Things to do on Madh Island, Mumbai

Madh Island is a string of old fishing and farming villages on Mumbai's north-west edge, with long beaches on the open sea and a creek between it and Versova.¹² It's close to the city but feels a long way from it. Here's what's worth doing, with the facts checked.

1. Cross the creek on the Versova ferry

The quickest way in is the small ferry from Versova jetty to Madh jetty, a crossing of a few minutes. Madh Local checked in 2026 that it kept running through the monsoon, though boats can be suspended in storms. It beats the long drive round through Malad.¹ Details in how to reach Madh Island and on the ferry page.

2. Walk the beaches at sunset

The island has four long sandy beaches, Marve, Aksa, Erangal and Madh, plus the small Dana Pani beach and a stretch known as Silver Beach.¹² Aksa draws the biggest crowds, about 15,000 people on a weekend, with cottages and hotels behind it.⁸ They face west, so evenings are the time to come.

3. Visit St Bonaventure Church, Erangal (1575)

One of the oldest churches in the Mumbai area, completed in 1575 of local basalt, with a fortress-like facade topped with battlements.⁴⁶ It stood in ruins after 1739 until the parish priest of Madh restored it in 1976.⁴

Its feast, the Baravi chi Jatra, falls on the second Sunday of January after a nine-day novena, and draws around a lakh of pilgrims, Catholic and Hindu, from across Mumbai and beyond.⁴⁵ It is an active church: dress modestly and keep quiet during services.

4. See Our Lady of the Sea, Madh

Our Lady of the Sea is Madh's parish church.¹¹ A heritage writer dates it to 1905 and points out the mural on its front of a fishing boat blessed by Mary and the infant Jesus, and an altar mural of fishing, farming and village life.⁶

5. Spend a morning in Madh Koliwada

Madh Koliwada is the Koli fishing village on the south side of the island. Most families fish the open sea with stake-and-bag nets, and about seven parts in ten of the catch is dried rather than sold fresh, so you'll see racks of fish drying along the shore.³

• Eat Koli food. Roadside eateries run by Koli women serve fish fries and curries. Dishes to look for include bambuke bombil (semi-dried Bombay duck), aatleli mandeli (dried anchovies), chikchiki kolambi (dry prawns) and kanji, a fish porridge.³
• Buy dried fish from the village, the way traders from Gujarat and the south have for generations.³
• Visit Harba Devi's temple, the village goddess of Madh.³

6. Look at Madh Fort, from outside

The small Portuguese watch fort on the headland, captured by the Marathas in February 1739, is inside a defence area. You can't go in or take photos,²¹² but you can see it from the road and from across the creek. The full story is in Madh Fort (Versova Fort).

7. Time your visit to a festival

The villages keep a full calendar.³⁴

• January: the Erangal feast (Baravi chi Jatra), on the second Sunday.
• February: the Urus of the Sufi saint Pir Baba, with a sandal procession through Madh.
• February or March: Shimga (Holi), celebrated for fifteen days in Madh.
• August (Shravan full moon): Narali Pournima, when coconuts are offered to the sea.
• Ganpati time: wrestling contests after Gauri immersion draw wrestlers from across Maharashtra.

Check this year's dates on the island calendar.

8. Just beyond the island

• Versova Beach, across the creek, is known for the volunteer clean-up that lawyer Afroz Shah began in 2015.¹⁰
• The Global Vipassana Pagoda near Gorai, north across the creek, is open daily from 9 am to 7 pm and is free to visit. Foreign visitors must carry ID (passport, driving licence or embassy certificate).⁹

Before you go

• Best time: a weekday morning, or an evening outside the monsoon.
• Getting here: how to reach Madh Island.
• Planning an event or a shoot: weddings, shoots and parties on Madh Island.
• The island's story: a history of Madh Island.