Gem of the Arabian sea
There are many places in the world with hexagonal basalt cliffs. Iceland, Ireland are most well known in the world with rocks at Reynijsfara, Studagil canyon and Giant’s causeway. India in fact has many more 10 places with such rock formations
St. Mary’s island is one of them, in Karnataka. The island is about 45 minutes from the mainland of Udupi, making it a good half day tour. The beaches are serene, cleaner than mainland ones
The closest railway station is Udupi which is 30 minutes away from Malpe, and closest airport in Mangalore which is about 90 minutes away. You can take a boat from Malpe ferry port to reach here. The island is open outside of monsoon season from mid September to mid May. Return boat trip costs INR 300. You might have to wait till the boat gets full. The last boat leaves from the island around 4:30-5 PM, so ensure you catch it in time
The island adorned with coconut trees is distinctly visible from the mainland
There is not much to do on the island apart from swimming and relaxing on the shore, so 3 hours should be sufficient. The island has good spread of different kinds of seashells, in case you are interested in collecting them
There are a few more islands around including Daria Bahadurgarh which is less visited. You can see ruins of an old fort here. There are no set public transport options, so you will have to take a private ferry if you want to visit these islands
You can try out the famous traditional restaurants in Udupi in the evening like Mitra Samaja or Badagumalige. Goli Baje, Buns are authentic and local must try dishes
The scenery around the beach is one of the best we have seen in India, so do not miss this gem if you are on the west coast of India