Another quaint route that can be a lot of fun, is a coastal ride to Murud-Janjira. Take your bike on a ferry from Mumbai to Rewas. From Rewas, cycle to Alibag and then down the coast some 80 km to Murud-Janjira, past coconut groves, resorts and several villages. You can spread out this journey over several days. For a large part of the way you will be riding along the coast and can stop off and check out the landscape regularly. The thriving coastal villages have busy fisher-folk, people making local handicrafts, working in fields and selling their wares in daily markets. You will see distinct cultural differences as you move from village to village until you get to the town of Murud which houses the palace of the Nawab of Janjira. Beyond Murud lies the village of Rajapuri from where you can take a ferry to the unique island fortress of Murud-Janjira. This was the 16th century capital of the Siddhis, a community of people of Abyssinian origin, who are believed to have escaped from African slave ships and established their state here. Shivaji unsuccessfully attempted to capture this fort about 6 times and finally built the tiny fort of Kansa nearby Padmadurg. There are also some lovely beaches including those of Kashid and Nandgaon near Rajapuri -- excellent locations for some sun, sand and surf.