A trip to Tarkarli.. 

Have always heard praises for this place for its serene beaches, scuba diving and the delicious local food. People often feel the zest for a GOA trip but neglect this small yet budding village on the way which is starting to get accolades among the travelers community for the solitude it provides. So after a lot of iterations, we finally decide to visit TARKARLI!! A group of 7 mad heads (engineers) on a road trip from Mumbai to Tarkarli (approx 480 kms)

Note: Its better to have your vehicle to Tarkarli as there is no such public transport to travel within the village. If not, you can go to Kudal railway station (nearest) and a catch the state bus to Malwan. There you can hire bikes from the locals. But dont expect the ones like Goa. The bikes are few in numbers and without the commercial permit (no yellow number plate)

Day 0 (Road trip)

With an untimely shower for the month of March couple of days back, we get ready for the long overnite drive from Powai, Mumbai. The wheels roll and we head towards the Mumbai- Goa highway (NH 17, new numbered to NH 66). Songs play, we all banter and with time all fall asleep at around 4am. Our driver (aka Dada) too takes a short nap (of course with car parked) to start again. The road has a few ghats until one enters Malwan where the roads narrow down and we see early morning street markets, school children. After almost a 10 hour long ride and coupe of wrong turns, we reach Tarkarli

Without a lot a searching, we got a descent local cottage named Konkan Villa on the Malwan-Tarkarli road having comfortable rooms, good local food and proximity from the beach (don't know the name but not the tarkarli beach).

First thing first, SCUBA DIVING. The cottage owner helped us out arranging for the Scuba near Sindhudurg Fort on the Malwan- Tarkarli road. Don't worry as the prices here are fixed at INR 1650/- which includes the underwater photography and a 2 minute video. I would personally suggest do not go for snorkling as you are just a couple feet under water watching the corals (Snorkling cost around INR 500) whereas SCUBA is approximately 20 ft deep. We reach the place, and the excitement builds just looking at the SCUBA gear.

SCUBA: Well I fall short of words to express this experience. The gear is on, instructions given, and you take the dip. The world under water just seems so unrealistic as if this is a dream. All you hear is the sound of you inhaling and the blowing bubbles when you exhale. The colorful fish around, so many in number and the red coral. The clear sea helps you see it all. After a while, of swimming around and above the corals, one can feel the pressure in the ears after about 15 mins under water. But you tend to still signal your guide ' everything is fine' . You just don't want to end this and keep swimming around when my guide pulls me out and back to the real world. So many sounds hit your ear, vision becomes more clear and you start wondering whether the last 20 minutes were real !!!

We started the day early as we had to go for water sports as well as Tsunami islands. The previous night saw some running and yelling on the beach. Scary pranks, ghost stories and running all the way to outlast each other. Not to forget the home made delicious food. The Malwani made chicken was the pick of the dishes served with hot Vadas (Kombdi- Vade). My another friend happened to visit Tarkarli at the same time so I booked a cottage for his family just beside ours. The night passed with some candid discussions and babaji to accompany. We reach the same beach from where we started for SCUBA. For water sports, one can go to Devbaugh, Tsunami island too, but it can upset your pocket a bit. Adding to the fact that at Devbaugh, water sports is done in backwaters whereas at Sindhudurg, its the bumpy sea which is more fun. In all we spent INR 600/- (includes bana ride, 2 bumpy ride, jet ski and kayaking ). Another INR 700 for parasailing, which gives you a breathtaking view which is worth every penny spent.

For the evening, we check out from Konkan villa and head towards Tsunami islands, Devbaugh for another sunset. The name actually comes from the Tsunami in 2004 which resulted in the formation of this small island, which magically submerges underwater at night. One can enjoy the serenity of the still backwaters and just lay down on the sand. The islands actually seem to be the "Indian version of Kaho na Pyaar hai" island as quoted by one of my friends.