Maravanthe, Kodi Bengre, Padukere, Tannir Bavi
I have spent most my life on coastal areas. The infinite sea waters give a larger perspective on life, help drown sorrows, giving hope with every new sunrise and sunset. While the beaches of Goa are most popular, I have never liked the idea of being on a busy beach to wine and dine
The smaller beaches of the Konkan region, Karnataka and backwaters of Kerala entice me more than popular beach destinations. The beaches of Karnataka have not been very popular for some reason. The blue flag tag of Padubidri beach is garnering some attention, but these coasts have not featured among global or non-local travellers yet. May be that is a good thing, before they lose their charm to mass tourism
Maravanthe has a special place in my heart. It has been the path I crossed many times travelling from home to college and workplace. The beach on one side and the river on another is something I am awed by every single time I go, no matter how many times in the year
The train route is slightly interior and does not give the same feeling as travelling by road, so strongly suggest taking the road trip. This road is also on the national highway that links Mumbai to Kerala on the Konkan route
Padukone is the closest town (if you know Prakash and Deepika Padukone who trace their origins here). While there is not much to do beyond relaxing on the beach here, you can visit the nearby temples of Murudeshwara, Gokarana, Udupi if you are in this region and interested in temple tourism
Kodi Bengre and Delta beach near Brahmavar are increasingly becoming popular for surfing. I realized many of my colleagues from North India have taken surfing classes here, whose existence I was not aware of to be frank. Some of the inlets have Kerala style houseboats where you can spend a night. The river tributaries have become a spot for kayaking and exploring the mangroves
While Maravanthe gives a sense of expansiveness of the ocean, Padukere near Udupi gives a sense of cozyness. It is backwaters here with a thin road running between the backwater and the sea. Many people reside on this thin strip, with boats being the sole mode of transport from a long time till bridges were built recently in the past 5-10 years. The rocks, the sunrise, the sunset have all given the sense of “home“ for me
There are atleast 10 rivers between Gangolli and Ullal in this stretch which are full of mangroves. I once travelled from Goa to Mangalore on Vande Bharat express, which gave me an altogether different perspective of this region. I fell in love all over again with my “home“ of coasts
The beach of NITK Surathkal falls on the way, one of the only institutes in India that can boast of having a private beach. The iconic light houses at Kapu and Surathkal have been a guiding post for local fishermen for years now
Many have heard and been to Tannirbavi beach, but most will not be aware of the backwaters of Tannirbavi. It is again a place similar to Padukere and Kodi Bengre, with Gurupura river flowing in parallel to the sea. As you keep walking, you can also see Sulthan Battery, a watch tower constructed in the era of Tipu Sultan
Take a couple of days to just travel slowly from one place to other on this highway. It is the best road trip you can possibly have in India!