You must be thinking this stuff is what dreams are made up of. One cannot find such a place in reality.What if I tell you that this marvel of nature truly exists and that too in our very own India. Yes!! Not in any foreign land, but our very own country,there exists a paradise called Gokarna.For the uninitiated, Gokarna is a small temple town on the West coast of Karnataka about 450 kms from Bangalore. It is very close to Goa but is far less commercialized and even less crowded. There are five beaches one after another: Gokarna, Kudlee, Om, Half Moon and Paradise, separated by hills. You can find more info on the history of Gokarna on our very own Wiki. I concentrate on the fun parts here.
Day 1
So it’s an overnight journey from Bangalore. Takes about 10 hours if the bus is not late which it invariably is coz of the climb and descent through the Western Ghats. We started our journey at 9pm on a Thursday night and reached Gokarna town at about 8am in the morning. The bus we traveled in was a sleeper one, which means there were no seats but just bed kind of berths. Had never seen one…so it was an experience for me; also it was very comfy as opposed to normal seaters which can be back breakers.
In the morning we freshened up at the public bathroom complex and had a filling breakfast at a joint close to the Gokarna beach. Now I have seen many Indian tourists stop by this town to visit the temple and beach, on their way to/from Goa. But the Gokarna beach is nothing to rave about. It’s a normal beach with the usual commercialization; another thing that its relatively dirty as it is used by the local fishermen.
So we skipped this and went directly to our next destination, Kudlee. To visit these beaches you have 3 options, either you can go by road (you have number of autos willing to take you for a reasonable amount) or you can go by boat or you can be adventurous and take the road less traveled…that’s trek your way to the beach. That is exactly what we did. One thing to remember here is to take only as much luggage as you need. We each had a backpack with just some clothes and essentials for the trip. Don’t forget your camera!
The trek from Gokarna beach to Kudlee is a simple one..the hill is more or less plain and
grassy….and its easy to follow the trail left by previous tourists. C had been to Gokarna for New Years last year so he was our guide :-). After about half an hours walk in the hot sun…we saw water…and believe me when I tell you I have not seen such crystal clear waters in my life. The beach itself was almost empty with only a handful of foreigners sunbathing or enjoying the cool waters.Pic: Kudlee Beach
So once we found a place to keep our bags we just jumped into the inviting sea and had a whale of a time. The water was quite calm with just the occasional wave heaving us with it. It seemed safe as we saw some small kids having fun with their parents as well. We posed for pics, did some swimming, splashing, and basically enjoyed the cool clear waters. It was so much fun coz after such a long time I was able to enjoy the beach without a care in the world. I had been to a few in Orissa but there I could not even think of getting myself wet. But here I had the time of my life…enjoyed like hell!
We must have been in the waters for more than three hours and we still did not wish to come out. But we had to move to the next beach, coz that was where we planned to spend the night. So reluctantly we came out of the waters. The guys went in search for a place where we could shower and change. After some searching we found one and got dressed by which time we were ravenous.
Lunch at the same place was a simple but filling one. I remember the name of the place too; it was called ‘Under the Tree’ café. So after eating to our heart’s content we set off towards Om beach. This time the trek was a little longer but still not too difficult. Before climbing down to the beach there is a view point from where you can actually have an aerial view of the OM shaped beach(hence the name). This is where we posed for photos and clicked some for our firang guests too.
Here again there are a handful of places where you can take a shack/room for the night. We settled on Namaste Café as it is the most famous one here. This can be booked online as well but the rates quoted there are higher than what you get here. Since we were not going in peak season time we decided to book when we reached. Luckily we got a small room with attached bath. It was a decent enough place to spend the night. At 400/ room what more could we ask for. We freshened up and took a walk on the beach. It was so quiet and relaxing. We missed the sunset but decided to get up early to view the sunrise.Do remember to carry torches with you as there is no artificial source of light except that coming from the cafes. So it gets quite dark when you are roaming at night. Pic: Om beach
One thing we did during our entire trip and we were quite surprised at our capacity, was eat and eat and eat. I guess all the walking and exercise increased our appetite.
We had a nice dinner at our café and went back to sit on the rocks near the sea. The whole experience of being away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life makes you philosophical and romantic as well. It feels heavenly to be sitting in pitch darkness all by yourself with only the sound of waves to give you and your thoughts company.
Day 2
After a sound sleep we got up early to view the sunrise. It was dark still and the sky began to lighten up after sometime. We waited for the sun but it rose from the hills and could not be seen. It was only later that we realized that we are on the West coast and we will not be able to see the Sun rise from here! Realizing our folly we decided to capture the sun set on the following day.Pic: Sunrise at Om Beach
After this we set off for our next destination- Half Moon beach. This trek was quite something as we had to cross through a narrow passage with hill on one side and a steep drop on the other. I think this trek is not usually performed since the trail was not as clearly marked as the earlier two. We had to go through pretty dense forest kind of area sometimes climbing it and sometimes descending a slopy land. Between these we got breathtaking views of the sea when our trail went by the edge of the mountain overlooking the sea and rocks below. It was scary but fun as well. We met a group of foreigners trekking from Half Moon to Om and we all were happy to find company on our way even if only to say the customary ‘namaste’.
