Previously when I had not visited Gokarna, I heard a lot that it is quiet, clean and peaceful. It is the place where your eyes will see the glory of waves dashing to the cliffs. One can find his/her self only humanoid on a beach. But frankly speaking, It is no more hidden or less travelled. Still, it is one of the most beautiful places having mountains and beaches side by side.
The best way to explore Gokarna is on foot. Now let me tell you about the main beaches and must-visit places in Gokarna.
 |
| PC: Rahul Rajput |
There are mainly five beaches, Gokarna beach, Kudle beach, Om beach, Half - moon beach, and Paradise beach. There is a temple called the Mahabaleshwar temple, so this town has huge religious significance too.
Gokarna beach is mostly crowded and spoiled so as a backpacker one can visit the rest of the beaches.
Kudle beach is nearby only and all the beaches till Om beach can be visited by road or the trail from Gokarna beach. From Om beach, one has to go trough hike for Half-moon beach and Paradise beach.
Gokarna is on the western ghat of the Arabian sea, hence you will see amazing sunsets from almost all the beaches. I would suggest (from my experience) that one should preferably see the sunset from Gokarna, Kudle Beach or Om beach. After sunset, it will be little scary to hike all the way from Paradise or Half-moon to Om or Kudle.
Let me tell you about my trip to Gokarna, So after spending a few days at the less crowded part of Goa called South Goa, we headed towards Gokarna. As I had not visited Gokarna previously, I was super excited about it, but obviously, things would not work as you plan ! We missed the train which was only direct source of transportation for Gokarna. So we decided to take a bus and we went to Karwar. After seeing the sunset at the main beach of Karwar, we went to Gokarna, as it was the holiday season, (2nd Oct and Dushera) We got a little costlier stay there.
 |
| Karwar Beach |
On the next day, we visited Gokarna beach and Kudle beach. I have added a few photos of the golden hour at Kudle beach. As Kudle Beach is the most famous beach among travellers and tourists, it would be crowded most of the time. I would also suggest to try out the beachfront cafes to grab a bite.
 |
| Kudle Beach - Sunset from the beach front cafe |
 |
| Kudle Beach |
 |
| Kudle Beach |
 |
| Kudle Beach |
The next day we found another place to stay which was also not so ok but we couldn't find better options due to holidays. We headed towards Kudle beach after having breakfast there we started for the next beach called Om beach, after reaching there we refreshed our selves and headed towards half-moon beach and then Paradise beach. We couldn't see the sun setting in the sea as at paradise beach it is not possible due to mountain trails and curves. As we were late while returning, and I was also facing my leg pain issue, I found it little difficult to reach on Om beach as it was dark out there, no clear trails marked and it was monsoon season, also the water of the waves was dashing upon the rocks so hard. Finally, we reached to Om beach and after dinner, we started towards our stay. I am adding here the clicks of few best views having cliffs, ocean and the sky together.
The next day finally we found a dormitory with an amazing location and as it was our relaxing day, we just spent time on Kudle beach and enjoyed the sunset there.
 |
| Kudle Beach |
There are many more places called Yana caves, Mrudeshwar, Honnavar near Gokarna which can be combined on a visit to Gokarna. The best way to explore those places is to rent a bike and visit them using google maps (use it carefully, I must say !) from Gokarna.
 |
| Yana Caves |
Season: The best time to visit Gokarna is from January to march and July to December. As summer is very hot there.
Stay: One can find the best dormitories to stay with breathtaking views.
Food: One can enjoy sandwiches and ice shake at beach front cafes of Kudle beach and Om beach.
 |
| Kudle Beach |
Nice work keep going
ReplyDeleteNice work keep going
ReplyDelete