Travel & photography
Alibag Beach
A Weekend Trip
I am a resident Indian and love travelling. I have been living in the city of Mumbai since long.
Mumbai has some popular destination for a weekend trip, Alibag is one of them. As located at a distance of around 95 km from Mumbai, Alibag remains crowded almost round the year and specially so on any weekend.
Photo by the author
The name ‘Alibag’ is believed to have come as combination of two words: Ali and Bag.
Ali or Eli was the name of a rich Bene Israeli person who had several mango and coconut plantation in his garden in this area and dug many wells in this location mainly for his garden. Hence local people used to call it “Alichi Bagh" [English meaning: Ali’s Garden] which later became Alibag.
Photo by the author
Fort
Kolaba fort, a popular tourist destination is located in the sea near Alibag beach. It was an old maritime base and its construction completed in June 1681 by Chatrapati Sambhaji Raje after the death (in 1980) of his father Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Situated in the midst of Arabian sea and surrounded by sea water from all sides Kolaba fort was once the chief naval station of Shivaji in Maharashtra state of the country.
Photo by the author
Food
Located in Konkan coast of Maharashtra, foods of Alibag are dominated by rich coconut milk and fragrant spices.
Staple food consists of steamed rice with fish or meat curry often accompanied by vegetables with coconut shavings and mustard seeds.
Best time to visit Alibag is between November and February when you find weather is not so cold but warm and pleasant.
During the summer (March to June) climate is q uite hot and humid which might be uncomfortable for tourists.
Some people prefer to visit the place in July to enjoy the rainy atmosphere in the coastal area.
Alibag is connected to major cities in Maharashtra through road, rail and ferry (water transport).
But in my opinion by road is the best option since you can reach directly to the destination while other mode of transport do not offer that advantage.
There are several beaches in Alibag.
They are Alibag Beach, Kashid Beach, Nagaon Beach, Murud Beach, Rewas Beach, Varsoli Beach, Korlai Beach, Kasim Beach, Mandwa Beach, Akshi Beach, Saswane Beach, Kihim Beach.
Water sports:
Alibag offers many water sports to its tourists like Parasailing, Kayaking, Speed boat ride, Banana Boat Ride, Stand up paddle Boarding, Jet skiing, Bumper Ride, Dolphin’s sightseeing and many more!
Adorned by betel nut and coconut trees Nagaon Beach is famous as a water sports hub in Alibag.
In Mandwa Beach people enjoy Sea kayaking, one of the safest water sports available here.
Kashid Beach offers for horse riding, scuba diving, parasailing and many more.
Khim Beach is famous for Banana Rides, Jet skiing, Parasailing, Bumper Rides etc.
Before I come to the end of the story let me tell you that Alibag is a beautiful combination of beaches, green forests, historic forts, temples and farms.
Located at a distance of around 100 KM from Mumbai it is an offbeat and relaxing destination for many tourists. I want to add these are not all.
Other than places inside the city there are a lot of places to visit near Alibag that one can visit for adventurous and enriching experience during a short trip.
If anyone likes the story please let me know, I’ll be waiting for your response!
