GO TO THE RAILWAY BRIDGE:
Located around 5km from Manipal, this bridge where the Konkan railway trains ply is built on the Suvarna river. You get to see the sunset through the river and the town of Manipal on the other end. When the trains go by and you cling on to your life holding the handrails, it is an experience to remember. You can also go under the track in certain places and when the train runs above in full force. It is another experience which you wouldn't have got anywhere else.
Head out there for a thrilling experience to feel the actual gush of the train, its speed, its ferocity.
GO TO THE LAKE TEMPLE AT VARANGA:
This quaint little temple is located about an hour away from Manipal. You can take a bus till Hebri and then change and take another to Varanga. During monsoon when the lake gets filled up you have to use the boat to reach the main temple. They charge around 20-30 Rp for it. It hardly lasts for 3 minutes. You can even get a good pedicure from the fishes at the steps of the temple.
WATCH THE SUNRISE AT KUNDADRI HILL:
Located around 75 km away from the Udupi, this small hill is ideal for an early morning ride to watch the sunrise behind the hills. There is a small temple located here and many rocky edges to sit and watch the view from above. But again it depends on your luck as sometimes the whole skyline is covered with clouds. Not ideal during monsoons though.
GO TO ARBI FALLS:
This pretty little falls is located on the outskirts of Manipal. During monsoons the water gushes down this collection of rocks which lead into a forest area. It is pretty dry during summers but during the rainy season or post monsoon, when the water is flowing in gusto, it is an ideal place to spend your noon at. Take a dip, take a selfie. Its all yours!
SAIL TO ST. MARY ISLAND:
Catch a boat from the port of Malpe and sail towards the lovely St. Marys Island. The shoreline on one side of this island is made entirely of broken sea shells. There are numerous rock formation and coconut tree grooves for you so sit on and spend a couple of hours. Then just get back into any of the boats sailing back. Make sure you don't miss the last one!
And there you have it, a tick to having visited an island on your bucket list!
TREK TO ERMAI FALLS:
Located near Ujre, this falls is known for having a cave right behind the flowing water. It is a small trek about an hour from where we are allowed to park our cars. Once we reach the falls, we can trek up the rocks to walk up right behind the fall and sit there. Unfortunately when I went there, the cave like area was occupied by a snake and we ran back with all our might. But during monsoon when the water is flowing in all its might, it forms a beautiful curtain, but of course ups the risk factor as well.
It has almost three levels and you can climb up to reach the highest point. As I went after the monsoon the water flow was less and I tried stopping the entire flow of water, unsuccessfully though.