Wandering through the dark forests in the car we reached Gokarna around 11:00 pm in the night. I am a long drive lover, so I preferred traveling to Gokarna via car than taking any other mode. It takes 12-13 hours from Mumbai to reach Gokarna via road. Gokarna also known as the mini Goa is situated in the northern Karnataka. Gokarna is not a very commercialized place, it is a hilly area surrounded by forests. Traveling at night through these forests can be scary. I booked my stay at Sanskruti Resort in Gokarna. The Resort is little on the expensive side but has a nice ambiance with a large pool in the middle making it quite a nice place to stay.
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Gokarna is famous for its clean beaches and little tropical environment. Kudle beach and OM beach are the most famous beaches among many beaches in Gokarna.
Kudle Beach is around 3.5km from Sanskruti Resort by road. If you don't have your own vehicle, you can easily get an auto to reach the beach. Kudle beach is a nature's paradise protected by two hills on each side. The Beach is between two parallel hills of exactly the same size & shape forming a semicircle with the beach in the middle. You'll need to walk down the hill to reach the beach. There is plenty of parking space available at the top of the hill. Park your car and walk down the hill to reach the Beach. The Beach is clean and the water appears partially green in color. There are few rocks on one side of the beach but the rest of the beach is pretty smooth.
There are few beachside cafes on Kudle Beach which provide a great sea view and time to relax with some good food. We had a snack at 'The Rock Namaste cafe'. The food was good and at a reasonable price too.
My Next Destination in Gokarna was Om Beach. Like Kudle Beach here to you'll need to walk down the hill to reach the beach. The Name Om comes from the shape of the Beach which resembles the symbol Om (ॐ) when looked from the top. There is a stretch of rocks that divide the beach into two halves and give it the shape OM. You'll find a lot more crowd on OM Beach than Kudle Beach. Walking along the beach I found that the second half of the beach is quite isolated, I wonder why? There were few couples and the beach appeared cleaner than the first half. So if you are looking for some peaceful time and isolation I would recommend you to spend time in the second half of the Om beach.
For Lunch, we went to Namaste cafe on Om Beach. The Cafe is located right at the beginning of the beach as you reach down the hill to the beach. The Cafe is quite spacious and gives a great view provided you get the right seat. The cafe also has an upper deck to sit which gives you a much greater view. Being the only decent cafe on the beach it remains crowded and you may have to wait sometimes to get a seat. The food is little on the expensive side and you may not find it value for money.
Gokarna is a great place with beautiful beaches and tropical trees. It is a great place to relax, enjoy nature & beautiful beaches.
