Om Beach, Gokarna

Jog Falls - Gokarna - Murudeshwara

• The landlocked Om beach is the place to stay in Gokarna. Two more beaches are adjacent although less fun - Kudle beach & Gokarna main beach.
• Namaste Cafe is famous for seafood and fresh juices although everything else is equally tasty. The place even has few rooms for stay although you need to book in advaance.
• Murudeshwara and Jog Falls are a day trip from here. Both can be covered if one starts early. Mudureshwara holds the largest Mahadev statue while Jog is the tallest waterfall in India.

The bright morning sun was blazing in front of us when we reached Namaste Cafe Hotel in Gokarna. Earlier we had booked SRS Travels Sleeper bus from Bangalore and the journey was not disappointing. Namaste Cafe is located right on the Om beach but to reach here either you have to trek 3 miles or pay 150 bucks to the autowala.

Gokarna Main Beach

We used stayzilla.com for bookings which was pretty cost effective and convenient. The first day was dedicated to explore Om Beach itself. It is in the shape of the letter Om. The two beaches thus formed was swarming with foreigners.

Namaste Cafe@Om Beach, Gokarna

We took the unholy dip and enjoyed the combination of cold water and warm sun for couple of hours before retracting back to our room. Evening was beautiful and we made most of it.

4 points @ Gokarna Tourist Map

Next day we started early for Gokarna Main Beach on auto. There is an ancient Mahabaleswara Temple near the shore which we visited. Idea was to walk back to Om Beach through two ups and downs crossing Kudle beach. We reached Kudle beach at 12 and had a sumptuous continental lunch comprising of sizzlers and shakes.

Namaste Cafeteria@Night

We returned back to our abode in time for another dip in the Arabian Sea. Evening was planned for light drinking and enjoying the beach weather. Next morning we woke up early to witness a glorious sunrise. The rock formations around Om Beach transform the rising sun into a god of warmth and light.

Sunrise@Om Beach, Gokarna

We had two options for the day. The famous Jog Falls is less than 70 miles from Gokarna. The other option was to cover the sea on boat to reach Nirvana Beach which is secluded and has cleaner and fresher sandy beach. We decided for none.

Dusk @ Om Beach, Gokarna

We covered Murudeshwara the same day and came back to Gokarna for the sunset which was equally majestic. The main beach was perfect spot. Our bus was due at 7.30 and so we packed some food for the way. The sleeper bus, although less appealing than driving a car, made our trip a smooth affair.