It was a usual day where I decided to explore Udupi and the first place that came to my mind was St. Mary’s Island. I read about it a lot of times but never got an opportunity to visit it.
I started my journey with my sister and mother. We took the bus to Malpe Beach from Udupi Bus Stand which costs around Rs. 15/- per person. The bus usually drops you at the Malpe Beach entrance from where you have to walk almost 20-25 minutes to the Boating Service Office where the boats to St. Mary’s Island are available. If you don’t want to have a long walk by the sea, you can always get down at the Malpe Bus Stop and walk for a little by left towards the fishing Boats area and ship building yard to reach the destination directly.
The boating office has a garden around the campus where you can relax for a while. The place also has a beautiful pathway to walk amidst the sea.
We reached the Boating Office only to find out that we have to wait as the minimum number of people required for journey is 30. We waited around 45 minutes before our trip could start. The ticket per head is Rs. 250/- for up and down together.
And after a long wait finally we started our journey in the boat with lot of excitement, life jackets and bollywood dance music.
It took around 20 minutes to reach the Island. The experience of travelling in the boat in the beautiful blue seas was just amazing. We also spotted jelly fish in the water.
The boat will carry another small boat which we have to board later as the big one on which we boarded doesn’t go into the shallow water near the island.
Once closer to the Island, we changed the boats and got ready to step down on the beautiful seashore of the St. Mary’s Island.
St. Mary’s Island is assumed to be founded by Vasco-da-Gama and it’s brief history you will find written on the board at the entrance of the Island. We were given one hour time to explore the island.
St. Mary’s Island is popularly known as Coconut Island. The island has plenty of coconut trees around and you will also find locals selling coconut water on the island. Although it is essential to pack water and snacks with you in case you are planning to visit the island.
You can also look around for the wild plants and species of birds this island houses.
The Island looks serene with blue skies and blue waters. Although my favourite part of the island was its shore littered with sea shells of various shapes and sizes. One can only sense the shells on the beach with no sand on coastline. That was kinda new experience for all of us.
The island is also popular for its rock formations especially for the rectangular or what the geologists called columnar joints. These are the perfect locations for a great photo-shoot experience. However, one must be aware of the rocks while climbing or walking on it as they have become slippery. Crabs are also abundant on the shore and one need to be cautious inorder to avoid stepping on them.
There are plenty of small pavilions on the islands where people can rest in shade.
There is also provision for washrooms on the island for the tourist although it needs to be maintained properly.
After exploring the island and having amazing views by the seashore, we started our journey back to the Malpe. The heat of the sun in the middle of the seas, sound of the waves and breeze and with 90’s Bollywood music played on the radio our journey became mesmerizing.
And yes not to forget, to add on to the experience we even spotted one dolphin jumping out of the water. We got lucky I guess. So if you want to have a thrilling unusual experience of exploring the island within a day, you can always visit St. Mary’s Island in Malpe.
