Goa is overrated, and that’s why you should visit Gokarna. Gokarna has cleaner beaches, many excellent cafes to explore, the view of seas from the mountains, and much much more.
In this article, I’ll be walking you through some of the best beaches in Gokarna that can totally make your weekend!
The best time to visit Gokarna would be from August to March and in the interim, Gokarna is usually hot and humid or rainy.
Gokarna Beach
Gokarna Beach |
On the way to the beach, you will find a lot of options to shop. Starting from western to traditional clothes, spices, jewelery, utensils, religious artifacts, Gokarna’s street market has a lot that you can take back as souvenirs.
One of the highlights about the beach is that it is the main fishing hub. Fishermen start their day quite early in the morning, and by 7 to 8 in the morning they are back at the shore. Some of them sell them right at the beach whereas others sell it at the markets.
Kudle Beach
Kudle Beach |
There are a lot of yoga and meditation centres on the way to Kudle beach, and you can also find many people from various parts of the world practice it near the beaches.
The Kudle beach has waves whose current is stronger. Not only that, the beach is also prettier and cleaner. The Kudle beach is very small but you can find a lot of food and stay options in it.
The after sunset hues are the best anywhere, and that is no doubt spectacular in Kudle beach.
Om Beach
Om Beach |
The Om beach gets its name from the fact that it is shaped like Om. The beach is around 3 to 4 kms from the Kudle beach and it can be reached by walk, vehicles, or autos. They charge around 100 INR from Kudle beach to Om beach. You can find water sports in this beach like jet skiiing, banana rides, etc. It is a peaceful place to spend your day. If you visit Om cafe, make sure to check out the Namaste Cafe and chances are very less that you will be disappointed.
Half Moon Beach
Half Moon Beach |
Paradise Beach
Paradise Beach |
But that’s what makes the place beautiful is this seclusion. You can soak in all of its beauty in the purest forms. You can reach the beach from the Kudle beach by trekking or through the roads through the Belekan beach.
One more intriguing thing about my stay at Gokarna was the camping I saw people do on their own. Gokarna has not commercialized camping yet, so people have to carry their own tents if they want to enjoy the star studded skies at night, or maybe just enjoy the full moon days. If you are interested, check out this list of some of the best instant tents that we have used till now.
So, that’s it guys. Next time a friend cancels the plan for Goa, ditch both of them and pack your bags to Gokarna! It has everything Goa has to offer and more.
Let me know if you have visited Gokarna in the comments :)
Author’s BIO: Mark Bennett is an writer and traveler, whose major inspiration has been camping with his father ever since his childhood. He aims to visit 75 countries before he’s 30. You can also follow his adventures on his site outdoorily.com