Featured Post

A Journey across India: The call to Adventure

An easy, practical and in-sequence itinerary planner I have travelled the length and breadth of India, and am truly proud of its rich and varied heritage. I am amazed by the tradition and values, the people, festivals, celebrations and the changing landscape. Have you wondered if it's possible to travel across India completely? Most foreigners arriving in India, land in Delhi and then travel the Golden Triangle route first- which is a good decision incase you have limited time at hand and want to make the most of it. The Golden Triangle- Delhi, Agra and Jaipur includes the much hyped Taj Mahal which invariably is part of a tourist's bucket list. This blog on the other hand- is a sequential strategy and detailed 'been there done that' itinerary plan starting from Mumbai. I am sure as we go through this Journey you will understand India better. My experiences are based from the perspective of a - digital nomad, budget backpacker and from a local standpoint. Each Itinerar...

Gokarna beach trekking trails

Gokarna is a small town on the coast of Karnataka, about 2 hours south of Goa. It is here that the pilgrim and the traveler meet; to seek true meaning of life’s journey!

As a newcomer, I found it uniquely interesting; to see how well pilgrims, backpackers and tourists blend in all at once in this small town.

Previous blog~ South Goa : Driving from Panjim to Palolem


How to reach Gokarna

Inarguably the best way to travel is by train. There are 2 trains that stop at Gokarna road station (closest station to Gokarna). In case you are in Palolem, South Goa- then board the train from Cancona railway station.

CNO Cancona to GOK Gokarna road  Distance 62 Km/ 1 Hr 30 Min avg daily trains

Note : Please check IRCTC site for the current updated status on trains.

Train# 07107 Madgaon Mangaluru DEMU Express Special  except Sun Dep CNO 05.40 hrs  →  Arr GOK 06.54 hrs


Train# 56641 Madgaon Mangaluru passenger [daily] Dep CNO 13.52 hrs →  Arr GOK 15.36 hrs


By road- there are several buses that leave Canacona bus station for Gokarna. Verify the bus timing from Canacona bus stand a day in advance to be sure.



Things to do in Gokarna



Mahabaleshwar temple


Is a 4th-century ancient temple built by king Mayurasharma of the Kadamba dynasty (reign 345 CE – 365 CE). It is a Shiva temple that is considered almost as sacred as the Vishwanath Shiva Temple in Varanasi.


The ritual suggests that the correct way to worship in the temple is to first take a dip in the sea and then worship a shivling, made out of the sand. Only after this should a devotee head over to the Mahabaleshwar temple to offer prayers.


The temple is one of the seven sacred Mukti Kshetras or Muktistala ("places of salvation") in the state of Karnataka. Meaning this is where Hindus come to perform the obligatory rites for their departed.


It was almost evening when I reached Gokarna. As the journey so far. proved quite fruitful; I was looking forward to visiting the temple. So after settling in my hotel, and some evening snacks and tea- I wore a nice long skirt, bindi and gajra in my hair and headed to the temple.


dress code : traditional. Women need to wear saris, but salwar kameez is also fine. 

Men need to wear mundu or dhoti. In case you do not have one, there are shops outside the temple that sell one for 100 rs. Also men need to be bare chested before entering the temple ( no shirts allowed)


After dinner we called it a day!



< Day 2 >


Kudle beach


So the idea was to head to Kudle beach, and guided by some locals - we took the trekking trail that leads from Gokarna to Kudle beach.


The craggy trail took us over a hillock, which offers some awesome panoramic views of the sea, before climbing down to the beach below. I’m sure it would be fun; if I wasn’t carrying a heavy backpack.


One look at the beach and it was ‘love at first sight’, I eagerly longed to see a beachfront stay option- like the one I had on Shiroda beach, Maharashtra. But later I settled for another further away from the sea.


kudle beach, gokarna
kudle beach, gokarna

There are some shacks here similar to Goa; I headed there right away to find my comfort zone and ordered a breakfast. The nice thing about Gokarna, is that there’s always someone like you around…given the number of travel enthusiasts that visit this place. I met a few guys from Bangalore who were like; "why don’t you join us for the trek this weekend." And I said : "why not!"


FYI : There are many hostels in Gokarna that conduct beach treks, led by a volunteer from the hostel and usually takes the whole day.


Besides; reading a book, clicking photos, listening to music and playing beach volleyball, I spent the next 2 days (until the weekend) by :


Taking a boat ride from Kudle beach to Gokarna. Gokarna has some inexpensive local restaurants that serve unlimited fish thali (meals) which is a refreshing change, compared to the expensive beachside shacks at Kudle. I later explored a few more temples in the quieter areas of Gokarna. Bought some eatables and daily needs, and trekked the same trail on my return- which I found more rewarding this time.



< Day 3 >


Beach trek :  God’s own beach → Paradise beach → Half-moon beach → Dolphin’s view point → Om beach → Kudle


The trek start point was God’s own beach, which is accessible by road (a bus dropped us here)


god's own beach, start point for gokarna beach trek
god's own beach, start point for gokarna beach trek


It seemed more than an hour’s trek ahead to Paradise beach. It was a well-tread trail and sometimes not so, but with an experienced trek lead it's easy not to worry so much.


Finally we could spot the beach!


a glimpse of Paradise beach (Gokarna) below
a glimpse of Paradise beach (Gokarna) below

True to its name Paradise beach looked exotic, and we lost no time to let loose our inhibitions, as we ran into the sea.


running towards Pardise beach (Gokarna)
running towards Pardise beach (Gokarna)

Time flew by, as we played beach volleyball and climbed the rock. The rocks here are really really slimy and tricky, so be cautious.


fun times at paradise beach, gokarna

The next stop was Half-moon beach. Part of the trail is along Hell’s cliff, which makes the trek interesting.


the trail from Paradise to Half-moon beach (Gokarna trek)
the trail from Paradise to Half-moon beach (Gokarna trek)

Half-Moon beach is much quieter with hardly any people. We ordered breakfast to keep us going further, and tried out some rock climbing as well. The water was so clean and cool we relaxed in the sea for a while...


at half-moon beach (gokarna trek trail)
at half-moon beach (gokarna trek trail)


Later the trail got us to a promontory called Dolphin's view point. Here too we spent considerable time in the hope of spotting dolphins, but all we got to see were coast guard boats doing their rounds.


dolphins view point, gokarna trek trail
dolphins view point, gokarna trek trail

It was almost sunset, and trek lead had better ideas, so we hurried to the next destination- Om Beach.


Just as every beach on this trek has its own characteristics; ‘Om’ seemed to have its own dedicated backpacker crowd having a really good time here. The sunset was an added bonus.


sunset at Om beach, Gokarna
sunset at Om beach, Gokarna

We sat a while drank a beer, ate a meal and then moved on to Kudle beach.




Friends, I do hope you enjoyed this blog. If you have any questions, then comment below. Do subscribe for more blogs like this.



Bye for now!


Comments