Best time to visit : November to July
Alibag a quaint coastal town, in the lap of nature in the Konkani belt of Maharashtra is an amazing weekend getaway from Mumbai. The lush tropical beauty, vast expanse of splashing sea, sun-kissed beaches, and regal sea forts let you break free from the frenzied city life. The Palm fringed seashores, luxuriant mango orchards, and the vast stretch of paddy fields make Alibag a verdant tropical island for all nature lovers. It is also an eminent centre for hosting all out office gatherings including conferences, workshops and meet. It is often called the ‘Goa of Maharashtra’ as it is embraced by sea on all three sides.
Facts
The history of the town and its bordering villages dates back to the 17th century. The great warrior Shivaji’s naval chief, Kanhoji Angre developed the city. During that period, the territory of Alibag was mostly under the sea, crammed with coconut trees and betel nut orchards on to the shores. The place became illustrious in the year 1680 with the erection of Fort of Kulaba by Shivaji. The town borders a famous Israeli-Jewish region, and is home to over thousands of families of Jewish descent. Sightseeing in Alibag includes the visit to the blackish beach of Alibag, to experience the beautiful view of the Kolaba Fort.
When in Alibag, you can enjoy food at scores of restaurants and eating places that serve almost all kinds of cuisines. The taste of authentic coastal cuisine will make you indulge and savour the fried prawns and the Masala Garlic Crab. Set out for great food including Sanman and sudama restaurant in Hotel Ravikiran serving excellent selection of seafood platters and prawn delicacies. The Flora Restaurant offers a variety of Indian dishes in both vegetarian and non–vegetarian option.
There are small shopping streets and stores selling merchandise at throw away prices, which grasps the attention of shopaholics in the town. Once can buy export surplus trendy summer attire, watches, Kohlapuri bags and shoes, antique showpieces, junk jewellery, fancy leather goods etc.
Nearby Places:
Gather all tourist information related to the place before visiting the location. The tourist places worth visiting near Alibag include:
- Brahma Kund (About 20 km.): This is an ancient masterpiece nestled at the hilltop. There are two famed ‘kunds’ or water bodies, which adorn the place, the Shiva and the Brahma pond. Resting on the hilltop, you can see the extensively decorated attractive temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kanakeshwar Temple.
- Mandwa Beach (About 20 km.): This natural seaport, ferries visitors from Mumbai and houses an excellent scenic beach with enchanting panoramic view across the bay until the Gateway of India.
- Kashid Beach (About 32 km.): The specialty of the beach is the beautiful slivery white sand and the virgin beautiful beach
- Murud - JanJira (About 55 km.): The 40 ft. high and 350 years old sea fort was built in the 15th century A.D, under the reign of the ruler of Ahmednagar, Malik Amber. Sri Siddivinayak temple of Nandgaon village in Murud lends finale to the 'Asthtavinayak' pilgrimage.
With the best tourist information, one can end up exploring many additional nearby places like Kasa Fort, Magnetic observatory and the Karmakar Shilpalaya.