Gokarna, some say, is “Mini Goa”. I would rather call it “Alternate Goa”. They’re like two twin brothers who look the same, but who have opposite personalities - one rave and loud, the other calm and peaceful.

Gokarna is at the top of every list of “weekend getaways from Bangalore”. And it most definitely should be.

Duration and Time of Visit

2 days, 1 night
October mid

To and From

Stay

Itinerary

• A late night bus from Bangalore on a Friday night was our ride to a leisurely weekend getaway

Day 1: Day long “Beach Trek”, Evening on Kudle beach

• We reached Gokarna bus stop around 8 am, had a cup of tea as soon as we got off and took an auto rickshaw to Namaste Cafe, on Om Beach
  • As soon as you move a little away from the small town, you start falling in love with the place - the area was so green, so untouched, so calm and so revitalising!
  • Namaste Cafe has a beautiful property, right on the beach, with rooms located on the small hill, with greenery all around
  • We freshened up and headed to the beachside restaurant for a laid back and extended breakfast, also descending onto the beach for some time
  • It’s called Om Beach because from the top, it looks like the symbol “Om”

• Post that, we started off on the excursion for the day - the “Gokarna Beach Trek” - a hike of ~4 kms over the hills, hopping from one beach to another, covering 5 beaches in total

• We started off from one end of the Om beach, walked the entire length till the Dolphin Shanti Cafe and took the trail going up the hill, called “Om Beach - Half Moon Beach - Paradise Beach Trail” on Google Maps
  • We were the only ones on the trail. Frankly, we were a little uncertain whether we were on the right path and if it was safe to continue. We did even get lost once on the way - the path is not well-defined, with many offshoots in different directions, there are no sign boards and like always, the mobile network obviously abandons you when you need it the most. But common sense prevailed and we were able to figure out the way
  • It is a gorgeous route - walking on the edge of the hill, with sea below you to the right! There are stunning views of pristine beaches and rocky mountainous walls all along
  • This trail reminded me of Cinque Terre in Italy and the Calanques d’En Vau in France, and it is no less magnificent!

• We finally reached the Half Moon Beach, confirming that we were on the right path. But it was nearly submerged at the time because of the tide and we had to roll up our shorts to avoid getting wet
  • On the next stretch, we did find company - but as is natural at such places, we wanted none of it. The weather and the views provided the company we seeked, and they just kept on getting better

• Then came into view the Paradise Beach, rightly called so
  • It is cut-off from direct access and one can only hike to be able to reach it
  • Hence, there are no shops on the beach, only a handful of people. The only commercial activity happening was a person selling pineapples
  • The calmness of the place was gripping - we sat there for about an hour, lying on the rocks, listening to music and eating pineapple

• The way out is a trek up the hill and then a hike through the forest, which opens up to a small stream, which you need to cross to land on the Belekan Beach
  • This route is super confusing, especially if you are the only ones on it, like we were. The trail is very grassy, making it difficult to follow; and the locked doors and boundary walls on the way were not at all helpful
  • After much back and forth, we decided to keep walking forward and hope the trail to lead to some road or the other. And it did - at the Belekan beach
  • Belekan beach is not that popular and hence was totally empty. We had called an auto rickshaw to pick us up there, and the 30 minutes spent here didn’t seem a burden at all

• We headed to Kudle Beach, the most popular (and crowded) beach in Gokarna, to call it a day watching the sunset from a cafe, sitting till late evening
  • As with most crowded beaches, Kudle beach, while beautiful, has not been maintained properly - there was litter and sadly, even cattle on the beach! But if you can somehow ignore that, the feel of the place was good - people playing on the beach, foreigners doing yoga, hip and vibrant cafes, good weather and a beautiful Sun sinking into the sea
• On returning to Namaste Cafe, I sat at the restaurant for a good 3 hours, listening to music and reading. It was raining heavily and it only added to the charm of the night at the beach

Day 2: Chill on Kudle beach

• Tired from all the hiking the previous day, I could not get up in time for the sunrise. And that was exactly the tone of the day - just relax

• We again had an extended breakfast and then headed to Kudle beach, to spend the entire day there
  • We did some cafe hopping, testing the food, the drinks and the music at each, and finally settled in on the Sea Rock Cafe. If you are a lassi fan, or not, do try their Special Lassi. We spent the entire day there, enjoying the flavour that each phase of the day had to offer
  • It is always a good idea to talk to the local people - you’d be surprised at what all interesting information they can share! Give it a shot – and maybe you can find what you are looking for

• Bringing the trip to a close, we caught the late night bus back to Bangalore

Major Expenses

• Bus: Rs. 1,600 per person
• Hotel: Rs. 2,200 per night
• Auto: ~ Rs. 600
• Food and drinks

Summary of Things To Do

Things we did:

• Namaste Cafe
• Gokarna Beach Trek
• Om beach
• Half Moon beach
• Paradise beach
• Belekan beach
• Kudle Beach

Things we didn’t do:

• Illuminiscent Phytoplanktons at Nirvana beach at night: This is definitely at the top of my list for next time. Since we didn’t have a vehicle, we couldn’t go there late night for a bonfire
• God’s Own beach
• Mahabaleshwar Temple and others: Gokarna is a major pilgrim town, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Interestingly, “Gokarna” means “cow’s ear” - it is believed that Lord Shiva emerged from the ear of a cow (Prithvi, the Mother Earth) here
• Yana Caves and Vibhooti Falls (~55 kms from Gokarna)
• Mirjan Fort (~30 kms from Gokarna)

Tips and Resources

• It might be a good idea to stay on Kudle beach in a shack / tent. I think Om beach is calmer, but Kudle has more things to do. You can decide what suits you best - they are both a 10 minutes auto rickshaw ride away
• For the trek, it’s best to wear a cap, apply sunscreen and carry sufficient water. As expected, the network is quite patchy
• The trek can also start from Kudle beach (Kudle - Om - Half Moon - Paradise - Beleken) or the other way round, from Paradise beach to Kudle beach. But on hindsight, I think it was better to start from Om beach, have Paradise as a befitting prize at the end and then come to Kudle for sunset (especially since it is difficult to find vehicles from Paradise beach)
• There are several organised treks as well for the Gokarna Beach Trek