BENGALURU: Mandwa continues to live in everybody’s memory forever and this is all because of the Bollywood blockbuster Agneepath. Once upon a time, this place which is so near but so far from Mumbai, was famous as a transit point for smuggling of drugs and arms. This was during the British days and this film has beautifully picturised the history of Mandwa. Its proximity to Mumbai has also made Mandwa a popular destination for weekend tourists as well as for many people who have built their holiday retreats here.
Just 20 kilometers north of Alibaug on the Arabian coast and easily accessible from Mumbai, Mandwa has one of the most beautiful stretches of an untouched beach.
One can enjoy a long, breathtaking view across the bay, till the Gateway of India on a clear morning. The Mandwa village has a charm of its own with its beautiful groves of coconut palms and thatched cottages and manors.
The village has an undulating terrain, typical houses of the Konkan area and as one enters this place, the action scenes from the film come to mind. Many film celebrities have their bungalows in this beautiful place away from the chaos of Mumbai city.
As one sits near the Mandwa Jetty, one can see a continuous stream of passengers arriving from Gateway of India as from here, one can make way to other destinations in Alibaug. Many people who work in Mumbai use the service to reach their homes in Alibaug. The ferry or catamaran services operate from 6 am to 6 pm.
After reaching the jetty, one has to take a bus to reach the 12 popular beach villages around Alibaug. However, ferry services are operated depending on the sea tides and are discontinued during the monsoon. The easiest way to visit Mandwa is to hop on a boat and just reach in about 50 minutes. The journey is short and one gets to see from very close quarters, the oil platforms, huge cargo ships and of course birds that come cackling very near to you.
Since the new jetty operates the ferry services, the old jetty has become an ideal destination for relaxation and one can just sit on the concrete platforms and gaze at the wide variety of water birds that are either feeding or resting in the branches of the mangroves. After relaxing in these serene environs, we made our way to the beach which has lot of rocky formations visible during low tides.
Although a sleepy place, the beach front is a beehive of activity with families busy tasting the unique Konkan food or enjoying the various water sports at the Mandwa adventure sports centre.