Bangalore Railway Station :
Me and my friends started our journey on Friday night .We boarded the train at SBC railway station in Bangalore and We reached Gokarna road railway station at 7.30 AM on Saturday morning . Our journey in a normal sleeper coach was very smooth . Then we took auto to reach Gokarna main town (Which is 10 KM away from Gokarna road railway station ).
Train Name : YPR KAWR EXP (06585)
Ticket Cost :
Sleeper :INR 420
3AC:INR 1100
2A: INR 1550
1A: INR 2595
Our accommodation was arranged at a Hotel OM International Gokarna .There are two hotels next to each other, The old block is quite okay and has good amenities with two single cots. Best one for those who are budgeting.The new block is Luxurious with double cot bed and the best facilities available
Cost of Hotel : INR 1500 per room(Break Fast Included )
As we reached the Hotel we were thrilled to bits. It was really such a nice hotel We freshened up, had our breakfast at the hotel and were all set for exploring Gokarna .
Day 2 : Exploring Gokarna
Places to Visit :
1.Shri Mahaganapathy Temple :
So our first stop for the day was this temple .
As the temple is situated in the very heart of the main town of Gokarna i.e. in car street area it is very easy and convenient to reach temple from any corner of the town . You can catch auto-rickshaw for convenience.
Cost of Auto : INR 50
Gokarna Mahaganapati Temple is located only a couple of metres far from Mahabaleshwar Temple. This sanctuary was implicit honour of Lord Ganesha, who succeeded in taking the Atmalinga far from Ravana.
According to legend, voyagers need to first visit this sanctuary before heading towards Mahabaleshwar Temple. It is additionally called as a “siddha” Ganapati. It is one of the famous and very ancient two handed Ganapati in Karnataka .
Its very nice temple to visit and pay tribute to Lord Mahaganapathy .
2.Shri Mahabaleshwar Temple Gokarna :
After finishing darshan at Shri Mahaganapathy temple ,we proceeded to visit Shri Mahabaleshwar Temple which is opposite to it .
Men need to wear dhoti, shirt to be removed. Queue will be there but 2 lines, one for Dharsan and other for pooja or sankalph, can offer flower , water, milk, as pooja material.Streets are narrow, you can park vehicle in Gokarna main beach side, and walk.
The most amazing part is the natural. calm , quiet ambience which gives you a different feeling. small but very genuine. you are near to the human being and god too. The temple has its unique form and traditional form of worship as a lingam in the temple at gokarna.
The Shivling is known as Atmalinga and was given to Ravan by Lord Shiva. The temple is considered second only to Kashi Vishwanath in holiness. The temple is considered one of the sacred Mukti stalas, where people pray for their ancestors and perform obsequies. The temple is built in the Dravidian architectural style from granite stone.
3.Gokarna Main Beach :
After finishing darshan at Shri Mahabaleshwar temple we proceeded towards Gokarna Main Beach to witness beautiful sunset .
The main beach of Gokarna is situated near the Mahabaleshwar temple. Its famous more among locals than tourists. The beach is safe to swim and its nice place to see sunset .
Here we ended our day one of our gokarna trip .
Day 3 : Exploring Gokarna beautiful beaches
Auto Fare Hotel to OM Beach : INR 250
4.OM Beach :
Om beach is huge. When you reach the entrance (near the parking lot) you must trek down to reach the beach. There's a very clear step path to trek down so nothing to worry about. Once you reach the beach you will start to see many vendors and ferries.
The first half of the 'om' is the crowded one as it is right at the entrance. To reach the second half of the 'om' you need to walk along the first half and reach the other side. The sun rise was worth a watch. The road leading to the beach is also very well laid with greenery all around and the view point which is quite away from the beach gave a spectacular view of the same.
Once we finished exploring the OM beach ,then we proceeded towards Halfmoon Beach .Ferries run on this beach which transport you to other beaches such as - paradise beach and half moon beach.
The price for 30 to 45 mins ferry ride is INR 300 per person in some seasons .During peak seasons prices rise to 900 per person .
I suggest you to visit this over ferry ride ,as the journey in ferries is very beautiful feeling ,If you are lucky sometimes you will get to see some dolphins during this ride .You can even trek to paradise and half moon beach from om beach.
5.Halfmoon Beach :
We reached there in 15 mins ferry ride from OM Beach .It is a small beach and we enjoyed there as almost it was private beach. Some shacks are available to chill here .The beach in itself is quite untouched.It is separated from the Om Beach by a cliff from where tourists are bound to get an amazing view of the Arabian Sea. It is great place to go.
We loved the place very much and it's environment. Have a try you will love it.
Then our ferry journey continued towards Paradise beach .
6.Paradise Beach :
This is a beautiful beach.
A must visit it's a lovely beach with less crowd. This is an isolated beach and it's rocky and scenic. We spent the afternoon here and it was a blissful experience.
After we explored paradise beach our ferry journey continued towards Sanagam point.
7.Sangam Point : Confluence of River Aghanashini and Arabian Sea
Sangam point is point which is Confluence pf river Aghanashini and Arabian sea. Its a very nice point to see from mid of sea.
So we finally came back to OM beach after finishing 1 hour ferry ride .
We had our lunch in Namaste Cafe in Gokarna .Located right at the tip of Om Beach, Namaste Cafe is well located with road access as well as a beach front restaurant.Food is awesome. Nicely setup decent music greeted and handled by a very courteous staff. I recommend you to visit and taste the food here once .Then we too auto to return to out hotel and took some rest during the afternoon hours .
Auto Fare OM Beach to OM International Hotel : INR 250
8.Kotiteertha :
Once we got up afternoon, we freshened up and took 10 mins walk to see this beautiful pond which is situated middle of Gokarna city .
This artificial pond is one of the sacred places to visit in Gokarna. It is surrounded by temples, monasteries and residential houses on all sides. It is also used for ritual bathing and immersion of idols. In the middle of the pond, there is a small Shiva Linga and a tall lamp post which Illuminates the place in the evenings. As this pond is deep.This artificial pond is an ideal holy place for Hindu pilgrims who consider it as sacred. It is a must visit place and should not be missed while in Gokarna.
Auto Fare Kotiteertha to Kudle Beach : INR 150
9.Kudle Beach :
So after exploring "Kotiteertha " we headed towards last stop for the day that is beautiful Kudle beach for sunset .There are plenty of shacks along the beach and you can choose which ever one you would like.
When you at last reach the beach, you feel like you are in heaven. It’s so clean- I can’t explain. The beach has beautiful views in the evening. In the evening there is usually high tides, and the beach is full of water, sunset is very beautiful here ,I suggest to experience the beautiful sun set here .
So here we ended our beautiful trip to "Gokarna " .It was very memorable and beautiful .
Auto Fare Kudle Beach to OM International Hotel : INR 150
We came to hotel and packed our bags and checked out and proceeded towards railway station
Gokarna Road Railway Station
Auto Fare Om International Hotel to Railway station : INR 250
We boarded the train at Gokarna road railway station to Bangalore on Sunday and We reached Bangalore railway station at 8.30 AM on Monday morning .
Train Name : KAWR YPR EXP (06586)
Ticket Cost :
Sleeper :INR 420
3AC:INR 1100
2A: INR 1550
1A: INR 2595
Here we ended our trip ,Thanks for reading .Next trip will be of Coastal Karnataka one more beautiful place "Honnavar ".Stay tuned for update .