South Kanara trip

Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets at all!

A trip to the virgin beaches of konkan coast can act as rejuvenating experience far away from the maddening crowd. No wonder my Bill and his family make it a habit to visit Mangalore and its non-polluted beaches once in 2 years at least from Paris.

Last time around when I visited Panambur and Ullal beaches I was not impressed at all. Ullal beach had a rustic look with lot of litters spoiling the looks. Panambur beach was smelling of Petrol while you dip into the waves.

We decided to look further at Suratkal and Kaup beach, surprisingly it was refreshing. The water was clean and devoid of any petroleum smell. I hope the oil companies do not pollute the waters with their waste being dumped into the sea.

Both the beaches have a wonderful atmosphere, with lighthouse acting as guiding forces for navigation of ships. In Suratkal beach one finds golden sand, with rocks littered around the shores. At Kaup beach the lighthouse is situated on huge rocky terrain attached to the beach.

The visitors to Suratkal beach are primarily KREC students, and a few local residents. One can climb the lighthouse at Suratkal beach by paying an enterance fee of Rs 5 per head. It is lovely sight of the coastline and one gets to see the refinery at a distance, along with the harbour. The visit to the light house is between 3.30 to 5.30 pm only. On clear weather, one can view lovely sun setting in the west.

Kaup beach is preferred by the tour operators, because it has proper road access for maneuvering the vehicles, whereas Suratkal beach is inconvenient. Kaup beach has a bar and restaurant, for those who would like to have a swig. The rural atomosphere of Kaup beach is alluring. The intensity of the waves depends on the prevailing tide cycle. One has to definitely exercise caution exploring the waves, during the high tides.