Gokarna is located on the western coast of India in the Kumta taluk of Uttara Kannada district of the state of Karnataka. This beautiful and rustic town is one of the seven important Hindu pilgrimage centers.
The funniest part of this town is the meaning of the name "Gokarna" it means Cow's Ear. This place has the most breathtaking view according to me because it is covered with Rocky Mountains and the Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other.
Gokarna is located on the western coast of India in the Kumta taluk of Uttara Kannada district of the state of Karnataka. This beautiful and rustic town is one of the seven important Hindu pilgrimage centers.
The funniest part of this town is the meaning of the name "Gokarna" it means Cow's Ear. This place has the most breathtaking view according to me because it is covered with Rocky Mountains and the Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other.
Though this town is known as a lazy and sleepy town there are so fun things to do here other than visiting the usual temples.
1) Beach Trekking
The exciting and adventures part of this town are these beach treks. You might wonder why I need to trek to the beach, while one can just walk. Gokarna is situated alongside the hills and beaches are located on the other side. You have to literally trek up and down these Rocky Mountains to get to the beaches. This where all the excitement and fun truly remains.
Gokarna has 5 major beaches – Gokarna Beach, Kudle Beach, Om Beach, Half Moon Beach and Paradise Beach.
Gokarna Beach is in the main town and it is a famous pilgrimage place. Shivathri being the main festival of this town is always celebrated here. This beach is also famous for surfing; however, it is not preferred much by the tourists for an adventure sort parse.
Kudle Beach is one of the happening tourist’s spots. The beach here is covered with hill rocks and when the waves splash through this and hit your feet; that feeling is so soothing. Spending time in Kudle beach is always pleasurable. This beach has some amazing food joints and shacks to chill at. I loved staring at the beach and be lost in the beauty of nature. This indeed was the most peaceful thing to do here.
From Kudle beach you have to trek up to reach yet another beach called Om beach. This beach is named after the serene Hindu symbol “OM”. This beach has very limited food options as there were only 2 restaurants. Once the restaurants are shut in the night, you can camp and vile away time at this beach with some good music. That is exactly how I spent my night here. It was indeed the happiest time I have ever had.
The next beach you can trek to is the Half Moon beach and this is quite secluded. This has very limited food joint. As you trek further from here you reach the paradise beach. The last trail of beaches at Gokarna. This is by far the not so spoilt beaches in this town. The best way to spend time in Half Moon and Paradise beach is to make your tents and cook some fresh fishes as you groove to some old time rock and roll on your phones.
2) Become a Foodie
Gokarna is one town that serves you multi cuisine food. Kudle beach has in numerous shacks that serve you from Italian to Korean and some authentic Konkan food. I loved the Nutella pancakes that were served at Sunshine Café. This café is located in the middle of Kudle beach and gives you an amazing view of the sunset. As I took a Shack here to live I ended up eating here all three days and loved every bit of food I ate. The prawn sukka, Israeli salad, French toast, Sizzlers and English breakfast were the food I tried and trust me, everything I tried at Sunshine Café was just MOUTHWATERING and AMAZING! As you eat your food you get an amazing view of the sun set.
3) Pamper yourself with a Massage
The shacks at Kudle Beach, resorts and hotels offer you some of the most amazing massaged. The most popular therapy are the Kerala Ayurvedic treatments. I enjoyed my foot massage at Paradise Café (much needed after all the trekking) located at Kudle beach. You have various massage option to choose from. It is a soothing experience with some good background music.
4) Yoga
As you just walk across the beach you see people doing yoga and you can join them and learn to do yoga or you can do it yourself. I have seen people doing yoga in the evenings at Kudle Beach.
5) Start Jamming
Kudle beach is opted by a lot of tourists and you will happen to bump into one or the other Musician. We had crazy jam sessions with hand drums, guitar, and didgeridoo. It was one amazing night spent well with so many musicians.
6) Go shopping
You can go to Gokarna town and pick up those dhoti pants, Om kurtas, colorful skirts, bags and lot more. This town has a lot to offer and very affordable price. If you good with bargaining you can carry home a lot of gifts for friends and families.
After reading my experience here, I am sure that you would want to visit this place and have a real Escapade!
Getting there
You have plenty of buses to get here from Bangalore, Mangalore, and Gokarna. You have trains as well. If you love riding or driving then there is no looking back as the roads are very well maintained.
Travel Tips
1) Best season to go is from September up to April. Latter to that it gets very hot and humid.
2) You do not necessarily have to stay in a resort, you have plenty of shacks in Kudle Beach and Om Beach to stay up.
3) Withdraw sufficient cash for your stay as you will have trek up and down if you go out of cash as there are no ATMS yet.
4) Carry Odomos and Sunscreen in your bag always.
5) If you are an animal lover than carrying a hand sanitizer as you will find a plenty of dogs at the beaches. If you not into animals then stay away from them. Better safe than sorry.
6) Just break free, meet new people and HAVE FUN!!
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