It was during the 2021 Diwali holidays and the covid situation was within the control; the initial thought was to go to Goa but it will be overcrowded during the Nov and Dec month and when thought about the alternative we decided to go to Gokarna.
 |
| Gokarna beach view from one of the restaurant in Kudlu beach road |
Once Gokarna was mainly the place for workship and performing last rites but in recent few years, it started attracting tourists who like adventures, trekking, water activities, a weekend stay apart from the pilgrimage visit. Gokarna has numerous beaches and each has its own beauty, history, purpose; for example, the main Gokarna beach is used as a pilgrimage site for performing pooja and taking a spiritual bath, the Kudle beach is used for water sport activities, the paradise, and Halfmoon beach hosts tent stay.
 |
| Tent stays in Paradise beach |
 |
| Halfmoon beach where we took bath |
All the beaches are well maintained but accessibility wise except Gokarna beach all others require a trek or a boat to reach. The water on the beaches is so clear and transparent, in almost all beaches they have a warning sign of sea vortex. However, than the vortex, the real danger we experienced is by the jellyfishes. It is good to see and observe the jellyfish when we are in the boat but it is really very dangerous when they hit us. Even the slightest touch by the jellyfish will cause skin allergy and will cause pain for a minimum of 30 mins.
 |
| Ferry from Kumta to Gokarna |
 |
| Jellyfish seen from the ferry |
Now coming to the stay, the Kumta is known for lots of private beach resorts and is located 30 km from Gokarna. One such resort is the Silver Sand Beach resort and we stayed there, it is located on the beach so anytime we can go to the beach and take bath, play. If looking to stay closer to Gokarna then there are lots of good stays available on the Kudlu beach road.
The water activities include Banana rides, bumper rides, kayaking, JetSki. There is only one organizer Mystic Gokarna and the prices are a little expensive. Since there is no competitor, bargaining doesn't help. On their website, they mentioned lots of activities but most of them are not available or will be under maintenance. Also, we noticed there was a lack of coordination between the booking counter and the ride conductor. We can take bath on any of the beaches, the beaches like Halfmoon, paradise will be less crowded whereas Om beach and Kudlu beach will be very crowded. The Om beach got its name because of the shape of the beach resembling the Sanskrit Om.
 |
| Water activities in Kudlu beach |
Apart from water activities, Gokarna is famous for trekking. It has lots of trekking sites and caves. It has one such cave called Gogarbha and history says that it contains a tunnel to reach Kashi.
Definitely, we should not miss the Maha Ganapati and Mahabaleswar temple; I have never seen a standing Ganapati so far, and here is the first time I saw Ganapati in a standing position in Maha Ganapati temple. Just a few steps away is the famous Mahabaleswar Shiva temple and the temple complex has a shrine for Athmalinga, Devi, and other Gods. There is a strict dress code for men and women to enter the Mahabaleswar temple.
If traveling to Gokarna from Bangalore via road then a short diversion to Jog falls is something not to miss and plan to spend at least 2-3 hours in the Jog to enjoy the complete view and to connect with nature.
The shortcomings of Gokarna are, it is not a mature tourist-friendly place. Getting food of choice is very limited and tastes average, accessibility from one place to another is not so easy. Not all local people are friendly enough for approaching.
