Coastal Karnataka Beaches Worth Visiting

To continue my coastal experience, I travelled across several Karnataka beaches. We proceeded to Paduvari for an overnight stay at Sai Vishram Resort, which overlooks the Arabian Sea, after spending two days in Udupi. This beach resort, located near the Sri Murdeshwar and Sri Mookambika temples, offers unruffled cottages that are well-complemented by flora and fauna to welcome you with a rustic yet venturesome style of life. Anyone looking to relax in the lap of nature or try their hand at adrenaline-pumping sea activities will love this coastal Karnataka retreat.

During my time at Sai Vishram Resort, I went beach volleyball squandering and sweating out, where breakfast was followed by a meeting with Anudeep Hegde, a young man performing a fantastic job removing sea waste. Anudeep has gathered and dissolved 50 metric tonnes of garbage from the shoreline with the help of a few neighbourhood volunteers. From here, we drove to Gokarna through the Murdeshwar route, stopping briefly at Honnavar eco-beach.

It was thrilling to finally see one of India’s eight blue flag beaches, which bring enormous honour to our country. The accreditation alone is a global acknowledgement of India’s long-term reform efforts. The Indian government’ desire to advance sustainable development is exemplified by this promising progress toward eco-boost. The Honnavar beach on the Kasarkoda length is one of India’s eight Blue Flag beaches, which are strewed over two union territories and five states. In a fascinating interaction with tourism employees, I learned that a trip to France led NaMo to apply for a blue flag badge for Indian beaches.

Honnavar – The Unblemished Blue Flag Beach

The Blue Flag Beach of Honnavar, out of all the beaches I visited on this trip, exceeded my expectations with its world-class appearance and amenities. Honnavar is a small port town in Kasarkod, Uttar Kannada, known for its beautiful surroundings and history of hosting traders of European and Middle Eastern heritage. Kasarkod rose to prominence as a result of its black pepper exports and a fortification erected during Portuguese occupation in the 16th century. The British established warehouses at the Honnavar Port in the 18th century. 

Honnavar Beach raised blue flags on its sandy beach in May 2020, amplifying the foreign influence. FEE, a Danish environmental agency that evaluates seashores under 33 standards, has recently certified it as a world-class beach. I was here for about an hour, and the beach is just stunning now that all of the elements are in place. It’s the kind of beach where you want to sink your toes into the silky white sands, run barefoot, or lie down on the sandy carpet and let the waves wash over you.

Honnavar Beach has a 2.5-kilometre-long swimming zone, as well as a sunbathing area, a beach gym, and a gorgeous watchtower to help bring this environment to life. Plus, there’s the soothing sound of waves in the background to help you unwind. If you plan on bringing your children, they also have a children’s play area as well as a first-aid room to manage any immediate emergencies. But my favourite feature of this beach is its washrooms, which easily outperform any star facility in terms of cleanliness.

GOI has spent Rs. 10 crores in the previous two years to develop this beach with solar power, clean washrooms, solid waste and grey-water treatment plants, parking, clean drinking water facilities, changing rooms, bathing facilities, and disabled-friendly facilities. If you haven’t been here yet, you should!

Therapeutic Waters of Gokarna

We sailed the White Pearl boat near Tadri Port office after seeing Honnavar blue flag beach to sail into the Arabian Sea and see Kirbele fort and the sunset viewpoint. We arrived at dolphin bay around the second hour of the cruise when we saw a few dolphins dolloping to the waves. Om Beach, which gets its name from the caustic curves of its formation, is a short distance from dolphins bay.

Dinner was served after White Pearl returned to the dock, and this time we sailed along the tranquil waters of the Aghnashini River.

We checked at Om Beach Resort by Jungle Lodges later that night, which is 8 kilometres from the main Gokarna beach. After breakfast, we travelled towards the picturesque Karwar, where our coastal Karnataka adventure concluded!

Kali Mata Temple, Karwar

A week-long excursion along the coast of Karnataka that began in Mangalore ended in Karwar, a little town in Uttara Kannada. After an hour and a half drive from Gokarna, we arrived at Kali River Garden in Kodibag. We reached, ate a South Indian meal of fresh river fish and oysters, and then boarded a boat to the Kalika Temple on the island of Kalika. There are many engaging sites to visit along the coast of Karnataka, but the Karwar Mangrove Boardwalk, which is on a small island, is worth adding to your travel bucket list.

This mangrove forest in Karwar, known as Pavitra Vana or Sacred Forest, is tucked on the Kali river inver, near the Kali bridge has now been transformed into an eco-tourism destination. This remote island, surrounded by dense mangroves, is one of the many that make up the Kali River’s expanse. It is the state’s first mangrove forest designated as a Pavitra Vana.

This small island is accessible by boat from the Kodibag jetty, near the Kali River Garden. Before putting me off at the Kali Mata footbridge, a boatman rowed me around Karwar’s sacred mangroves. We saw a lot of birds while walking through the thick-skulled mangroves. I loved our stroll down the boarded route, which was punctuated by soothing river noises, singing tropical birds, and various informational hoardings on mangrove species and their value. The footbridge continues into the jumbled island, noted for its heavenly Kali Mata Temple.

This little temple has a fascinating story to tell! According to the local priest, the myth centres around Goddess Kali’s pent-up fury following a quarrel with her husband, Lord Shiva, over the necessity of food and nourishment. The events that followed are told through the eyes of eight minor temples within the temple complex. The Navgraha structure is completed by the main Kali Mata Temple.

The priest and I wandered barefoot on the warm, bright sands of this small, disjointed island on the Kali River for over 20 minutes. The priest continued to tell the lesser-known temple storey with each step forward. I could tell you the narrative, but I’d rather have you hear it from the priest himself. The most amazing time to visit this temple is during Deepotsav when the entire temple is illuminated by hundreds of lamps. When visiting Karwar, take the boat to this lesser-known temple to learn about its fascinating history.

We left this island to travel to Karwar, and I must say that the voyage to and from the island is more enjoyable than the island itself. Look out for a small temple on your left as you cross the Kali River into Karwar. This one-of-a-kind shrine is devoted to the Khapri deity, worshipped with cigarettes and alcohol. Lord Khapri is said to safeguard the area hence, this temple has a lot of clout among the fisherman. The sea waves near the river’s mouth were colossal but mild, and we arrived at Devbagh Beach Resort in Karwar in less than 20 minutes.

Devbagh Beach Resort, Karwar

Rabindranath Tagore, who once took a boat excursion at zero hours to discover the moonlit rendezvous with exquisite shorelines of Karwar basking in white sands, framed Karwar perfectly. He called the nocturnal experience Prakritir Pratishoota, which means nature’s vengeance. It turned out to be Tagore’s first play, a literary work he regarded as the start of his belletristic career. I stayed at Devbagh Beach Resort in Karwar, a staycation with endless open areas for beach enthusiasts! Except in Devbagh, you have your private beach.

I stayed at the Red Vented Bulbul cottage with a clean washroom. Relax on the beach and let the surf wash away your problems with snorkelling, sandcastles, seashells, parasailing, and speed boat tours. Staff light sea candles in the sand as the sun sets in the evening, eventually utilising them to hang paper lanterns in the sky.

I had the pleasure of meeting and cooking with the hotel’s senior chef while I was here. Devbagh’s seafood, mainly fresh catch, is highly praised! This beach resort is the place to be if you’re looking for a castaway adventure! Except for the fact that you get an incredible network here!

While you’re here, go to Kumta to see the sandalwood artistry and the beautiful rock formations that loom over Yana. Between October and May is the best time to visit Devbagh.

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