Pic: Gorge on the way
This trek took some time and finally we saw a beautiful enclosure in the shape of a half moon. This beach is a very small one and no one usually stays here. When we reached there was only one guy sun bathing but he too left after sometime making us the sole inhabitants of that beautiful beach.
The guys were lured by the calm and clear waters and they exhibited their skills in swimming, wading, floating and finally getting out of the sea a la Ursula Andress; all this for getting themselves clicked :-). They also tried some acrobatics and I must say C was quite proficient. I even managed to click a pic of him almost upside down in the process if doing a somersault.
After spending sometime there and having a pineapple cut specially for us by an old lady, we began our final journey towards Paradise beach. Now it was quite hot in the day and dear C told us that Paradise is just behind the rocks. So we were looking forward to reaching there quickly and getting into the inviting cold waters. But this turned out to be the longest trek of our journey. Apparently ‘just behind the rocks’ was in reality a treacherous trek going up and down a dangerous mountain then walking through rocks; crossing barbed wires and cursing C for the time it was taking us to do the entire thing.
No doubt we got some beautiful views but all we wanted now was to reach Paradise; take a shack, dump our bags and head to the sea.
Finally after much prodding we reached Paradise. It is supposed to be totally cut off form land and all supplies came via boats. This beach also does not have any electricity and at night they light candles. C told us this place is a sight to behold during peak time near New Years when it is all decorated and lit up with candles. It was inhabited by foreigners who it seems had come here to spend some days in peace and quiet. The guys checked out the acco but then we decided to go back to Kudlee and spend the night there.
While waiting for the boat to take us back we had refreshing coconut water from coconuts cut freshly for us from the trees. We saw foreigners sleeping lazily on hammocks; some reading; some practicing their juggling. This lazy relaxed atmosphere is rarely seen in the commercialized beaches in other parts of the country and that’s what sets this place apart from the rest.
Pic: Paradise Beach from boat
Pic: Our Boat
We got a boat to take us to Kudlee. The boat ride was fun with the sun right above our head and the cool breeze from the sea giving us respite from it. The boatman once or twice shouted dolphin but we were not even once able to spot any. The boat ride again upped our tired spirits and once we got a place to stay at Kudlee we headed off towards the beach. Here again we spent the entire afternoon enjoying the relaxing waters. Here I taught C to swim and he taught me how to let yourself go while riding a wave. It was too much fun ad we did this for quite sometime.
Finally at sunset we reluctantly left the waters to change and eat as we were quite hungry by then. We managed to capture some breathtaking views of the sunset and tried posing as well. Evening was spent in quiet with lots of food in front of us! When we were not eating we were sitting and talking or taking a walk on the beach. At night C and I sat in the cool sand watching the waves breaking at the shore. How lovely it was!!
Thus ended another day in the wonderful place and we had a peaceful sleep with the sound of the sea roaring outside.
Day 3
On our third and last day we planned to do nothing and just relax. So the morning was spent sitting in the café by the beach, watching the tourists, clicking pics and of course eating!
Pic: Kudlee beach from our cafe
On reaching Gokarna we went hunting for an ATM as we had exhausted all our cash. It was quite a walk to the ATM so my advice would be to carry enough cash. We were there for 3 days and we spent about 2000 per person inclusive of travel and stay; which is quite reasonable I must say.
One our way we had crossed many colourful shops selling clothes, hats and accessories. So we decided to take a look. C bought 2 cool t shirts for 100 bucks each. I did not find anything nice enough to take home although I really wanted to.
We still had sometime to go for our bus so we had food at a small restaurant. We were unsure if we would get dinner on the way so we thought of having something filling. It’s a good thing we did coz once the bus journey started at 7pm, it did not stop for dinner anywhere.
Our return journey was not on a sleeper bus but a seater one. The bus started on time but by morning it got late first as it broke down as we were entering Bangalore and then as it had got late we were stuck in the Monday morning traffic. Sensing that it would take longer to reach Majestic, we got off at Yeshwantpur and took autos to our respective destinations in order to be in time for office. The journey was more or less comfortable.
Thus ended my most memorable vacation in recent times and certainly the best beach vacation of my life. I will forever remember and cherish the beautiful beaches, the inviting waters and the calm serenity of the place.- Book sleeper bus. It is more comfortable at the same price.
- Buses from Bangalore to Gokarna: Sea Bird (www.seabirdtourists.com), VRL travels.
- Carry enough cash with you.
- Do not carry too much luggage as it only hinders movement.
- The treks we undertook are not for elders and people with infants. It is better to go by road or take the boat.
- Remember to keep a torch with you.
- The place is very scenic so don’t forget your camera!
- Sun screen lotion may help :-)
- During peak season starting from December, expect the place to be crowded with mostly foreigners so finding a place to spend the night would be difficult.
- Those seeking real adventure carry a foldable tent and an apt place to use it is Halfmoon beach; its much like a private beach.
- Have a wonderful time!!
