Monday, March 30, 2009

Gokarna/Murudeshwar - Coastal Karnataka at its best..!

A sudden plan among our backpackers emerged to explore the west coast with a 2 days of schedule.... We ruled out Mangalore for its was less for its natural beauty and Karwar which was too distant.
The plan was to go to Gokarna straight through Mangalore and explore Gokarna the 1st day and and come back to Murudeshwar the next day. Mangalore was a tiring 8 hours overnight journey from bangalore via terrible road conditions and we had a bus to a place called Kumta(the road is through the scenic coastal highway leading to panaji-goa) at 8.30 am in the morning. We had to travel by another bus to reach Gokarna finally by around 1.30 pm.
It was a very quiet,rustic and old evergreen tropical place. Facilities were bare minimum at the place though the place was throbbing with foreigners. Beach side resorts were less interested in giving accomodation for bachelors for they had bookings from foreigners and couples. We stayed at Gokarna International hotel nearby bus stand that charged Rs 295 for a double non ac bedroom. This turned out to be better as beach resorts were too isolated and the surroundings were devoid of any facilities at all including transport.
Gokarna town was dotted with traditional age old brahmin houses and an ancient Shiva temple. The temple has a rich history dating back to Ravan's vara given by Lord Shiva and is believed to have the Aathma linga. The main gokarna beach was also scenic/unpolluted by itself and was worth spending the sunset. Other beaches worth exploring are Half moon, paradise, om, kudle in that order by fishermen boat with some 100rs per head.(worth every paisa).
Om Beach: This place was amazing. It was a pure virgin unspoilt beach across a scenic greenish valley backdrop. Water was pure and was shallow just enough to entice us farther and farther towards the sea. There was barely any crowd or shops nearby. One evening here was not enough to admire this place.
So we planned an early moring trek to this place to catch the sunrise here. We started at the hotel by 4.30 am via hill side roads and reached the beach at 5.45 am with a flash light. It was very chilling as there was absolutely no civilization around and stray dogs were too intimidating. We settled atop a view point to watch the sun to play around with its light across the beach. The view were worth every second.
By some crazy idea we planned a trek towards Kudle beach from Om beach (next beach along the rocky shore) via the beach through the hills. After an unbelievable trek for around 3 hours and emptied water bottles, we noticed that the route had worn off and trees had grown along the route. We had planned to revert back to om beach. By some darn luck we shouted for rescue and were lucky enough to be picked by a fishermen boat to take us to Kudle beach. To our dismay we found were only about half a km from our destination when we gave up. The escapade was unbelievable.
Next day after the tiring trek we routed back to Murdeshwar. This place was worth spending a night at the sea side lodge (RNS residency - if you are planning to stay here stay here only and no other place is worth it). The sea side restaurant (Naveen) was awesome and had a great view along the sea and the imposing Shiva statue and the temple. The beach here were also huge and beautiful stretch across a greenish coconut tree shores. The place was way more crowded but cheap as it has lesser foreigners around. With a heavy heart we took back the bus(pre booked Rajahamsa executive) towards Bangalore from Murudeshwar bus stand.
Room at Murudeshwar: http://www.naveenhotels.com/
Season to travel Gokurna/Murudeshwar : Round the year though summer will be too hot.

14 comments:

  1. Kudos guys! we ruled the place with a great thirst for something new ...
    which eventually drove us to travel a tiring 24 hrs journey(You know what I mean :D)...
    took us a freaking 45 minute whisker(walk ,but I doubt if it was one) through the hilly 9 kilometer runway...
    and the greatest turnaround of the journey the hilly trekking pathway to the Kudle Beach...lost half the way for route and there came the two brave men with some intelligence... Jagee and Ismail who found a new route with some rocky road and bushy roads with loads of surprise awaiting , a three and 3/4 mountain road...and there came the hardest part of the journey i.e, even after shedding blood and risking life we had to accept that we were lost ...then from there started backtracking and there comes a Gandhian idea "no stepping back for the real heroes"...
    the he he he...Hindhi(spoke by none other than me)which moved a fisherman so much that he risked his boat by driving it among the rocks...and the men jumped one by one not minding the deep sea(100 foot deep,waiting to capitalise a slip of feet)to the boat ; to see that the beach was just ten steps away which reminded the story "Gold at Ten Feet"...but we enjoyed the thrill, fun, anxiety and a lots more....
    Then the trip moved cool to Murdeshwar and ended it with a AMERICAN FALOODA and the DIL KUSH....he he he ...
    altogether freaking experience which has invoked us for a lots more to come by ...
    YOU GUYS OUT THERE WATCH OUT ...
    THE REAL GAME BEGINS HERE!

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  2. Really the trip was amazing...Esp the trek to Kudle Beach...Chk out AshokVana (...lol... ) on the way to Om Beach...Two days is not enough to enjoy the scenic beauty of these places .. We spent a lot of time in travelling (since there are very less point to point buses)...
    @ Jaggy
    enna da route found ??? Dunno what is on the other side and started going seeing a temple on the top of the mountain..(could not reach there, since the path way is deserted)..
    Overall , the trip was breathtaking, adventurous and completely enjoyable..

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  3. Machi, it takes some 'dhil' and initiative to venture into unknown land ahead and whether we found the route or not, the 'dhil' was there to take us ahead... Thats wat is more important dude..
    @jaggy: Eppadiyellam kaapatha vendiyirukku pathukko.. (appadiyae enakku kodukka vendiya antha 500 rs pathi maranthirathe..)

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  4. nice info.. good photos..

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  5. Hi dear really your blog postings are very good and it will usefull to all the peoples who are looking forKGudi Resort
    when i was searching the same i got good inforation about the best B R Hills

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  6. Hi dear really your blog postings are very good and it will usefull to all the peoples who are looking for Wildlife Safari
    when i was searching the same i got good inforation about the best bandipur resorts

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  7. hi Nice blog
    Im planing to visit bandipur resorts and kgudi resorts for relaxation and
    trying to spend tis weekend away from trafic and pollution

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  8. hope u njoyed a lot there,I was searching for resort in Bangalore ,I got few one of them was hill view resort

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  9. Lovely write-up mixed with some beautiful pictures :)
    Gokarna is famous for beaches and breathtaking landscapes and is a serene pilgrimage city.
    Get to know about the best hotels in Gokarna and plan your stay accordingly.

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  10. Great post with awesome pictures. Loved reading this blog. It is really an informative blog. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post in this blog. It helps people who are planning for their trips. Make your trip by booking your bus tickets in advance with bus ticket offers.

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  11. Very Interesting Blog. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. If you would like visit Kumta again, you can check in to Kinara stay, its a resort near Gokarna, Murdehswar, Yana, Honnavar.

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  12. Lying off the matrix, this shoreline town is dozing in a marvelous quiet. The waters of time stop here and life influences gradually to their children's song.
    Andaman
    Best travel services

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  13. Very nice post about Gokarna. Thanks for sharing this post, love to visit this place again and again. This is my first preferred place to visit during vacation. Thanks for this post. If anyone plans to travel Gokarna, then book Bus Tickets in advance to enjoy the trip.

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  14. Nice Blog, Interesting too. If you visit again Gokarna, check out Kinara stay. It's Lodge Near Gokarna,Murudeshwar.

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