Gokarna: There is More to the Town Than Just Temples!

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Distance from Bangalore: 517 kilometers

On our exciting road journey to Gokarna, we took several detours and managed to reach Gokarna late at night. Here's how we made the most of our stay in Gokarna:

​A Stay To Remember

We had decided to stay at Om Beach Resort based on a friend's recommendation. It was really heartening to have two people from the staff meet us on a motorbike at the main road to escort us to the hotel lest we lose our way. This charming lodge with high ceilings, comfortable ebony furniture and a beautiful green backdrop makes for the perfect detox zone. By the way, they have an in-house spa centre too.

The Temple Town

Gokarna is a small religious town in Karnataka and is one of the few places to have an image of Lord Shiva himself. A walk or drive through this quaint destination acquaints you with the slow-paced pious life that the locals lead. The one thing that travellers need to be mindful of is to respect the Kannadiga culture and traditions. Make sure you dress modestly and remember that alcohol consumption openly in the town is a big no-no.

The 12^th Beach

Well, my suggestion is – Keep calm and drive 6 kilometres towards Om Beach and you will be enchanted for life. You will spot some women lining up en route to sell fish. We saw this interesting spindle-nosed variety locally called the kaandi that sells for 5 rupees a piece!

Om Shanti Om

There are four hidden beaches in Gokarna that are reached only by those who come looking for them. Of these, Om Beach is the most famous. Shaped like a well-rounded ‘W’ looking like the Om symbol, this secluded beach was a hideout first discovered by European tourists. Plenty of iron ore rocks are sprinkled along the magnificent coastline making the Arabian Sea a tad choppy. Bathing in it is a lot of fun as there are many unexpected waves.

Namaste Traveller

Although Gokarna witnesses a very distinct off-season, Om Beach is flocked by beach lovers through the year. The only difference lies in the activity of the shacks it houses. All of them stay closed from April to September. So you can only imagine our delight when we discovered that Namaste Café was still open. Serving beverages and a neat fare of seafood, Indian delicacies, continental dishes and sweet nothings, it gets a lot of footfall. Go there for the spectacular view of the sea! Please note: It closes at 4:30 pm.

We are back at the Om Beach Resort to enjoy a delicious dinner of fried snapper cooked the Kannada way.

Here are a few travel tips if you're planning a long weekend trip to Gokarna:

Budget: Rs. 5,000 per person (inclusive of 2 nights stay in a 3-star hotel)

Distance From Bangalore: 517 kilometres (approx. 8 hrs by road)

Traveller Type: Family, Friends

(Photo Credit: Tariq Khan)