Introduction:

Alibag is a town on the Konkan coast of Maharashtra near Bombay. It's best known for its historic marine forts, fine beaches and clean water. Most of the people in the city own farms and cottages which are a few hundred meters from the sea shore. As Alibag is surrounded by sea on all 3 sides, it is often called as the Goa of Maharashtra. Alibag is a tropical island with all trees and palm lacunae beaches. The various orchards and chikoo trees have made the place an unpolluted spot. Alibag is a maritime town of India. The town is renowned for its clean waters, sand like beaches and fresh air. Alibag is an astonishingly beautiful place and nature appears to be at its best.

Photo Credit: InternetAgeTraveler

Destination Facts: 

Location: Maharashtra, Raigad.
Temperature: (Summer 22 to 40°C) & (Winter 12 to 33°C)
Languages Spoken: Marathi, Hindi & English.

Getting There:

Nearest: The nearest jetty is Mandwa from where catamaran/ferry services are available to Gateway of India, Mumbai. There is also a jetty at Custom Bandar from where fishermen in Alibag set sail.
Main Railway Station : The nearest rail railway station is Pen.
Main Bus Station or Road : There is direct bus facility provided from Mumbai and Goa directly to Alibaug.
Distance of a few Major Towns from Alibaug: Mumbai-9 2km, Lonavala-40 km, Khopoli-61 km, Lonavala-75 km.

Eating Around:

Specialties include sea food, and cuisine made from coconut milk and cashewnut,

Places of Tourist Interest:

Alibag Beach:
This is the main beach of the town. A very flat stretch makes for a long walk. Reasonably clean beach and has thin crowds during the week. The sand has a hard texture and is a shade black. Not easy to create sand-castles.

Alibag Fort:
Alibag is the seat of District Administration of Raigad (formerly Kolaba) district since 1852. The name Kolaba is attributed to a Sea Fort Kolaba built by Shivaji the great, in 1680.
Bet El Synagogue- Once upon a time there was very Big Jewish Community living in Alibag most of them were oil pressers and sellers. Bet El Synagogue is the only Synagogue in Alibag. This place had been place of worship for the Jewish community and rather than religious services it was place where community centre, Konkan development programmes and those days Village meetings used to be held.

Varsoli Beach:
Located about a mile from the main beach, home to a very large naval base. It is situated just on the outskirts of Alibag. It is relatively less visited site and as a result 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 trees.
Akshi Beach- It is situated 6 km away from Alibag. It is a favourite spot for advertising, TV serial and film shoots. This beach is well suited for the children and ladies as the sea is flat for a long distance. One can walk through to a considerable distance towards the sea.

Nagaon beach:
It is situated about 10 km away 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. It is more popular for its water sports and most of the tourists coming to Alibaug stay near Nagaon beach.
Kaneshwar Mandir- It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag to Karlekhind – Chondi road. 13 km from Alibag in Northeast direction is this very famous Shiv temple on a 900 ft. high hill. It is a 5000 ft. long climb on well paved stairs, which takes around one hour. On this hill, a variety of herbs are found.
Mandawa- It is situated about 20 km north of Alibag. Many Bollywood celebrities own bungalows here.

Getting around the Destination:

Bus taxis private vehicles, bike, car, boat.

Shopping Areas & Entertainment:

There are small shopping streets and stores that make a great place for shopping in Alibag. Shopaholics can buy ready-made garments, including export surplus apparel, watches, excellent kohlapuriz, bags, antiques, junk jewellery, leather items to furniture and grocery items. All the items here can be picked up at throw away prices.

Best time to Visit:

 October to March.

Festivals:

Pola and Nag Panchami are the two major festivals in Alibag. Both the festivals are celebrated in August.