by Sometimes, an unplanned trip ends up creating a lot of memories and teaching many lessons. The most memorable trip for me was exploring Alibaug with my friends. Hello! Today I am writing my self-travel story. I hope you will enjoy this story. Stay tuned till the end.
We were five friends, college hostel roommates, and when we were finishing college, we promised that after graduation, we would take at least two trips together every year, no matter which city or country we might be in.
And so far, we have kept this tradition alive and How we planned our trip to Alibaug is an amusing story. 2023 was coming to an end and we had completed our trips for the year, I suddenly received a call from my friend Nikita announcing that she was getting married in March 2024. Hearing this, we all felt silent and began to see our futures flash before us.
We were worried about whether we could still be able to go on trips, enjoy time together, travel, and spend time as friends with increasing responsibilities. We were also emotional that one of our group members was now getting married. In our college days, we also promised that each of us would have grand bachelor parties.
We had dreams of going to Thailand, but because of certain circumstances, we didn’t have any concrete plans. Half of December went by planning our holidays, as we wanted to coordinate everyone’s leave. Surprisingly, the bride was more excited than us. Although it was supposed to be a surprise party, the bride took the initiative and planned everything.
Finally, the day arrived. It was January 2nd. Two of us came to Pune from Solapur, and the next day we were supposed to go on a trip. Despite this, we had no specific destination in mind. Eventually, we decided to have the bachelor’s party at a club in Pune. Later that night, while searching on YouTube and blogs, around 2 AM, we came across videos and blogs about Alibaug.
In one night, we planned a three-day trip to Alibaug. By morning, we still had no idea how we were going to get there or what we were going to do. Where were we going to stay? no train tickets, nothing.
We had dreams of going to Thailand for our bachelor’s party. While Thailand was out of reach and even Goa didn’t work out, we had a memorable trip to Alibaug, which gave us the same vibe as Goa. It was 2 AM, and by morning we had to be on our way to Alibaug. Two friends were in Mumbai, and three of us were in Pune. There were many dilemmas, with everyone pulling in different directions, but we were determined to go on this trip.
We packed all our clothes into our bags and caught the general train to Mumbai at 6 a.m. from Pune. Our two friends were going to meet us at CSMT. Then we arrived at the Mumbai CSMT station at 10 o’clock, where our two friends were already waiting. After enjoying Mumbai’s famous Vada pav, we set off on our journey.
From there, we embarked on our journey from CSMT to Gateway of India by bus, as ferries from Gateway of India take you to Alibaug. At Alibaug Point, the ferry departs from Mumbai to Mandwa between 50 minutes and 1 hour, and then there is a one-hour bus journey from Mandwa to Alibaug. Top of Form
Bottom of Form: Here are the four ferries and their prices:
Ajanta:
- Main Deck: ₹135
- AC Deck: Not available
- Upper Deck: Not available
PNP Maritime Services:
- Main Deck: ₹185
- AC Deck: ₹190
- Upper Deck: Not available
Maldar Catamarans:
- Main Deck: ₹160
- AC Deck: ₹215
- Upper Deck: ₹195
M2M
- Main Deck: ₹300
- AC Deck: ₹360
- Upper Deck: Not available
And there are bus services provided by those ferry operators at Alibaug Point to quickly take us to our destination. There’s usually a rush for tickets, and after reaching Mandwa, we hurry to catch a bus. In this way, we boarded the Ajanta ferry at 11:30, and as we sailed through the sea, we enjoyed the journey. We captured 4 or 5 photos, and then, after reaching Mandwa, we quickly disembarked and caught the bus.
We boarded the bus swiftly, and by 1 we arrived at Alibaug Point. And so, after successfully reaching Alibaug, our biggest concern was where to stay. We had packed clothes for only 3 days, starting our journey at 6 in the morning, and we were famished because we had only had one vada pav since morning. Due to hunger, we couldn’t think straight and we hadn’t booked any hotels or resorts online in advance.
We decided to eat first. Then, as we stood there, a restaurant caught our eye. We decided to go there first, and as we entered, we immediately sought out the waiter to ask for information about Alibaug. The waiter and the owner were helpful and welcoming, and the food was delicious. They suggested that we stay at Varsoli Beach because it’s clean, and there are plenty of options available for accommodation there.
Then, expressing our gratitude to the restaurant owner, we left for Varsoli. Now, we were wondering where to stay, as it was off-season and many resorts might have limited availability. We had conversations with the rickshaw driver to find out more about Alibaug while we took the vehicle to Varsoli.
We encountered a helpful rickshaw driver who showed us around and pointed out 2-3 resorts. Among them, we were particularly impressed by Mhatre Wadi Resort and decided to stay there. The location was very close to the beach, and the hotel suite was priced at Rs. 1500.
In this manner, our stay at Matre Wadi turned out a pleasant feel, and after freshening up, we headed to Varsoli Beach to witness the sunset. Sometimes, unplanned trips teach us many valuable lessons; they introduce us to various unexpected encounters and interactions with people along with new experiences.
While it may sometimes be irritating to wait, meeting good-hearted individuals along the journey makes the destination even more enjoyable. Perhaps the true essence of traveling lies not in showcasing fancy experiences on social media but in engaging with local people and overcoming the small challenges encountered during the journey.
This blog was about how our plan to visit Alibaug unfolded and how we eventually reached Alibaug. As for the famous destinations in Alibaug, I’ll cover them in detail in the upcoming parts of the blog. Stay tuned, and thank you.
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