoli Beach: About a mile from the main beach. It is on the outskirts of Alibag. It 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: This place located 6 km from Alibag, the beach is a favourite spot for advertising, TV serial and film shoots. This beach is well-suited for children and waders as the sea is flat for a long distance. One can walk through to a considerable distance toward the sea.
• Nagaon Beach: This black-sand beach is about 10 km from Alibag and is famous for coconuts and betel nuts. One can walk on the beach from Nagaon beach to Akshi beach in ten minutes. Watersport is available here. Parasailing at Nagaon Beach in Alibag provides the ultimate fun-filled aerial experience like never before with spectacular views of the vast sea.
• Kihim-Navgaon Beach: Kihim is a secluded place at a distance of approximately 10 km from Alibag. The Kihim beach is famous for the dense cover of coconut trees. Another occupation of their people is agriculture for woods that are home to rare butterflies, birds and flowers.
• Awas beach: It is situated about 16 km from Alibag. Nageshwar Mandir is located in this village.
• Saswane beach: It is about 18 km from Alibag.Famous ‘Karmarkar Museum’ is located here.
• Rewards: It is about 25 km from Alibag. From Rewas, there is a ferry boat service to Mumbai (Bharucha Dhakka) and Uran (Karanja).
• Chaul Revdanda: It is situated about 17 km from Alibag. It is a famous weekend tourist spot.
• Kanakeshwar Mandir: It is about 17 km from Alibag to Karlekhind – Chondi road, 13 km from Alibag to the northeast. This very famous Shiv temple on a 900 ft. high hill. It is a 5000-foot 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 scenic temple premises comprises small temples of Sri Paleshwar, Sri Hanuman, Sri Balram Krishna and Lord Shiv. The special attraction is an ancient sweet water tank enclosed in the traditional structure of the 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-foot ‘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 calendar. On this hill, a variety of herbs are found.
• Mandawa: It is situated about 17 km north of Alibag. The catamaran/ferry services are available from Mumbai to the Mandawa jetty. Speed boats are also available from Amanda to reach Mumbai by only 10–15 minutes
• Kashid Beach: It is 49 km from Alibag, on the Alibag-Murud highway, with almost ‘white’ sand. There are many cottages and resorts available ranging from around INR 1500 to INR 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 relax for urban people. One can find water sports facility and the number of small shops for snacks. There is a danger board warning people of dangerous tides.
• Korlai Beach: A quiet serene beach with alternate white and black sands, along a serene stretch of the Arabian coastline, 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 Korlai 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 which is still used for navigation.

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