Bangalore never disappoints when it comes to planning weekend trips as you have a whole lot of options to choose from. This time we had an extended weekend due to the holiday on January 26th and we decided to visit Udupi. If you see, I am more a mountain person who loves sitting in the balcony of a hotel/homestay and sip a hot cup of tea while enjoying the view of the snow capped mountains. But sometimes I make an exception when it comes to places which look so surreal that I can not resist visiting them and St Mary's Island in Udupi very well fits this description. We decided to take an additional day to make it a 4 day trip so that we could cover a few more places in and around Udupi.
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| St Mary's Island |
We took an overnight bus from Bangalore and reached Udupi at around 7 in the morning. After having a hearty South Indian breakfast at the bus depot we took an auto to our hotel near Malpe Beach. The sky was a bit overcast and Malpe beach looked absolutely surreal in the weather with very little people in the beach. I wanted to sit there for hours looking at the sea and enjoying the breeze. But then we did not want to miss the morning ferry to St Mary's Island and so after dropping our luggage in the hotel we started walking towards the harbour.
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| Morning view of Malpe Beach |
The ferry ride to St Mary's Island took around 20/25 mins and once we stepped down from the boat and made our way through the tall coconut trees of the island, the turquoise water of the sea came into view. The place looked insanely beautiful with rock formations spread all over the island and the sea water reflecting many shades of blue. The hexagonal rocks found here are basaltic rocks that are created due to volcanic activity. These rocks on the shore make the place even more beautiful providing a picture perfect background to get clicked. We spent some time exploring the island and caught the ferry back to Malpe. We spent the evening sitting in Malpe beach listening to the sound of the waves and munching our favourite jhal-muri.
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| St Mary's Island - A place to get lost in the beauty of nature |
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| Many shades of blue |
Since it was a long weekend and we were quite late to decide the trip, we did not get accommodation in the beach side resort for more than one day. So the next morning we had to move to Udupi town where our accommodation was booked for the rest 2 nights. Over the next 2 days we visited some other beaches in Udupi such as the Kapu/Kaup beach, Kodi beach and also planned a day trip to Kudloo Falls and Agumbe view point.
Our day trip to Agumbe and Kudloo Falls started around 10 am and the 1st point to visit was Agumbe Sunset view point. The journey to Agumbe was very beautiful as the road passed through lush green forest and we were even able to spot some lion-tailed Macaques on the way. The view point though good was not extraordinary and so we decided to proceed to Kudloo falls without spending much time there. If you plan to visit this view point, then I would suggest going in the evening as the sunset views are quite mesmerizing from here as mentioned by our driver.
The drive to Kudloo falls was a little dusty and rough for a long patch, but we did not know that the most difficult part was yet to begin. Since the falls is situated deep inside the forest, the only way to reach there is to trek through a steep stony path for around 30-40 minutes which is an adventure in itself. Even the forest was very beautiful with absolute silence ruling it except the foot steps of the visitors and we stopped in between to click some pictures and relish its beauty. It felt all worth the effort once we reached the falls as it was very picturesque surrounded by lush greenery and the sight of water falling from 126 feet in to the pond below was very refreshing. This is a perfect place to enjoy nature isolated from the crowd and we spent some quality time there sitting and enjoying the natural beauty.
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| Kudloo Falls |
The last stop of the day was Kodi Beach before returning to the hotel and by the time we reached the beach it was sunset time. There were very few people in the beach as it is not as famous as Malpe/Kaup, but that makes the place even more serene and desirable for people looking for peace. In sometime, the sun started going down the horizon painting the sky with hues of red and the sea shore reflecting the color of the sky as the waves receded. Then the most amazing thing happened as a big flock of birds started diving in to the ocean surface with full speed and then flying back to the sky and repeating this many times before vanishing in to the horizon. It was kind of a bonus on top of the beautiful sunset as we did not experience this before and we felt lucky to have visited the place in the right time. We had dinner in the MTR restaurant and had a good night's sleep. If you are visiting Udupi, then make sure to try some South Indian delicacies at MTR restaurant and I am sure you will not regret it.
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| Sunset at Kodi Beach |
The next day before leaving Udupi, we decided to visit Kaup/Kapu beach which is a beautiful beach with a old light house on a hillock and provides great views of sunset. If you can brave the narrow spiral staircase that leads to the top of the light house, you can have a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. We heard from our driver that if you have the time to stay in Kapu a little longer after sunset, then the light coming from the light house makes the place look very dreamy. As we had to catch the bus back to Bangalore in the same evening, we could not stay there after sunset . But if you ask me, this is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited and if I had the time I would prefer to sit here on a rock overlooking the sea for hours and still not get bored.
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| Light House in Kaup Beach |
Some pointers for your trip planning:
1. Plan your trip in the winter months of December and January as Udupi gets very hot and humid during the summer. But again, summer has its own advantages where the places are less crowded. If you are keen on visiting St Mary's Island, do not visit in the rainy season as the ferry services get closed due to rough sea.
2. There are both smaller private boats as well as Government ferries available for St Mary's island. Private boats start from Malpe Beach whereas Govt ferries start from the harbour. For Govt ferries, the ticket cost is 200 Rs for head for both to and fro journey.
3. There are very few accommodation options available near Malpe beach. So in case you are planning a trip during some holiday or long weekends, you need to book the accommodation at least a month back. Otherwise there are many other stay options available in Udupi town.
4. If you intend to visit Kudloo Falls, then go prepared with proper clothing and shoes for climbing through the stony path. This trek is not suitable for aged people or people with back or knee problems.
Thats it folks. Happy Travelling :)
