Places to visit in Dakshina Kannada

One of the most progressed districts of Karnataka, this coastal state is famous for education, sea food, temples and nature. You can easily spend a week covering places to visit in Dakshina kannada

Best time to visit

Shoulder monsoon months and winters from September- March are best times to visit. April- May is insanely hot and humid, while June- August faces one of the heaviest rains in India. Beaches and islands are closed in most of monsoons

Getting In

Bajpe- Mangaluru is the closest airport, about 60 minutes away. You can take prepaid taxis costing 1.5k INR to reach the city from the airport. Bus connectivity is pretty good from other districts. Durgamba, VRL Sugama and many other companies connect Mangaluru with major cities like Bengaluru with overnight journeys

Getting around

Autos are the most convenient option, although bit expensive. Private bus infrastructure exists, but timetables and routes are not published well in advance. You can get to town centre, ask around and take the next available bus to your destination. Mangaluru is connected by express buses with departures every 5 minutes

Places to visit in Dakshina Kannada

You can spend a week here covering beaches of Surathkal, Tannirbavi, Sasihithlu, Temples at Polali, Southadka, Shishila, Jain basadis at Moodubidri, Pilikula Nisargadhama

Beaches

Tannirbavi beach- Most people do not know that this runs beyond Panamboor entrance. You can see backwater on one side and beach on the other if you keep going further. If you come in from Sulthan Battery side, it is easier to catch this scenery

Surathkal beach- Has a light house. Be careful, since the waves are rough here

Sasithithlu beach- You can see Shambhavi and Pavanje rivers meet here

Pilikula Nisargadhama

A zoo that hosts many species including ones endemic to the region and Western Ghats

Temples

Covering the ancient and popular ones here. While there are many more modern ones, they give a feeling of Disneyland, rather than calmness and spirituality. Most temples lie on banks of rivers, close to nature. You will find an ancient temple every kilometer, with very good architecture- specialty of this region

Our personal favorites below- which stick in your memory even after visit

Polali Rajarajeshwari- One of the largest wooden idols unlike the ones made in stone elsewhere
Southadka Mahaganapati temple- The idol is in open air.
Shishileshwara temple- Amidst nature with a nice river beside it
Karinjeshwara temple- On top of a rock, with nice scenic views from the top. There are 600 steps to climb the top

Other large and popular temples

Mangaladevi that gave the name to Mangaluru
Kadri Mahalingeshwara- In the city centre
Kateel Durgaparameshwari- Known for hosting Yakshagana performances
Mulki Bappanadu Durgaparameshwari- Built by a Muslim family
Puttur Mahalingeshwara temple- You can see Japanese Koi fish in the temple pond
Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara- This temple is managed by a Jain family. Has a vintage car museum if you are interested.
Kukke Subramanya
Kudupu Anantha Padmanabha Temple
Sharavu Mahaganapathi temple

Basadis of Moodubidri

Moodubidri has a lot of Jain influence with more than 15 temples in the area. Savira Kambada Basadi has 1000 pillars, with intricate architecture and carvings

Cultural performances

The region is rich in culture, very distinct from rest of Karnataka and India. It is difficult to plan your travel around these events since they are not widely published. You can check out banners/ local travel agencies once you reach here

Yakshagana- Typically performed at temples during annual festivals
Kambla- Buffallo racing in paddy fields
Nagaradhane- Serpent worship. Every family as a “Bana” or forest protected for worship of serpent lord
Bhootaradhane- Worship of demigods

Special mention- Ice creams

Ideal and Pabbas have become famous for creativity on Ice-creams like Gadbad. Gadbad has fruits, dry fruits, ice cream all in one. You will find many shapes, not just flavours here. Do not miss one while in Mangaluru