Versova to Madh Creek Ferry

At the point where Malad Creek opens into the Arabian Sea, a fleet of small wooden motorboats shuttles between the jetty at Versova Koliwada, on the western edge of Andheri, and the Madh jetty on the far bank.

• The water here is only a few hundred metres wide, so the crossing takes about five minutes — barely longer than it takes to buy the ticket.
• By road, the same short hop becomes a long inland loop through Andheri, Malad and Marve that can swallow an hour or more in Mumbai traffic, which is why the boats stay busy from first light onwards.
• What makes the ferry worth a detour of its own is the vantage.
• The boats ride low, with passengers on plank benches barely an arm's length above the water, and the view is a slice of Mumbai that the city's flyovers never show: mangrove thickets crowding both banks, a pale sandbar shifting at the creek mouth, egrets and terns working the shallows, and ranks of moored fishing boats with their masts and pennants.
• Two-wheelers are walked up a gangplank and parked amidships while commuters, schoolchildren and market traders share the benches.
• Late afternoon is the best hour, when the light turns copper over the water and the Madh shoreline softens into silhouette.
• Treat the crossing as public transport rather than a cruise.
• There is no timetable — boats leave when they are reasonably full, roughly from dawn until mid-evening — and the fare is a handful of rupees, so carry small change.
• Tickets are issued at the jetty and there is nothing to arrange in advance.
• Services thin out or stop altogether in rough monsoon weather between June and September, and the last crossing is earlier than most visitors expect, so ask locally before committing to the far bank.
• Wear footwear you do not mind getting splashed, keep bags on your lap, and remember that Versova Koliwada is a working Koli fishing settlement and somebody's neighbourhood — ask before photographing people.
• On the Madh side, share autos run on to Madh village, Erangal and Aksa; the old Portuguese-era fort above the village is visible from the road, though access to it is often restricted.
• For food, the Versova bank is much the stronger side.
• The Seven Bungalows, Four Bungalows and Lokhandwala lanes of Andheri West, one to two kilometres from the jetty, hold plenty of pure-vegetarian kitchens — Udupi-style counters turning out idli, medu vada and filter coffee from early morning, Gujarati and Jain thali halls at lunch, and chaat, vada pav and sandwich carts through the evening.
• Because this is a coastal fishing neighbourhood, a good number of eateries closest to the water do serve non-vegetarian food, so look for a board that says pure veg and confirm at the counter before ordering.
• The Madh side has only a scatter of tea-and-snack shacks near the jetty; ask which items are vegetarian before you order, and carry your own water.