Monday, August 8, 2011

Beaches of S Kanara




Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets at all!

A trip to the virgin beaches of konkan coast can act as rejuvenating experience far away from the maddening crowd. No wonder my Bill and his family make it a habit to visit Mangalore and its non-polluted beaches once in 2 years at least from Paris.

Last time around when I visited Panambur and Ullal beaches I was not impressed at all. Ullal beach had a rustic look with lot of litters spoiling the looks. Panambur beach was smelling of Gasoline while you dip into the waves.

We decided to look further at Suratkal and Kaup beach, surprisingly it was refreshing. The water was clean and devoid of any petroleum smell. I hope the oil companies do not pollute the waters with their waste being dumped into the sea.

Both the beaches have a wonderful atmosphere, with lighthouse acting as guiding forces for navigation of ships. In Suratkal beach one finds golden sand, with rocks littered around the shores. At Kaup beach the lighthouse is situated on huge rocky terrain attached to the beach.

The visitors to Suratkal beach are primarily KREC students, and a few local residents. One can climb the lighthouse at Suratkal beach by paying an enterance fee of Rs 5 per head. It is lovely sight of the coastline and one gets to see the refinery at a distance, along with the harbour. The visit to the light house is allowed between 3.30 to 5.30 pm only. On clear weather days, one can view lovely sun setting in the west from Suratkal beach.

Kaup beach is preferred by the tour operators, because it has proper road access for maneuvering the vehicles, whereas Suratkal beach is inconvenient. Kaup beach has a bar and restaurant, for those who would like to have a swig. The rural atomosphere of Kaup beach is alluring. The intensity of the waves depends on the prevailing tide cycle. One has to definitely exercise caution exploring the waves, during the high tides.


Kaup beach lighthouse view is breathtaking. The entry is allowed on payment of a fee, and videography is charged exhorbitantly. The surrounding coconut tree groves along with the coastal topography is a great photographic locale. Many a kannada films have been shot in this location such as Subha Mangala, etc. The lighthouse is located on top of a rocky formation, almost similar to vivekanada rockmemorial. There seemed to have been a adjustant hillock fort during ancient times, which is destroyed.

Location : Suratkal beach is located 16 kms away from Mangalore City. One has to take deviation on the left as one reaches the KREC college ( which is now NITE ) and drive a km towards the beach on the tar road. There is not much parking area.

Other Beaches in South Kanara :  Someswar, Ullal, Panambur, Sashitulu, Hejmadi, Malpe, Marvanthe, beaches to name a few.  If one wants to cover all the beaches in the region it might take 3 days along with a trip to Virgin Isle.


6 comments:

Teamgsquare said...

Nice info , i love marvanthe beach very much .

Arti said...

Looks so serene! I hope it remains that way...

Subhrashis Adhikari said...

beautiful place :)

magiceye said...

informative post

Sushma Harish said...

completely agree with you. i have stayed at Surathkal for 2 years right on the lane next to the beach behind Hotel Sadanand[on highway if you have noticed] area. believe me we miss that life too much. that air..was lovely..........thanks for refreshing our beautiful memories

Shaan Haider said...

I love beaches as I am from Delhi and far away from seas. Fortunately, got the opportunity to study in Kerala for 4 years :)

By the way, here is my IndiVine post. Check it and if you like it then please Promote it too there on IndiVine.

http://www.indiblogger.in/indipost.php?post=72607

Thanks :)

avinash

avinash
cannons ready to fire

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Basically i am down to earth, take friendship to its logical end. It is my endeavour to create a wealth of co-operative ventures. Basically being a marketing man i have the acumen to spot winners. I am privileged to travel the length and breadth of the country, courtsey my father, who was with Indianoil, my employers such as Nutrine, Kurl-on, Hindustan Pencils, Prestige, Crystal, Bell Ceramics, Pentel, Sezal, Commander. Currently i am involved in Tourism, Booking Air Tickets, Agent for Jungle Lodges and Resorts Limited and Taj Group of Hotels and a numerous hotels across India. Depending on the needs of a traveller i would recommend the destination and accommodation best suited to their budget. Humour takes me on. Let us have a win win situation for all. I love travelling for sake of adventure, photography and discovering the heritage. Life is a journey and let us enjoy our drive. Come share your travel experience on indiabackpacker.