Scuba Diving in Maharashtra, Konkan

Summary - Inclusions Tarkarli, a small beach town in Malvan, Konkan region of India is indeed a place of serene beaches, clear water, fish meals. I have been to not less than 60-70 beaches of India. However, If you are looking for an Andaman right on the mainland than this place is the right place to be at. Below I have tried to make easy, simple, step by step itinerary to my #Tarkarli trip. I travelled to Tarkarli with a friend of mine who lives Mumbai but his hometown is Tarkarli. So, of course the hidden gems are right here below in the itinerary. Below #itinerary is planned in a way that you save time and kms while travelling without missing out on anything. #Hotels, #Transport #Restaurants are suggested below. Each and every cost mentioned below is incl. 1 adult, #food , #stay , #ticket, #fuel , #car . You can choose hotels as per your #budget. My suggestions are based on my budget for the given trip and given day.

Day 1

1) Take train Jan Shatabdi (Konkan Railway) Panvel to Kankavli . Panvel to Kankavli is 450Kms distance which easily takes 10hrs by road without stopping over. However, by this super fast train with only 2 stops between Panvel and Kankavli will get you there in 7hrs at just 400/- per person ticket. The train leaves Panvel at 6:38AM and reaches Kankavli at 1:38PM. Please check the updated timing while booking the ticket. Konkan Railway is famous for the scenic lush green beauty with rivers, waterfalls, bridges and tunnels it gives you while being in the train.

2) Reach Kankavli at 1:38PM . Hire an Auto Rickshaw to Tarkarli Beach. Kankavali to Tarkarli is 50Kms and takes 1hr30mins to reach. The road from from Kankavali to Tarkarli is full of Backwaters , Palm , Coconut and Mango trees spread across miles and miles making the ride an epic one. On the way to tarkarli the road goes through Malvan town where you can buy liquor for the night. In Tarkarli there are only beer shops.

3) Devbagh - Tarkarli Beach - Reach at 3PM. Checkin to the hotel. I have 3 suggestions here for the Stay. Option 1 - Is Samsun Pride Wooden Cottages this place is right on the beach 3500/- per cottage with 4 ppl https://g.page/SamsunPride/review?gm , I stayed here as we were 4 ppl. Option 2 - Adinarayan Wooden Cottages this is 50 mtrs behind Samsun the rooms are exactly the same 3500/- per cottage with 4 ppl Option 3 -I am unaware of the hotel name but its my friends uncle's place at 800/- per night non-ac but I have the owners no. Anil - 9923588019. You can see the cottages of Samsun Pride in below image.

4) Relax at the cottage until 5PM. Grab sleep for an hour. Go for a swim in the clear water.

5) Come back at 6PM. Lie in a hammock and relax

6) Bonfire , Starters and Party on the beach start at 7PM. So, that you can go to bed by 11PM as morning you gotta go for Scubba Diving

7) Starters try out Prawns , Crabs , Pomfrets these are the delicacies of Konkan. The food will be served to you on the beach itself . Inform them early evening about your meals as everything gets closed quite early in this small town.

Day 2

1) Wake up at 5:30AM . Get freshen up and be ready for the Scuba Diving. The boat will pick you up at 6:30AM right in front of your cottage. While you are waiting for the boat keep gazing at the horizon where the sky and sea meets, If you are lucky you will see some Dolphins. We were lucky enough to see coupe of them.

2) Scuba Diving - 1500/- per person. The boat will pick you up and will take you in deep waters. Dives will start around 7AM. This is the most amazing experience of Scuba you can get in India with Nemos & Turtles.

3) Back to the hotel at 9am for breakfast

4) Book your package trip to Sindhudurga Fort , Tsunami Island , Mobara ( Sangam of Karli River with Aribian Sea). There are other activities too. however, this are the best things to do.

5) 10:30AM Boat will come to pick you up at the cottage. Its a 30mins boat ride to Sindhudurga Fort which is a marvel fort in itself, a fort that lies in the Arabian sea. The fort was built by Father of Indian Navy - "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj". Forts main objective was to counter the rising influence of foreign colonizers (English, Dutch, French and Portuguese merchants) and to curb the rise of Siddis of Janjira. The fort has Temple of "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj" which is the only temple of him in the world. There are places in fort where historians have also marked the footprints of Shivaji Maharaj.

6) 11:45 You will leave from the fort and 30mins ride to Tsunami Island , Mobara both are close to each other and to the hotel aswell. I would suggest you to first hve a visit to Mobara which is a beautiful backwaters. You will suddenly feel that you have reached Alleppey, kerala. There are beautiful temples , houses , cottages on the river bank and gives that perfect backwater view.

7) 12:15 PM Tsunami Island. The island has been named as such as it was formed after the 2004 Tsunami. There are various watersports activities available here like Parasailing , Banana boat ride, JetSki, Bumper ride and the rates are far more lesser than that of Goa.

8) Option 1 - Back to the hotel at 1 PM have Quick 30mins Lunch , pack your bags and Check out from the hotel by 2PM. To take the same Jan Shatabdi (Konkan Railway) train from Kankavli to Panvel. The train leaves Kankavli at 4:08PM and reaches Panvel at 9:48PM. Option 2- If you want to spend the 2nd entire day at this lovely place relaxing, then you can take the train next morning at 05:45AM from Kankavli to 12:50PM Panvel.