GOKARNA-The HIPPY'S paradise!!

GOKARNA

KEY NOTES:

BUDGET OF THE TRIP- 4500 INR PER PERSON
DAYS OF VISIT- 3DAYS 2 NIGHTS
MODE OF TRAVEL- BUS/SCOOTY
PLACE STAYED- ZOSTEL GOKARNA

ABOUT

Gokarna is a small temple town on the western coast of India in the Kumta taluk of Uttara Kannada district of the state of Karnataka.The main temple and deity is Lord Shiva, who is also known as Mahabaleshwara. This temple houses what is believed to be original image of Lord Shiva's linga (Atmalinga).

Apart from it's spiritual and mythological popularity Gokarna is very famous for it's HIPPY culture. You can spot many beautiful graffitis on almost every bare or vacant wall.

Gokarna's walls are full of GRAFFITIS EVERYWHERE! People from all over the world come and sketch their beautiful talents on these walls.

A STREET FULL OF ART

HOW TO REACH GOKARNA?

There are a lot of buses and trains coming to GOKARNA,but the train drops you 13 Kms from Gokarna town. We started from Bengaluru from the bus

OURS was SPD TRAVELS which was a non AC sleeper bus and costed us 1000 INR due to long weekend. The normal price range is 800 TO 1500 INR. The bus started at 22:00.The sleeper bus was a very pleasant journey and we woke up fresh in the morning to begin our new adventure,when the bus reached Gokarna at 8:30 and dropped us in the town.

IF TAKING TRAIN-

The train will drop you 13Km away from the town
Take an Auto rickshaw which will cost you around 1000 INR

IF TAKING BUS-

The bus will drop you in the city
If the stay is near KUDLE BEACH RD then it is a gradual slope and you might want to take an auto as it is a walk of 1.5 KM approximately. The auto would cost around 100 -120 INR.

DAY 1

Gokarna is a small and a traditional town with narrow streets and beautifully built traditional houses.Their simplicity and vastness made me wanted to stay in one of them.

Exploring the town we reached to our ZOSTEL at 9:30. Now, since the check in time of the zostel was 12:00 pm, we were told to wait in their common room.On entering the room i was aw struck!! I mean how cool this place could turn up to be!!!

*ZOSTEL'S COMMON ROOM*

We rested till our Checkin was done! The rooms were very pretty. We stayed in the dormitories(600INR).

Next we explored the whole zostel and there it was the beautiful view of GOKARNA MAIN BEACH. The view from the ZOSTEL was scenic.How often do we dream of buying a house with a beach view! ZOSTEL has it all!

So after exploring everything we just changed and kick started our trip. We had our lunch(250INR).

AT around 15:30 we took our bikes and started for OM BEACH which gets it's name from its coast shaped as an OM. Om beach was a gala place and has the famous NAMASTE CAFE. You should definitely try the LEMON ICED TEA . There are plenty of rocks which lay on the shore and one can actually get some really good pictures. We waited for the boat (300INR) which takes us through HALF MOON BEACH AND PARADISE BEACH. While returning we got off at paradise beach for playing with the waves and enjoying the sunset.I actually could see people living in tents since months and using sea water for their daily routine.I was amazed to see that people really enjoy that.

After spending a significant time at the beach, we did a trek through the rocks back to the OM beach.The trek was quite a fun and also very daunting.People who do not choose to trek can take a boat back to OM beach but then again they charge 200-300INR to take you back.

On reaching back to OM beach we played for sometime and by the time we reached Zostel, it was already dark and we had tired ourselves a lot.We had dinner and dozed off.

THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSET

DAY 2

We woke up to a beautiful dawn. The next destination was to MURUDESHWAR! The very place where SHIVA himself guards the land and the sea!The mighty statue of lord SHIVA IS EXTRAVAGANT. The place is so pretty and pure that one does not want to leave the place.It is the best place for a family vacation as it has temple for worshippers and sea for enjoying. There are water sports such as SCUBA DIVING. "NETRANI ADVENTURE" is one of the best in this business.(5500 INR-SCUBA DIVING,2500 INR-SNORKELLING)

After the splendid Darshan of the temple we rode back to our ZOSTEL which was 85 KM.
Our CHECK OUT time was 10:00 am. We moved out our luggage to the common room and then set out for YANA CAVES

Yana is famous for these two massive rock outcrops known as the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara and the Mohini Shikhara ("Shikhara" means "hill"). The huge rocks are composed of solid black, crystalline karst Limestone.Near to it are the VIBHUTI WATERFALLS. It is said that they contain water through out the year and the water is apt for enjoying a bath also.After having fun at the waterfall we then came back to our Zostel.

We had our lunch at the PAI HOTEL which is located in the city and had one of the best local foods.There was an ice cream shop which is a must go as they make fresh ice cream and peanut butter(100 INR for 250 gms). Their best seller is COCONUT ICE CREAM AND MANGO ICE CREAM( 20 INR per scoop). This shop is a must go.

Our bus was at 18:00 hrs so we roamed around for sometime in the town and did some small shopping.We amazed ourselves when a person told us that there are households which welcome tourists to sit with them and eat the food which they prepare(50INR).Since we did not have time for that so we could enjoy the boon of local brahmin food. I am sure it would have been a taste in itself.
THE PLACE FOR HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

THE PLACE FOR LUNCH

CONCLUSION

Our bus departed at 18::00 hrs to Mysore and so our journey ended in Gokarna.Meanwhile when we were on the MANGALORE HIGHWAY we saw the most amazing thing.The sea merging with the land. The waves were bursting on touching the land from where our bus was going.That stretch was mesmerising.We crossed several islands and a delta. The return trip was as amazing as our trip in Gokarna.It is a sure place to go on a weekend.Thinking of beaches I am more reminded of Gokarna than GOA now.

ALTERNATIVES TO STAY: